Flight International - November 10, 2015

8/19/2019 Flight International - November 10, 2015

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FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

WISH LIST

Israel seeks extra F-15squadron from USA incompensation packagefor Iran nuclear deal 20

GROWTH RATE

Airbus confirms plan toset A320 production at60 twinjets per month byadding Hamburg line 10

CHINESE PRIDE

COMAC ADVANCES

AMBITIONS WITH

C919 ROLL-OUT

REPORT P13

10-16 NOVEMBER 2015

FLIGHT TEST

DAZZLINGDIAMONDWe try out Austria’s sparkling DA62,as all-new model cuts path to NBAA

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10-16 November 2015 | Flight International | 3flightglobal.com

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

10-16 NOVEMBER 2015

THE WIDTH OF THIS IMAGE

MUST REMAIN THE SAMEBUT THE HEIGHT CAN CHANGE

IF NEEDED

FLIGHTINTERNATIONAL

WISHLISTIsraelseeksextraF-15squadronfromUSAincompensationpackageforIrannuclear deal20

GROWTHRATEAirbusconfirmsplantosetA320productionat 60twinjetsper monthbyaddingHamburgline 10

CHINESEPRIDE

COMACADVANCESAMBITIONSWITH

C919ROLL-OUT

REPORTP13

10-16NOVEMBER 2015

FLIGHTTEST

DAZZLINGDIAMONDWetryoutAustria’ssparklingDA62,asall-newmodelcutspathtoNBAA

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VOLUME 188 NUMBER 5513

B i l l y P i x

COVER IMAGE

BillyPix’s Ian Billinghurst

took to the air to capture

Diamond’s DA62 with test

pilot Peter Collins at the

controls, during a flightfrom Wiener Neustadt P28

BEHIND THE HEADLINES Mavis Toh joined Chinesedignitaries at the roll-out ofComac’s C919 narrowbody,

in Shanghai (P13). Also onthe road, Murdo Morrison visited Gulfstream’s home inSavannah (P34), and CraigHoyle received an A400M update in Seville (P18)

NEXT WEEK DUBAI SHOWGet all the news and insightfrom the Dubai air show, asour team reports from MiddleEast’s biennial bonanza C o

m a c ,

U S N a v a l A i r S y s t e m s C o m m a n d

Comac unveils C919 before Chinese dignitaries P13. Analysts debate UK’s maritime patrol capability P21

A i r b u s

Airbus reflects on outlook for A380 production P17

COVER STORY 28

Smooth lines and sparkle With Diamond Aircraftset to make its NBAA debut, we travel to Austria totest fly the all-new DA62 piston twin – and find adiesel-powered star in a carbonfibre shell

FEATURES26 NBAA SPECIAL REPORT Jet market jump After several challenging years following the 2008financial crisis, the 2015 NBAA meeting in LasVegas will host a business aviation industry feelingthe buzz of a sales surge and a spate of newmodel introductions. Ahead of the event, ourspecial report includes an overview of Gulfstream’sG500 programme with technical description andcutaway poster, analysis of the market for smallbusiness jets, and reports on ride-sharing in theUSA, Embraer’s expanding presence in Florida anda resurgent Sabreliner Aviation

REGULARS

7 Comment49 Straight & Level

50 Letters

52 Classified

54 Jobs

59 Working Week

NEWS

THIS WEEK

8 Airbus confident it can meet A350 deliveryforecast

9 UK suspects A321 bombing.

Reaper upgrade will put Italian air force on target. Crash of AW609 leaves both pilots dead

10 Airbus sets rate expectations for Neo

11 Globals buck the trend with robotics

AIR TRANSPORT

12 Il-96 proposed as basis of joint Russo-Chinesewidebody project.Pratt & Whitney goes fourth with PW1900Gflight-test campaign

13 China’s ambitions rest on Comac C919

14 ALPA recharges call for outright ban on li-ionbattery shipments.Cargolux under pressure as union row intensifies

16 Aeroflot builds on rival’s ruin.

Leaner times at UTair, after fleet rationalisation

NEWS FOCUS

17 Orders required as A380 loses lift

22 SABRE cutting path to live testing

DEFENCE

18 Atlas seeks time to build strength

20 F-35 secrets ‘not releasable’ to Israel.USN orders last Growlers as Boeing seeks exportopportunities

21 UK maritime patrol priorities questioned bydefence analysts.USAF releases survey to research ‘green aircraft’capability

BUSINESS AVIATION

24 Traveller on track for 2016 debut, says Tecnam.GV navigation upgrade on course at Gulfstream.Cirrus customer delivery centre comes into view

25

US approval near for G90XT.

Flying Colours gives Challenger ADS-B upgrade

B i l l y P i x


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flightglobal.com4 | Flight International | 10-16 November 2015

CONTENTS

QUESTION OF THE WEEK THE WEEK IN NUMBERS

flightglobal.com/flight-international

Vote at flightglobal.com

Flightglobal’s premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with

profiles, schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information flightglobal.com/dashboard

This week, we ask:Airbus’s decision to boost A320 production to 60 per month is:

❑ Sensible move to meet Neo demand

❑ Unlikely to remain that high for long❑ Step too far for its supply chain

Last week, we asked: What are you expecting from the Dubai airshow?: You said:

44.7%Nine-month EBITA at Finmeccanica rose strongly to €745m($810m); results do not include the now-divested rail unit

$6bnTotal value to UK aerospace suppliers of global Q3 aircraftdeliveries, including £4bn from a record 100 widebodies

25.3mNumber of passengers expected to fly on US airlines over

the 12-day Thanksgiving period, a post-recession high

Airlines for America

ADS Group

Finmeccanica

C a

t h a y P a c i fi c

IMAGE OFTHE WEEK Cathay Pacific unveiled itsnew livery on a Boeing777-300ER on 1 November.Its fleet will be repainted aspart of normal maintenanceschedules over the next fiveyears. Its 26 Airbus A350swill be the first of its newaircraft to receive theupdated livery when theybegin to arrive from 2016

View more great aviation shotsonline and in our weekly tabletedition:

6%

6%

7%

81%Neither

Blockbusterairlineorders

Both

At leastone majorprog-ramme

launch

TOTAL

VOTES:

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COMMENT


See Air Transport P13

This month is likely to be remembered for two iconicmoments in Asia’s aviation history: the roll-out of

the Comac C919 and the first flight of the MitsubishiRegional Jet (MRJ).

It is important to qualify this statement with “likely”, because the MRJ was supposed to get airborne yearsago. This slipped to late October, and then, thanks to alast minute change to the rudder pedals, November.

In China and Japan these aircraft are sources of im-mense national pride. Thousands trekked out toComac’s sprawling production facility at Shanghai’sPudong International airport for the C919’s unveiling.

Yet neither jet is set to dominate its segment. For ex-ample, when the C919 enters operation, tentatively

around 2018, the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Maxwill already be in service. Beyond mainland Chineseairlines that have no choice but to operate the C919,international carriers will remain dubious about theaircraft, which will struggle for overseas sales.

Mitsubishi has gained an impressive 223 orderssince the MRJ’s launch in 2010. But Embraer’s re-engined E2 series has already surpassed that figure inthe two years since its 2013 launch.

However, to underestimate either aircraft would be amistake. Although aerospace’s centre of gravity willremain firmly in the West for decades to come, a none-

too-subtle shift is already taking place. ■

Rising sons

See This Week P10

A i r b u s

Just another 4,299 to go

Such is the popularity of the next-generation ofnarrowbodies from Airbus – and to a currently

lesser extent, Boeing – that production rates are beinglifted to unprecedented levels.

Airbus had already promised to raise A320 output to50 per month from 2017, across four production lines.But now, based on a backlog of more than 4,300 of itsre-engined Neos, it will hike the rate even further – toan eye-popping 60 aircraft each month from 2019.

Boeing, with a firm backlog of 2,869 orders for its737 Max – not to mention 1,337 for the current NG

family – is in a similar position. It plans to increaseproduction at its Renton, Washington assembly line to52 per month from 2018.

The European airframer says it has stress-tested itsorderbook and is confident that rate-60 – and possiblyhigher in the future – is a sustainable increase.

But not everyone shares the sense of optimism

emanating from Toulouse. Even for a moment assum-ing that the world economy does not experience a hic-cup, let alone a repeat of the calamitous events of 2008,there are doubts that the latest rate hike is required.

Based on current forecasts, analysts have pointed toa potential oversupply of 200 aircraft by 2019, and thatis without factoring in the effects of a potential match-ing output increase from Seattle.

If there was a global economic slowdown, then howmany more ‘white tails’ would the airframers end upchurning out?

An equal, if not larger, worry for the aerospaceindustry will be the ability of the supply chain to copewith soaring production volumes.

The large tier one suppliers are likely to have thefinancial resources to invest in the raw materials,manpower, facilities and equipment required.

But you do not have to travel far down the supplychain to see that does not hold true for every company.And those smaller businesses churn out vital compo-nents for every engine or fuselage assembly.

Equally, size is no guarantee of success, as ZodiacAerospace’s well-documented travails in the cabinsegment illustrate.

It does not take too much in the way of mentalgymnastics to project the effects of a similar bottleneckon future narrowbody production.

Nonetheless, Airbus remains confident in both itscustomer base and suppliers.

Should it have read the runes incorrectly, however,this will be a costly mistake for its big money-maker.■

If there was a global economic

slowdown then how many more

‘white tails’ would be built?

From 2019, the big two airframers will be churning out a total of 112 single-aisle aircraft each

month. Airbus believes rate-60 is sustainable, but headwinds could yet blow it off course

Growing pains

To read in-depth news and

analysis from the global

aerospace industry, go to:

flightglobal.com/news


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THIS WEEK


For the latest news and developments

from the Dubai air show, visit

flightglobal.com/dubai

REGIONAL GROWTH SPURS ANZ TURBOPROP DEALORDER Air New Zealand has signed a firm agreement for 15 ATR

72-600s, in a deal worth $375 million at list prices. The airline saysthat 11 of the turboprops will be used to replace its ATR 72-500

fleet, while the remainder will allow further growth on regional routes.

Deliveries of the 69-seat aircraft will begin from late 2016. ANZ still

has seven -600s on order from a 14-unit deal signed in 2012.

DYNAMIC 767 FIRE PINNED ON LOOSE COUPLINGINCIDENT US investigators have disclosed that a coupling assemblyhad become disconnected from a fuel line leading to the left-hand

Pratt & Whitney JT9D engine of a Dynamic International Airways

Boeing 767-200ER (N251MY) that caught fire on 29 October at Fort

Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport. Some 22 of the aircraft’s

101 occupants were injured in the emergency evacuation of the

twinjet prior to take-off. The National Transportation Safety Board

has found no evidence of an uncontained engine failure.

BEIRUT READY FOR ARMED SUPER TUCANOSAWARD The US government has put Sierra Nevada on contract todeliver six A-29 Super Tucanos to the Lebanese air force by 2019.

The nearly $173 million production contract will provide Beirut with a

much-needed close air support capability, and will supplement its air

force’s three armed Cessna AC-208 Caravans.

AIRBUS CELEBRATES $17 BILLION CHINESE ORDERCOMMITMENT State-owned China Aviation Supplies HoldingCompany has ordered a total of 130 Airbus jets in a deal worth $17

billion. The agreement covers 100 A320-family aircraft, and firms a

June 2015 commitment for 30 A330s. Airbus says the deals, which

do not specify engine selections, validate its decision to establish anA330 completions and delivery centre in Tianjin.

FIRST METAL CUT AT NEW GEARBOX JOINT VENTUREPROPULSION Rolls-Royce and Leibherr Aerospace’s new gearbox joint venture for the proposed UltraFan engine – to be branded as

Aerospace Transmission Technologies – has begun cutting metal.

The venture began operating at Liebherr’s Friedrichshafen facility in

October, with an initial 30 personnel.

PAKISTAN TO RECEIVE TURKISH TWEETSTRANSFER Turkey is to donate 34 stored Cessna T-37 Tweet jettrainers and related spare parts to Pakistan, under an agreement

signed on 28 October. The Pakistan air force already operates 18

T-37s, as recorded by Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database.

NEW ASSEMBLY LINE NO THREAT TO DONAUWÖRTHROTORCRAFT Airbus Helicopters has played down the potentialimpact on its existing Donauwörth production facility of a new

Chinese assembly line for the H135 twin-engined rotorcraft. The air-

framer on 30 October signed a letter of intent with Qingdao-based

Sino-German Ecopark detailing the move and a 100-unit order.

NASA CALL FOR ASTRONAUT CANDIDATESRECRUITMENT NASA will next month begin taking applications for anew class of astronauts to be selected in 2017. Candidates must

be US citizens with a university degree and relevant professional

experience or 1,000h-plus in jet aircraft. To date, NASA has selected

more than 300 astronauts and today has 47 on its active roster.

BRIEFING

Airbus is still aiming for 15A350-900 deliveries this

year, although the company hadyet to get halfway to this target byearly October.

Six A350 deliveries had beenachieved in 2015 at the pointwhen Finnair, the third customer behind Qatar Airways andVietnam Airlines, received its ini-tial aircraft in October.

While more than half of theplanned deliveries would have to be achieved in the fourth quarter,chief financial officer HaraldWilhelm says the 2015 deliveriesare “back-loaded”, in line withcustomer commitments.

Wilhelm gave the update dur-

ing a third-quarter Airbus Group briefing on 30 October.

Airbus programmes chiefDidier Evrard, speaking during anearlier briefing, said the companywas “focused on deliveries”. Buthe is confident that it will reach anoutput target of 15 A350-900s for2015. Evrard says the airframer isprioritising the ramp-up of pro-duction, and intends to “morethan double” the A350 outputnext year, as it bids to reach amonthly rate of 10 in 2018.

“This is something that is veryimportant for us, and we are

working very hard to reach thesetargets,” he says.

Wilhelm would not give a spe-cific forecast for 2016 deliveriesof A350s, saying that the airfram-

er would be in a better position tomake a prediction early next yearonce the 2015 delivery level had been confirmed.

Cabin interiors will be a keyfocus for the airframer next year,says Wilhelm, noting that a “fa-vourite” supplier to Airbus hadpublicly disclosed problems meet-ing demand to some customers.

Although Wilhelm did notidentify the company, seat manu-facturer Zodiac has admitted“serious production difficulties”

in recent weeks that have result-ed in late deliveries – notably toAmerican Airlines, which hassought alternatives for its Boeing777 and 787 cabins.

“We need to be focused inparticular on the interior, andmake sure that stuff comes to the[final assembly line] in time, atthe quality foreseen,” he says.“[This is] one of the challengeswe have to master for 2016.”

Airbus had secured orders for783 A350s by the end of

September, including 598 for the-900 variant.■

Finnair received its initial Trent XWB-powered twinjet in October

A i r b u s

PROGRAMME DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Airbus confident

it can meet A350delivery forecastAirframer insists it will hand over 15 examples of widebodythis year – although only seven have been delivered so far


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THIS WEEK


Airbus sets rateexpectations forNeo

THIS WEEK P10

Reaper upgrade will put Italian air force on targetUNMANNED SYSTEMS BETH STEVENSON LONDON

Italy may become the first coun-try to benefit from a recently-

relaxed US government un-

manned air vehicle exportrestriction, as it receives authori-sation for a potential deal to armits air force’s fleet of GeneralAtomics Aeronautical SystemsMQ-9 Reapers.

The US Defense Security Coop-eration Agency on 3 Novembersaid the state department has ap-proved a potential deal coveringweapons integration on Rome’ssix Reapers.

This follows the February lift-ing of export restrictions covering

the sale of armed variants of theMQ-9, with all non-US militaries

– with the exception of the UKRoyal Air Force – limited to thesurveillance-only aircraft.

In a deal worth $130 million,Italy has requested 156 LockheedMartin AGM-114R2 Hellfire IImissiles, eight training missiles,30 GBU-12 laser-guided bombs,

30 GBU-38 Joint Direct AttackMunitions (JDAM), 30 GBU-49laser-guided bombs, 30 GBU-54

laser JDAMs, plus installationkits, dummy missiles and spares.

Rome cites the potential for in-creased contribution to NATOcoalition operations, improved

operational flexibility, and en-hanced survivability for Italianforces as reasons for its request.

Elsewhere in Europe, Spain isalso progressing with its MQ-9 ac-quisition, which was authorised by the USA on 6 October. Its cabi-net agreed on 30 October to modi-fy the budget to allow for the pur-chase of four Block 5 Reapers, twoground control stations, and sen-sor and communication equip-ment with a total value of €161million ($175 million).

A formal announcement hasyet to made, and neither the USstate department nor the manu-

facturer were available to com-ment on the Spanish award.■

N A T

O

Rome is seeking to integrate Hellfire missiles with its six MQ-9s

Investigations have begun intoa fatal accident involving an

AgustaWestland AW609 tiltrotortest aircraft which crashed innorthern Italy on 30 October,killing its two pilots.

The Italian air accident inves-tigation agency ANSV says thecrash site was located in theprovince of Vercelli, with localmedia reports suggesting that thetiltrotor came down near thetown of Santhià, around 30

miles (48km) from Agusta-Westland’s Cascina Costaheadquarters and nearbyVergiate production facility.

ANSV says the aircraft, whichwas destroyed in the crash, borethe registration N609AG, thesecond flight-test prototype.This was built in 2003 and firstflown in 2006.

Flight-tracking websiteFlightradar24 suggests that thetiltrotor departed from Milan’sMalpensa airport – which is ad-

jacent to Cascina Costa – ataround 09:30 UTC.

Certification of the AW609,the world’s first civil tiltrotor,was scheduled for 2017.■

INCIDENT

DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

Crash of AW609prototype leaves

both pilots deadSabotage has gained credibilitya possible reason for thedestruction of an Airbus A321 inSinai, after the UK governmentsaid the jet could have been thetarget of a deliberate attack.

In an unusual step, which ap-peared to pre-empt the Egyptian-led inquiry into the 31 Octobercrash, the UK’s foreign office pub-licised its concerns there was a“significant” possibility – basedon “a range of sources” – that anexplosive device had been deto-

nated on board the aircraft.Despite the risk of a diplomatic

row – particularly since Egyptianpresident Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hadcoincidentally been scheduled tovisit the UK – the government for-mally warned against air travel toSharm el-Sheikh, prompting sev-eral UK airlines, as well asGermany’s Lufthansa, to suspendservices on the route.

Investigators had yet to analyseflight-recorder data from theMetroJet A321 (EI-ETJ), which

had been 23min into flight7K9268 to St Petersburg when airtraffic controllers lost contact.

The crash site encompassesseveral discrete wreckage areas,

CRASH DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

UK suspects A321 bombing British government says possibility Russian airliner was deliberately attacked is “significant”

with the burned-out forward fu-

selage and wings notably sepa-rate from the empennage and theA321’s engines. None of the 224occupants survived.

Russia’s transport ministry saysthe search has expanded from aninitial 8km-by-4km region to anarea of 40km².

Both recorders have been re-covered from the wreckage.Flight-data recorder informationhas been obtained but the con-tents of the damaged cockpit-voice recorder will require addi-

tional work to retrieve.Sinai airspace is listed in the

ICAO conflict-zone repository –set up after the shoot-down of Ma-laysia Airlines flight MH17 – as a

potential threat to civil aviation,

and trans-Sinai routes have beenmainly flown by Russian andMiddle Eastern carriers.

Soon after confirmation thatthe A321 had crashed, Egyptianauthorities requested that air traf-fic avoid a specific entry way-point, identified as PASOS, tonorthern Sinai airspace, and tran-sit the region via other routes.

Despite the UK restriction,Egypt’s civil aviation minister,Hossam Kamal, insists its air-ports are safe. The UK hypothesis

was “not based on facts”, he says,and adds that the investigationteam probing the crash had notfound “any evidence or data” tosupport the case for sabotage.■

X i n h u a / R e x S h u t t e r s t o c k

Investigators are combing a 40km² area for the jet’s wreckage


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THIS WEEK


For up-to-the-minute air transport news,

network and fleet information sign up at:

flightglobal.com/dashboard

SOURCE: Flightglobal Ascend

Aircraft deliveries

AIRFRAMER BACKLOGS AND DELIVERY SCHEDULES

0

300

600

900

1200

1500

1800

2024202320222021202020192018201720162015

Forecast deliveries

Pre Rate 60 plan

Planned production

Others backlog

Boeing backlog

Airbus backlog

Airbus is committing to a60-per-month production ratefor its single-aisle family from2019, when its re-engined versionwill become its primary focus.

The airframer has had indica-tions from suppliers that this fig-ure could be pushed even higherfrom 2020, to around 63 aircraft.

Airbus has been exploring op-tions for hiking the rate to burnthrough the mounting backlog forthe A320neo family. In addition toa backlog of nearly 1,200 jets

across the current-engine range, ithas accumulated orders for over4,300 A320neo-family aircraft –some eight years’ worth.

COMMITMENTS

Its analysis of these commitmentshas convinced Airbus to invest inadditional capabilities. “When wetalk about rate-60 in mid-2019,this is fully supported by the au-dited order book,” insists AirbusGroup chief financial officerHarald Wilhelm. “In other words

we don’t have to book [furtherdeals] to satisfy these rates. I thinkthat’s important to note.”

Airbus had already opted topush the monthly single-aisle out-put, currently 42 aircraft, to 44and then 46 next year, before step-ping up to 50 in 2017.

It has yet to detail intermediatesteps in the rate as it lifts monthlyproduction by a further 10 jetsover the following two years.

But Airbus, which has newlyopened a US-based final assembly

line in Mobile, Alabama, will cre-ate a further line at its HamburgFinkenwerder plant to support theincrease to 60.

The airframer has not specifiedthe intended production splitacross its four final assembly fa-cilities, including its Toulouse base and its plant in Tianjin,China. “[This rate-60 decision] al-lows for flexibility while takinginto account the manufacturingcapabilities at each site,” it says,although the company’s US opera-

tion adds that there are “no plansat this time” to take monthly out-

put at Mobile beyond the fourplanned by 2018.

Airbus has previously dis-closed Hamburg will produce 24aircraft monthly, Toulouse 16,Tianjin four and Mobile twounder the rate-46 programme for2016. Wilhelm is confident theambitious rate increase to 2019 iswarranted and that the supply

MANUFACTURINGDAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Airbus sets rate expectations for NeoMounting orders for re-engined narrowbody family drives airframer to target production increase to 60 aircraft per month

supply-chain discussions, thatthere is room to take the monthlyrate even higher from 2020, to the“famous” figure of 63 aircraftwhich had been suggested bychief operating officer for custom-ers John Leahy earlier this year.

SUPPLY CHAIN

“When you hear today [the planfor] rate-60 in 2019, this doesn’tmean our view of the market is

softer,” says Wilhelm. “We recog-nise what can be achieved by our-selves and the supply chain.”

But analysis of the single-aislemarket by Flightglobal’s Ascendconsultancy reveals a potentialsurplus of 200 deliveries in 2019.

“If those deliveries are to occurthen we either need more trafficgrowth than hypothesised, moreretirements than hypothesised, orlower productivity growth thanhypothesised,” says head of con-sultancy Rob Morris. “More traffic

growth feels very unlikely giventhat would require a further fouryears of expansion in an alreadylong cycle, so it would probablyneed a combination of the othertwo, which would not be positivein either case.”

Ascend’s forecast does not in-clude the possibility Boeing raisesits 737 output beyond the 52-per-month rate planned for 2018.That, says Morris, could add a fur-ther 100 aircraft to the top line.

“It leads us to wonder if Rate 60

for both manufacturers would be astep too far,” he adds.■

“We recognise what

can be achieved by

ourselves and our

supply chain”HARALD WILHELMChief financial officer, Airbus Group

chain is sufficiently robust. “Oneof the key focus [points] was onthe engine manufacturing side,where we examined, and dis-cussed, and agreed finally on thatramp-up profile in detail.”

Powerplant supply has beenone of the main areas ofuncertainty because the all-newengines – Pratt & Whitney’sPW1100G and CFM Internation-al’s Leap-1A – account for the ma-jority of the modification from theA320 to the A320neo.

Airbus is making adjustmentsto its own single-aisle lines toaccommodate the higher produc-tion rates. It is moving from static

assembly to a pulse-line at its UKwing plant, to improve efficiency,and the company has revealed itwill integrate its cabin-fitting op-eration at Toulouse more closelywith the final assembly line.

The additional assembly line atHamburg will provide an oppor-tunity to “bring new manufactur-ing technology on board”, saysAirbus, but it has not disclosedthe number of additional staff re-quired. Wilhelm says that thecompany established, during its

A i r b u s

Large commitments for the A320neo, including 430 from IndiGo, have led to an eight-year backlog


11/60

THIS WEEK


Il-96 to form basisof joint widebody

AIR TRANSPORT P12

S t e p h e n T r i m b l e / F l i g h t g l o b a l

Bombardier on 3 November briefly opened the Global7000 assembly line to journalists,showcasing a revitalised facilitywith “game-changing” manufac-turing technology for the businessaviation market.

Bombardier hired aviation au-tomation specialist Electroimpactfor a modern manufacturing

make-over of Bay 10 of its Torontofactory, home of the Global 7000and 8000. The facility now fea-tures a five-position assembly linefor pulsed moves and emphasis-ing technology to eliminate somevariables involved in the process.

The $71 million twinjet is built at the airframer’s Toronto facility

The technology starts at the firstassembly position, where twowings are joined to the centrewing-box. An automated position-ing system uses laser tracker feed- back that computes the location ofthe contours of each assembly, al-lowing a human operator to movesections into position with greateraccuracy. Electroimpact automat-

ed the movement of completedassemblies from one position toanother. Instead of lifting struc-tures by crane, a robotic train – theAircraft Transportation LinearActivation System (ATLAS) – car-ries the completed wing assembly

rivet and fasten the metallic sec-tions together.

Bombardier plans to use robotsto drill and deburr wing-to-fuse-lage mate assembly and rivet and

fasten major fuselage sections.That requires a complementary

robotic “bucking” system, with arobot on the aircraft interior toapply back pressure as the exter-nal robot sinks fasteners.■See Feature P40

AIRCRAFT STEPHEN TRIMBLE TORONTO

Globals buck the

trend with robotics“Game changing” manufacturing technology installed onBombardier’s production line for latest ultra-long-range aircraft

into the second position.The wings are mated to the cen-

tre fuselage, followed by joiningthe forward and aft sections to thecentre.

Electroimpact is automatingthis step with robotic systemsfound in the high-volume produc-tion systems of commercial airlin-ers. Two robots are used to cir-cumferentially drill and deburrthe thousands of holes required to


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AIR TRANSPORT





NARROWBODY

Specialists chart course for MC-21 cockpit certification

United Aircraft is preparing for certi-

fication work on the Irkut MC-21’s

primary cockpit instrumentation

following a progress meeting at theend of October.

The airframer says the meeting

was attended by certification spe-

cialists from organisations includ-

ing Russia’s Interstate Aviation

Committee. United Aircraft says the

delegates discussed the “scope

and method” of qualification tests,

particularly for the multi-functiondisplays on the type.

These displays will be the pri-

mary source of flight and navigation

data to the pilots and provide ad-

ditional information on the status of

the MC-21’s engines and other sys-

tems. United Aircraft says the gath-

ering has generated proposals for

“optimising” the certification pro-gramme in line with the various au-

thorities’ requirements.

Key suppliers to the MC-21’s avi-

onics system include Ulyanovsk-

based UKBP.■

Ilyushin has proposed the use ofits Il-96 as a platform for devel-oping a joint Russo-Chinesewidebody airliner fitted withnew engines.

Russia’s United Aircraft (UAC)and Chinese counterpart Comacare aiming to present by year-enddetailed plans for jointly devel-oping a twin-aisle jet.

The plans will form the basisof a government-level decision tolaunch the project, with Russia’sand China’s aerospace industriesto have equal input.

“While state-sponsored nego-tiations to this end are underway, we’ve made a proposal toturn to our rich legacy and devel-op a new aircraft based on theIl-96-300 or stretched Il-96M vari-ant,” says Ilyushin general de-signer Nikolai Talikov.

“The Chinese side is evaluat-

ing this idea. In principle, it hasno objections to taking part in ajoint work on restoring Il-96 pro-duction. Thus, the question re-mains open and is to be resolvedsoon.”

DEVELOPMENT TOM ZAITSEV MOSCOW

Il-96 to form basisof joint widebodyUnited Aircraft and Comac considering use of Ilyushin typeas platform for proposed Russo-Chinese twin-aisle aircraft

Ilyushin lists the Il-96-300 ashaving a maximum take-offweight of 250t, with passengercapacity of 300 in a single-classlayout. Range is given as5,300nm (9,800km).

Talikov, however, notes that aproposed widebody airlinerwould require the developmentof a new engine.

Each of the 28 Il-96-300s built atthe Voronezh-based VASO plantwas fitted with four AviadvigatelPS-90A engines, each rated at35,000lb-thrust (157kN), while asingle example of the Il-96M was

powered by Pratt & Whitney’s37,000lb-thrust PW2337.

“Alongside the PS-90, we have

the PD-14 turbofan,” saysTalikov. “Both are suitable interms of thrust. Looking ahead,we’ll ultimately need to have anengine specially designed for anew widebody plane.”

The PD-14, which is in the27,500-34,500lb-thrust range, is being developed by Aviadvigatel

as an indigenous engine for theIrkut MC-21 narrowbody.

UAC and Comac plan to joint-ly develop, secure certificationfor, and deliver the first twin-aisleaircraft within 10 years.■

A i r T e a m I m a g e s

New engines are required to replace the Il-96’s legacy PS-90As

Engine maker Pratt & Whitneyhas launched the flight-testcampaign for the PW1900G en-gine for the Embraer E190-E2 andE195-E2, the fourth variant of thegeared-fan turboshaft to take tothe skies.

An initial sortie was per-formed on 3 November fromMirabel, Canada, with the engineinstalled on P&W’s Boeing 747SPflying testbed.

Embraer plans to fly the firstE190-E2 in the second half of2016, ahead of entry into servicein 2018. The first flight-test aircraft

is in the advanced stages of struc-tural assembly in São José dos

P r a t t & W h i t n e y

A maiden sortie for the new engine was performed using a 747SP

Pratt & Whitney goes fourth with PW1900G flightPROPULSION STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC

Campos, Brazil, while engineersin nearby Eugênio de Melo work

on validating the safety of flightstatus for flight control software,

electronics and power systems.Embraer selected the

PW1900G to power the E190-E2and E195-E2 and the PW1700G

to power the E175-E2, replacingthe GE Aviation CF34 turbofans

on the current-generation E-Jets.“The start of engine flight test-

ing is an important milestone aswe bring the E-Jets second gener-ation from concept to reality,”says Paulo Cesar Silva, presidentand chief executive of EmbraerCommercial Aviation.

P&W has already flown thePW1100G for the Airbus A320n-eo, the PW1500G for the Bombar-dier CSeries, and the PW1200Gfor the Mitsubishi Regional Jet.

So far it has completed more

than 23,000h of tests over 40,000cycles across all models.■


13/60

AIR TRANSPORT


ALPA recharges callfor outright li-ionbattery ban AIR TRANSPORT P14

chief regulator at the CivilAviation Administration of China(CAAC), says his agency has ap-proved 60 certification plans andmore than 1,000 test verificationtasks. The approval programmefor the C919 is progressing “in anorderly way”, he says.

DEVELOPMENT

For its part, Comac says thatthanks to its experience on theARJ21 it now has a deeper under-standing of the flight-test require-ments, which will make the pro-cess smoother. Co-ordination withthe CAAC is also better, it adds.

Programme officials also pointto a relatively untroubled assembly process as proof that it hasmade progress since the ARJ21.

Chief engineer Jiang Liping, in-

volved in both the C919 andARJ21, attributes this progress tolessons learnt in process control,as well as the improved specifica-tions the manufacturer was ableto give suppliers.

One Chinese analyst points outthat the ARJ21 had “a lot of designissues to begin with”, and that itendured countless retests and re-designs after its 2008 first flight.This should not happen with theC919, he says, since it was “builtto a different approach”.

The narrowbody’s designershave also played it safe, opting to

utilise composites for only 12% ofthe aircraft. The initial target for a30% total – including the wingsand wingbox – was scaled back tosimplify the programme andmitigate possible delays.

Although the development pro-cess appears much improved, Rob

Morris, head of consultancy atFlightglobal’s Ascend operation,says that Comac must establish aglobal customer support networkthat compares favourably withthose of Airbus and Boeing inorder to break into the internation-al market. It must also deliver dis-patch reliability for the C919 thatmatches or exceeds that of theA320neo and 737 Max, he says.

Teal Group’s vice-president ofanalysis, Richard Aboulafia, saysChina has unquestionable poten-

tial, but must change its approachto design and development.

“They need to stop insistingthat every part of the aircraft be built in-country. National verticalintegration always ends in disas-ter,” he says. “The important pointis that China has tremendous po-tential. They’re the world’s largestjetliner market right now, withgreat talent, and great resources.”

But sometimes national pridehas to take a front seat. “A greatnation must have its own large

commercial aircraft,” says CAAC’sLi Jiaxiang.■

to start ground tests, analystsstress the need for Comac to stickto its timetable. One of the mostpressing reasons is that it willenter service after the re-enginednarrowbodies from Airbus andBoeing – featuring variants of theLeap powerplants – which arrive

in 2015 and 2017, respectively.Analysts also note that

Comac’s relative inexperience insystems integration and certifica-tion could generate delays, as itdid on the earlier ARJ21 pro-gramme. The regional jet, whichis dated by Western standards,

As the curtains parted in frontof the dignitaries assembled atShanghai’s Pudong Internationalairport – including Chinese vice-premier Ma Kai – the audiencewas presented with two things.

There was the Comac C919itself – a narrowbody aircraft setto compete against the AirbusA320 and Boeing 737 thatfeatures a host of Western-sup-plied equipment, including CFMInternational Leap-1C engines.

But perhaps more significantly,

the C919 is also an embodiment ofBejing’s ambitions to become a se-rious player – above and beyondsimply being a supplier – in thecommercial aircraft industry.

Of course, Comac is aware thatthe roll-out of China’s most ad-vanced airliner programme todate is not an end but a begin-ning. It now faces a long road toget the aircraft airborne, certifi-cated and delivered.

Speech after speech at the un-veiling ceremony addressed the

challenges the airframer is upagainst. Vice-premier Kai de-scribed aircraft manufacturing as a“complicated technical process”,while Comac chairman JinZhuanglong called the C919 a“long-term complex project”.

DEADLINES

The programme, launched in2008, has a target of a first flightin 2016. Suppliers indicate thatComac is working to achieve themaiden sortie in the second

quarter of next year, with firstcustomer delivery earmarked forthe end of 2018.

Programme observers expectthese deadlines to slip, and sup-pliers themselves have called thetargets “aggressive”.

Chief designer Wu Guanghui,however, is bullish. He tellsFlight International that he isconfident of maintaining theC919’s schedule, and is satisfiedwith progress thus far.

As aircraft 101 – painted in the

airframer’s corporate colours ofwhite, blue and green – prepares

PROGRAMMEMAVIS TOH SHANGHAI

China’s ambitions rest on Comac C919Roll-out of first flight-test example of indigenous narrowbody marks milestone on long march to certification and delivery

C o m a c

Ground tests will begin shortly on aircraft 101, ahead of its maiden sortie scheduled for next year

“China is the world’s

largest jetliner

market right now,

with great talent andgreat resources”RICHARD ABOULAFIAVice-president of analysis, Teal Group

only received Chinese certifica-tion last December, more than 12years after the programme waslaunched following a develop-ment effort beset by problems. Ithas yet to be delivered to launchcustomer Chengdu Airlines.

But those involved in the C919

programme say they have learnedfrom their mistakes. Li Jiaxiang,


14/60

AIR TRANSPORT





INTERIORS

New cabins for Air Canada A330s

A i r C a n a d a

ST Aerospace has secured a cabin reconfiguration contract with Air

Canada for eight Airbus A330-300s.

The lead aircraft will be inducted in the first quarter of 2016, with

the last twin-aisle targeted for redelivery a year later. The work will see

additional premium-economy seats, an enlarged economy-class cabin

and the integration of audio- and video-on-demand systems. ST Aero

also will conduct maintenance checks on all eight widebody twins.The maintenance provider has previously undertaken similar work

for Air Canada’s Boeing 767-300 fleet.

Luxembourg-based freight op-

erator Cargolux is facing morepressure from its LGCB union,which will ballot members overindustrial action.

The union – which is trying toobtain job security by blockingthe company from outsourcingflightcrew and ground personnel– claims there has been a “lack ofany meaningful progress” in talksover a new collective agreement.

LGCB has become increasinglyconcerned over the build-up ofthe carrier’s Milan-based opera-

tion, Cargolux Italia, the fleet ofwhich has been gradually ex-panded. Cargolux has been trans-ferring aircraft as part of a cost-re-duction strategy, given the

pressures on the dedicated

freighter sector.The union, which wants to

limit Cargolux Italia’s operations,claims it has put forward propos-als for $10 million in labour sav-ings, much of it from pilots.

While acknowledging that astrike would have “consequenc-es” for the airline, the union ar-gues that it has “no choice” but tolook at industrial action.

It states that it will conduct a ballot “shortly”.

The ballot will put more pres-

sure on the airline when the sidesenter a new round of collective bargaining talks, scheduled for 11November. The current labourpact expires on 1 December.■

DISPUTE DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Cargolux under pressureas union row intensifies

SAFETY JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC

ALPA rechargescall for outrightli-ion battery banPilot body says ICAO safety panel’s decision not to prohibitcarriage of fire-prone lithium cells poses risk to flightcrews

The Air Line Pilots Association(ALPA), the largest US pilots’union, has repeated calls to endair shipments of lithium-ion bat-teries, after an international bodystopped short of recommending a ban from commercial aircraft.

ALPA says the decision by theInternational Civil AviationOrganisation’s dangerous goodspanel does not protect pilots froma well-documented threat posed by the transport of lithium-ion batteries. Describing ICAO’s fail-ure to act as “unacceptable”,ALPA president Tim Canoll sayslives are being put at risk.

“Until ICAO develops im-proved packaging regulations…that guarantee that lithium batteryfires will not spread, an interim

ban on shipping them on all air-craft is essential to safeguardingair transportation,” he says.

“We hope that ICAO will ulti-mately make the right decision for

protecting passengers, crews andcargo by instituting an interim banon shipping,” he adds.

While full details of the ICAOpanel’s recommendations haveyet to emerge, it is not calling foran outright ban on the carriage of

lithium-ion cells – a move alreadyadopted by some passenger air-lines. It does, however, recom-mend that lithium-ion batteriesonly be transported if they arecharged to no more than 30% ca-pacity.

ICAO has been discussing theissue since at least 2007, but flight-crew concerns have intensifiedfollowing the loss, after in-flightfires, of two Boeing 747-400Fs – aUPS aircraft in Dubai in 2010 andan Asiana Airlines freighter off the

South Korean coast in 2011.Investigators believe that in

both cases the li-ion batteries car-ried as cargo contributed to thefatal accidents.■

i m a g e B r o k e r / R e x S h u t

t e r s t o c k

A UPS 747-400F was lost in Dubai following an in-flight blaze

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Keep track of the latest developments in

in-flight connectivity

www.flightglobal.com/connectivity 28/05/2015 10:59


15/60

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16/60

AIR TRANSPORT





Russia’s UTair has near-halvedits seat capacity in a year-longprogramme of cuts, with passen-ger volumes falling by a similarmargin. The carrier now operates63 mainline aircraft, down from115 in August 2014, when it intro-duced streamlining measures tocope with a slump in demand.

Director of passenger servicesAlexei Budnik says implementa-tion has outpaced the initialschedule for the comprehensiveprogramme centred on fleet and

network overhauls. UTair hasphased out all 12 leased AirbusA321s and six of 15 Boeing 737-800s, plus four 737-400/500s,leaving 36 737 Classics in service.

On long-haul routes, the airlinenow uses three 767-200 widebod-ies, down from nine a year ago,while all nine of its 757-200s werehanded over to subsidiary charterspecialist Katekavia. On the re-gional side, UTair has disposed of15 Bombardier CRJ200s, but re-tained an equal number of larger-

capacity ATR 72-500 turboprops.Passenger fleet capacity has

halved to 8,000 seats over the pastyear. “On the other hand, we’vesubstantially overhauled ourroute system,” says Budnik.“We’ve abandoned eight domesticand nine foreign destinations,while launching services on 15new routes.”■

AIRLINETOM ZAITSEVMOSCOW

Leaner times atUTair, after fleetrationalisation

EMPLOYMENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Rossiya brings staff in from the cold

About half of the 6,000 Transaero

employees being accepted by theAeroflot Group will be stationed with

its Rossiya subsidiary.

Aeroflot Group says that more

than 3,000 Transaero employees will

be recruited by St Petersburg-based

Rossiya at a newly-created Moscow

subsidiary which was formally estab-

lished on 30 October. Aeroflot says

585 staff have already been recom-

mended for employment there.

Rossiya is the largest of AeroflotGroup’s subsidiaries, contributing

13% of the company’s 17.9 million

passengers in the first half of 2015.

Aeroflot Group says it intends to

take around 700 pilots and 2,800

cabin crew from Transaero, as well

as 1,000 technical and 1,200

ground personnel, plus 300 admin-

istrative staff.■

Aeroflot intends to enhance itsin-house maintenance capabilities using ex-Transaero engi-neering staff and assets.

The flag carrier’s advisory boardhas endorsed the creation an enter-prise that will provide mainte-nance, repair and overhaul servic-es for aircraft operated by Aeroflotand subsidiary airlines. This newentity within the Aeroflot Group isto incorporate a technical centre,at Moscow Vnukovo airport, thatwas leased by Transaero prior to its

ceasing operations on 26 October.“To facilitate approval proce-

dures, we’ve decided to register itas an affiliate of Aeroflot-Fi-nance,” says a source at the board.“Initially, it will be tasked withline maintenance of [the] Aeroflotfleet, including the leased aircraftto be transferred from Transaero.”

Aeroflot is looking to take onTransaero engineering personnelas well as the MRO facility.

“Transaero has highly skilledtechnical staff working there,”

says the source. “It would be amistake to leave these specialists behind, the more so that most ofthem want to keep their jobsunder a new employer.”

The move follows a memoran-dum of understanding with Sber- bank to transfer operating leases ofat least 14 Transaero jets to Aero-flot. These aircraft comprise four

MAINTENANCE TOM ZAITSEVMOSCOW

Aeroflot builds on rival’s ruinRussian carrier’s MRO operation to be bolstered with former Transaero engineering assets

Boeing 747-400s and 10 737-800s.In addition, spares specialist

AJW Group will, later this month,auction off a range of componentsfrom Transaero. The stock covers

parts for 747-400s, 777s and cur-rent- and older-variant 737s. AJWsays the spares were pledged ascollateral under a security agree-ment reached in June.■

A i r T e a m I m a g e s

Aircraft formerly operated by Transaero are in storage at Shannon


17/60

NEWS FOCUS


Atlas seeks time tobuild strength

DEFENCE P18

F or Airbus, there has beenmuch to celebrate over thisyear, with the majority of its civilprogrammes racking up sales ormaking significant developmentprogress. However, the A380 con-tinues to buck the trend.

The airframer has yet to secureany sales for the double-decktype this year and, during a 30October third-quarter results briefing, Airbus Group chief fi-nancial officer Harald Wilhelmfaced questions on the possibility

of a production rate cut this year.Wilhelm declines to be drawn

on a potential output adjustment, but points out Airbus is expect-ing to achieve production break-even on the type this year. TheA380 backlog is “good enough”to maintain break-even in 2016 –even at an output of fewer than30 aircraft, he says. Airbus also isaiming to be “as close to break-even as possible” for the yearafter, with an estimated overallproduction of 20-30 jets for 2017.

Wilhelm declines to discuss2018 forecasts, stating that thereis “enough time” to book deliver-ies for this date. He says the back-log is “very good, in terms of visi- bility, for the years to come”.

But while he insists thatAirbus will not build ‘white-tail’jets – aircraft with no confirmedcustomer – he will not be drawnon whether the airframer is con-sidering a rate cut, given thedearth of recent orders.

Wilhelm will not disclose an

output threshold for A380 break-even, although he notes that thecompany has brought this leveldown from 35 to 30 and is able totake it down further. He says the“priority” is to “work on cam-paigns”, adding: “Let’s see whatthat’s going to yield.”

Airbus’s backlog for the A380has been pressured not only bythe lack of new orders, but also by uncertainty over deliveries toa number of customers, includingVirgin Atlantic and recently-col-

lapsed Russian carrier Transaero,which had respective commit-

PROGRAMME OLIVIER BONNASSIES & DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON

Orders required as A380 loses liftAirbus declines to talk about potential rate cuts for the double-decker as customer problems cast doubt on backlog

ments for six and four aircraft. Inaddition, in its order data Airbuslists 10 aircraft formerly assignedto Hong Kong Airlines as now being for an undisclosed client.

The airframer has expressedconfidence in the programme,and hinted earlier this year that it

could secure a new customer forthe type by the end of 2015.

IN STORAGE

The complexity of the problem isfurther illustrated by the fact thatthe first two of an intended sixA380s built for Skymark Airlinesare still sitting in storage at Tou-louse, awaiting their fate. Bothaircraft – MSNs 162 and 167 – arestill in their green primer, save for blue-painted tails.

Wilhelm has previously hinted

that the airframer had a realloca-tion plan for the aircraft, butruled out a 2015 delivery to analternative customer.

All Nippon Airlines, whichnow owns a 16.5% share in theresurrected Skymark, has alreadydismissed the possibility of tak-ing over the order.

In the absence of any definitiveinformation, a number of differ-ent scenarios have been suggest-ed as possible fates for the twosuperjumbos.

At the ISTAT Europe event inearly October, one leasing source

A i r b u s

A pair of A380s previously destined for Japan’s Skymark remain stuck on the tarmac in Toulouse

“I’m not sure I can

see any sense in

these aircraft [for

Skymark] being

parted out”ROB MORRISHead of consultancy, Ascend

suggested the aircraft could even be parted out, but Flightglobal’sAscend consultancy offers themore optimistic view that bothunits are likely to fly again.

“I’m not sure I can see anysense in these aircraft being part-ed out since there will be major

structural components that

would have limited value toAirbus even in the manufactur-

ing process,” says Ascend’s headof consultancy Rob Morris.“Surely the most cost-efficient so-lution would be to offer these air-craft at attractive pricing to a po-tential customer, in some attemptto minimise the loss to Airbus.”

The manufacturer will contin-ue to face fresh challenges in re-viving sales as used aircraft also begin to hit the market. InOctober, Malaysia Airlines chiefexecutive Christoph Mueller saidthe carrier plans to dispose of its

fleet of six A380s in 2017-2018,as it takes delivery of four

A350-900s as replacements.There are also remarketing chal-lenges with the type. The firstA380 coming out of SingaporeAirlines service could leave intwo years’ time. The Oneworldcarrier, which took the very firstA380 in October 2007, has its

fleet of the double-deck aircrafton 10-year leases, with an optionto extend to 12 years. It has yet todecide on an extension.

The A380 with the earliestlease expiry is managed byGerman investment fund DrPeters Group.

LEASE EXPIRIES

Three other units have lease expi-ries in January, April and June2018, Flightglobal’s Fleets Ana-lyzer database shows. Another

SIA A380, managed by Doric, hasa lease running until March 2018.

The fate of the stored A380s built for Skymark, meanwhile,could be decided over the nextfew weeks. One source saysDubai-based Emirates could endup taking the two aircraft.

Morris says the move wouldmake sense if the airframes could be sequenced into the productionschedule for Emirates, and ques-tions whether the aircraft couldreplace two unallocated slots.

But what Airbus really needsis more orders.■


18/60

DEFENCE


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should increase to between 13and 17 by year-end, dependingon the successful outcome offlight-testing for the proposedStep 0 standard and of the UK’sdefensive aids system equipmentfor the type.

Operator nations had flown acombined 4,510h in more than1,100 flights by the end of Septem-

ber, with launch user the Frenchair force accounting for more than2,700 flight hours and the UKRoyal Air Force over 1,000h.

CAPABILITIES

“The customer relationship wasone area where we had to im-prove,” Rossner says, adding: “thecustomer is very happy now touse this aircraft.”

In a third-quarter earnings state-ment on 30 October, Airbus said:“The focus remains on A400M

programme execution, and thechallenges of military capabilitiesand industrial ramp-up.”

The head of Airbus Defence &Space’s Military Aircraft unit, Fer-nando Alonso, says the companyhas now stabilised the industrial

build-up, and performed a “clean-up” of its plan to develop and in-troduce new capabilities – a pro-cess which he describes as havingpreviously been “ambiguous”.

“There are some discrete areaswhere we have problems, and we

are tackling them one after the

Airbus Defence & Space is infresh discussions with the

launch customers for its A400M,with the goal of agreeing a revisedcontract by early next year thatwill amend the transport’s deliv-ery schedule and also the timelinefor introducing its much-neededtactical capabilities.

Talks with Belgium, France,

Germany, Luxembourg, Spain,Turkey and the UK are under waydirectly and also via Europe’sOCCAR defence procurementagency, says Airbus Defence &Space A400M programme headKurt Rossner. “We are in dailycontact with the nations,” he says,adding that the process involves“very complex discussions.”

The talks are based on the re-quired delivery of tactical capa-

bilities through the rest of thisyear and 2016 – respectively

through Step 0 and Step 1 en-hancements – and also cover fur-ther developments through to2018. This roadmap – which Air-

bus hopes to agree through a con-tract amendment – replaces amodel that used multiple stand-ard operating clearances for theaddition of applications includingairdrop and in-flight refuelling.

Speaking at the company’s finalassembly site in Seville, Spain latelast month, Rossner said: “Wehave promised by next year to dra-

matically upgrade and improve[the aircraft’s capabilities].” So far,none of the customer nations haverequested any change in the num-

ber of aircraft to be produced, headds. Their combined commit-ment is for 170 transports, withanother four ordered for exportcustomer Malaysia.

Fifteen A400Ms are in currentoperational service, with the airforces of France (7), Germany (1),Malaysia (1), Turkey (2) and theUK (4). Five aircraft were deliv-

ered during the first nine monthsof 2015, Airbus says, but this

PROGRAMME CRAIG HOYLE SEVILLE

Atlas seeks timeto build strengthAirbus working to agree contract amendment with A400Mcustomers to address shortcomings in tactical capability

A i r b u s D e f e n c e & S

p a c e

Landing trials on grass and natural soil were a recent success

A i r b

u s D e f e n c e & S

p a c e

Airbus has stabilised its industrial build-up plan for the Atlas

other,” Alonso says. “Even if weare having difficulties with indus-trialising the aeroplane and with

developing all of the capabilitiesthat we have to deliver to the na-tions, we are lucky because wehave a fantastic platform.”

Rossner says flight-testing oftactical capabilities will be the keyobjective for 2016. “The biggeststep we are facing next year is theDAS [defensive aids system],” henotes. Other requirements includeresolving an airdrop issue, after arisk of paratroops “crossing” be-hind the aircraft after jumpingfrom its side doors was identified.

It will also work to fully clear thetransport to receive fuel in-flight.

For now, however, the compa-ny has dropped its promotion ofthe Atlas as being capable of refu-elling rotorcraft in-flight. “To havethe A400M as a tanker for helicop-ters is nearly impossible on tech-nical capabilities and aerodynam-ic structure,” says Rossner. “Butwe have not abandoned the task,and are still trying to have ideas.”

In a recent boost, work to certif-icate the A400M for operations on

grass and natural soil landing

strips was completed in October,following a three-week campaignat Écury-sur-Coole airfield in

France. This involved making ap-proximately 40 take-offs and land-ings using roughly 4,600ft(1,400m)-long strips.

TOUCHDOWN

“We have demonstrated that wecan operate without any damage,and certified and qualified withmaximum capacity for brakingand using maximum reversethrust,” says head of flight testsand operations Eric Isorce.

Airbus experimental test pilot

Tony Flynn says the work in-volved repeatedly putting test air-craft MSN2 down inside a critical100m-long touchdown box, at op-erating weights of up to 114t. Thisequates to an operator being ableto transport and deliver a 30t ar-moured vehicle, he says. Similartrials will be performed on loosesoil and sand during 2016.

Given its ongoing challenges,Alonso has set a conservative tar-get for the receipt of the next ex-port order for the A400M. The

company could take another twoyears to add to its current produc-tion target, he believes.

“I am confident that within thenext 24 months we will startgetting contracts with othernations,” he says. The companyis in discussions with severalcountries about their potentialtactical airlift requirements, butdeclines to name them.

Meanwhile, a report into theloss of Turkish air force aircraftMSN23 during its first test flight

in May is expected to be released before the end of this year.■


19/60

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20/60

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Despite the Lockheed MartinF-35 programme’s “unique

relationship with Israel”, thenation has not been grantedunfettered access to everycomponent on the at least 33aircraft that it will receive fromDecember 2016.

The Israeli air force has relativefreedom to upgrade and weapon-ise its existing Boeing F-15s andLockheed F-16s, and will haveextended access to F-35 hard-ware. But there are some aspects

of the new aircraft that will re-main off-limits, says jointprogramme office head Lt GenChristopher Bogdan.

“Some portions of the F-35 arenot releasable to any partners orcustomers, not uniquely Israel,”he says. “Only the US servicesand US industry can do certainthings on the airplane.” He adds:“If there’s anything unique toput on the airplane, if we can let

you do it we will, and if not we’llwork it, in your country or theUS. Israel should be able to doanything it wants to the airplane,sometimes with our help andsometimes not.”

Israel will be able to trial indige-nously-produced weapons athome, and its F-35Is will comeequipped with its own choice ofcommand-and-control, radio andelectronic warfare systems, Bog-dan confirms. “They can uniquelyset their own requirements, and

we will meet their requirements.”Regarding follow-on moderni-

sation of the F-35 from 2019, Bog-dan says that mounting require-ments from the 14 Lightning II buyer nations and services couldmake the Block 4 project unafford-able without a more realistic re-phasing. Israel will be able tochoose its own upgrade package, but the timing and items within itwill depend on how much thecountry is willing to pay, or wait.

Current US policy which pre-

vents the sale of F-35s to anyMiddle East nation besides Israelwill remain in place for the “fore-seeable future”, Bogdan says.

Meanwhile, the F-35A’sGeneral Dynamics GAU-22/A25mm cannon was fired in-flightfor the first time on 30 October.■

Boeing has been contracted toproduce a planned final

tranche of 15 EA-18G Growlersfor the US Navy, with thecompany now looking to theDepartment of Defense andinternational customers to sus-tain its assembly line for theF/A-18E/F Super Hornet and itselectronic attack derivative in StLouis, Missouri beyond 2017.

Announced in late October,the $898 million order roundsout the navy’s total requirement

for 153 EA-18Gs. However,Boeing says there are ongoing The $898m contract will bring the navy’s fleet of EA-18Gs to 153

U S N a v y

USN orders last Growlers as Boeing seeks exportsREQUIREMENT JAMES DREW WASHINGTON DC

discussions and analysis withthe service about additionalGrowler and Super Hornet or-ders. Boeing is in the process of

cutting the output rate for thetwin-engined type from threeaircraft per month to two by thefirst quarter of 2016, in an at-

tempt to keep the line viableuntil at least 2019.

The manufacturer says it re-mains hopeful of securing ordersfor another 12 Super Hornets fromthe DoD following the completionof budget deliberations in the USCongress, while another commit-ment could come from anundisclosed “Middle East cus-tomer”. If completed, the latterdeal could total around 24 aircraft.

Additional export opportuni-ties for the Super Hornet current-

ly exist in nations includingCanada, Denmark and Finland.■

TECHNOLOGY JAMES DREW WASHINGTON DC

F-35 secrets ‘not releasable’ to IsraelElements of Lightning II’s design and construction are to remain classified to allies, customers and development partners

FLEETARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV

More F-15s requested after Iran deal

An additional squadron of advanced

Boeing F-15s has been revealed as

an element of a so-called “compen-

sation package” requested by Israel

in exchange for the US government’s

negotiation of the removal of inter-

national sanctions against Iran.

While details of the request have

not been released, Israeli sources

say it involves Boeing’s Silent Eagle-standard aircraft, which can carry an

increased number of air-launched

weapons and have conformal fuel

tanks for extended-range perfor-

mance. The type would also be

equipped with Israeli-developed

systems, if acquired.

Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer

database records the Israeli air

force as currently operating 25

F-15Is – the youngest of which are

16 years old – and a combined 58

earlier F-15A/Cs.

Israel’s wider equipment request

has taken shape since an

international agreement was

reached in Vienna on 14 July to liftsanctions on Iran in exchange for

stringent restrictions on the nation’s

nuclear activities. Other aircraft

being requested include Bell Boeing

V-22 tiltrotors, Boeing KC-46A

tankers and additional Lockheed

Martin F-35Is. ■

Firing tests have begun the with type’s GAU-22/A 25mm cannon

L o c k h e e d M a r t i n

“If there’s anythingunique to put on the

airplane, if we can let

you do it we will, and

if not we’ll work it”LT GEN CHRISTOPHER BOGDAN Joint programme office head, F-35

U S N a v y

U S N a v y


21/60

DEFENCE


SABRE cutting

path to live testing

NEW FOCUS P22

With the release of the UK’sStrategic Defence and Se-

curity Review (SDSR) anticipatedas soon as 23 November, thequestion of whether to hold acompetition to reinstate itslapsed maritime patrol aircraftcapability continues to drive debate among industry and theMinistry of Defence.

“I do not see a need for a com-petition, simply because of theurgency of need for this capabili-ty,” a defence consultant told aBird & Bird briefing on SDSRconducted under Chatham

House rules on 2 November. “Weneed a proven capability, and wecan’t afford to take any risk.”

Boeing’s 737-derived P-8 is atthe top of the Royal Air Force’swishlist, but its high cost has

The US Air Force will surveythe market for airframe manu-

facturers capable of delivering upto 10 “green aircraft” from 2018.

A capability request for infor-mation notice says the platformmust have the size, weight, powerand cooling characteristics to ac-commodate 5,900kg (13,000lb) ofmission equipment, includingtwo 272kg “transmitter/receiver”payloads on each side, plus self-protection systems. It also shouldaccommodate two aircrew andfive mission specialists working atconsoles in the main cabin.

“The prospective aircraft must be capable of maintaining Mach0.75 and an altitude of 41,000ft

USAF survey to research ‘green aircraft’ capability REQUEST JAMES DREW WASHINGTON DC

SURVEILLANCEBETH STEVENSON LONDON

Maritime patrol priorities questionedAnalysts debate importance of competition to select new platform for UK, compared with urgency of restoring capability

C r o w n C o p y r i g h t

U S N a v a l A i r S y s t e m s C o m m

a n d

brought the likelihood of an ac-quisition into question. “If we buy

P-8 we’re buying an aircraft that isproven, and not having to pay forthe development costs of that ca-pability,” the consultant argues ofthe US Navy-operated type.

Another speaker called for “aproper competition, but an

extremely quick one”, and ar-gues that should Boeing win, itsoffering would have to includean “innovative solution aboutownership and costings”, and

integrate UK-developed sensorsand electronics.

Sources at the same event sug-gest that the SDSR will includethe advancement “very soon” of asuccessor for the British Army’sWestland/Boeing Apache AH1 at-tack helicopters, a decision to ex-tend the use of the RAF’sRaytheon Sentinel R1 surveil-lance aircraft until either 2021 or2025 and the allocation of fundsto upgrade the service’s BoeingE-3D Sentry fleet of airbornewarning and control system air-craft to extend operations to 2035.

A previous proposal to retirethe air force’s 53-strong fleet ofTranche 1 production-standardEurofighter Typhoons in 2019also is expected to be reversed,they suggest.■

with an on-station loiter time of3.5h minimum,” the notice says.

A “notional” timeline requiresairframes to be delivered for inte-gration at a rate of one per year

starting in fiscal year 2018, withinitial operational capability de-sired by FY2020.

The contracting office atWright-Patterson AFB in Ohiosays the notice is for market re-search, and could influence “sev-eral programmes, or none at all”.

Bombardier says it will re-spond to the survey. “We will as-sess the best platform to propose,

building on our experience withprogrammes like [the UK Royal

Air Force’s Sentinel R1] AirborneStand-Off Radar, [USAF] Battle-field Airborne CommunicationsNode and Joint Surveillance Tar-get Attack Radar System (Recap)”candidate.

Embraer and Gulfstream couldalso put forward offers, from theERJ-145 to the G550 or G650.

The USAF operates several out-dated aircraft that it wants toreplace with smaller platformsthat are cheaper to operate. Thoseinclude the Boeing E-3 Sentry and

RC-135 Rivet Joint, LockheedMartin EC-130H and NorthropGrumman E-8C JSTARS.■

Bombardier will point to its experience with the Sentinel platform

Boeing’s 737-derived P-8 is the Royal Air Force’s preferred option

Downlo ad t he 2 015Wor ld A i r Forces Repor t

www.f l ightg lobal .com/waf

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Ruag 2015 strip ad.indd 1 07/01/2015 14:22


22/60

NEWS FOCUS


To access more spaceflight

sector news, go online at

flightglobal.com/space

British newspaper-readers lastweek could have been ex-cused for believing that human-kind was poised on the cusp of anew Concorde era – indeed, anera of Concorde on steroids. Asthe Daily Mail put it, with typi-cally breathless excitement:“Could we soon fly London toSydney in FOUR HOURS? BAEinvests in 4,000mph hybrid rock-et jet engine firm”.

And, the Mail went on: “Flightsfrom London to New York could

take less than two hours”.Even the more staid Independ-

ent , not well known for getting breathless, went with: “UK Gov-ernment invests £60m in Skylonplane that can fly from London toSydney in 4 hours”.

Reality, needless to say, is some-what more nuanced. But the cruxof the story – that the engine thatcould make such hypersonic trav-el possible should be on track forground testing before the end ofthe decade – is something the UK

aerospace industry can genuinelyget excited about. Breathless, even.

RUNWAY TO ORBIT

What has happened is that UKaerospace champion BAE Sys-tems, with all its financial, techni-cal and organisational resources,and Oxford-based Reaction En-gines (RE), with a technical con-cept that independent experts

PROPULSION DAN THISDELL LONDON

SABRE cutting path to live testing With BAE Systems on board, radical UK spaceplane engine is on financial and technical track for 2019 demonstration

have decided is a real prospect forachieving the long-held dream ofpushing a reusable spaceplanefrom runway to orbit and back inairline style, are joining forces.

The deal, pending approval byRE’s shareholders, would see BAEinvest £20 million ($30.7 million)in the Synergetic Air-BreathingRocket Engine (SABRE) in ex-change for a one-fifth share in thecompany. Together, the two com-panies believe they can haveSABRE in full-scale ground-rig

tests before 2020, and get it into aflight vehicle soon after that.

RE believes that Mach 5 atmos-pheric cruise is possible, but thereal value of hypersonic speeds isto escape from Earth’s gravity andreach orbit. Therefore the break-through in late 2012, when theEuropean Space Agency formallydeclared SABRE to be viable. In2013, the London government, viathe UK Space Agency (UKSA),promised £60 million support forthe programme, at which point

the 2020 timetable was set out.In early 2014, underscoring

how seriously SABRE is taken,Reaction signed a co-operativeR&D agreement with the US AirForce Research Laboratory.

The key to SABRE is a light-weight heat exchanger, essentiallya radiator made of many hundredsof kilometres of 1mm tubing capable of liquidising oxygen from in-

R e a

c t i o n

E n g i n e s

With SABRE engines, the Skylon concept promises reusable, single-stage-to-orbit performance

But the programme has real mo-mentum. Thomas – a former Rolls-Royce chief engineer who joinedRE in May this year with a brief toassess the viability of the project,says that, based on the work donewith ESA and the USAF, he is con-vinced SABRE is realistic andachievable, and that rig tests in2019 are also realistic “if we shakethe company”.

For its part, BAE is bringing ex-pertise that is crucial to this nextstage of the programme. As engi-

neering director Chris Allam putsit, BAE engineers know heat ex-changers, they know how to run atest programme and, critically,they know how to manage one.The company is also good at mak-ing industry partnerships: “Wecome in a very practical sense”.

A WHITTLE MOMENT

Will SABRE become a British en-gineering triumph like the jet en-gine? Allam says BAE has been in-volved in virtually every great

advance in aviation and hopes this“genuinely unique” concept will be the next. In any case, SABRE isa route into space access, so the REinvestment is strategic.

Perhaps remarkably for a Britishhigh-tech venture, money is not anissue. SABRE was invented 30years ago by RE founder and chiefengineer Alan Bond for the UK’sabandoned HOTOL spaceplaneconcept. As Thomas notes, thecompany raised about £32 millionover 20 years. Now, with BAE’s

£20 million and another £10 mil-lion from recent fundraising, RE ishalf way to the matching fundsneeded to unlock the UKSA’s £60million. UKSA chief executiveDavid Parker reckons the presenceof BAE’s “industrial muscle” willhave a “galvanising effect” on part-ners and financing.

Ultimately, Thomas and Allamreckon an operational spaceplaneis beyond the scope of UK funding but, if successful, RE would havesealed the UK’s place in space. In

SABRE, says Thomas, we are pre-paring “a Whittle moment”.■

take air by boiling off tanked liq-uid hydrogen and, critically, notfrosting up. A SABRE-poweredspaceplane would get its thrust fortake-off and early ascent by mix-

ing tanked hydrogen and oxygenfrom the air until reaching aboutM5.5 at 26km (16 miles) altitude,when tanked oxygen takes overand SABRE becomes a normal,self-contained rocket engine.

By reducing dramatically themass of liquid oxygen that must be carried from the ground, RE be-lieves that it can achieve the holygrail of single-stage-to-orbit flight,slashing launch costs and turna-round times with essentially com-plete reusability.

The company’s concept for aspaceplane, called Skylon, is 84m(275ft) long and designed to deliv-er up to 15t to low-Earth orbit.

As RE managing director MarkThomas tells Flight International ,the demonstration engine that isnow going into design and devel-opment will not be big enough topower Skylon, so those 4h flightsto Australia would have to wait.

The key to SABRE is

a lightweight heat

exchanger – a radiator

made of tubing able

to liquidise oxygen


23/60

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24/60

BUSINESS AVIATION


Keep up with the latest news and read

in-depth analysis from the business

aviation sector: flightglobal.com/bizav

Italian aircraft manufacturerTecnam is readying its P2012

Traveller for roll-out by March2016, saying it remains on trackfor a maiden flight of the new11-seat piston-twin in the secondquarter of next year.

The airframer took delivery ofthe Traveller’s Lycoming TEO-540-A1A engines in October, andthey are now being installed on

the first test aircraft.Three prototypes are being as-

sembled at Tecnam’s facility inCapua, near Naples. Production iseventually to be housed at a dedi-cated 5,000m² (53,800ft²) facilityadjacent to the current plant,which should open by year-end,says Tecnam chief executivePaolo Pascale.

He is meeting this month withUS regional carrier and pro-gramme partner Cape Air, whichpreviously signed a letter of in-

tent to purchase up to 100 Travel-lers to replace its fleet of ageingCessna 402 piston-twins. “Wehope they will commit [to a firmorder] by year-end,” says Pascale.

Hyannis, Massachusetts-basedCape Air is the biggest commuterairline in the USA, and has

helped Tecnam to design theTraveller for the commercial-pas-senger transportation market.

The high-wing aircraft has at-tracted considerable interest froma long list of international opera-tors, Pascale says, including char-ter, corporate, cargo and special-missions providers. “We are

filling a gap in the six- to 10-seat[Federal Aviation Regulation]Part 23 piston-twin-engined mar-ket segment, where no new de-signs have been introduced formore than 40 years,” he adds.

The Traveller – funded througha combination of private and Ital-

ian government investment – hasa fixed landing gear to allow it tooperate from unpaved runways,large panoramic windows, andfour doors, including a slidingpassenger door and a cargo door.

Fuelled by Avgas and Mogas,the aircraft is projected to have amaximum take-off weight of

3,290kg (7,250lb), a maximumcruise speed of 210kt (390km/h)at 8,000ft and a long-range cruisespeed of 170kt.

European and US approvalsfor the Traveller are scheduled for2018, with service entry follow-ing later that year.■

Gulfstream has gained US sup-plemental type certification(STC) for its Future Air NavigationSystem (Fans) 1/A+ on the out-of-production GV business jet, and isnow working on approvals for itsGIV and GIV-SP stablemates.

Fans 1/A+ is required oversome North Atlantic and Pacificroutes and helps air traffic con-trollers handle growing levels ofair traffic by reducing spacing be-tween aircraft and ensuring a spe-cific level of navigation accuracy.

“After 30 January 2020”,Gulfstream explains, “aircraft

Cirrus has broken ground on anew aircraft-delivery centre

in Knoxville, Tennessee as it splitscustomer delivery and servicefrom its assembly and design op-erations in Duluth, Minnesota.

The CAIGA-owned companyplans to launch factory serviceswork at the $15 million VisionCenter at McGhee Tyson airport by mid-2016. A delivery centre isto open in the second half of 2016for the SR20/22 piston-singles and

the forthcoming Vision SF50, asingle-engined personal jet.

The centre will provide acomplete portfolio of services, thecompany says, including training,support, sales, delivery, and fixed- base operations.

Cirrus will continue tomanufacture its composite aircraftstructures in Grand Forks, NorthDakota and assemble the aircraftin Duluth. The $2 million SF50 isscheduled for receive US certifi-cation by the end of this year,

with first deliveries planned inthe first half of 2016.

Cirrus says the three aircraft inits flight-test campaign haveamassed nearly 1,000h since thefirst SF50 – C0 – made its maidensortie in March 2014.■See Feature P40

DEVELOPMENTKATE SARSFIELD LONDON

Traveller on track for 2016maiden flight, says TecnamItalian airframer takes delivery of powerplants for piston-twi

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