The FAA’s Ft. Worth Aircraft Certification Office transferred the Eclipse 500 type certificate to Eclipse Aerospace LLC on Sept. 30, three years after its original award. Eclipse Aerospace purchased the assets and intellectual property of bankrupt Eclipse Aviation. The European Aviation Safety Agency is to expected to reissue the European EA 500 TC to the new company as well. Both approvals are key to resuming new aircraft production deliveries, but those are unlikely to begin for another year or more.
Rockwell Collins won a $33.5-million contract for the Block 45 upgrade to the U.S. Air Force’s KC-135 refueler cockpits. In the kit are improved global air traffic management systems, including new autopilot flight director, radar altimeter and electronic engine instrument display systems. During the development phase, two KC-135s will be modified in preparation for upgrades to up to 415 KC-135s. Rockwell has already enhanced 300 KC-135 cockpits, but the Block 45 improvement includes upgraded safety features, including vertical navigation capabilities.
The T-45 Goshawk is a variant of the BAE Hawk designed specifically for aircraft carrier pilot training. Boeing and BAE jointly produce the aircraft. The twin-seat aircraft is powered by a single Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 871 non-afterburning turbofan (5,450 lb. thrust), also known as the F405-RR-401. The U.S. Navy awarded exploration contracts in August 1980 and, in 1981, the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) design was selected. The first prototype flight occurred in 1988, and the first aircraft carrier landing was in 1991.
Leonid Komm has been appointed chairman of the Moscow-based Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Co. He is vice president-program and development management of the United Aircraft Corp. Vladimir Prisyazhnyuk has been promoted to president from senior vice president/technical director. He succeeds Victor Soubbotin, who is now deputy director general for commercial aircraft programs.
GE Aviation reports reaching 7,300 shp. for the GE38 turboshaft engine it is developing for the Sikorsky CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter. That rating is a record for GE’s Lynn, Mass., engine factory. The first engine to test is in the mid-point of its development cycle and is meeting or exceeding program expectations, says GE38 program manager Harry Nahatis. Testing is expected to run through 2011, concurrent with the military qualification test program. Sikorsky is conducting the upgrade for the U.S. Marine Corps.
The military version of the AS355, the AS555 is a twin-turboshaft-powered utility helicopter. Military uses include forward observation, light attack, reconnaissance, naval search-and-rescue, light antishipping and antisubmarine warfare. An estimated 763 AS355/555s were built through 2008. Fourteen more AS555s are earmarked for production in 2009-18.
The battle over Afghanistan has reached new heights in Washington, with the Obama administration, political parties, Congress and even the Pentagon all showing cracks in their proverbial armor.
The Su-25 is a twin-engine, single- and twin-seat, ground attack and weapons training aircraft. It is powered by two Tumansky/Soyuz R-195 turbojet engines rated at 9,921 lb. thrust each. First flight of an initial prototype occurred in 1975. A number of versions have been produced, including the Su-25TM, which includes new avionics and increased fuel capacity. More than 1,200 Su-25s were manufactured.
The MiG-29 is a twin-engine, single- and twin-seat air superiority fighter/interceptor aircraft. A prototype first flew in October 1977. The MiG-29 uses two 18,300-lb.-thrust Klimov/Sarkisov RD-33 turbofan engines. A number of Russian air force MiG-29s are slated for modification to the MiG-29SMT/UBT configurations. The SMT has new avionics and greater range. The MiG-29UBT configuration incorporates many of the same features as the SMT. Approximately 1,452 MiG-29s were built through 2008, with about 97 more forecast for production through 2018.
Mitch Kugler has been appointed Arlington, Va.-based vice president-strategy for the Raytheon Co. He was director of advocacy integration for Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Problems with government furnished equipment for the Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV launcher will delay indefinitely liftoff of the first Boeing/Ball Space-Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite from Vandenberg AFB, Calif. The launch, also the first for the Minotaur IV from Vandenberg, had been tentatively set for Oct. 30. The U.S.
The European Space Agency has issued a call for proposals for an eighth Earth Explorer mission. Scientists will have until Dec. 1 to submit initial letters of intent for the mission, which is to be launched by 2018. Up to three candidates are expected to be short-listed. Six flights have been approved so far for the Earth Explorer program, which is intended to develop new Earth science technologies. Candidates for a seventh, to be orbited around 2016, are under review.
The P-8A, a maritime patrol/antisubmarine warfare aircraft, is a variant of Boeing’s 737-800 powered by two CFM56-7 turbofans rated at 27,000 lb. thrust each. The aircraft will succeed the Lockheed Martin P-3C Orion in U.S. Navy service. Boeing and the Navy formally unveiled the P-8A in July 2009, with flight-testing slated to begin later in the year. In all, five P-8As will take part in flight-testing, with the Navy planning to purchase 117 aircraft. Initial operational capability is planned for 2013. Production of an estimated 133 aircraft is forecast through 2018.
The M-346 is a two-seat, advanced jet trainer derived from the Yakovlev Yak-130. The aircraft is powered by two 6,250-lb.-thrust ITEC F124-GA-200 turbofan engines. First flight occurred in July 2004. Through 2008, three prototypes were produced. The United Arab Emirates ordered 48 M-346 trainers in February 2009. Initial M-346 deliveries are slated to begin late this year. A total of 104 aircraft are forecast to be built during the 2009-18 period.
In 1990, Beech teamed with Pilatus to propose the T-6A (based on the latter’s PC-9 Mk. II trainer) for the U.S. Air Force/U.S. Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Trainer System (JPATS) program. The T-6A was selected as the JPATS winner in 1995. The Air Force and Navy intend to acquire 782 T-6As; more than 300 have so far been delivered. The T-6A is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop engine rated at 1,100 shp.
A single-main-rotor helicopter with twin turboshaft engines driving a Kawasaki-designed main rotor gearbox, the aircraft incorporates the patented Notar (no-tail-rotor) system, including a circulation-control tail boom and internal variable-pitch fan. In early 2001, the company launched the Combat Explorer armed variant, specifically targeting the air arms of Latin America. The Explorer is already cleared to carry the GAU-19/A .50-caliber Gatling gun, the M2 .50-caliber gun pod, and 70-mm. Hydra rockets.
In 1991, two years after the U.S. withdrew from the Super 7 program, Chengdu began the FC-1 program. Pakistan and the People’s Republic of China signed an agreement in 1999 for FC-1 joint development and production. The first prototype flew in 2003. The single-seat air superiority and ground attack aircraft is powered by a single Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan (18,300 lb. thrust). A two-seat variant is also planned. Twelve aircraft have been built so far; 223 aircraft are forecast to be built in 2009-18.
Colombian carrier Avianca and El Salvador-based airline group TACA are planning to merge. Under a plan revealed last week, the two privately held companies initially will remain separate entities, with Avianca’s owner Synergy taking a two-thirds stake in the new parent company. TACA’s shareholders will hold the remaining third. Combined, the new entity will operate 129 aircraft to more than 100 destinations, and generate annual sales of $3 billion, the carriers’ top executives say. Roberto Kriete, TACA chairman and CEO, will head the new company.
As one reads about 50-year-old KC‑135s “Running on Fumes” (AW&ST Sept. 14, p. 56), it is easy to forget they are Boeing 707 derivatives that helped usher in the “jet age.” Since one can assume the KC-X also will fly for a half-century, does it make sense to start the next cycle with a 20-30-year-old design? The U.S. Air Force should demand an innovative design (X-48 or similar) instead of Boeing’s and Airbus’s trailing-edge technology.
Potentially raising the investment bar for other Airbus partner nations, France’s aerospace sector is looking to nearly double annual government funding for civil aeronautics research and development by plugging into a €10-billion ($14.6-billion) planned public bond issue. Narrow-body transports would be a primary target.
Airlines are employing cost-defensive buffers such as deferring non-required maintenance, using up surplus parts, burning down inventory and, where required, cannibalizing older aircraft for components with remaining life. David Stewart, a principal with AeroStrategy, predicts this could go on for another 12-18 months.
Boeing is working to overcome a series of newly unearthed 747-8 final assembly issues, forcing it to delay the program for a second time and triggering at least $640 million in additional costs.
Verizon Business has signed its second airline customer in a month to a complex IT management contract. The six-year commitment with JetBlue is to manage the airline’s IT data center and network as well as online security and IT consulting services. In addition, Verizon will transition JetBlue’s systems to a global IT infrastructure supporting airport kiosks, wireless Internet access and an advanced reservation system.
