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APPLICATIONS REINFORCEDplastics NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 4 www.reinforcedplastics.com Bombardier CSeries completes maiden flight CTruk launches composite multi-purpose military vessel BOMBARDIER AEROSPACE has successfully flown its CSeries aircraft for the first time. The CSeries, which is designed for the 100- to 149-seat market segment, features a body built of 70% advanced structural materials to deliver weight The maiden flight of the CSeries from Bombardier Aerospace. savings. Around 46% of the body – including the wings – will be advanced composite materials. The maiden flight marks the start of the CSeries aircraft’s flight test programme leading up to the first customer delivery. The flight of the CSeries flight test vehicle one (FTV1) – a CS100 jetliner bearing Canadian regis- tration markings C-FBCS – was conducted under the command of Captain Charles (Chuck) Ellis, Chief Flight Test Pilot, Bombardier Flight Test Center. “The performance of the CSeries aircraft was very impressive. We couldn’t have wished for a better maiden flight,” said Ellis. “FTV1’s state-of-the-art flight deck was responsive and comfortable, and the aircraft handled exactly as expected. Overall, we had a very produc- tive first flight and an excellent start to the flight test programme.” A total of five CS100 flight test vehicles, all of which are currently in various stages of assembly, will join the flight test programme in the coming months. Bombardier Aerospace; www.bombardier.com CTRUK’S Military and Security team has developed THOR, a composite, 11m proof-of- concept demonstrator vessel designed to fulfil a number of roles. CTruk, based in Brightlingsea, UK, builds multi-purpose composite marine craft used as offshore wind support vessels as well as in the military and security, disaster relief and commercial sectors. Realising that new mili- tary designs must be right first time, the company has estab- lished a Military Design Advisory Panel (MDAP), which ensures that vessels are fit for task. The result is THOR (Twin Hulled Offshore Raider), which is built from advanced composite mate- rials to give a strong and robust structure, with reduced overall vessel weight. Reduction in weight translates directly into greater payload, range and speed. The use of corrosion- resistant composite materials also saves time on operational and maintenance routines, and offers significant cost savings in through-life maintenance, reports CTruk. THOR can be configured as a troop carrier, patrol vessel, and force protection craft. It is designed to be rapidly deploy- able via a number of assets, both existing and future (including the C17/A400M and the 28m CTruk 50T catamaran ‘mother ship’). “We have designed THOR to meet the changing needs of the global market for defence and security equipment,” says Andy White, CTruk’s chairman. “Global defence budgets are being squeezed like never before and emerging nations most often cite affordability as the major obstacle in their maritime procurement programmes.” “Many navies have lost, or are losing, the ability to deploy appropriate and proportionate capability to respond to a myriad of low-level threats, with the result that billion dollar ships are routinely being used for ten dollar tasks. Providing value for money and versatile capability is the current challenge, which is ably met by THOR.” CTruk’s THOR – a versatile military vessel constructed from composites. THOR incorporates a range of equipment provided through the CTruk Collaborative Amphib- ious Project (CTruk CAP), a consortium of companies that have joined forces to compete in a market dominated by larger corporations. CTruk; www.ctruk.com
