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
Boeing and SpaceX are preceding apace with their plans for commercial crew space capsules, now that the U.S. Federal Court of Appeals ruled against Sierra Nevada’s protest.
After astronauts install a special 3-D printer in the ISS’s Microgravity Science Glovebox and set up the high-definition video cameras that will watch its extruder and work platform from two different angles, controllers at a small startup company in California will send signals to begin making things in orbit.
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.
As France prepares to battle the European Commission over its 2015 spending plan, Paris is under pressure to reduce the nation’s deficit, even as its military takes on new operational commitments in Africa and the Middle East. Pro-defense lawmakers also worry that the six-year military spending plan will collapse if some of the defense ministry’s anticipated funding sources do not materialize as planned.
Signature of a contract for 36 Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen fighters for Brazil—covering technology transfer, the development of the JAS 39F two-seater and a substantial role in the program for Embraer and other Brazilian companies—is a turning point in Gripen’s history, Saab officials say.
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 Pentagon’s proposed new strategy—Third Offset—builds on operational challenges faced in the 1950s and 1970s—that took advantage of U.S. technological leadership to overcome operational challenges.
Contingency planning and the multi-vehicle approach to supplying the International Space Station will mitigate the effects of the worst accident to hit human spaceflight since the Columbia disaster, but not without some belt-tightening and lesson-learning in the months ahead.
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.
The Antonov An-140 is a twin-engine transport primarily used as a commercial regional airliner seating 52 passengers, but it is also employed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The aircraft is powered by Motor Sich TV3-117VMA-SBM1 turboprop engines, 2,500 shp each, although Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127As (also 2,500 shp) may be used as alternatives. First An-140 flight occurred in 1997, and an estimated 31 units have been built to date. The Aviacor plant in Samara, Russia, also manufactures the An-140, and Iran’s HESA offers a license-built An-140 “Oghab” maritime patrol aircraft variant.
The An-28 and An-38 are twin-turboprop utility/transport aircraft. First flight of the An-28 occurred in 1969, with temporary Soviet certification following in 1978 and full certification in 1986. A Westernized version of the An-28, the PZL Mielec M28, made its first flight in 1993 and received FAA certification in 2004. A stretched An-28 version, the An-38, made its first flight in 1994 and received Russian certification in 1997. The An-28 is powered by two PZL Rzeszow TWD-10B/PZL-10S engines, with the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B powering the M28.
The 747 is an intercontinental widebody commercial transport aircraft powered by four turbofan engines. First flight and certification occurred in 1969. In February 2010, Boeing conducted the maiden flight of the 747-8 series, which includes the 747-8 Intercontinental passenger model and the 747-8 Freighter. Both are equipped with General Electric GEnx engines rated at 66,500 lb. thrust each. The 747-8I is stretched 18 ft. compared to the 747-400 to accommodate 467 seats in a three-class configuration. The first 747-8F delivery, to launch customer Cargolux, occurred in September 2011.
The 737 series is a family of twin-engine, narrowbody commercial transports. Seating capacity varies depending on the model, though the most typical two-class configurations are 126 passengers for the 737-700, 162 for the 737-800 and 180 for the 737-900ER. All three models, which are the current production versions, are powered by two CFM56-7 turbofans. The first 737 flew in April 1967 and received FAA certification in December 1967.
The An-148 is a twin-engine regional jet designed to serve the 70-80-seat market. First flight of the An-148 took place in 2004, with type certification by Russia and Ukraine following in 2007. Power for the aircraft comes from two Ivchenko-Progress D436-148 turbofan engines. Three test aircraft and approximately 15 production aircraft were manufactured through 2013, and an additional 62 are forecast through 2023.
