The fanfare surrounding Embraer’s ambitious plan to develop a new military tanker is in sharp contrast to disturbing news emerging for the Brazilian airframe manufacturer. There is evidence that an aggressive production rate for the company’s new family of very light jets is faltering, and a restructuring of its business jet line appears to have brought production to a near-standstill.
Robert Wall (Brussels), Andy Nativi (Genoa), Douglas Barrie (London)
Europe’s aerospace and defense enterprises are urging their respective governments to be more proactive in supporting industry through a variety of measures, including shoring up vital research and development accounts and providing loans to ailing small and medium-size suppliers.
The International Air Transport Assn. and Wall Street analysts remain optimistic that the U.S. airline industry will end the year in the black. But investors seem unconvinced and with the credit markets essentially shut, airlines have little room to maneuver if demand continues to fall.
Engine and aircraft manufacturers have made significant progress in the effort to reduce fuel burn, but trend-line gains anticipated over the next decade will not be any greater than what has occurred since the 1960s, analyst Edmund S. Greenslet points out in his Airline Monitor. The key metric is gallons of fuel burned per block hour per seat. Greenslet says the latest data, based on 2007, is 5.7 gal., a strong improvement over the 12 in the early days of the Boeing 707.
With a preliminary design review in hand, Lockheed Martin can begin detailed design of GEO-3, the third satellite in the U.S. Air Force Space Command’s Space-based Infrared Systems (Sbirs) follow-on production program. PDRs were held for both the third and fourth GEO spacecraft in late March to verify that they address obsolescence part issues from GEO-1/-2, the first two geosynchronous satellites in the baseline Sbirs constellation. The early-warning anti-ballistic missile defense constellation includes two active high-Earth-orbit satellites and four GEO spacecraft.
The market for commercial MRO services this year will be rather flat, which intensifies the competition between OEMs and MROs. OEMs’ more aggressive push to increase aftermarket revenue is intensified by slumping sales due to the credit crunch and decreased demand for airline flight hours. At the same time, airline MROs are pushing to expand their global reach to gain further scale, and independent MROs are trying to bundle services in ways the others cannot to grow market share.
A catastrophic failure of the main rotor gearbox caused the Apr. 1 crash of a Eurocopter Super Puma into the North Sea off Scotland, according to the initial report of the AAIB released Apr. 10. This resulted in the main rotor head detaching from the helicopter and the main rotor blade striking the pylon and tail boom, which severed from the fuselage. The AAIB indicated that its investigation shows the gearbox suffered the failure within the epicyclic module. All 16 people on board suffered fatal injuries.
There’s more we can discern about the “Project Monty” F-15 from the static model (AW&ST Mar. 23, p. 29). Twin-seat indicates an attack role, not air-to-air. Improved downward-canted intakes reduce radar reflection from the engine face. Canted vertical stabilizers are noted. The overall fuselage has been treated and smoothed with minimal edges, especially at the wing root and intake surfaces. Is there possibly a bandwidth pass-through radar dome, a special canopy coating?
The Royal Air Force intends to withdraw the last of its C-130Ks from service in December 2012, irrespective of delays to the Airbus A400M airlifter, with the Lockheed Martin C-130J taking over the special forces support role. The RAF operates 17 C-130Ks, and a dozen will continue in service into 2012. All of these aircraft will have the most capable equipment fits in terms of avionics and defensive aids. The remaining eight C-130Ks will be withdrawn during the intervening period.
Pranalytica is to demonstrate combining the output from quantum cascade laser arrays to produce a high-power, high-quality beam for directional infrared countermeasures (Dircm), laser radars and stand-off chemical sensors. Under Phase 1 of a U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program, the California-based company will produce a 200-milliwatt average-power thermoelectrically cooled semiconductor laser that can be combined into a 1-watt module. Phase 2, if funded, would push the module average power to beyond 5 watts, with the goal of exceeding 10.
In case anyone on Capitol Hill thought Defense Secretary Robert Gates was softening his position against splitting the Air Force KC-X tanker buy between two contractors, he made himself clear last week. “I am laying my body down across the tracks” to avoid it, he told an audience at the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Ala. Some industry watchers suggest Gates was maintaining his stance against dual-sourcing between Boeing and Northrop Grumman/EADS as a bargaining chip for keeping some of the cuts he proposes in his Fiscal 2010 budget.
The U.K. is to withdraw the bulk of its remaining Tornado F3 air defense aircraft in September as a savings measure, retaining the ability to field 12 aircraft for the air defense role until the type is withdrawn from service at the end of March 2011. A total of 35 aircraft are presently available at RAF Leuchars, Scotland, to fulfill the quick-reaction-alert (north) task. In October 2010, the first Eurofighter Typhoon squadron to be based at Leuchars is due to become operational, with two further squadrons to follow in 2011 and 2012.
The aircraft leasing market is showing early signs of strength, giving hope of some recovery in 2010, despite airline bankruptcies, widespread capacity reductions and the likelihood of several more difficult months.
Air France is moving ahead with plans to reduce headcount after management indicated in recent months such action could be necessary because of deteriorating business conditions. The airline says it expects to eliminate 2,500-3,000 positions in the coming two financial years, adding to the 1,000 posts it has already eliminated. At this point, Air France is eschewing layoffs, instead focusing on offering buyouts. It also is encouraging workers to consider taking leaves of absence or opting for early retirement plans.
Plans to take a U.S.-run satellite data exchange program to the fully up-and-running stage are moving ahead. However, there are concerns that funding may be insufficient to provide the data commercial operators need to protect their orbital assets.
Qatar Airways is one of the first airlines to participate in the International Air Transport Assn.’s global carbon offset trading system initiative. IATA’s program, which will be in development over the next four months, is an attempt to offer carriers a standardized version of trading systems that have been initiated by individual airlines. Upon booking tickets, passengers will be asked if they wish to pay extra to offset the carbon footprint for the flight sector. In addition, they will be able to choose which global environmental programs they would like to support.
Italian state commissar Agusto Fantozzi, who runs what remains of Alitalia, hopes to receive significant expressions of interest on Apr. 30 for the proposed sale of three more key assets that remain under his control in the aftermath of the airline’s break-up. Up for sale are a 60% stake in Alitalia Maintenance Systems. The minority shareholder, Lufthansa Technik, however, has a special right to buy. Offers also are requested for Atitech, which is involved in heavy maintenance and upgrades to medium- and long-range aircraft.
Col. David Swanson, Chief Engineer USAF Space and Missile Systems Center (Los Angeles AFB, Calif.)
Regarding your article “It’s a Small World” (AW&ST Mar. 30, p. 51), your readers would be wise to question your assertion that “TacSat-2 proved that not all parts have to be space-qualified to be dependable enough to accomplish the mission.” TacSat-2 failed less than a year from launch for unknown reasons, and before the U.S. Air Force could accomplish end-of-life safing and disposal. The spacecraft is now in a slowly decaying orbit that will end in an uncontrolled reentry.
Japan’s carriers wasted no time responding to additional slots at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, a government move to respond to a softened travel market. All Nippon Airways added a daily service from Haneda to Okinawa from May 8-June 30. Japan Airlines (JAL) juggled its new slot, increasing weekly offerings to Hiroshima to eight from seven flights from May 8-31, and then switching to its Haneda-Fukuoka services, which will rise from 19 to 20 daily flights in June. Other changes are expected as carriers consider strategy for the July-October travel period.
Andrew Farrant (see photo) has been appointed vice president-marketing and corporate communications for the New York-based Sequa Corp. He was head of marketing and communications for StandardAero.
A flight training device (FTD) with virtual air traffic control commands has been designed for general aviation pilot training. Safte (Synthetic Automated Flight Training Environment) with Virtual Air Traffic (VAT) was demonstrated at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach, Fla., campus last month. Safte/VAT incorporates simulated flight plans with voice recognition technology for a real-world flight experience, allowing students to “fly” in particular situations and receive specific commands from the virtual ATC.
Your article on the F-35 heat problem did not say the use of electrohydrostatic actuators (EHA) is a contributor (AW&ST Mar. 30, p. 54). EHA generate significant heat when operating at high speed with moderate loads, and especially when holding against steady loads. This wasted energy is dumped into the fuel. If conventional, hydraulically powered servoactuators were used, the heat problem would be much less.
Qantas’s budget carrier, Jetstar Airways, will play an increasingly important role as the group pushes ahead with low-cost expansion while repeatedly cutting mainline operations.
