Boeing KC-46 Tanker Program Completes FAA Certification Flight Testing

Press Release




EVERETT, Wash., April 26, 2018 – Boeing’s [NYSE: BA] KC-46 tanker program has now completed all required Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) flight tests following a successful refueling/communications flight with a C-17 Globemaster III.

The STC encompasses the military systems installed on the 767-2C aircraft to make it a tanker, and is one of two required FAA airworthiness certifications. Boeing will now submit the resulting data and reports to the FAA for review in advance of the STC award.

“This is a huge milestone for the program and moves us closer to first KC-46 delivery,” said Mike Gibbons, Boeing KC-46A tanker vice president and program manager. “We’ve got the best of Boeing working together to ensure the Air Force is getting a game-changing tanker with unmatched capabilities.”

As part of STC testing, the combined Boeing/Air Force team had to validate both the boom and drogue systems for aerial refueling with multiple receiver aircraft. They also demonstrated the KC-46 can take on fuel from KC-135, KC-10 and other KC-46 tankers, conducted night and day lighting tests and tested the aircraft defensive systems and avionics.

"While the majority of our testing was conducted out of Boeing Field in Seattle, we connected with assets out of Nellis and Edwards Air Force Bases and also travelled to Naval Air Station Patuxent River for centerline drogue system testing,” said Jeanette Croppi, KC-46 test program manager. “This was truly a great team effort.”

Boeing previously received its Amended Type Certificate from the FAA for its core 767-2C configuration in December 2017. The 767-2C is a modified version of the company’s commercial 767 with revised structure, wiring and plumbing.

The program has six aircraft that have supported various segments of ATC and STC testing. Overall they have completed 2,900 flight hours as well as more than 2,500 “contacts” during refueling flights with F-16, F/A-18, AV-8B, C-17, A-10, KC-10 and KC-46 aircraft.

The KC-46, derived from Boeing’s commercial 767 airframe, is built in the company’s Everett, Wash., facility. Boeing is currently on contract for the first 34 of an expected 179 tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

The KC-46A is a multirole tanker that can refuel all allied and coalition military aircraft compatible with international aerial refueling procedures and can carry passengers, cargo and patients.

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Airbus & Boeing report First Quarter Results

Airbus

• Backlog and commercial momentum support ramp-up plans
• Q1 financials reflect engine and aircraft delivery phasing
• Revenues € 10 billion; EBIT Adjusted € 14 million
• EBIT (reported) € 199 million; EPS (reported) € 0.37
• 2018 guidance confirmed

Continue reading:
http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-releases/en/2018/04/airbus-reports-first-quarter--q1--2018-results--confirms-guidanc.html


Boeing

• Revenue increased to $23.4 billion reflecting 184 commercial deliveries and higher defense and services volume
• GAAP EPS of $4.15 and core EPS (non-GAAP)* of $3.64 on strong performance across the company
• Strong operating cash flow of $3.1 billion; repurchased 8.9 million shares for $3.0 billion
• Backlog grew to $486 billion, including over 5,800 commercial aircraft
• Cash and marketable securities of $9.9 billion provide strong liquidity
• Operating cash flow, EPS and Commercial Airplanes margin guidance increased on performance

 Continue reading
http://boeing.mediaroom.com/2018-04-25-Boeing-Reports-Strong-First-Quarter-Results-Raises-Cash-Flow-and-EPS-Guidance

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Airbus and Dassault Aviation join forces on Future Combat Air System

press release

•  Landmark agreement to develop and produce Europe’s next generation combat aircraft
•          Fosters European high-tech leadership in the military aviation sector for decades to come
•          Future Combat Air System to be developed as a system of systems, including unmanned aerial vehicles, connectivity and secure communications
•          Next generation fighter aircraft to complement and eventually replace current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale fighter aircraft by 2035-2040
•          Overall development contract to be launched to follow study and to include demonstrators to support FCAS planned as of 2025

Berlin, 25 April 2018 – Airbus (stock exchange symbol: AIR) and Dassault Aviation (stock exchange symbol: AM) have decided to join forces for the development and production of Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which is slated to complement and eventually replace current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale fighter aircraft between 2035 and 2040.

The partnership, sealed in Berlin by Dirk Hoke, Airbus Defence and Space Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, represents a landmark industrial agreement to secure European sovereignty and technological leadership in the military aviation sector for the coming decades.


“Never before has Europe been more determined to safeguard and foster its political and industrial autonomy and sovereignty in the defence sector. Airbus and Dassault Aviation have absolutely the right expertise to lead the FCAS project. Both companies are already cooperating successfully on Europe’s medium altitude long endurance new generation drone programme,” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “FCAS takes this successful cooperation to the next level and we are absolutely committed to tackling this challenging mission together with Dassault Aviation. The schedule is tight, so we need to start working together immediately by defining a joint roadmap on how best to meet the requirements and timelines to be set by the two nations. It is therefore of key importance that France and Germany launch an initial joint study this year to address this task.”


Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said: “We are convinced that by deploying our joint expertise, Dassault Aviation and Airbus can best meet the operational requirements of the Forces in the development of this critically important European programme. Both companies fully intend to work together in the most pragmatic and efficient manner. Our joint roadmap will include proposals to develop demonstrators for the FCAS programme as of 2025. I am convinced that European sovereignty and strategic autonomy can and will only be ensured through independent European solutions. The vision that France and Germany have set forth with FCAS is a bold one and it’s an important signal in, and for, Europe. The FCAS programme will strengthen the political and military ties between Europe’s core nations and it will reinvigorate its aerospace industry.”


Airbus Defence and Space and Dassault Aviation agree on the importance of efficient industrial governance in military programmes. This also includes the involvement of other key European defence industrial players and nations based on government funding and on the principle of best contribution.


Overall, FCAS defines a system of systems combining a wide range of elements connected and operating together, including a next generation fighter aircraft together with Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the existing fleet of aircraft (which will still operate beyond 2040), future cruise missiles and drones flying in swarms. The overall system will be interoperable and connected in a larger perimeter with mission aircraft, satellites, NATO systems and land and naval combat systems.




Related: Future Air Power (by Airbus):
http://www.airbus.com/newsroom/news/en/2018/04/future-of-air-power.html









About Airbus


Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated reported revenues of € 67 billion – or € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 - and employed a workforce of around 129,000. 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 one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About Dassault Aviation

With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered in more than 90 countries over the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise recognized worldwide in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the high-end Falcon family of business jets and military drones. In 2017, Dassault Aviation reported revenues of €4.8 billion. The company has 11,400 employees.

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Airbus presents ‘Flight Lab’ BLADE test aircraft to EU Clean Sky partners at ILA

Press Release




Showcasing its “Flight Lab” BLADE demonstrator aircraft for the first time at a major air show.

· The most extensive wing laminar flow demonstrator programme ever undertaken for commercial aviation.

· Improving aviation’s ecological footprint, with a 50% reduction in wing friction.



Airbus, which is showcasing its “Flight Lab” BLADE demonstrator aircraft for the first time at a major air show, has signed an accord with representatives of the numerous stakeholders to not only mark the joint success of bringing this unique programme to fruition, but also affirm their desire to build on this programme in the European framework of Clean Sky. The stakeholders present together with Airbus CEO Tom Enders at the ceremony included members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, the German Government, European Member States and industrial partners across Europe.

The BLADE project, which stands for “Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe”, is part of the first phase of Clean Sky – a 1.6 billion Euro programme which has been running since 2008. BLADE has been tasked with assessing the feasibility of introducing laminar flow wing technology on a large airliner. It aims to improve aviation’s ecological footprint, bringing with it a 10 percent aircraft drag reduction and up to five percent lower CO2 emissions. Airbus worked with a team of more than 20 key partners* and around 500 contributors from all over Europe. Moreover, due to its size and complexity, this project was only possible thanks to the European Research initiative Clean Sky.

In September 2017 Airbus’ A340 laminar-flow Flight Lab test demonstrator aircraft (A340-300 MSN001) made its successful maiden flight and since then has been engaged in successful testing to explore the wing’s characteristics in flight. The test aircraft is the first in the world to combine a transonic laminar wing profile with a true internal primary structure.

On the outside the aircraft is fitted with two representative transonic laminar outer-wings, while inside the cabin there is a highly complex specialist flight-test-instrumentation (FTI) station. The extensive modifications to the A340-300 test-bed aircraft took place during the course of a 16-month working party in Tarbes, France, with the support of the numerous industrial partners across Europe. In terms of the testing technology, notable ‘firsts’ included the use of infrared cameras to monitor the laminar flow transition points and the acoustic generator which measures the influence of acoustics on laminarity. Another first is the innovative reflectometry system which measures overall deformation in real-time during flight. To date the Flight Lab has performed 66 flight hours. Flights will continue until 2019, dedicated to exploring the influencing factors on laminarity.



*Key industrial partners in BLADE:

5 micron; Aernnova; Airbus; Airtex; ASCO; BIAS – Research and Development for Applied Beam Technologies; Dassault Aviation; DLR - German Aerospace Center; DNW - German-Dutch Wind Tunnels; ETW - European Transonic Windtunnel GmbH; EURECAT; FTI Engineering; GKN Aerospace; INCAS - National Institute for Aerospace Research; ITAINNOVA - Technological Institute of Aragon; NLR - Netherlands Aerospace Center; Onera; Romaero; SAAB; Safran; SERTEC Engineering; VEW - Vereinigte Elektronik Werkstätten.

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Airbus and Audi partner to provide air & ground urban mobility services

Press Release







Seamless, ultra-convenient travel experience ahead for customers

Airbus and the German car manufacturer Audi have teamed up to develop real, near-term urban mobility solutions.

Beginning this summer, Airbus – through its on-demand helicopter platform Voom – will partner with Audi to deliver an end-to-end transportation service, starting in São Paulo and Mexico City. This partnership will provide premium ground transportation serviced by Audi vehicles and helicopter transport via Airbus’ Voom service, allowing customers to have a seamless and ultra-convenient travel experience.

“This important partnership with Audi addresses both current and future challenges for urban mobility. As a first concrete milestone in the cooperation we are developing, we will be offering multi-modal transportation solutions to the world’s most congested cities,” said Airbus CEO Tom Enders. “The world is rapidly urbanizing, and ground infrastructure alone cannot meet the demands of tomorrow. Increased congestion is pushing the cities’ transport systems to the limits, costing travellers and municipalities valuable time and money. Adding the sky as a third dimension to the urban transport networks is going to revolutionise the way we live – and Airbus is ready to shape and build that future of flight.”

“The Audi Group is committed to improve mobility in cities by introducing smart, innovative ideas. To find the best solutions for our customers, we therefore showed in 2018 the first modular system for Urban Air Mobility together with Airbus and our subsidiary Italdesign,” said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler. “Today we are going the next step entering into a service with Airbus and Voom to offer premium mobility for customers. By doing this, we will learn even better how we can ensure seamless, multi-modal transportation with the best partners for our customers. Together with Airbus, we will develop this cooperation further.”

Airbus has already carried out successful trials in São Paulo of its helicopter ride-hailing service Voom, which aims to ease congestion by making helicopter travel more accessible and affordable. Since March 2018, the service is also available in Mexico City. Airbus and Italdesign are partnering on Pop Up, a full electric auto piloted and modular concept including a capsule connected to either ground or air module. Elsewhere, teams are working to create entirely new vehicles: CityAirbus, ready to fly before the end of 2018, is a technology demonstrator of an electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle for up to four passengers. Vahana aims to create a similar mode of transport for individual travellers or cargo. It completed its first full-scale flight in January 2018. In Singapore, the company is working with the country’s National University on the Skyways project to test a parcel transportation system using autonomous drones.

About Audi

The Audi Group, with its brands Audi, Ducati and Lamborghini, is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the premium segment. It is present in more than 100 markets worldwide and produces at 16 locations in twelve countries. 100 percent subsidiaries of AUDI AG include Audi Sport GmbH (Neckarsulm), Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (Sant’Agata Bolognese, Italy) and Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. (Bologna, Italy).

In 2017, the Audi Group delivered to customers about 1.878 million automobiles of the Audi brand, 3,815 sports cars of the Lamborghini brand and 55,900 motorcycles of the Ducati brand. In the 2017 fiscal year, AUDI AG achieved total revenue of €60.1 billion and an operating profit of €5.1 billion. At present, approximately 90,000 people work for the company all over the world, more than 60,000 of them in Germany. Audi focuses on sustainable products and technologies for the future of mobility.

About Italdesign

Italdesign is a service company providing design, engineering and production for the transportation industry, through to final testing and type-approval and support into Starting of Production and the design of complete business models. Italdesign is constantly researching and developing the mobility solutions of tomorrow. Italdesign is based in Moncalieri, Torino, Italy and today has premises of more than 50,000 square meters, a full-scale design and engineering campus and a cutting-edge development and prototyping centre. It has 1000 employees in Italy, Spain and abroad.

Italdesign offers its services to all interested parties worldwide. In 2017 Italdesign launched as additional business, a dedicated unit to design, develop and produce ultra-limited vehicles for all OEMs worldwide. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, Italdesign was awarded Top Employer certification in Italy. More information on: www.italdesign.it

About Voom

Voom is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters that was launched in 2016 as an on-demand helicopter booking platform allowing passengers to request a seat on a helicopter within minutes. Voom now offers its services in Sao Paulo and Mexico City. By providing a more efficient transportation option to daily commuters, it aims to address challenges associated with rush-hour traffic by offering an alternative form of transportation in some of the world’s most congested cities

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Airbus, Dassault Aviation and Leonardo reaffirm their total commitment in the first fully European MALE programme.

Press Release



Reveal full scale model at ILA Berlin Air Show 2018.
Programme fosters development of high technologies in Europe.
Optimises budgetary situation through pooling research and development funding.

Berlin 26th April 2018 – The first full scale model of the European Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance Remotely Piloted Aircraft (MALE RPAS) was unveiled today during a ceremony held at the 2018 ILA Berlin Air Show, which opened its gates at Schönefeld airport.

The reveal ceremony, led by Dirk Hoke, Airbus Defence and Space Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO and Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s Aircraft Division Managing Director, confirms the commitment of the four European States and Industrial partners to jointly develop a sovereign solution for European Defence and Security.

The unveiling of the full scale model and the reaffirmed commitment comes after a nearly two-year definition study launched in September 2016 by the four participating nations Germany, France, Italy and Spain and follows the Declaration of Intent to work together on a European MALE unmanned aerial system signed by the countries in May 2015.

“While still a lot of work lies ahead of us, this full scale model represents a first milestone of what Europe can achieve in a high-technology sector if it bundles its industrial strength and know-how ” said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “The MALE RPAS will become an integral part in guaranteeing Europe’s sovereignty in the future. This programme is ideally suited to meet urgent capability requirements of Europe’s armed forces. This innovative partnership also eases the countries’ constrained budgetary situation through clever pooling of research and development funds.” He added.

“Today’s unveiling reflects our companies’ total dedication to the European Defence and Security sovereignty. Cooperation and high technology legitimate the leadership of the European Industry and guarantee the strategic autonomy of Europe.” declared Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “Innovative programmes through efficient partnerships will serve European competitiveness and will offer new alternatives to the off-the-shelf acquisition of non-European products. Dassault Aviation reaffirms its full support to Airbus Defence and Space as programme leader of the MALE RPAS.”

“Unmanned technologies and their applications represent one of the key technological foundations for the future evolution of European Defence Industries” said Lucio Valerio Cioffi, Leonardo’s Aircraft Division Managing Director. “The European MALE RPAS is orientated to foster the development of high technologies and will contribute to sustaining key competencies and jobs within Europe providing Armed Forces with an high performance and sovereign operational system” he added.

About the MALE RPAS programme

First unmanned aerial system designed for flight in non-segregated airspace, its characteristics will include mission modularity for operational superiority in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, both wide area and in-theatre.

The nation’s agreement on the air vehicle configuration in mid-2017, selecting a twin-turboprop propulsion system, will supply ample on-board energy for the mission system, and provide proper redundancy to limit restrictions when operating over European densely populated ground and unrestricted airspaces. In January 2018, the MALE RPAS successfully passed System Requirements Review (SRR), which initiated the second phase of the definition study to lead to a System Preliminary Design Review (SyPDR), scheduled for the end of this year.

The SyPDR will demonstrate the quality and fitness for the proposed design. “Air Traffic Integration” and certification are key objectives, giving the participating States full confidence that the development step can be launched with acceptable residual risks.

Preparations for the next stage (development, production and initial in-service support) are already well under way. Entry-into-service of European MALE RPAS is planned for the middle of the next decade.

About Airbus

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017 it generated reported revenues of € 67 billion – or € 59 billion restated for IFRS 15 - and employed a workforce of around 129,000. 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 one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

About Dassault Aviation

With over 10,000 military and civil aircraft delivered in more than 90 countries over the last century, Dassault Aviation has built up expertise recognized worldwide in the design, development, sale and support of all types of aircraft, ranging from the Rafale fighter, to the high-end Falcon family of business jets and military drones. This unique experience has allowed Dassault Aviation to propose innovative operational solutions as well as a pragmatic and dynamic approach to cooperation. Thanks to a deep understanding of industrial partnerships, Dassault Aviation has established a wide network with other companies to optimize the success of today’s programmes but also to contribute to the synergy of tomorrow’s European defence Industry.

About Leonardo


Leonardo is among the top ten global players in Aerospace, Defence and Security and Italy’s main industrial company. As a single entity from January 2016, organised into seven business divisions (Helicopters; Aircraft; Aero-structures; Airborne & Space Systems; Land & Naval Defence Electronics; Defence Systems; Security & Information Systems), Leonardo operates in the most competitive international markets by leveraging its areas of technology and product leadership. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange (LDO), in 2016 Leonardo recorded consolidated revenues of 12 billion Euros and has a significant industrial presence in Italy, the UK, the U.S. and Poland.

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Airbus, Dassault Aviation y Leonardo reafirman su compromiso total con el primer programa MALE totalmente europeo

Nota de Prensa

 

• Mostrarán un modelo a escala real en el Salón Aeronáutico de Berlín ILA 2018.
•   El programa fomenta el desarrollo de alta tecnología en Europa.
• Optimiza la situación presupuestaria centralizando la financiación de la investigación y el desarrollo.

Berlín, 26 de abril de 2018 – Hoy se ha mostrado el primer modelo a escala real del sistema aéreo europeo pilotado por control remoto de media altitud y gran autonomía (MALE RPAS por sus siglas en inglés). La presentación ha tenido lugar durante una ceremonia celebrada en el Salón Aeronáutico de Berlín ILA 2018, que ha abierto sus puertas en el aeropuerto de Schönefeld.



La ceremonia, presidida por Dirk Hoke, CEO de Airbus Defence and Space; Eric Trappier, presidente y CEO de Dassault Aviation; y Lucio Valerio Cioffi, director general de la división de Aviones de Leonardo, confirma el compromiso de los cuatro estados europeos y aliados industriales de desarrollar conjuntamente una solución independiente para la defensa y la seguridad europeas.



La presentación del modelo a escala real y la reafirmación del compromiso se produce tras el estudio de definición de casi dos años que lanzaron en septiembre de 2016 las cuatro naciones participantes: Alemania, Francia, Italia y España. Previamente, en 2015, los países habían firmado una declaración de intenciones para colaborar en un sistema aéreo no tripulado europeo MALE.



“A pesar de que todavía tenemos mucho trabajo por delante, este modelo a escala real representa un primer hito de lo que puede conseguir Europa en un sector de alta tecnología si une su potencia industrial y su saber hacer”, ha afirmado Dirk Hoke, CEO de Airbus Defence and Space. “El MALE RPAS será un elemento importante a la hora de garantizar la soberanía europea en el futuro. Este programa está perfectamente adaptado para responder a los requerimientos urgentes de capacidad de las fuerzas armadas europeas. Esta innovadora alianza también contribuye a mitigar la limitación presupuestaria de los países al centralizar de manera conveniente la financiación de la investigación y el desarrollo”, ha añadido.



“La presentación de hoy refleja la dedicación absoluta de nuestras compañías a la soberanía europea en materia de defensa y seguridad. La cooperación y la alta tecnología legitiman el liderazgo de la industria europea y garantizan la autonomía estratégica de Europa”, ha declarado Eric Trappier, presidente y CEO de Dassault Aviation. “Los programas innovadores que surjan de alianzas eficaces contribuirán a la competitividad europea y ofrecerán nuevas alternativas a la adquisición de productos no europeos en el mercado. Dassault Aviation reafirma su total apoyo a Airbus Defence and Space como líder del programa de MALE RPAS”.

“Las tecnologías no tripuladas y sus aplicaciones suponen uno de los cimientos tecnológicos clave para la evolución de las industrias europeas de defensa en el futuro”, ha manifestado Lucio Valerio Cioffi, director general de la división de Aviones de Leonardo. “El programa europeo MALE RPAS pretende fomentar el desarrollo de tecnologías avanzadas y contribuirá a mantener competencias y empleos clave en Europa ofreciendo a las fuerzas armadas un sistema de operaciones soberano y de alto rendimiento”, ha añadido.

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