Ukraine Air Alliance Antonov AN-12 crashes before landing at Lviv, Ukraine; 5 fatalities reported
BELL unveils 360 Invictus for US Army FARA competition
Press release
Next-generation rotorcraft is designed to provide attack, reconnaissance, and intelligence to shape the tactical environment and deliver operational overmatch in highly complex multi-domain operations
Fort Worth, Texas (October 2, 2019) – Bell Textron Inc., a Textron Inc. (NYSE: TXT) company, has announced a new rotorcraft, Bell 360 Invictus, as the company’s entrant for the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) Competitive Prototype program. Bell’s innovative approach to designing the Bell 360 Invictus combines proven low-risk technologies with advanced processes to deliver soldiers an affordable, agile and lethal solution to win on the modern battlefield. The Bell 360 Invictus meets or exceeds all requirements as laid out under the FARA contract.
“The Bell 360 will deliver advanced battlefield situational awareness, as well as lethal options, in support of the maneuver force at an affordable cost” said Vince Tobin, executive vice president of Military Business at Bell. “The multi-domain fight will be complex, and our team is delivering a highly capable, low-risk solution to confidently meet operational requirements with a sustainable fleet.”
The Bell 360 Invictus’ design emphasizes exceptional performance using proven technologies to fulfill the Army’s FARA requirements at an affordable cost and on schedule. One example is the Invictus’ rotor system. This design is based on Bell’s 525 Relentless rotor system which has been tested and proven at speeds in excess of 200 Knots True Air Speed (KTAS). By incorporating proven designs and the best available technologies from commercial and military programs, Bell delivers a low-risk path to a FARA program of record.
This advanced aircraft will have a transformative impact through next-generation flight performance, increased safety and greater operational readiness—all to deliver decisive capabilities.
Some of the key 360 Invictus features include:
- Lift-sharing wing to reduce rotor lift demand in forward flight, enabling high-speed maneuverability
- Supplemental Power Unit increases performance during high power demands
- Robust articulated main rotor with high flapping capability enabling high speed flight
- Fly-by-wire flight control system—synthesizes technologies, reduces pilot workload and provides a path to autonomous flight
- Speed: >185 KTAS
- Combat radius: 135nm with >90 minutes of time on station
- Achieves 4k/95F Hover Out of Ground Effect (HOGE)
- Armed with a 20 mm cannon, integrated munitions launcher with ability to integrate air-launched effects, and future weapons, as well as current inventory of munitions
- Provisioned for enhanced situational awareness and sensor technologies
- Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA) enabled by a Digital Backbone from Collins Aerospace
- Robust design integrating lifecycle supportability processes early to ensure high OPTEMPO availability in multi-domain operations
- Design-as-built manufacturing model and digital thread enabled tools to enhance affordability, reliability, and training throughout the lifecycle of the aircraft
"Bell is committed to providing the U.S. Army with the most affordable, most sustainable, least complex, and lowest risk solution among the potential FARA configurations, while meeting all requirements," said Keith Flail, vice president of Advanced Vertical Lift Systems at Bell. “360 Invictus is an exciting opportunity for us to continue our support of Army modernization. This is the next solution to ensure soldiers have the best equipment available for the multi-domain fight.”
Bell has decades of experience providing attack and reconnaissance aircraft to the warfighter, such as the Kiowa Warrior which delivered high reliability and availability through more than 850,000 flight hours. The Bell 360 Invictus design builds from that legacy, Bell’s commercial innovations, and from the success in the development and manufacturing capabilities required for Future Vertical Lift (FVL) as part of the Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstration (JMR TD) over the past six years.
To learn more about Bell 360 Invictus and FVL, please visit our booth at the AUSA Annual meeting (#2124) or bellflight.com/.
Distribution A: Approved for Public Release
This research was partially funded by the Government under Agreement No. W911W6-19-9-0002. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Government purposes notwithstanding any copyright notation thereon. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the Aviation Development Directorate, or the U.S. Government
First Batch of Tecnam P2012 Travellers Arrives in the US
press release
It was an historical day for Tecnam and for the P2012 program when the first two Traveller aircraft were ready to depart Tecnam headquarters in Capua, Italy, and wing their way across the world to Massachusetts, US.
With this ferry flight to the first customer, the P2012 Traveller is officially born and in service. These first two aircraft represent the first batch of the 100 Travellers ordered by Cape Air as a result of a thorough and intensive development process in conjunction with Tecnam.
A ferry flight across the Atlantic takes more than a safe, reliable aeroplane. It also takes skill, confidence and a great deal of experience. So, when Tecnam needed a crew to fly these first two P2012 Traveller aircraft from Italy to the US, who better to take on the task than the Managing Director himself?
Grandson of the founding brothers, 28-year-old Giovanni Pascale stepped up to the role of Pilot in Command and successfully led his crew on this 4,000 NM journey, which took only three days to complete. He ferried one of the P2012 Travellers together with Co-pilot Elio Rullo, while Capt. Vito Preti and Technician Antonio Covino flew the other. There may have been just four crew members on board, but to these men it seemed that, spiritually, the entire Tecnam team had accompanied them on their journey, staying in close communication at all times, and cheering them on from afar.
There were fuel stops in five different countries. Their first airport was Groningen Airport in the Netherlands, followed by Inverness in Scotland and Reykjavic in Iceland. Next came Narsarsuaq in Greenland, which is known as one of the world’s most demanding airports because landing requires approach to the runway through a fjord, surrounded by mountains and glaciers.
Their final refuelling was at Goose Bay Airport in Canada, before heading due south to Barnstable Airport in Hyannis, Massachusetts, US., where they were greeted by enthusiastic Cape Air Executives, Founder & CEO Dan Wolf, President Linda Markham and James Goddard – Senior Vice President, Fleet Planning & Acquisitions.
The Tecnam crew members were kept constantly busy during the flight. In the air, they were hyper alert, flying around the weather in very tough and sometimes challenging conditions. When on the ground there was no time to rest or eat, they were refilling fuel and filing flight plans and then getting back in the air as quickly as possible to take advantage of the weather.
Powered by two 375 HP turbo-charged Lycoming engines, the 11-seat Tecnam P2012 Traveller has a fuel capacity of 750 litres in the wings, but on this ferry flight — the longest ever for Tecnam — they carried an extra 450 litres in a collapsible ferry tank in the rear of the aircraft, significantly extending their range.
It was a very rewarding experience for the Tecnam crew, chasing the sun from one country to another, right across the world, with breathtaking landscapes and stunning topography along the way, especially crossing the Labrador Sea between Greenland and Canada.
More info on the P2012 Traveller https://www.tecnam.com/aircraft/p2012 Read more...
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets acquires Farnborough Airport
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets ('MIRA') - via Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 6 - has acquired Farnborough Airport from a consortium of private investors.
Farnborough Airport, the only dedicated business aviation airport in the United Kingdom, handles more than 30,000 air traffic movements… https://blueskynews.aero/issue-527/Macquarie-Infrastructure-and-Real-Assets-acquires-Farnborough-Airport.html Read more...
XL Airways gets last-minute takeover offer
XL Airways, which has been placed in receivership and suspended its operations from September 30, 2019, may have been given a last-minute lifeline. Just before the hearing of the Commercial Court of Bobigny that was about to pronounce the end of the airline, a takeover bid was placed by Gérard Houa.
https://www.aerotime.aero/clement.charpentreau/24020-xl-airways-gets-last-minute-takeover-offer
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