Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific has ordered 21 Boeing 777-9Xs for delivery in 2021-24, seeing the type as ideal for heavily trafficked routes to Europe and North America. Cathay will be a very early operator of the huge Boeing twinjet, which was launched into full-scale development in November and is due to enter service in 2020. The aircraft's operating range of at least 8,200 nm (15,185 km) makes it well suited for Cathay Pacific's ultra-long-haul network, the airline says, citing a catalog price for the order of HKG$58 billion ($7.48 billion).
With certification of Eurocopter's new EC175 expected early next year, the manufacturer is working to build interest in the helicopter in the Asian region. Eurocopter has 48 orders for the EC175, predominantly from oil and gas industry operators with a few orders for the VIP version. Despite a lack of orders from Asia, there are “a lot of ongoing discussions” with operators in this region, says a company executive. Overall, the EC175 orderbook is as strong as Eurocopter expected at this point in the program, the company says.
Middle East defense needs are diversifying. Nations are going beyond new combat aircraft and weapons, seeking intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and other assets, as well as increased participation in industrial and technical matters.
Russia's government does not plan to cut its military expenditures, even in the face of economic stagnation. The draft federal budgets for 2014 and for 2015-16, approved in the first reading by the State Duma at the end of October, continue to call for double-digit increases in spending on national defense despite the overall budget deficit planned for these years.
The potential for satellite-based surveillance to transform air traffic management has been recognized for years. Now the countries leading the way with this technology are preparing to show how its promise can be realized in some of the most important airspace on the planet. Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) systems are being installed and used all over the world. It seems it is no longer a question of if, but when, it will replace radar as the main source of surveillance for ATM purposes.
As Chinese and Russian air defense systems met notable milestones last year, the U.S. Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD) system—the most sophisticated anti-missile system deployed—continued to produce disappointing test results. GMD overseers at the U.S. Missile Defense Agency hope to conduct a successful flight test of the system early in 2014; the last successful intercept took place in December 2008. A string of failures were due largely to complications with the new Raytheon Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV); Boeing is the GMD prime contractor.
The entry and rapid success of the Robinson R66 in the light turbine helicopter market has sent shock waves through the industry. The bigger manufacturers were preoccupied with the growing light-twin market, and happy to leave Frank Robinson's hugely successful piston-engined R22 and R44 to dominate the general-aviation market. They had virtually rejected their light singles—many with designs roots in the 1960s and 70s—and all but starved them of investment.
You do not have to be an accountant to want to put reader Myron Kayton's views into context (AW&ST Dec. 2, p. 10). Accountants are messengers—not decision makers. However, accountants rarely count all the values related to risk and return and instead analyze and report what is easily converted into financial numbers. If more of the real, expected outcomes were faithfully tallied, the cost of higher-risk endeavors such as twin-engine long-haul flights over water or desolate areas could be much different.
From commercial airline fleet renewal through fighter procurement challenges to industry consolidation in the face of budget pressures, 2014 looks certain to be a pivotal year for aerospace and defense. Here are 12 areas to keep an eye on. 787
In the Up Front Column “Flying Over the Horizon” (AW&ST Nov. 4, p. 12) Jim Mathews's insightful analysis describes the shift toward two-engine aircraft for long-haul routes and away from four engines. However, toward the end of the article he relates the number of Airbus A380s as a proportion of population by country (90 A380s for 2 million people in Dubai, versus 314 million Americans and no A380s, and China with a populace of 1.34 billion and five A380s) as a way to further substantiate his analysis. This leaves me perplexed.
1. Wi-Fi Remote-Controlled Test Supplier: Barfield Offering: Barfield introduced a new fully automated, Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) compliant air data test set, the DPS1000, last year, and now just added a new feature—Wi-Fi-enabled remote control via a tablet or an iPad. This air data test set is designed to feature a user-friendly interface and customer-programmable test routines. Barfield is a Sabena technics company. www.barfieldinc.com Link 605
South Korea's 2014 defense budget, if approved as is, will see a 3.8% increase—good news by global standards, but well below the country's 10-year average growth rate of 7%. The government's campaign pledge to boost social welfare programs is squeezing defense spending, pushing its share of the budget below 15%.
Across Europe, nations are taking innovative approaches to foster their home defense industries despite limited budgets, without relying on complex international programs. After the 2011 Operation Unified Protector in Libya, for example, Italian military leaders noted the high cost of mounting long patrols at a considerable distance using supersonic fighters. This year, the Italian air force will be pursuing at least two new programs unveiled in 2013 and aimed at reducing the cost of persistent operations.
After a year of heavy order-taking in commercial aviation and with steep cuts looming in defense spending, execution of programs will be pivotal in 2014. Development and production of new airliners must hit their targets, and defense and space programs must stay on track if industry is to deliver on its promises. That is the theme of Aerospace & Defense 2014, with its expanded analysis of global security concerns, defense programs and commercial aviation.
Now that the last of the big three mergers is finally done, the U.S. majors have to make 2014 the year of implementation and integration. American and US Airways, only weeks into their new coexistence, are at the beginning of a journey that—as United Airlines and Continental Airlines have found—can be extremely difficult.
