Bombardier’s missed opportunity for the CS500
lunes, 29 de mayo de 2017
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Bombardier's missed opportunity for the CS500 // Leeham News
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/29/bombardiers-missed-opportunity-cs500/
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Bombardier's missed opportunity for the CS500 // Leeham News
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/29/bombardiers-missed-opportunity-cs500/
Boeing to develop DARPA’s new spaceplane | Lockheed pulls out of OTH-WS | AVIC completes development of new AESA radar for JF-17
“Private Stowage Compartment” design wins Airbus Fly Your Ideas 2017 competition
miércoles, 24 de mayo de 2017
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"Private Stowage Compartment" design wins Airbus Fly Your Ideas 2017 competition // Airbus All news
http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/private-stowage-compartment-design-wins-airbus-fly-your-ideas-2017-competition/?utm_source=article&utm_medium=All-news&utm_campaign=RSS
Student finalists from around the world hone their ideas in Airbus labs
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Airbus BizLab boosts global start-ups to bring their projects to life
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Airbus BizLab boosts global start-ups to bring their projects to life // Airbus All news
http://www.airbus.com/newsevents/news-events-single/detail/airbus-bizlab-boosts-global-start-ups-to-bring-their-projects-to-life/?utm_source=article&utm_medium=All-news&utm_campaign=RSS
Nearly 1,000 start-ups have interacted with the BizLab over the last two years.
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Etihad Airways: where to now?
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Etihad Airways: where to now? // Leeham News
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/24/ethiad-airways-now/
By Bjorn Fehrm
Etihad Airways appointed a new interim group CEO and CFO on 8th of May. The strategy of James Hogan, Etihad CEO since 2006, to grow the airline through partner alliances, coupled with minority investments, has hit trouble.
The latecomer to the Gulf carrier's growth party is now set for a strategy review by an incoming CEO.We describe the background to the problems and go through the options for Etihad's future…
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/24/ethiad-airways-now/
The latecomer to the Gulf carrier's growth party is now set for a strategy review by an incoming CEO.We describe the background to the problems and go through the options for Etihad's future…
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/24/ethiad-airways-now/
Uber Partners For eVTOL Service In 2023
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Uber Partners For eVTOL Service In 2023 // Aviation Week
http://aviationweek.com/bca/uber-partners-evtol-service-2023
Uber announces partnerships with vehicle developers and infrastructure providers to support its planned electric vertical takeoff and landing flight demonstrations in Dallas and Dubai in 2020.
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UAC-Comac Widebody Launched With 2027 Delivery Target
UAC-Comac Widebody Launched With 2027 Delivery Target // Aviation Week
http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/uac-comac-widebody-launched-2027-delivery-target
Detail design of the Sino-Russian widebody aircraft can begin
Detail design of a Sino-Russian widebody airliner should be completed by the end of 2018, by which time the partners will have chosen major suppliers.
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Drones in space? ESA tests crash-proof drone in Sicilian caves
When humans first set foot on Mars, they're going to want to be sure that the equipment is up to the task. To be as prepared as possible, the European Space Agency (ESA) has been testing equipment and techniques and training astronauts in cave systems here on Earth. The group's latest toy is a crash-proof drone that can map out tight spots humans can't reach, and these kinds of technologies could, in future, help the first Martian settlers explore lava tubes on the Red Planet.
.. Continue Reading Drones in space? ESA tests crash-proof drone in Sicilian caves The future is coming closer: Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft
lunes, 22 de mayo de 2017
The future is coming closer: Siemens develops world-record electric motor for aircraft
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-coming-closer-siemens-develops-world-record-electric-stefan
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/future-coming-closer-siemens-develops-world-record-electric-stefan
What’s it like to eject out of a plane?
viernes, 19 de mayo de 2017
Former RAF pilot Dode Dahroug describes the moment he ejected from his plane, after its engine fell off mid-air. This audio clip is from the World Service radio programme Crowdscience. Listen to the full episode which also covers the question: why can't commercial airliners have ejector seats? Yo...
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Can we just build a giant blimp to clean polluted air?
Your quick question, answered quickly. Totally doable. Engineers could easily rig blimps with massive catalytic converters—like those found in cars—and send them skyward to transform smog into clean air. However, says Peter Eisenberger, an environmental scientist at Columbia University, that woul...
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Drone to replace Israeli manned maritime patrol aircraft
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Drone to replace Israeli manned maritime patrol aircraft // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Drone_to_replace_Israeli_manned_maritime_patrol_aircraft_999.html
Washington (UPI) May 17, 2017
Heron 1 unmanned aerial systems are to replace manned Sea Scan maritime patrol aircraft of the Israeli Air Force. Israel Aerospace Industries, maker of the Heron 1, said the maritime Heron will feature maritime radar and an electro-optical payload suitable for maritime patrol and intelligence gathering missions. The maritime model's electro-optical payload, the MOSP, will be made
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US Hypersonic Aircraft Will Not Catch Russia Flat-Footed
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US Hypersonic Aircraft Will Not Catch Russia Flat-Footed // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_Hypersonic_Aircraft_Will_Not_Catch_Russia_Flat_Footed_999.html
Moscow (Sputnik) May 18, 2017
Speedy as they are, moving at about 6 kilometers a second (3.7 miles a second), the US hypersonic aircraft are still not fast enough to avoid the eagle eyes of Russia's missile attack warning system. The all-new Voronezh-class radar stations are able to spot and track America's hypersonic aircraft designed to bypass Russia's missile warning system. Until very recently the trajectories of t
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Boeing could deliver Block II Chinook to international customers in 2026
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Boeing could deliver Block II Chinook to international customers in 2026 // Latest news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-could-deliver-block-ii-chinook-to-internation-437369/
Boeing could make its Block II CH-47 renewal available to international customers as early as 2026, according to Boeing s director of Chinook global sales.
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OPINION: Can airframers beat supply chain vulnerability?
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OPINION: Can airframers beat supply chain vulnerability? // Latest news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/opinion-can-airframers-beat-supply-chain-vulnerabil-437374/
Like a game of industrial Whac-a-Mole, Airbus and Boeing have conquered one embarrassing behaviour long-delayed new product introductions just as customers grow increasingly nervous about another emerging problem: supply chain breakdowns.
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Sweden Wants Japan To Consider Saab As Future Fighter Backer
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Sweden Wants Japan To Consider Saab As Future Fighter Backer // Aviation Week
http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/sweden-wants-japan-consider-saab-future-fighter-backer
Sweden is urging Japan to consider Saab as a possible technical backer for the Future Fighter Program.
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Boeing Nearing Contract For Block II Chinook
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Boeing Nearing Contract For Block II Chinook // Aviation Week
http://aviationweek.com/awindefense/boeing-nearing-contract-block-ii-chinook
Boeing has reached a "handshake agreement" with the U.S. Army for the development of the future CH-47 Block II Chinook.
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90 Years Ago In Aviation Week: Charles Lindbergh's Flight
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90 Years Ago In Aviation Week: Charles Lindbergh's Flight // Aviation Week
http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/90-years-ago-aviation-week-charles-lindberghs-flight
In January, 1927, Capt. Charles Lindbergh sent a telegram to this magazine asking about the terms of the Raymond Orteig prize. The prize, proffered in 1919, offered $25,000 for the first nonstop aircraft flight between New York and Paris.
Saab wins $153.2m contract to supply AEW&C system to undisclosed customer
jueves, 18 de mayo de 2017
EASA certifies Sukhoi’s new SSJ100 B100 aircraft - Aerospace Technology
Russian engineers develop new surveillance, missile defense airships
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Russian engineers develop new surveillance, missile defense airships // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Engineers_Develop_New_Surveillance_Missile_Defense_Airships_999.html
Moscow (Sputnik) May 10, 2017
Russian engineers are designing new advanced airships which may become a potent element of the country's anti-ballistic missile defenses. On May 6, 1937, the German passenger airship Hindenburg crashed in the US during a docking attempt, dealing a critical blow to the public's faith in this method of transportation. And yet despite the fact that mankind has since perfected other meth
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Airbus Safran Launchers to Become ArianeGroup
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Airbus Safran Launchers to Become ArianeGroup // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Airbus_Safran_Launchers_to_Become_ArianeGroup_999.html
Paris, France (SPX) May 17, 2017
Airbus Safran Launchers, the joint venture created at the initiative of the Airbus and Safran groups in order to reorganize the European launchers sector, is to be known as ArianeGroup. The change in corporate name will be effective as of July 1, 2017. This change in identity, embodied in one of Europe's biggest successes, is the logical next step following the decision of the ESA Member S
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Washington Still Has No Engine to Replace Russian-Made RD-180
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Washington Still Has No Engine to Replace Russian-Made RD-180 // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Washington_Still_Has_No_Engine_to_Replace_Russian_Made_RD_180_999.html
Moscow (Sputnik) May 17, 2017
US aerospace company Blue Origin suffered a setback while testing its Blue Engine 4 (BE-4), a staged-combustion rocket engine designed to replace Russian-made RD-180s, meaning that Washington still does not have an indigenously built version of a key piece of equipment needed to propel its Atlas V launch vehicles or its analogues into space. The private company, founded by Amazon.com CEO J
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Finland analyses responses in Hornet replacement effort
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Finland analyses responses in Hornet replacement effort // Military news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/finland-analyses-responses-in-hornet-replacement-eff-437357/
Finland is continuing to analyse responses to a request for information it issued last year as part of the HX programme to replace its air force s fleet of Boeing F/A-18C/D Hornets.
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Strikes could hit A350 wing production
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Strikes could hit A350 wing production // Latest news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/strikes-could-hit-a350-wing-production-437361/
Airbus could be facing more supply chain misery on its A350 programme after workers at a wing component supplier voted overwhelmingly for industrial action in a dispute over pay.
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Antonov looks globally after severing Volga-Dnepr ties - ch-aviation.com
A380 wake upset inquiry: Offset not permitted on route
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A380 wake upset inquiry: Offset not permitted on route // Airlines news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/a380-wake-upset-inquiry-offset-not-permitted-on-rou-437303/
German investigators have disclosed that lateral offset procedures were not apparently permitted on the airway being flown by an Airbus A380 and a Bombardier Challenger business jet involved in a serious wake-turbulence upset over the Arabian Sea.
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Italian investigators reveal sharp rise in drone encounters
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Italian investigators reveal sharp rise in drone encounters // Airlines news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/italian-investigators-reveal-sharp-rise-in-drone-enc-437045/
Italian safety authorities have highlighted a sharp increase last year in the number of encounters between aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.
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EasyJet opts to take A321neo
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EasyJet opts to take A321neo // Airlines news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/easyjet-opts-to-take-a321neo-437248/
UK budget carrier EasyJet has finally opted to take the Airbus A321neo, by converting orders for 30 of the smaller A320neo which the airline has on order.
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Microsoft research team creates unique drone training simulator
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Microsoft research team creates unique drone training simulator // The UAS Magazine
http://theuasmagazine.com/articles/1692/microsoft-research-team-creates-unique-drone-training-simulator
Ashsih Kapoor and his Microsoft research team have created a simulated world for unmanned aircraft systems that can provide data for machine learning, autonomous flights and how to avoid crashes.
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Interest seen in Boeing’s “797,” says lessor
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Interest seen in Boeing's "797," says lessor // Leeham News
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/16/interest-seen-boeings-77-says-lessor/
May 16, 2017, © Leeham Co.: Air Lease Corp., one of the world's leading lessors, sees
John Plueger, CEO of Air Lease Corp.
a "quite a bit" of interest from its customers in the prospective Boeing Middle of the Market aircraft, says its CEO, John Plueger.
Speaking at the Airfinance Journal conference in New York today, Plueger acknowledged …
Boeing Warns Against Long Stealth Fighter Development
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Boeing Warns Against Long Stealth Fighter Development // Aviation Week
http://aviationweek.com/user/login
Boeing has cautioned the U.S. Navy against getting locked into another 20-year aircraft development program as it reaches for F/A-XX, the service's next carrier warplane.
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Boeing studying tailsitter VTOL for USMC
Boeing MUX-1: AWST
Boeing is studying a tailsitting vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) design as one of several potential configurations for the U.S. Marine Corps' emerging MUX requirement for a long-range, long-endurance expeditionary unmanned ...
Embraer and SNC present A-29 Super Tucano for USAF's OA-X experiment
miércoles, 17 de mayo de 2017
F-35 ban lifted for lightweight pilots | Textron’s Fury completes flight-testing | Reaper drone disrupts IS public execution
Boeing, Primera Air Announce Order for Up to 20 737 MAX 9s
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Boeing, Primera Air Announce Order for Up to 20 737 MAX 9s // MediaRoom
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2017-05-11-Boeing-Primera-Air-Announce-Order-for-Up-to-20-737-MAX-9s
Scandinavian low-cost airline to utilize airplane to open new transatlantic routes
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Boeing-Built Satellite Will Enhance Global High-Speed Broadband Network
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Boeing-Built Satellite Will Enhance Global High-Speed Broadband Network // MediaRoom
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2017-05-16-Boeing-Built-Satellite-Will-Enhance-Global-High-Speed-Broadband-Network
Fourth and final Inmarsat-5 satellite adds further capacity and coverage to the Global Xpress network
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Dissecting The Latest Close Encounter Between U.S. F-22 Raptors And Russian Su-35S Flankers Off Alaska
Newest Russian T-50 Stealth Aircraft Makes First Appearance in Spectacular New Camouflage
Robert Lainé, former Ariane Program Director and EADS Space CTO, joins Celestia Aerospace
martes, 16 de mayo de 2017
Celestia Aerospace, a pioneering turnkey orbit solutions aerospace company, is proud to announce that Robert Lainé PhD, former head of the Ariane european launcher program, joins the company’s team.
Robert Lainé is one of the key pieces to understand the evolution of Europe’s space industry during the last four decades. He has been in charge of keystone projects such as the Giotto probe systems, the XMM-Newton space telescope or the International Space Station cargo ship Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV). In recent years, he was appointed Head of the Ariane launcher program at the European Space Agency (ESA) and Chief Technical Officer (CTO) of the european aerospace consortium EADS Space (now Airbus Defence and Space).
Robert Lainé, a french electronics engineer (ENSEA) and PhD Honoris Causa by Surrey University (UK), will contribute with his vast experience in a wide variety of aerospace projects to consolidate and accelerate the proprietary “Sagittarius Launch System”, the airborne launch system designed by Celestia Aerospace.
Robert Lainé joins the senior staff already composed of Professor Adriano Camps, PhD in Telecommunications Engineering, Professor at the Telecommunications Engineering School of Barcelona (BarcelonaTech – Technical University of Catalonia, UPC), and Professor Ángel Mateo, PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Professor at the Aerospace Engineering School of Madrid (Madrid Polytech).
Textron Ceases Production of Cessna Citation Mustang | Business Aviation News: Aviation International News
viernes, 12 de mayo de 2017
Airlander 10, world’s largest aircraft, takes to the skies | Ars Technica UK
jueves, 11 de mayo de 2017
NASA IS LOSING THE RACE TO BUILD A BETTER ROCKET
An emerging class of powerful rockets is supposed to start flying in the next couple of years. They’re known as heavy-lift launch vehicles. These rockets are capable of getting a whole lot of stuff into space at once — and everyone seems to be making one. SpaceX has been promising that its Falcon Heavy, a larger variant of the Falcon 9 rocket, will fly for the first time this summer. The United Launch Alliance is working on a brand-new vehicle called the Vulcan that’s supposed to fly in 2019. And spaceflight company Blue Origin is the latest to throw its hat in the ring, recently claiming its next big rocket, the New Glenn, will be able to deliver 100,000 pounds of cargo — and eventually people — to lower Earth orbit.
At the same time, NASA is developing a monster rocket of its own... continue reading https://www.theverge.com/2017/5/10/14886570/nasa-space-launch-system-rocket-ula-blue-origin-spacex
AW609 PROGRAMME MOVES FORWARD PREPARING FOR ICING TRIALS
- Several ground and flight tests already performed in Philadelphia by the third AW609 prototype
- Aircraft remains on schedule to begin icing trials this winter
- FAA certification is on track for 2018
The AW609 TiltRotor programme is expected to start icing trials soon following recent ground and flight testing activities. These advances have been made in support of FAA certification, which remains on track for 2018.
The third prototype, based at Leonardo’s facility in Philadelphia, performed several weeks of unrestrained ground testing and, more recently, flight trials that allowed avionics and all systems to be fully tested. During initial flights, the aircraft performed basic hovering and maneuvering and patterns around the airport, concluding with hover landing. Additional flights up to altitudes of 4000 feet with short takeoff and landing (STOL) are planned shortly.
The aircraft will undergo icing trials in Marquette, Michigan, through the winter. The tests will ensure the AW609can fly in known icing conditions and reach operational standards not currently available in any other commercial aircraft.
The fourth AW609 prototype is now located within the main production area of the Philadelphia facility’s assembly line to ensure a smooth transition to the first production build aircraft, also planned for 2018.
Rome 09/02/2017 16:26
Press Release (Download: pdf, Size: 159.2 KB) Read more...
US Air Force Space Shuttle X-37B Finally Unmasked
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US Air Force Space Shuttle X-37B Finally Unmasked // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_Air_Force_Space_Shuttle_X_37B_Finally_Unmasked_999.html
Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 08, 2017
The mysterious X-37B has ended its fourth mission, and for the first time on this flight, it has been officially unmasked. Gliding swiftly to a daylight landing at the Kennedy Space Centre after 718 days in orbit, boffins have been rewarded with detailed images and video of the robot spaceplane. That's been typical of previous missions, but it's a major unmasking for this flight. The landi
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Lockheed Martin introduces quiet, lightweight variant of Indago drone
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Lockheed Martin introduces quiet, lightweight variant of Indago drone // Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Lockheed_Martin_introduces_quiet_lightweight_variant_of_Indago_drone_999.html
Washington (UPI) May 9, 2017
Lockheed Martin is touting its newest variant of the Indago quadrotor drone for sensitive intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. Indago 3's Enhanced ISR capability comes with the addition of TrellisWare Technologies MANET software, Lockheed Martin said. "Indago 3 gives our customers a quiet, durable, long-range system to complete sensitive operations with a small
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Boeing halts 737 Max flights to investigate engine flaw
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Boeing halts 737 Max flights to investigate engine flaw // Latest news
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/boeing-halts-737-max-flights-to-investigate-engine-f-437074/
Boeing has suspended 737 Max flights after being notified by engine supplier CFM International about a potential quality escape issue in low pressure turbine discs inside Leap-1B engines.
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Antonov to produce new airborne early warning and control aircraft for Ukrainian Air Force | Defence Blog
Drone delivery report: last-mile economics make drones desirable
http://theuasmagazine.com/articles/1688/drone-delivery-report-last-mile-economics-make-drones-desirable
A new report on the feasibility of drone package delivery explains that it is only a matter of when not if. The economics of using drones for last-mile delivery are simply too compelling, the report states.
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G/ATOR delivered to USMC | Trump administration to further arm Syrian Kurds | Sweden interested in Boeing/Saab T-X trainer offering
Airbus - Airbus creates new commercial drone services start-up “Airbus Aerial”
http://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/news-media/press-releases/Airbus-Aerial.html
Read more...
Dallas, Texas, 10 May 2017 – Airbus (stock exchange symbol: AIR) today launched its U.S. base and operations of a new commercial drone start-up, named Airbus Aerial, at the AUVSI Xponential tradeshow and conference in Dallas.
With bases both in the U.S. and in Europe, Airbus Aerial's initial business will focus on developing new imagery services. These services will leverage the best software and aerospace technology from across the globe to offer actionable data and analysis of information provided by drones, satellites, high altitude aircraft and other sources.
"Through Airbus Aerial, we are uniquely positioned and fully committed to advancing the commercial Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) industry. It is bringing together partners from across the industry – ranging from vehicle manufacturers, data analytics companies, service providers and others – to enable data-focused services at large scale," said Dirk Hoke, Chief Executive Officer of Airbus Defence and Space. "Using an integrated combination of assets, from UAS platforms to satellite imagery, Airbus Aerial is rolling out a wide range of new imagery services. In the future, additional pillars of the Airbus Aerial activities will be in the area of cargo drone services as well as providing connectivity via aerial assets."
The U.S.-based part of Airbus Aerial will be headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, and is led by Jesse Kallman, a UAS industry expert with more than 12 years of experience including research at Georgia Tech, federal policy at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), commercial UAS at Airware, and advocacy with groups like AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International). Kallman has served as a trusted adviser to executives at Fortune 500 companies, members of Congress, senior officials at the FAA and White House, and leading Silicon Valley Venture Capital groups.
"Drones are only a piece of a much larger picture for us," said Kallman. "Airbus Aerial brings together a variety of aerospace technologies – including drones and satellites – combines them in a common software infrastructure, and applies industry-specific analytics to deliver tailored solutions to our customers' biggest challenges."
Airbus Aerial imagery services targets a range of applications for commercial industries, such as insurance, agriculture, oil and gas, and utilities, as well as state and local governments.
Airbus Aerial starts operations with imagery services fusing drones, satellite images and software to bring deeper insights to commercial customers
Recruitment for positions in software development, data analytics and drone operations, among other roles, has begun. Airbus Aerial is also looking for new partnerships to help bring these new services to market. For more information on available positions with Airbus Aerial or to inquire about partnerships, please visit www.airbusaerial.com.
The world’s biggest plane may have a new mission: launching spacecrafts
The Soviet Union's Antonov An-225 was designed to transport the Buran space shuttle. It still flies sporadically today – but a Chinese plan could give it a new lease of life. Tucked away in a small section of a Soviet era air base on the outskirts of Kiev is the flagship aircraft of the legendary...
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Consíguela gratis para mantenerte al día con las noticias que te interesan.
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Consíguela gratis para mantenerte al día con las noticias que te interesan.
How Airbus can kill the Boeing 797 [feedly]
Airbus can kill the business case for the prospective Boeing 797, the New Midrange Aircraft also known as the Middle of the Market Airplane,
- Reuter's Tim Hepher has this story.
- CNN's Jon Ostrower has this story.
All it has to do is move first, instead of waiting for Boeing to launch the 797, something considered likely next year... If Airbus launched what is commonly called the A322, a larger, longer-range version of the A321neo... continue reading https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/10/airbus-can-kill-boeing-797/ Read more...
Passengers fight with Spirit Airlines employees, police after 9 flights canceled [feedly]
Passengers fight with Spirit Airlines employees, police after 9 flights canceled
https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2017/05/09/passengers-fight-spirit-airlines-employees-police-9-flights-canceled
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https://www.dallasnews.com/business/airlines/2017/05/09/passengers-fight-spirit-airlines-employees-police-9-flights-canceled
Fwd: Europe's largest offshore wind farm boots up in the Netherlands [feedly]
Europe's largest offshore wind farm boots up in the Netherlands
http://newatlas.com/gemini-wind-farm-netherlands-opens/49428/
-- via my feedly newsfeed
http://newatlas.com/gemini-
-- via my feedly newsfeed
The Hellenic Air Force Has Retired Its Last RF-4E Phantom Jets [feedly]
The HAF has bid farewell to its last "recce" Phantoms. On May 4, Larissa airbase, Greece, hosted the spotter day for the final flight of the Hellenic Air Force RF-4E, the last "recce" Phantoms in Europe. With the phase out of the last Greek RF-4E, Iran and Japan remain the last operators of the reconnaissance […]
https://theaviationist.com/2017/05/08/the-hellenic-air-force-has-retired-its-last-rf-4e-phantom-jets/
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The first flying prototype of the Irkut Russian MC-21 airliner has left the assembly room floor,
The first flying prototype of the Ikrut MC-21, a Russian twin-engine short-mid-range jet airliner with a capacity of 150-211 passengers, has left the assembly room floor, Russian media reports, citing sources in the aviation industry.
Original, in Russian: https://ria.ru/economy/20170504/1493629349.html (and automatic translation, via Google here)
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Snipe Nano Quadrotor could reshape the battlefield
http://newatlas.com/aerovironment-snipe-nano-quadrotor-uas/49437/
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/09/technology/drones-aerovironment/
https://youtu.be/8QRwX55riBs
press release. https://www.avinc.com/resources/press-releases/view/aerovironment-developer-of-the-nano-hummingbird-unveils-snipe-a-new-stealth
- Launched from the palm of a hand, Snipe™ is worn on operators’ clothing so it can spring into action immediately – first 20 systems delivered in April
- Difficult to detect, Snipe provides close-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR)
- Simple to use and requires no assembly; operates in challenging and rugged environmental conditions
- Builds on breakthrough robotic Nano Hummingbird developed by AeroVironment for DARPA
DALLAS, at AUVSI XPONENTIAL, May 9, 2017 – AeroVironment, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVAV), a global leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for both military and commercial applications, today officially unveiled the new Snipe Nano Quad, a miniature (“Class 0”) and field-rugged unmanned aircraft system designed to support close-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The first U.S. government customer delivery of 20 Snipe systems took place in April.
“Snipe’s tiny size belies its impressive capabilities,” said Kirk Flittie, AeroVironment vice president and general manager of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems business segment. “It is quick, quiet, fast, durable and packed with advanced features critical to helping our customers succeed in close-range missions.”
“Snipe enables operators to spring into action quickly,” Flittie said. “No assembly is required for the five-ounce (140-gram) nano-UAS, which is designed to be worn by its operator so it can be deployed in less than a minute.”
Equipped with electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR), low-light-capable and long-wave infrared (LWIR) sensors in an integrated tilt mechanism, Snipe can relay high-resolution images and record real-time video both day and night. In addition, Snipe’s integrated UHF radio provides for excellent non-line-of-sight operation. The software-defined radio (SDR) allows Snipe to be sold commercially.
With its quiet electric motors, flight speeds exceeding 20 mph and more than one-kilometer range, Snipe is difficult to detect in operating environments with even minimal ambient noise. Its rechargeable batteries power approximately 15 minutes of flight time. Despite its small size, the durable nano-UAS is capable of operating under challenging environmental conditions – including winds of 15+ mph with gusts up to 20 mph
“While Snipe’s stealthiness makes it ideally suited for military applications, it’s an invaluable asset for anyone needing a ‘Class 0’ UAS to support their missions,” Flittie said.
Snipe is controlled using an intuitive app on a standard, ruggedized (MIL-STD 810) touch screen controller with intuitive user interface and automated operation for ease of use.Other critical functions include Snipe’s ability to return to its operator automatically if it loses its radio link.
Snipe benefits from advances in nano unmanned technology achieved by the company in its development of the internationally recognized Nano Hummingbird. “The Nano Hummingbird, the world’s first unmanned aircraft capable of propulsion and control using two flapping wings, is an example of how our breakthrough innovation has spawned a valuable new capability in Snipe that now will help our customers proceed with certainty,” added Flittie.
AeroVironment’s Snipe Nano Quadrotor will be available to order Fall 2017. Operator training requires four hours only.
Read more...
Intel demonstrates drones' potential for automated infrastructure inspections
In New Atlas
http://newatlas.com/intel-drones-falcon-8-bridge-inspection/49452/
In Intel Newsroom
https://newsroom.intel.com/news/intel-auvsi-xponential-2017-intel-takes-flight-new-capabilities-solutions/
https://newsroom.intel.com/editorials/professional-grade-intel-falcon-8-system-offers-advanced-performance-business-critical-flights/
The next billion-dollar startup will be in aerospace
Late last month, 500 people from around the world gathered in Dallas at Uber’s inaugural Elevate Summit.
The invite-only conference was the next actionable step forward, post-Uber’s white paper published last fall, “Fast-Forwarding to a Future of On-Demand Urban Air Transportation,” to catalyze the emerging ecosystem around what Uber, along with partners in aerospace, aviation, and energy storage, see as the next unicorn transportation sector... continue reading https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/09/the-next-billion-dollar-startup-will-be-in-aerospace/
Airbus to carry out a definition study for the ground segment of the Syracuse IV satellite-based military telecommunications system
Paris, 2 May 2017– The French defence procurement agency (Direction Générale de l’Armement) has awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract to carry out preparatory studies and definition work for the future ground segment of the Syracuse IV satellite-based military telecommunications system. The results of this study will help prepare for the Syracuse IV ground segment construction phase, scheduled to begin in 2018.
The purpose of this one-year study is to examine possible architectures for the Syracuse IV terrestrial network, as well as the new capacity required by the future system. It will scrutinise the pervasiveness of IP (Internet Protocol) technology and the exponential increase in the transmission-speed requirements of the Armed Forces in an ever more interconnected world, while at the same time maintaining security and a very high level of availability.
The study will include the sizing of the network, flow management and prioritisation, using the most advanced network management technologies. Backed by its unique experience of very high-speed satellite networks (in Ka band), Airbus Defence and Space will also examine the capacity optimisation of the future Syracuse IV satellites notably through the use of the latest generation of modems. This study should also make it possible to define the safeguards and resilience mechanisms needed to deal effectively with cyber threats.
The terrestrial and aeronautical mobility of on-board terminals is one of the major challenges for the Syracuse IV ground segment. The study will benefit from the experience and knowhow of Airbus Defence and Space in the field of transport aircraft, intelligence and surveillance, to propose secure high-speed solutions that are both innovative and mature.
The study will also cover the optimisation of through-life support and integrated logistical support for the Syracuse IV system, while guaranteeing a very high level of availability.
In France, Airbus Defence and Space is the supplier of the Comcept network, the first all-IP, very high-speed Ka-band satellite communication system and its 400 user ground stations. The Company is also involved in the construction of the Syracuse IV military satellites and provides satellite telecommunication services to the French Armed Forces, under the Astel-S agreement.
“Airbus is fostering its role as a partner of choice in the field of satellite-based military telecommunications in France. Our French teams will be pooling their expertise in the fields of networks, telecommunication satellites, military transmissions and cyber security,” said Eric Souleres, Head of the Communications, Intelligence & Security (CIS) Business Line in France at Airbus Defence and Space.
Apart from the user ground segment, which is the subject of this study, the Syracuse IV satellite communication programme includes the construction of two satellites that, by 2021- 2023, will replace the Syracuse 3A and Syracuse 3B satellites currently in orbit. It also comprises the construction of the ground control segment and the configuration of these new satellites, the construction of new Ka-band communication anchor stations and support for these resources for a period of 17 years as of the commissioning of the first satellite.
The satellites, working in X and Ka bands, will offer increased performance in terms of communication capacity, flexibility and jamming resistance in order to meet the future needs of the Armed Forces.
About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
James Webb Space Telescope moving forward – latest milestone for Airbus contributions to the mission
May 8, 2017 - Press release
James Webb telescope and instrument module shipped by NASA from Goddard Space Flight Centre in Washington to Johnson Space Centre in Houston for final tests
Houston 08/05/2017 – OTIS (Optical Telescope Element and Integrated Science), the payload module hosting the telescope and the instruments for the giant James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been shipped by NASA to the Johnson Space Centre (JSC) in Houston, Texas. OTIS includes two European instruments with major Airbus contributions, the near-infrared spectrograph NIRSpec built by Airbus and the mid-infrared instrument MIRI built with the support of Airbus.
NIRSpec, weighing 200kg, will be able to detect the faintest radiation from the most distant galaxies, observing more than 100 of them simultaneously. It will observe large samples of galaxies and stars at unprecedented depths across large swathes of the Universe and far back in time. Once launched, NIRSpec, known as the ‘super eye’, will operate at a temperature of -238°C. The instrument was developed by Airbus for the European Space Agency (ESA).
The MIRI instrument is a combined camera, spectrograph and coronagraph for mid-infrared wavelengths that will extend JWST’s observation capabilities to longer wavelengths, vital for the study of light from objects in the early universe or to peer inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today. MIRI was developed by a European consortium of 21 institutes from 10 ESA member states as well as NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Goddard Space Flight Centre, led by the UK’s Astronomy Technology Centre with project management from Airbus.
“This is a fantastic next step for the James Webb Space Telescope – bringing it one step closer to launch on Ariane 5,” said Nicolas Chamussy, Head of Space Systems. “JWST will enable us to study the early Universe and peer inside dust clouds to study star formation. This spacecraft represents the pinnacle of technology for modern astronomy, and shows Airbus’ outstanding expertise in support of the scientific research that JWST will carry out.”
NASA, ESA, and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are collaborating to develop JWST, designed to be the next step after the legendary Hubble Space Telescope. After its launch in 2018 on an Ariane 5 launcher from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, JWST will be the largest astronomical telescope in space. It will be able to study key phases in the evolution of the Universe in great detail – from the formation of the first stars and galaxies only a few hundred millions years after the Big Bang to the formation of planetary systems in our own Milky Way galaxy today.
About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
Airbus Achieves Automatic Air-to-Air Refuelling Contact
Automatic AAR contacts with boom performed for first time ever
Madrid, 9 May 2017 - Airbus Defence and Space has successfully demonstrated automatic air-to-air refuelling (AAR) contacts with a fighter aircraft from a tanker’s refuelling boom – the first time in the world that this has been done.
Airbus’ A310 MRTT company development aircraft performed six automatic contacts with a F-16 of the Portuguese Air Force in a demonstration of a technique which the company believes holds great promise for enhancing in-service AAR operations.
The system requires no additional equipment on the receiver and is intended to reduce boom operator workload, improve safety, and optimise the rate of AAR in operational conditions to maximise combat efficiency. It could be introduced on the current production A330 MRTT as soon as 2019.
Initial approach and tracking of the receiver is performed by the tanker’s Air Refuelling Operator (ARO) as usual. Innovative passive techniques such as image processing are then used to determine the receiver’s refuelling receptacle position and when the automated system is activated, a fully automated flight control system directs the boom towards the receiver’s receptacle. The telescopic beam inside the boom can be controlled in a range of ways including: manually by the ARO; a relative distance-keeping mode; or full auto-mode to perform the contact.
In the 21 March flight off the Portuguese coast, the tanker performed the scheduled six contacts, at flight conditions of 270KT and 25,000ft over a 1hr 15min test period. Both crews reported a faultless operation.
David Piatti, Airbus Test ARO, or “boomer”, on the tanker, said: “The most important thing was that the system could track the receptacle. It was very satisfying because it worked perfectly and we could perform the contacts with the automation switched on as planned. It will certainly reduce workload, especially in degraded weather conditions.”
The F-16 pilot, known by his callsign “Prime”, said: “The test mission was pretty uneventful and accomplished with no unexpected issues – which is a good sign. From the moment that the boomer accepted the contact the boom was immediately in the correct spot. For the contact itself, it was very precise and expeditious. You can notice the difference – the less that you feel in the cockpit then the more precise you know the tracking is.”
Miguel Gasco, Head of Airbus Defence and Space’s Incubator Laboratory which coordinated the development, said: “This represents a fundamental advance in boom AAR operations, with the promise of increasing the rate of contacts, notably reducing operator workload, and enhancing safety. The automated boom operation is an important pillar of our Smart MRTT development that is already underway.”
The imaging technology underlying the Automatic AAR technique was originally used by Airbus’ Space division to develop solutions for refuelling satellites in space or for space debris removal and was further developed and applied by Airbus Defence and Space’s Incubator Laboratory for the tanking application.
The photo shows the first automatic contact between the A310 MRTT demonstrator and the F-16.
A video can be viewed and downloaded here: https://we.tl/yI7sDnc2zw
About A330 MRTT
The Airbus Defence and Space A330 MRTT is the only new generation strategic tanker/transport aircraft combat-proven and available today. The large 111 tonnes/ 245,000 lb basic fuel capacity of the successful A330-200 airliner, from which it is derived, enables the A330 MRTT to excel in air-to-air refuelling missions without the need for any additional fuel tank.
The A330 MRTT is offered with a choice of proven air-to-air refuelling systems including an advanced Airbus Defence and Space Aerial Refuelling Boom System, and/or a pair of under-wing hose and drogue pods, and/or a Fuselage Refuelling Unit.
Thanks to its true wide-body fuselage, the A330 MRTT can also be used as a pure transport aircraft able to carry up to 300 troops, or a payload of up to 45 tonnes/99,000 lb. It can also easily be converted to accommodate up to 130 stretchers for Medical Evacuation (MEDEVAC). To-date, a total of 51 A330 MRTTs have been ordered by nine nations (Australia, France, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom), with two (Australia and Saudi Arabia) having already placed repeat orders.
About Airbus
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2016, it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe’s number one space enterprise and the world’s second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide. Read more...
China's C919 - a great leap forward?
martes, 9 de mayo de 2017
On 5 May China's new single-aisle airliner, the COMAC C919, took to the skies for the first time. TIM ROBINSON asks: is this the end of the Airbus-Boeing duopoly https://www.aerosociety.com/news/chinas-c919-a-great-leap-forward/
Read more...Boeing Demonstrates Airborne Networking System
Pilots gain secure, integrated communications capabilities; tests validate information sharing between F-22 and F-15C aircraft
ARLINGTON, Va., May 8, 2017 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Air Force recently demonstrated that multiple aircraft and ground stations can efficiently and securely communicate using the Boeing-developed Talon HATE airborne networking system.
During flight testing at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Talon HATE pods on two F-15C aircraft enabled test pilots to share information through the military’s Link 16, Common Data Link and Wideband Global SATCOM satellites.
The tests also validated intra-flight datalink network capabilities used by F-22 aircraft.
Pilots using the system can transmit information quickly between the F-15C and other Air Force aircraft and weapon systems, enabling efficient information sharing in real time.
“We’ve completed developmental flight test,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Bradley, Air Force Talon HATE manager. “We look forward to fielding this system, not only to immediately provide aircrews with actionable information faster and at a higher quality, but also to help the Air Force learn important lessons for the employment of tactical gateway systems in the future.”
“This aerial network is a giant leap forward in tactical fighter capability with real-time connectivity and expanded information sharing,” said Paul Geery, vice president, Phantom Works Mission Solutions and Boeing’s Talon HATE program manager. “We are now demonstrating secure datalink connections between F-15Cs and F-22s in a way that integrates information for the pilot into a common operating picture.”
Boeing will conduct additional tests later this year with advanced sensors, which will offer improved aircraft targeting capabilities.
Airbus begins production of first U.S.-built A320 in Mobile
All aircraft delivered from Mobile thus far have been A321 aircraft
8 MAY 2017 PRESS RELEASE
The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility in Mobile, Alabama, has received the major component assemblies for the first A320 that will be produced in the U.S. The 27 aircraft delivered from the facility thus far have been A321s.
This marks another important milestone for the manufacturing facility, which began production in July 2015 and is equipped to build three members of the A320 Family: A319, A320 and A321.
This A320 is destined to be delivered to Spirit Airlines this summer.
Facility to test SABRE air-breathing engine under construction
Reaction Engines Press release
Reaction Engines begins construction of UK rocket engine test facility
Reaction Engines Ltd. today began construction of a new engine test facility where it plans to undertake the first ground based demonstration of its revolutionary SABRE™ air-breathing rocket engine.
The test facility at Westcott, Buckinghamshire, UK will enable Reaction Engines to test critical subsystems along with the testing of a SABRE engine core, which will commence in 2020.
The project represents a substantial investment for Reaction Engines, which will consist of a multi-purpose propulsion test stand designed to accommodate various test engine configurations, an assembly building, workshops, offices and control room. The location of workshops and other support facilities alongside the test stand will enable configuration changes to the engine to take place at the site, reducing the down time between testing phases and accelerating the development programme of the SABRE engine.
To mark the start of construction, Mark Thomas, CEO, Reaction Engines undertook a ground breaking ceremony with Franco Ongaro, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, European Space Agency (ESA); Dr. Chris Castelli, Director, Programmes, UK Space Agency and Richard Harrington, CEO, Buckinghamshire Thames Valley LEP.
Mark Thomas, CEO, Reaction Engines said:
“This is another exciting step forward in development of Reaction Engines’ SABRE engine and a visible demonstration of the UK’s commitment to the programme. I look forward to seeing this unique facility take shape and commencing our core engine testing, which will be a defining moment for aerospace.”
Franco Ongaro, Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality, ESA said:
“The opening of this new test facility at Westcott Today marks an historical moment for the European Aerospace industry and for the UK research and development in rocket propulsion. This facility will enable the ground test of the SABRE engine cycle, opening the way to the first flight tests, and to a new era. The European Space Agency is proud of this partnership with industry and the UK Space Agency, to which we bring our technical competence, which has supported the SABRE development to this stage, and we are confident, to its future flight success.”
The construction of the SABRE engine test facility is a significant milestone. The company has already successfully undertaken testing of the engine’s pre-cooler and thrust chamber technologies, and will undertake further ground-based high-temperature testing of the pre-cooler early in 2018.
The test facility is located in the Westcott Venture Park, a location with a strong history of rocket propulsion research, having been used to test various UK rocket projects since 1946, including the Blue Streak and Black Arrow programmes. In 2016 the UK Space Agency selected Westcott as the UK’s National Space Propulsion Test Facility and the site is now home to a number of space propulsion and satellite technology companies.
About Westcott Venture Park:
Westcott Venture Park, owned by Rockspring Hanover Property Unit Trust, is a former Government Research Facility and today offers a wide range of industrial / office accommodation with units ranging from 120 sq ft up to 30,000 sq ft.Located between Aylesbury and Bicester, it is the largest business park in Buckinghamshire with major occupiers including FedEx, Shanks, BAE Systems, Moog, and with Bucks Recycling, Ecopac, Green Retreats and Total Carbide occupying five former aircraft hangars.
Westcott Venture Park has successfully completed the letting of the first phase of the Century Court development, which has resulted in all seven units totalling 24,000 sq ft being fully occupied.
In 2016 Westcott Venture Park celebrated 70 years since the park became the Guided Projectile Establishment and therefore the home of rocket propulsion research in the UK.
Planning Permission for Reaction Engines test facility was approved on 28th April 2017 and the application for Hazardous Substance Consent has gained approval from HSE and is now going through the remainder of the planning process with the local council.
For further information, visit: www.westcottventurepark.co.uk
About Reaction Engines:
Reaction Engines Limited (‘Reaction Engines’) is a privately held, growing, company based in Culham, Oxfordshire, UK. It employs over 100 people, many of whom are aerospace engineers and apprentices. It was founded in 1989 to develop the technologies needed for an advanced combined cycle air-breathing rocket engine class called SABRE™ (Synergetic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine) which is a leading contender for the next generation of hypersonic flight and space access vehicles.SABRE is an innovative new class of aerospace propulsion that has the potential to provide efficient air-breathing thrust from standstill on the runway to speeds above five times the speed of sound in the atmosphere. A SABRE engine can then transition to a rocket mode of operation, allowing spaceflight at up to orbital velocity, equivalent to twenty five times the speed of sound. Through its ability to ‘breathe’ air from the atmosphere, SABRE offers a significant reduction in propellant consumption and weight compared to conventional rocket engines which have to carry their own oxygen.
Ground test and development programme
There are three core building blocks to the SABRE engine technology, the pre-cooler, the engine core and the thrust chamber. Each of these systems can be developed and validated using ground based demonstrations which saves cost and time relative to flight test, a design feature that benefitted the development of the piston/propeller and jet engine. Reaction Engines plan to mature each of these independently over the next four years, with a high temperature test of the pre cooler planned early 2018.
Investment
Reaction Engines has received significant capital from private investors and public funding, which will support its transition from a successful research phase into development and testing of the engine. In 2013, the UK Government announced a £60m commitment to aid preparations for the design, manufacture and testing of a SABRE demonstrator engine. In 2015, the Company announced that BAE Systems had made a strategic investment in the company and committed to a working collaboration to accelerate the development of the engine.
Orbital Launch Vehicles
As a step change in propulsion, SABRE-class engines have the potential to truly revolutionise the space launch industry.
The high efficiency of a SABRE engine and the elimination of the need to carry on-board oxidizer during air-breathing flight segments, enable the development of single stage or two stage space launch system with aircraft-like horizontal take-off and landing operations, resulting in lower cost infrastructure, and mission timelines while increasing responsiveness and system reusability. In addition, SABRE powered launch vehicles can be designed with the ability to abort their mission and return to base- an attribute that will drive significant improvements in the reliability of space launch
Hypersonic Mission Applications
The SABRE-class is capable of achieving air-breathing flight from Mach 0 to Mach 5+ as a single propulsion installation and is well suited for a variety of potential high-speed mission areas. SABRE enables more capable high-speed vehicles to be designed and the engine’s rocket mode adds the additional flexibility to increase thrust or transition to sub-orbital flight.
Hypersonic Transport
Hypersonic Transport
SABRE-class engines have the potential to make the world smaller through high-speed point-to-point transport. To demonstrate the uses for SABRE engine technology in Mach 5 cruise applications, Reaction Engines engaged in a 50% EU-funded project as part of Framework 6, called LAPCAT — Long-term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologies. This study examined the technologies required to reduce long-distance flights, e.g. From Brussels to Sydney, to just over 4 hours while cruising at Mach 5.
Other applications
Reaction Engines heat exchanger technology has the potential to revolutionise the approach to thermal management across a range of industries, from aerospace to motorsport, industrial processes, and the energy sector.Other applications
4 May 2017
Work began today on building the UK’s latest rocket engine test facility, designed for firing the engine core of the ESA-backed SABRE propulsion system within three years.
The Synergistic Air-Breathing Rocket Engine is uniquely designed to scoop up atmospheric air during the early part of its flight to orbit. This slashes the need for the vehicle to carry bulky onboard oxygen for this part of the ascent, before switching to rocket mode drawing on internal propellants for its final climb to space.
Such engines have the potential to revolutionise space launches, powering vehicles that can take off and land like aircraft.
Capable of airbreathing flight up to five times the speed of sound, they could also lead to hypersonic air travel.
UK company Reaction Engines Ltd has been working on the engine for many years, with ESA playing an important technical management role since 2008.
Today, ground was broken on the new test facility at Westcott Venture Park in the UK, an historic site for rocket research over the past seven decades. Engines for the Blue Streak and Black Arrow rockets were tested there, for example.
“The opening of this new test facility marks an historic moment for the European aerospace industry and for the UK research and development in rocket propulsion,” remarked Franco Ongaro, ESA Director of Technology, Engineering and Quality.
“This facility enables the ground test of the engine cycle, opening the way to the first test flights, and to a new era.
“ESA is proud of this partnership with industry and the UK Space Agency, to which we bring our technical competence, which has supported the development to this stage, and we are confident, to its future flight success.”
ESA has invested €10 million in SABRE, joining £50 million from the UK Space Agency.
ESA independently reviewed the engine’s viability in 2010, opening the way to UK government investment. Reaction Engines Ltd has subsequently received private investment from BAE Systems, focused on accelerating development.
To allow the engine to use the superfast onrushing airstream as oxidiser, the air must be cooled from 1000°C to –150°C within just a hundredth of second, at the same time avoiding the formation of dangerous ice.
In 2012 ESA oversaw testing of the prototype ‘precooler’ required to cool the air, followed by research and development projects covering other elements such as the novel rocket nozzles, air intake design and thrust chamber cooling. Read more...
Air traffic control for drones is coming. Here's how it could work [feedly]
lunes, 8 de mayo de 2017
Air traffic control for drones is coming. Here's how it could work
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-drone-traffic-20170501-htmlstory.html
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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-drone-traffic-20170501-htmlstory.html
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Air Lease disappointed with A320neo and A350 delays [feedly]
Air Lease disappointed with A320neo and A350 delays
http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/air-lease-disappointed-with-a320neo-and-a350-delays-436904/
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http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/air-lease-disappointed-with-a320neo-and-a350-delays-436904/
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Air France among A380 operators studying 11-abreast layout [feedly]
Air France among A380 operators studying 11-abreast layout
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/05/05/air-france-among-a380-operators-studying-11-abreast-layout/
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https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/05/05/air-france-among-a380-operators-studying-11-abreast-layout/
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Three-abreast widebody Super Diamond offers next-gen business option [feedly]
Three-abreast widebody Super Diamond offers next-gen business option
https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/05/07/three-abreast-widebody-super-diamond-offers-next-gen-business-option/
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https://runwaygirlnetwork.com/2017/05/07/three-abreast-widebody-super-diamond-offers-next-gen-business-option/
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Pontifications: Bombardier’s challenges beyond Boeing complaint [feedly]
Pontifications: Bombardier's challenges beyond Boeing complaint
https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/08/pontifications-bombardiers-challenges-beyond-boeing-complaint/
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https://leehamnews.com/2017/05/08/pontifications-bombardiers-challenges-beyond-boeing-complaint/
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Airbus A350-1000 successfully completes fuel test campaign in UK
PRESS RELEASE
Cardiff – Airbus’ A350-1000 test aircraft MSN071 has completed fuel system and engine tests in Cardiff, Wales between 3 and 4 May as part of its type certification flight test campaign.
Fuel test engineers from Airbus’ site at Filton, Bristol, were on hand to support testing of the fuel systems that were designed in the UK. The objective of the test is to simulate operational conditions in hot countries and check how global fuel management system and engines behave with hot fuel (over 43°C).
The early results demonstrate that the fuel management system efficiently handles various fuel densities and temperatures, as well as fuel flow to engines and between tanks while airborne offering the best operational performance. The A350-1000 is ready for hot conditions operations from Entry Into Service later this year.
The A350-1000, just as the -900, has a simplified fuel system with only three tanks and fewer pumps and valves. This contributes to a 25% advantage in operating costs and is another example of the high level of commonality within the A350 XWB family.
Fuel systems tests are part of standard tests for all new aircraft and major modifications such as new engines. The aircraft was fuelled twice a day and then the flight test team performed a number of required engine and systems flight tests with hot fuel.
The site at Filton, Bristol is Airbus’s worldwide centre of expertise for fuel systems design and testing, which is why these fuel tests for the A350-1000 - as for all Airbus aircraft such as A320neo, A380, A350-900, and A400M - have been carried out in the UK.
The A350-1000 is the latest member of the Airbus leading widebody family, together with the A330neo, offering unprecedented levels of operating efficiency, low noise and true long-range capability. As well as having a longer fuselage to accommodate 40 more passengers than the A350-900, the A350-1000 also features a modified wing trailing-edge, new six-wheel main landing gears and more powerful Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines. The A350-1000 embodies all of the fuel efficiency and ‘Airspace’ cabin comfort of the original A350-900 – but with extra size perfectly tailored for our customers on some of their busiest long-haul routes. To date 12 customers from five continents have placed orders for a total of 211 A350-1000s.
The Reaper drops a JDAM | Saudi seeking several THAAD batteries | Japan jostles to obtain Tomahawks [feedly]
The Reaper drops a JDAM | Saudi seeking several THAAD batteries | Japan jostles to obtain Tomahawks
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-reaper-drops-a-jdam-saudi-seeking-several-thaad-batteries-japan-jostles-to-obtain-tomahawks-036690/
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http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/the-reaper-drops-a-jdam-saudi-seeking-several-thaad-batteries-japan-jostles-to-obtain-tomahawks-036690/
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CanX-7 Successfully Deploys Drag Sails kicking off Deorbiting Demonstration
Figure 1: CanX-7 in SFL Clean Room
Figure 2: CanX-7 with drag sails deployed.
CanX-7 completed a seven (7) month campaign to collect ADS-B messages from aircraft to demonstrate Canada’s first ADS-B data collection from space. With that phase of the mission successfully completed, the drag sails were deployed to begin the second phase of the mission. The sequential phases were intended to emulate an operational mission followed by deorbiting. A key component in the drag sail technology demonstration was long-term stowage of the drag sail modules in space without interrupting or affecting the operational mission. “We want our drag sail technology to be compact and non-intrusive to a satellite’s main mission. This will ensure wide acceptance and easy adoption by future microsatellite missions,” says Zee.
“The four drag sails were deployed across the two passes this evening (two sails per pass),” reports Brad Cotten, CanX-7 Project Manager. “All telemetry is nominal and indicates that each sail is fully deployed. The deployment was also confirmed optically from the ground.” During this final phase of the CanX-7 mission, the deorbiting process will be closely monitored via the SFL ground station in Toronto. Orbital decay rate will be determined and compared against pre-launch simulation results. “We are thankful to our sponsors that helped make this mission successful for the benefit of Canada and the world, including Defence R&D Canada – Ottawa, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada, COM DEV, Royal Military College of Canada, and the Canadian Space Agency.”
About Space Flight LaboratorySFL builds big performance into smaller, lower cost satellites. Small satellites built by SFL consistently push the performance envelope and disrupt the traditional cost paradigm. Satellites are built with advanced power systems, stringent attitude control and high-volume data capacity that are striking relative to the budget. SFL arranges launches globally and maintains a mission control center accessing ground stations worldwide. The pioneering and barrier breaking work of SFL is a key enabler to tomorrow’s cost aggressive satellite constellations.
SolarStratos plane flies for the first time – but not quite to the stratosphere
In new Atlas http://newatlas.com/solarstratos-first-flight/49391/
In press release https://www.solarstratos.com/en/2017/05/newsletter-015-en/
What an incredible adventure! Beads of perspiration gathered on our brows and a cold sweat ran down our backs, but after several weeks of hard work, our labour finally paid off! We got there! SolarStratos flies!
On Friday, the 5th of May 2017, our test pilot Damian Hischier took command of the aircraft. The taxiing tests on the tarmac and the runway were conclusive. The Federal Office of Civil Aviation issued our ‘permit to fly’. We were ready. All that remained was for SolarStratos to take off. No small feat for a prototype!
Imagine for just a moment the emotion when Damian lined up ready for take-off. The whole team was willing it to go well. The plane was lined up, there was no wind. Damian engaged the full power of the electric motors and the plane started to move forward. It gathered speed, faster and faster, (as did our heartrates!) and then all of a sudden, the wheels left the ground. The ultimate adrenalin rush was swiftly followed by a fleeting moment of disbelief before we all exploded with joy!
“We did it!” exclaimed Raphael, feeling the same sensations as seven years ago when PlanetSolar was launched in north Germany. At these moments, the emotions eclipse any of the tough times. Pride and joy merge with memories of all the sacrifices that led to this historic moment on the SolarStratos journey.
With this step completed, we can look forward to the next adventures with peace of mind. Of course, the road to flying at very high altitude is long, but we are confident of getting there. The intention is to get there step by step with confidence.
Our current objective is for Raphael and his co-pilot, Thierry Plojoux, to master SolarStratos so that we can demonstrate the aircraft’s flight capabilities at a major event in Quebec in June.
We will tell you more about this soon, but in the meantime, stay up to date on our progress via our social media networks or through our monthly newsletter. And don’t forget this eco-adventure belongs to you too! Don’t hesitate to sign up to our Club if you haven’t already, and spread the word! Together we will reach the edge of Space powered by solar-energy.
Thank you for your support and see you in a month! We wish you a good start to Spring.
Raphael and the SolarStratos team Read more...
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