Clean Sky 2’s Airframe integrated technology demo will mature a wave of advances for the next generation of passenger airliners, fast rotorcraft and regional aircraft.
As the GTF readies to enter service, editors Guy Norris and Graham Warwick discuss the state of engine technology, the next advances on the horizon and how propulsion has shaped the aviation industry over the last 100 years.
The aircraft industry should enjoy the remarkable wave of disruption starting with the A320neo’s arrival. But after this wave, our industry risks stagnation.
Ever since the birth of the Aviation era at the turn of the 19th-century, the quest for sustainable propulsion has been a key drive. We sample the highlights.
Jan. 4-8—AAIA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics and Materials Conference. Manchester Grand Hyatt. San Diego. See aiaa-scitech.org/SDM Feb. 2-4—The Unmanned Systems Conference and Exposition. World Forum. The Hague, Netherlands. See tusexpo.com
Eurofighter has chosen Volker Paltzo (see photo) as its next chief executive officer. Paltzo will take over Jan. 1, 2016, from Alberto Gutierrez, who will now head the Airbus Defense and Space Eurofighter program. Paltzo is currently CEO of Atlas Elektronik based in Bremen, Germany, and was chief operating officer for capabilities at Eurofighter in 2009-11.
Frank Whittle and Hans von Ohain were major contributors to the creation of gas turbine engine-powered aircraft and the world of airpower we know today.
If the U.S. is to maintain its technical advantage in aerospace and defense, it must move to actively integrate the technology and aerospace industries at the supply chain/service provider level.
The new business should bring XCOR co-founder Jeff Greason closer to the passion he has carried since he left the computer industry as an Intel executive to join the old Rotary Rocket startup.
Dearth of AW609 accident coverage noted; skepticism regarding interdependency of P-8A systems; hidden costs of Long-Range Strike Bomber; investment more in hypersonic research; uneven competition has felled many airlines, big and small
COMMERCIAL AVIATION Airbus hopes to deliver the first A320neo to launch customer Qatar Airways by year-end following joint European and U.S. type certification of the initial Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-powered variant on Nov. 24. Approval follows a 350-flight, 1,070-hr. test program including 300 hr. in airline-like operations (page 13).
The modified passenger 747-400 will be used to carry the space company’s LauncherOne vehicle to 35,000-40,000-ft. altitude from which it will be air-dropped and launched into orbit.
HNA is the parent of Hainan Airlines and several other carriers in China. It is also the largest private airline group in what many believe will soon be the world’s largest single air transport market. Therefore any HNA acquisitions need to be taken seriously.
Poland may upend tenders for Raytheon’s Patriot, Airbus helo; KRET to upgrade Tupolev Tu-160 bomber avionics; U.S. Navy wraps up Fire Scout assessment, demos targeting comms integrated among multiple aircraft.
The expansion of Tianjin Airlines, Airbus’s commitment to set up an A330 completion center in China, and the country’s bulk orders for the Airbus widebody aircraft are connected. The common element is the Tianjin city government.
The FireSat system will result in revisit times about every 15 min., which begins to approach the warning an experienced firewatcher in a tower can provide firefighters by scanning forest treetops for smoke.
