Malaysia-based AirAsia has deferred delivery of a second group of Airbus A320s until 2014 from 2011 in addition to eight A320s already deferred from 2010 arrival. A third of the 48 airplanes it originally contracted to receive in the next two years have now been delayed. Of the 175 A320s ordered, AirAsia has received 64, and it must decide this month about concluding the remaining deliveries.
The Typhoon is a delta-wing, single- and two-seat, supersonic, air superiority combat fighter produced by Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH., a consortium that includes Alenia, BAE Systems and EADS. The aircraft is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 axial-flow, low-bypass, augmented turbofans rated at roughly 20,250 lb. thrust each. The initial prototype flew in 1994. Approximately 160 Typhoons were built through 2008. An estimated 505 Typhoons are forecast for production in 2009-18.
Hamad Obaidalla (see photo) has been named chief commercial officer and Neil Mills chief financial officer of Flydubai . Obaidalla was divisional senior vice president-network operations for Emirates, while Mills was procurement director of EasyJet.
The F-CK-1 (also called the Indigenous Defense Fighter) is a light fighter aircraft developed by the Taiwan state-owned aerospace company in the 1980s. Powered by two Honeywell F125-70 turboshaft engines, the aircraft entered service in 1994. In all, 131 production aircraft were manufactured by the time production stopped in 1999.
Andrew Ward (see photo) has been promoted to chief investment officer from managing director of investment strategy and asset allocation of Chicago-based Boeing . He succeeds Mark Schmid, who is now the University of Chicago’s chief investment officer. Anthony M. Parasida (see photo) has been appointed president of St. Louis-based Boeing Integrated Defense Systems’ (IDS) Global Services and Support. He was vice president/general manager for Boeing’s Airborne Anti-Submarine Warfare & Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Systems.
The TH-28 is a single-main-rotor, turbine-powered militarized instrument-flight-rules-training derivative of the commercial Model 480 with the interior configured for three: two student pilots and instructor. The model was the unsuccessful Enstrom candidate for the U.S. Army’s New Training Helicopter (NTH) program. Only five TH-28s are expected to be built in 2009-18.
There are a lot of new faces at the top of the aerospace and defense industry, with a half-dozen CEOs named recently and a seventh appointment imminent.
The B-2 stealth bomber is a long-range nuclear and conventional strike/attack aircraft operated by the U.S. Air Force. It is powered by four 17,300-lb.-thrust GE F118-GE-100 turbofan engines. The B-2’s maiden flight occurred in 1989, and the 21st and final aircraft was delivered in 1997. Only the final two B-2s were delivered in full Block 30 configuration, but the remaining 19 bombers were subsequently upgraded to that standard.
A twin-engine, tandem-rotor, medium-/heavy-lift transport helicopter, the CH-47 first flew in 1961 and is currently offered in several variants, either as new-build helicopters or as conversions. The new CH-47F is powered by two 4,733-shp. Honeywell T55-GA-714A engines with full-authority digital engine control (Fadec). Honeywell has begun supplying kits to upgrade the T55-L-712 engines of the U.S. Army’s CH-47Ds to the new T55-GA-714A standard. The U.S. Army intends to acquire 514 new Chinooks, including 339 CH-47Ds rebuilt to the F standard and 113 new-build CH-47Fs.
The British Defense Ministry has awarded AgustaWestland a £439-million ($698.5-million) contract for the integrated operational support (IOS) of the British Army’s 67 WAH‑64 Apache attack helicopters. AgustaWestland will act as prime on the program, with Boeing and Lockheed Martin as subcontractors. The pact runs until March 2014 and is aimed at providing increased availability while delivering a cost saving of £50 million. Depth support for the Apache AH Mk.1 is carried out at Wattishham.
David Johnson, senior manager for space programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Grand Prairie, Tex., has received the NASA Astronauts’ Personal Achievement Award or Silver Snoopy “for delivering exemplary quality and ensuring flight safety for the space program.” Recipients are cited for contributions to the Space Flight Awareness program, which recognizes achievements in quality, safety and mission success.
The C-17 is a long-range transport aircraft powered by four 40,440-lb.-thrust Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines. The C-17 prototype, designated T-1, first flew in 1991. The C-17 can carry vehicles such as the Bradley infantry fighting vehicle and the M1 Abrams main battle tank. Boeing has proposed a new version called the C-17B, which could start service entry in 2013 or 2014 if the demand for the C-17 continues. The U.S. Air Force operates more than 170 C-17s and has received funding for 205 C-17s.
The British Defense Ministry is trying to push the acquisition process for an armed long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle in the first quarter of 2010 to avoid the requirement becoming ensnared in the pending full-blown defense review. The tentative in-service date is 2015.
Germany becomes the fifth European country with a dedicated secure military communications satellite network, following the successful launch of its first spacecraft. The satellite, ComsatBw-1, was orbited by an Ariane 5 ECA during the late hours of Oct. 1, along with a civilian telecom spacecraft, Amazonas-2. The launch was the fifth of the year for the Ariane 5 and its 33rd success in a row.
These medium-lift antisubmarine warfare and special-purpose maritime helicopters are powered by two GE T700-GE-401/401C turboshaft engines rated at 1,690-1,860 shp. each. Current production models include the MH-60R and the MH-60S. The MH-60R configuration combines systems and capabilities from earlier Seahawk variants, plus further upgrades. The U.S. Navy plans to procure 252 new-build MH-60Rs as well as 271 MH‑60Ss.
.Jens Flottau in “Curfew Kerfuffle” (AW&ST Sept. 14, p. 49) left me with the question: “Why did the Germans scrunch the new runway in between the old ramp and two towns, highways and a river? The new eastside approach and departure path is right along 2 mi. of a major surface route. When Terminal 3 is completed, aircraft will have to reach it from the new runway by taxiing across the main ramp, two runways and a bunch of taxiways.
The PC-9 tandem-seat military flight trainer is produced by Pilatus and has also been assembled under license by Hawker de Havilland Ltd. A PC-9 prototype first flew in May 1984, followed by initial production deliveries in 1986. The current production model is the PC-9M, which was introduced in 1997. The PC-9M is powered by a single 1,150-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-62 turboprop engine. About 276 aircraft have been built to date. The PC-9 is no longer in production but is available for order.
Your editorial asking for the U.S. to “Modernize Export Controls” (AW&ST Sept. 7, p. 66) would better have been titled “Liberalize Export Controls.” A few years ago, Congress liberalized bank credit requirements to ease the availability of home loans for low-income residents. Then came the greedy and power-hungry. They used this relaxation to create derivatives that led to a credit collapse and world recession.
Mick Anna (see photo) has been appointed lead executive for Northrop Grumman Corp. business in Colorado Springs. He was corporate director of customer relations in Colorado Springs.
A twin-engine, eight-seat, single-main-rotor multipurpose helicopter. The current military model is the AW109 LUH, which is powered by either two Turbomeca Arrius 2K2 turboshafts, rated at 670 shp. each, or two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW207C engines, rated at 735 shp. each. Armament capability for the AW109 LUH is as follows: 7.62-mm. and 12.7-mm. machine guns, rocket launchers, antitank missiles (TOW, HOT or Hellfire), and/or air-to-air missiles (Stinger or Mistral).
If it looks like a duck, walks like duck and talks like a duck, it is a duck; and so it is with the new Comac C919. It is a clone of the Airbus A320. The only jetliners made in China are the MD-80, which was built under license from the then-McDonnell Douglas; Avic ARJ21, which has nearly identical dimensions to the Boeing 717; and A320, which is being manufactured under license from EADS and will yield the new C919.
The Harrier II is currently out of production. A total of 428 Harrier II vertical- and short-takeoff-and-landing aircraft were produced by Boeing/McDonnell Douglas and BAE. The Harrier II is a single- or two-seat, single-engine ground attack aircraft. AV-8B Harrier IIs are powered by either a 21,450-lb.-thrust Rolls-Royce Pegasus 11-21 vectored thrust turbofan or a 23,800-lb.-thrust Pegasus 11-61. The British Royal Air Force GR7 model uses a Pegasus Mk 105 vectored thrust turbofan (21,500 lb. thrust), though some have been refitted with the Pegasus Mk 107.
The B-1B is a four-engine strategic bomber produced by Rockwell International and operated by the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft evolved from a series of studies begun in 1962. An initial prototype first flew in 1974. The B-1B is powered by four GE F101-GE-100 turbofan engines rated more than 30,000 lb. thrust each. By the time production ended in 1988, 100 B-1s had been built. (Four B-1A prototypes also were built.) The B-1B is the subject of a series of updates, including the Conventional Mission Upgrade Program (CMUP).
Russia is shortly to begin delivery of a second batch of nine Kamov Ka-28 Helix-A anti-submarine helicopters to China. The first three of the total of nine ordered by Beijing in 2007 are now completing factory tests, according to Russian Helicopters. China first purchased the type in 1998: five anti-submarine Ka-28s, and three for search and rescue. The Ka-28s have been deployed on board both the Chinese navy’s Russian-built Sovremenny-class destroyers and Luhai-class ships.
The KC-30 is a military tanker version of the Airbus A330 airliner and a joint venture between EADS/Airbus and Northrop Grumman. The twin-engine KC-30 is powered by either Rolls-Royce Trent 700 or General Electric CF6-80E1 turbofan engines. The KC-30 was selected in February 2008 by the U.S. Air Force as the replacement for the KC-135, beating a rival bid by Boeing. In mid-2008, however, the Government Accountability Office sustained a protest by Boeing, and USAF reopened the bidding process.
