The Ecuadorian Air Force takes delivery of their first two H145s

 

press release

Airbus Helicopters has delivered two H145s to the Ecuadorian Air Force, the first military customer in South America for this multi-purpose twin-engine helicopter. A total of six H145s will be delivered over the next year. The H145 helicopters, known as “Cobra” in the Ecuadorian Air Force, will be assigned to the 22nd Combat Wing in Guayaquil. The contract includes training for 12 pilots and 15 technicians, as part of an in-country operational training programme.

"We are very happy to have new advanced technology equipment to help face our country’s operational challenges, where high performance helicopters are needed to fly in the Andes at up to 6,000 metres (20,000 feet), in the jungle or on the coast," said Colonel Franck Cevallos, commander of the 22nd Wing of the Ecuadorian Air Force.

"Thanks to the installed mission equipment, it will be possible to move quickly from a rescue to a transport mission, reinforcing the Air Force’s response capacity for disaster relief and other missions in support of the public," added Colonel Chiriboga, Head of Air Operations at the Ecuadorian Air Force.

The six H145 helicopters will help with missions related to national security, such as border surveillance and the fight against drug trafficking, as well as carrying out rescue operations at high altitudes, medical evacuation (MedEvac) and assistance in the case of natural disasters, both during the day and at night. This wide range of mission capabilities is thanks to the variety of equipment included such as the cargo hook, rescue crane, stretchers, searchlight, electro-optical camera for reconnaissance, etc.

"I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Ecuadorian Air Force, which today celebrates its 100th anniversary. The new H145 will increase their operational capabilities thanks to its versatility and high performance in high and hot conditions, and will allow them to face any mission with greater efficiency and serenity," said Julien Negrel, Commercial Vice President Latin America for Airbus Helicopters. "Ecuador’s Ministry of Defence has been an Airbus customer for 40 years and I appreciate their confidence in our brand when it comes to renewing the country's aerial capabilities with next-generation helicopters."

In Ecuador there are currently some 40 Airbus helicopters in operation with civil and military clients.

ROXY turns Moon dust into oxygen

 

press release

• New technology from Airbus achieves breakthrough
• Chemical reduction process opens new horizons in human space exploration
• Emission-free method could also contribute to UN sustainability goals on Earth

Friedrichshafen/Dresden/Boston/Seville, 27 October 2020 – An international team led by Airbus Defence and Space (Friedrichshafen, Germany) with scientists from Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM (Dresden, Germany), Boston University (Massachusetts, USA) and Abengoa Innovación (Seville, Spain) has successfully demonstrated the production of oxygen and metals from simulated lunar dust (regolith) with the Airbus-invented process named ROXY (Regolith to OXYgen and Metals Conversion). Airbus believes ROXY could revolutionise human space exploration.

After two years’ development the breakthrough came last month, during a series of laboratory tests at Fraunhofer IFAM. Oxygen was extracted from a sample of simulated lunar dust. This is a small first step, but the way towards an operational system is now clear. Oxygen is indispensable for all human space activities, and this new ROXY production method, which directly uses Moon dust could revolutionise human activities on the lunar surface.


“This breakthrough is a massive leap forward – taking us one step closer to the holy grail of being able to sustain long term living on the Moon,” said Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Space Systems at Airbus. ”ROXY is proof positive that collaboration between industry and world leading scientists can bring huge tangible benefits that will continue to push the boundaries of future exploration.”


ROXY enables the design of a small, simple, compact and cost-efficient regolith to oxygen and metals conversion facility, and is therefore ideally suited to support a wide range of future exploration missions. Not requiring additional materials or consumables from Earth – except the ROXY reactor itself – this could be the heart of an integrated value chain using additive layer manufacturing to produce a wide range of products ‘Made on the Moon’. These could include metals, alloys and oxygen. Combined with lunar ice, it would even be possible to produce rocket fuel from ROXY metal powder.


On Earth, ROXY opens a new pathway to drastically reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases that result from production of metals. With current technologies, global metal production causes severe environmental impacts. Steelmaking accounts for about 5 percent of the total global CO2 emissions. Many metals are obtained with processes that emit significant amounts of the environmentally harmful perfluorocarbons (PFCs). Since ROXY is essentially an emission-free process these environmental impacts could be reduced, providing a significant contribution to the UN sustainability goals – another example of how space technologies can improve life on Earth.


Note to the editors – Further statements

Fraunhofer


“The project has impressively shown that cooperation between research and industry can take on completely new dimensions, especially if one looks and works beyond the familiar horizon,” said Dr.-Ing. Peter Quadbeck, Group Manager Metal Hollow Spheres and Open-Cell Structures and project manager of ROXY at Fraunhofer IFAM.

Abengoa


“It has been a great opportunity to bring Abengoa's energy background and industrial experience to help develop clean metal production processes. It enables the development of exciting technologies for space exploration and in-situ resource utilization; setting the ground for integration with renewable energy production options to minimize their environmental footprint and increase their efficiency,”said Sonia de la Rosa, Head of the Aerospace Division of Abengoa.

Boston University


“It was gratifying to be part of the team that designed the inert anode and selected the materials for the reactor,” said Boston University Engineering Professor Uday Pal. “I look forward to continuing work on the next generation of the ROXY reactor and contributing to designing an exciting, advanced Green process.”

Pentagon pushes F-35 testing, full-rate production to 2021

https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Pentagon_pushes_F-35_testing_full-rate_production_to_2021_999.html

Boeing cites grounding, COVID, 787 quality issues in 3Q/9 month loss

https://leehamnews.com/2020/10/28/updates-1-and-2-adds-calhoun-cnbc-appearance-earniongs-call-boeing-cites-ground-covid-787-quality-issues-in-3q-9-month-loss/ 

Boeing's press releases:

• Financial results continue to be significantly impacted by COVID-19 and the 737 MAX grounding
• Proactively managing liquidity and transforming for the future
• Revenue of $14.1 billion, GAAP loss per share of ($0.79) and core (non-GAAP)* loss per share of ($1.39)
• Operating cash flow of ($4.8) billion; cash and marketable securities of $27.1 billion
• Total backlog of $393 billion, including more than 4,300 commercial airplanes

Boeing Reports Third-Quarter Results

Boeing CEO Updates Employees on Third-quarter Results

 

Key Airbus, Boeing supplier sees recovery in 2022

https://leehamnews.com/2020/10/28/key-airbus-boeing-supplier-sees-recovery-in-2022/

“Green light” from Pompeo for the F-35 go to Greece instead of Turkey

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/10/27/pompeo-f-35-greece-turkey/

Russian Helicopters launches Mi-8 test operation program in Indonesia

 

press release

Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant (U-UAP), as part of Russian Helicopters holding company, launched Mi-8/171 type helicopter test operation program, which is aimed at assessing the advantages of the helicopter’s real operation in conjunction with all available corporate support tools and implemented after sale services of Russian Helicopters holding company. The pilot project is being implemented in Indonesia, where two Mi-8AMT helicopters are already involved in firefighting operations.

Helicopters sent to the Republic of Indonesia with crew and technical staff of U-UAP were relocated to the island of Kalimantan almost immediately upon arrival to extinguish forest fires. In the future, the rotorcraft will be on operational duty on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

A contract with PT. National Utility Helicopters (PT. NUH), a utility helicopter operator in Indonesia with 50 years of experience in providing services for Indonesian Government as well as private companies, has become the pilot project of this program. The main task under the contract is to carry out firefighting operations in the region, as well as provide consulting services regarding the formation of its own air fleet of Indonesian operators for annual firefighting operations” said Leonid Belykh, managing director of U-UAP.

In the process of temporary use of helicopters, the customer gets the opportunity to consult the company’s specialists in 24/7 mode, access to a replacement fund and a fund of additional equipment.

It is worth noting, that one of the first Mi-171A2 helicopters manufactured by the enterprise, since 2018 has been participating in a test operation program at UTair-VU airline, where it successfully fulfills the tasks facing the operator and demonstrates high flight performances. The experience of the joint work of the manufacturer and the customer was reflected in the U-UAP helicopter test operation program for Indonesia.

Bell Joins Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium

press release







Encouraging the development of an integrated ecosystem of partners, Bell joins the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility Consortium (CAAM) in its effort to establish Canada as a global leader in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). Announced Oct. 28, the multi-stakeholder group created by the Canadian Air Mobility and National Research Council of Canada (NRC) will streamline research, development and commercial operations in the AAM sector.




Bell’s Innovation teams are currently developing and testing the Autonomous Pod Transport (APT), a tail-sitting, eVTOL vehicle capable of moving 70 lbs of goods through autonomous flight. The groundwork for Bell’s innovative, new platform was developed in the Bell Textron Canada facility in Mirabel, Quebec.




Bell’s innovators in Fort Worth and Mirabel are working to create a new on-demand delivery solution for consumers, warfighters and medical personnel. In collaboration with NASA, APT recently flew a preprogrammed 10-mile circuit path in Fort Worth through complex air space, collecting detect and avoid data while demonstrating its beyond visible line of sight flight capabilities. The innovation team in Mirabel also played a key role in testing the rotating ducts for our Bell Nexus 4EX, which was showcased at CES 2020. With many more milestones to come, our team continues to develop unmanned technology to deliver impactful experiences for our communities, consumers and global businesses.




As an investing member of the CAAM, Bell is thrilled to lend expertise to industry and government partners to develop an integrated AAM ecosystem in Canada. Paving the way for innovation like APT entails close collaboration and an open conversation about the associated infrastructure, regulatory, operational and technology needs. Through these partnerships, Bell moves closer to redefining mobility and bringing advanced vertical lift solutions to urban regions, like Vancouver.

HeliEST, el nuevo servicio de transporte de pasajeros del Estrecho, unirá Málaga y Ceuta con 6 trayectos diarios

nota de prensa

• Babcock España anuncia el lanzamiento de un nuevo servicio aéreo de traslado de pasajeros entre Málaga y Ceuta.
• El nuevo servicio, con el nombre de HeliEST, enlazará Málaga y Ceuta con 6 trayectos diarios de lunes a viernes, en horario de mañana y tarde.
• El serviciocontará con helicópteros de última generación, y los pilotos más cualificados del sector.
• La Seguridad, el confort y la puntualidad garantizada, señas de identidadde HeliEST.

 

Madrid, 26de octubre de 2020.-HeliEST, el nuevo servicio de transporte de pasajeros de Babcock España, comienza a operar sus vuelos entre Málaga y Ceutadesde el próximo 12de noviembre, con 6 trayectos diarios, que permitirán enlazar las dos ciudades de manera segura, confortable y puntual. HeliEST, el nuevo servicio de transporte de pasajeros de Babcock España, contará a partir del 12noviembrecon un helicóptero Augusta AW139, de última generación, con capacidad para hasta 15 pasajeros, que conectará las ciudades de Málaga y Ceuta, en 6 trayectos diarios de lunes a viernes, en horarios de mañana y tarde. Está previsto que en 2021 se complete laflota con otros modelos de aeronave.Para Angel Rodero, Director Generalde Babcock en España, “HeliESTse pone a disposición de los pasajeros que quieran viajar de forma segura, confortabley con puntualidad garantizada entre Málaga y Ceuta, transportados en una aeronave de última generación y tripulada por pilotos altamente cualificados”. Babcock, suma este servicio de transporte de pasajeros a las líneas de negocio de Emergencias Aéreas y Protección Civil en las que ya es líder en España. En palabras de Paz Soriano, Responsable de Servicios de Transporte de Pasajeros en España“Tenemos una amplia experiencia de más de 40 años entransporte de pasajeros, en particular en helicóptero,transportando de forma segura y eficiente a más de 260.000 pasajeros al año en todo el mundo. Estamos orgullosos del servicio que prestamos a nuestros pasajeros, a través de operaciones que cuentan con la máxima seguridad en todo momento”. La venta de billetes se iniciael 26de octubre a través de la página web de HeliEST, www.HeliEST.es, así como de manera telefónica, y próximamente en sus oficinas en el aeropuerto de Málaga y en el helipuerto de Ceuta

El AirCar, de Klein Vision, quiere lanzarse a por el mercado

 https://blog.sandglasspatrol.com/el-aircar-de-klein-vision-quiere-lanzarse-a-por-el-mercado/

AirCar - The Flying Car Passed Flight Tests. Next Stop: Driving a New Market

 

AirCar (V5) is the latest generation flying car that transforms from road vehicle into air vehicle in less than 3-minutes. Useful for leisure and self-driving journeys, and also as a commercial taxi service, the dual mode transformation vehicle can go from driving to flying mode with the click of a button.

 

continue reading: https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/aircar-the-flying-car-passed-flight-tests-next-stop-driving-a-new-market-823321800.html