Aviation Week & Space Technology

The U.S. market again is playing a leading role in all major aviation segments.

Beautiful, But Misidentified The aircraft “coming slowly together within the doors of the WWI-vintage hangar,” in the beautiful photograph taken by Richard Mallory Allnutt on page 67 in your annual photo issue ( AW&ST Dec. 15/22, p.

"You are a demanding customer, sometimes a little bit too demanding,” Airbus CEO Fabrice Bregier told Akbar Al Baker, the CEO of Qatar Airways. He

First flight of the Dassault Falcon 8X is set for the first quarter of 2015 following the Dec. 17 rollout of the ultra-long-range business jet at Merignac, France. Powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D engines, the aircraft has a projected range of 6,450 nm (11,950 km) with eight passengers and three crew and an expected maximum speed of Mach 0.9. The cockpit will feature Dassault’s EASy flight deck, based on Honeywell Primus Epic integrated avionics with optional wide-angle head-up displays.

An incorrect biography was published in the Dec. 15/22 article about winners of the 2014 Aviation Week Photo Contest on page 70. The winner of second place in the General Aviation category is Ricardo von Puttkammer of New York. To see this biography and those of other winners, go to AviationWeek.com/photowinners

Russia’s drive to reestablish a super-power-like weapons industry continues to pay off, as arms sales there continue to grow. A report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) on annual trends and data in worldwide arms production and sales—excluding China, due to a lack of data—shows Russian companies’ business surging, while sales for those in leading NATO member states mostly dipped or remained the same for 2013 and 2012.

A five-engine Russian Angara-5 launch vehicle demonstrated its ability to place a two-ton payload in geostationary orbit Dec. 23, launching a dummy

Johann-Dietrich Woerner, chairman of the executive board of the German Aerospace Center, is scheduled to begin a four-year term as director general of

Brazil’s plans to field an operational air wing on the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo has passed another milestone with the issuing of a $106 million, five-year contract to Elbit Systems of America to complete the upgrade work on four U.S.-surplus Grumman C-1A Trader aircraft. They will serve as carrier on-board delivery (COD) aircraft and refueling tankers.

The renewal of Germany’s rotary-wing fleet is being given a top priority as the country resumes spending on defense equipment. Officials have been charged with closing an €8 billion ($10 billion) deal, pending since March 2013, with Airbus Helicopters.

According to company officials, the T-X Hawk is likely to feature an F-35-style single screen display in both the front and rear cockpits. It will also have a structurally different wing with fewer pylons—five instead of the current seven

NASA’s Kepler space telescope has detected its first exoplanet since it started operating with only two of its four reaction wheels functioning

The FAA is not quite finished with its official rules for small unmanned air systems (UAS), those under 55 lb. In the meantime, the agency did produce a public service announcement aimed at people receiving UAS as holiday gifts. “Many will be excited when they unwrap the box and find an unmanned aircraft. How do you make sure you stay off the naughty list?” the video asks, proceeding to list a number of operating guidelines.

Budget restrictions almost brought Israel Defense Force investments to a standstill in 2014, and 2015 is not looking much brighter.

As the French armed forces take on new overseas contingencies, the defense ministry battles budget challenges on the homefront.

Overall, European Union defense spending has been declining in real terms for eight years, despite an increasingly bellicose Russia

Russia is determined to continue to strengthen the military, which it exploits for foreign policy goals and internal propaganda, however shrinking budgets—due to soft oil prices and a slumping national currency—have cast uncertainty on these plans.

Germany’s long-term plan is to reach the NATO goal of spending 2% of gross national product on defense; in the short to medium term it will concentrate on using available funding more efficiently.

The market outlook for MRO services in 2015 is bright and should see increased demand. Single-aisle jets with CFM56 and V2500 powerplants should help fuel growth.

Benefits abound for the digitization of data and automation of data-sharing practices, but implementing such strategies comes at a cost.

South Korea ups its defense funding request to guard against North Korea’s nuclear-weapons stock and begins budgeting for the 2025 launch of the KF-X.

Japan’s defense ministry seeks more funding but may not get it. New maritime-patrol aircraft, additional fighter jets and funding to support R&D programs in 2015 are in the budget request.

The Middle East states have varying degrees of influence in defense programs. The U.S. and Russia are poised to benefit, while manufacturers in Europe have been, for the most part, disappointed.

Fuel-driven retrofit opportunities and increasing needs for MRO collectively producing a positive outlook for the civil avionics market in 2015.

Many technologies first employed on business aircraft have morphed into wider uses.