This is Embraer’s E-Jet family of twin-engine, 70-132-seat regional jetliners. The 70-80 passenger 170 made its first flight in February 2002, followed by the larger 78-88-seat 175 in June 2003. The 170 and the 175 share a common engine in the 14,200-lb.-thrust GE CF34-8E. The 94-114-seat 190 made its initial flight in March 2004, while the 106-122-passenger 195 first flew in December 2004. GE CF34-10E engines, rated 20,000 lb. thrust each, power these models. Additionally, Embraer developed the Lineage 1000, a business jet version of the 190; deliveries began in 2009.
The ERJ 135/140/145 family is a series of twin-engine, 37-50-seat regional jets. The initial model was the 50-seat ERJ 145, which first flew in August 1995; deliveries began in late 1996. The next model was the 37-seat ERJ 135, which made its initial flight in July 1998, followed by deliveries in July 1999. The 44-passenger ERJ 140 first flew in June 2000, with initial deliveries in July 2001. All models use variants of the Rolls-Royce AE 3007A series turbofan. Through 2013, 730 production ERJ 145s were built.
The Australian company GippsAero, which is a subsidiary of India’s Mahindra Aerospace, is developing a 10-seat, single-engine turboprop aircraft dubbed the GA10. The new aircraft is powered by a 450-shp Rolls-Royce 250-B17F engine. The GA10 has a maximum takeoff weight of 4,750 lb. First flight occurred in May 2012. Australian type certification and initial deliveries are planned for 2014. GippsAero is also developing an 18-seat twin-turboprop aircraft called the GA18. This aircraft is a reengineered version of the GAF N24 Nomad, production of which ended in the mid-1980s.
The Y-12 series is a family of twin-turboprop aircraft. The Y-12-II is equipped with Western avionics and Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines flat-rated to 620 shp each. The Y-12-IV has winglets, a strengthened undercarriage and redesigned seating for 18-19 passengers. Another version is the Y-12E, which is powered by 750-shp PT6A-135 engines. A total of 58 Y-12-II/-IV and Y-12E aircraft are forecast to be produced for the civil market in the coming 10 years. Harbin is developing the Y-12F, which is substantially different from the earlier designs.
Two major sections of the first C919 fuselage have been connected, and the nose is in position to join them. “Final assembly is proceeding steadily,” says Comac, adding that it is trying to complete joining the structure by year-end, after which it will integrate the on-board systems. The roll-out is due in the third quarter of 2015.
This four-engine, medium/long-range, widebody commercial passenger and cargo transport aircraft first flew as the Il-96-300 in 1988 and was awarded certification in December 1992. It is powered by Aviadvigatel PS-90A1 engines rated 35,275 lb. thrust each. The Il-96-400, a stretched version of the -300, is powered by uprated PS-90A1 engines. The Il-96-400 passenger version can carry 436 passengers in a single-class configuration, 386 in two classes or 315 in a three-class layout. Two Il-96-300 are forecast for production in 2014-23.
The Irkut MS-21 is a twin-turbofan, narrowbody derivative of the defunct Yakovlev Yak-242 airliner. The MS-21 family is the 150-seat MS-21-200, 181-seat MS-21-300 and 212-seat MS-21-400. All three are to be available in both basic and extended-range versions; the -200 is also to be available in a long-range variant. Power will be provided by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G or Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. First flight is planned for 2015, with a service entry target date of 2017. Primary competition for the MS-21 is likely to come from the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and Comac C919.
This pressurized, single-turboprop-powered, corporate/utility transport aircraft first flew in May 1991, and received Swiss and U.S. certification in 1994. It has seating for nine passengers in its standard layout. Portugal’s OGMA assembles green aircraft and manufactures some components. The current PC-12 production version, the PC-12 NG (Next Generation), is powered by a 1,200-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67P turboprop engine. Some 1,231 PC-12s, including 443 PC-12 NGs, were built through 2013. Production of 846 units is expected in 2014-23.
Launched in 2007, RUAG Aerospace’s Do 228NG (Next Generation) is an updated version of Dornier’s original Do 228. The aircraft is powered by twin 776-shp Honeywell TPE331-10 engines, and features other improvements such as a new glass cockpit, five-blade propellers and aerodynamic changes to the wing. The first RUAG-produced Do 228NGs were delivered to customers in 2010, with eight aircraft delivered to date.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 is a family of twin-engine regional transports powered by Snecma/NPO Saturn SaM146 turbofan engines, rated at 13,500-17,500 lb. thrust each. The series was launched with a 95-98-seat baseline model, the Superjet 100-95. The shortened 100-75, a 75-78-seat version, and the lengthened 100-115/120, a 115-120-seat version, are being considered. The Superjet 100-95 made its first flight in May 2008, and achieved initial Russian/Commonwealth of Independent States certification in early 2011.
A twin-turbofan-powered, short/medium-range, narrowbody commercial transport aircraft, the Tu-204-100 is powered by Aviadvigatel PS-90A turbofans, while the Tu-204-120 variant has Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 engines. The Tu-214 has a higher maximum takeoff weight of 110,750 kg (243,600 lb.) than the Tu-204-100. It retains the PS-90A powerplants of the -100 but carries additional fuel. The Tu-204’s first flight occurred in January 1989 and, through 2013, 89 Tu-204s and Tu-214s were produced. Nine Tu-214 aircraft are forecast for production in 2014-23.
Viking Air owns the manufacturing rights to a number of out-of-production de Havilland aircraft, including the DHC-6 Twin Otter, an all-metal, non-pressurized, high-wing, twin-engine turboprop utility aircraft. In April 2007, Viking Air launched a program to restart production of the 19-passenger Twin Otter. The updated Viking Air Twin Otter Series 400 incorporates more than 800 changes to the Series 300, and is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34s or optional PT6A-35s.
Universal Avionics is about to certify a new flight deck called InSight that tightens the working relationship between pilot and machine with a blend of higher-resolution 3-D synthetic vision, larger displays and new icon-based command-and-control architecture. The system is the first major integrated cockpit refresh in nearly a decade from the company that first certified synthetic vision for the multifunction display in 2002, light airplanes in 2005 and air transport cockpits in 2006.
In 2010, the hope was that by 2015 private aircraft would be widely usable in China. As of 2014, little progress has been made for propeller-driven aircraft, although helicopter operations are making progress.
The 10th Zhuhai air show sees China emerging as a one-stop military aerospace provider, from surveillance satellites to 50-kg small-diameter precision-guided munitions.
Nov. 11-16—Eighth China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition. Zhuhai. See www.airshow.com.cn Nov. 12-14—11th ALTA Airline Leaders Forum. Nassau, Bahamas. See www.alta.aero/2010 Nov. 18—SpeedNews 12th Aerospace and Defense Industry Suppliers Conference. Litchfield Park, Arizona. See speednews.com/aerospace-and-defense-industry-suppliers-conference Dec. 8-10—Middle East Business Aviation. Dubai. See www.meba.aero
Nov. 19-20—A&D Programs, Litchfield Park, Arizona. Jan. 13-14—MRO Latin America, Buenos Aires. Feb. 2-3—MRO Middle East, Dubai. March 5—Laureate Awards, Washington. April 14-16—MRO Americas, Miami.
New avionics company Genesys Aerosystems, an amalgam of S-Tec and Chelton Flight Systems, is concentrating on special missions needs to make its mark in the Avionics realm
Pentagon procurement chief Frank Kendall is confident Boeing can deliver the initial KV-46s in 2017, but sees possible additional costs for the company
The agency’s ultimate goal is to integrate the disparate elements of a vast ballistic missile defense system—including satellites, airborne infrared data and ground- and ship-based radars—into a single network of sensors and shooters functioning seamlessly.
