The MB-339 was developed as a follow-on to Aermacchi's MB-326. The initial MB-339 prototype flew in 1976. Propulsion is provided by either a single Rolls-Royce Viper Mk 632-43 (4,000-lb.-thrust) or Viper Mk 680 (4,400-lb.-thrust) turbofan. During its production run, more than 220 aircraft for flight training and light air combat were built. The MB-339CD variant serves as a lead-in trainer for Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon pilots in the Italian air force, and has also proven a popular aerobatic model. MB-339 production ended in 2004.
Louis A. Turpen has received the William E. Downes Award for 2013 from Airports Council International-North America. He is president of the San Francisco Aeronautical Society and earlier in the year, was the first airport executive to be inducted as a Living Legend of Aviation by the Kitty Hawk Air Academy. Turpen has been director of San Francisco International Airport and CEO of Lester B. Pearson International Airport in Toronto.
The UH-72A Lakota is a twin-turboshaft-powered multimission helicopter based on the Eurocopter EC145 civil helicopter. The UH-72A is powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 turboshaft engines rated 738 shp each. The selection of the helicopter for the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program represents EADS North America's first major win as a prime contractor for the U.S. military. Deliveries began in late 2006, with 252 units produced through 2012. An additional 105 Lakotas are forecast for production through 2022.
Development of the T/A-50 two-seat advanced trainer began in 1992. The program was formally launched in 1997, with Lockheed Martin announced as a participant, responsible for avionics, flight-control systems and wings. The first prototype flew in August 2002. Two versions were developed: the T-50 trainer and the weapons-capable A-50 Lead-In Fighter Trainer. T-50s and A-50s are powered by a single General Electric F404-GE-102 turbofan engine (7,700 lb. thrust).
A stretched version of the CN235, the C295 twin-turboprop transport and maritime patrol/antisubmarine-warfare aircraft carries up to 78 troops and has a maximum payload of 20,392 lb. It is powered by two 2,750-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127G turboprops. The C295's first flight took place in 1997, with deliveries beginning in 2001. Some 97 295s were produced through 2012. Airbus Military is expected to build 118 C295s in the 2013-22 period.
At $10 billion, the Defense Department and National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) planned life-extension and upgrade program for the B-61 nuclear warhead was bound to draw attention on Capitol Hill. During a recent hearing, the NNSA deputy administrator for defense programs, Donald Cook, and the U.S. Strategic Command chief, USAF Gen. Robert Kehler, defended the B-61-12 against Democratic members concerned with spending on any new nuclear warhead, particularly when the B-83, an alternative to the B-61, will not need refurbishment for a decade (see page 48).
The 340 series is a family of twin-turboprop commuter aircraft designed and initially produced jointly by Saab and Fairchild Aircraft. The 340A is powered by two GE CT7-5A2s rated 1,735 shp each, and the 340B by GE CT7-9Bs rated 1,870 at shp each. Equipped with a Saab Electronics Defense Systems Erieye phased-array pulse-Doppler radar, the Saab 340 is used in the military market as an airborne-early-warning platform. Operators of 340Bs modified for AEW use include Sweden, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates.
The H-3 Sea King is a twin-turbine general-purpose transport and antisubmarine-warfare (ASW)helicopter powered by General Electric T58-GE-10 turboshaft engines. Development began in 1957 at Sikorsky under a U.S. Navy contract. Initially designed as an ASW helicopter, the H-3 was produced in many variants, both in the U.S. by Sikorsky and abroad by a number of licensees, for both military and civilian applications. Under the SH-3 designation, the Navy has used the helicopter for ASW, utility and minesweeping applications. The HH-3, which has been used by the U.S.
The Defense Department's most secret projects, known as Special Access Programs (SAP), will be protected from automatic declassification for 40 years or more, according to a Pentagon manual for the handling of materials for the military's most sensitive programs. SAP files prior to Jan. 1, 1982, will be protected until Dec. 31, 2021, regardless of their age, the new rule states. Later files will be protected for four decades, “unless they are reviewed and submitted for another extension,” according to the guide published Oct.
The Harbin Aircraft Industry Group (HAIG) Z-9 is a version of Eurocopter's Dauphin twin-turboshaft, multipurpose helicopter. Z-9 deliveries began in 1982. Original Z-9s were assembled from Aerospatiale-supplied kits. Over the ensuing years, Z-9 production incorporated an ever-increasing proportion of Chinese-made equipment, culminating in the completely indigenous Z-9B. The Z-9 is powered by Zhuzhou WZ-8 turboshaft engines. A Z-9WE derivative is designed for use in both attack and search-and-rescue missions.
The M-345 High Efficiency Trainer (HET) is a new basic-advanced trainer announced at the 2013 Paris air show. Slated to enter service from 2017-20, the new aircraft will be powered by a turbofan engine in the 3,500-lb.-thrust class and feature advanced avionics.
The PC-21 is a two-seat trainer powered by a 1,600-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68B turboprop engine. Pilatus achieved certification of the PC-21 in December 2004. Customers have included the Swiss, Singapore and United Arab Emirates air forces. Two prototypes, two test aircraft and 52 production aircraft were produced through 2012. Pilatus is expected to deliver an additional 189 aircraft through 2022.
The HH/MH/SH-60 series helicopters are a family of antisubmarine-warfare and special-purpose maritime aircraft. Current production models, the MH-60R and MH-60S, are powered by two GE T700-GE-401C turboshaft engines rated at 1,911 shp and 1,891 shp each, respectively. The MH-60R configuration combines systems and capabilities from earlier Seahawk variants, plus further upgrades.
The C-5 Galaxy is an intercontinental-range, heavy-lift military cargo/personnel-transport aircraft. The aircraft made its first flight in June 1968; 81 of the C-5A model were produced through 1973. Two C-5As were subsequently modified to handle large payloads, and received the new designation C-5C. Production of the C-5B model ended in 1989, with 50 built. The C-5A/B aircraft were initially powered by four General Electric TF39-GE-1C turbofans at rated 43,000 lb. thrust each. The U.S.
Jake Gamsky fits the profile of a space junky. As a teenager, he looked at the night sky and was intrigued by cosmology and understanding the universe—when he was not playing baseball. Baseball skills took him to a small Kentucky college where he decided to major in physics. During his sophomore year, he watched a six-part Discovery Channel miniseries, “When We Left Earth: the NASA Mission.” “That was when I was set on track to space, completed a NASA internship and transferred to the University of Kentucky.”
Schweizer Aircraft developed the Models 330 and 333 prior to the company's acquisition by Sikorsky in 2004. The 330 was developed from the piston-powered Model 300. The 330 and the improved 330SP models were both powered by a Rolls-Royce 250-C20W turboshaft engine derated to 232 shp. Production of the Model 330 ended in 2008. The uprated Model 333 (redesignated the S-333 in 2009) featured the same engine as the Model 330, but offered a 100-lb. increase in useful load, a redesigned rotor system and larger-diameter rotor blades.
The single-engine AS550 utility helicopter is a military version of the AS350. The AS550C3 is powered by one Turbomeca Arriel 2B turboshaft engine, and the AS550C3e is equipped with the Arriel 2D; both engines are rated 847 shp. Approximately 4,475 AS350/550/EC130s were produced through 2012, including civil and military variants as well as those assembled under license. Another 23 units for military applications are slated for production between 2013 and 2022.
This week, Aviation Week publishes two editions, both double issues. The far-left cover, designed by Art Director Lisa Caputo, is keyed to our special report on the unfolding “second nuclear age” (page 48). Also in both editions are articles on the impact Middle East airlines are having on Boeing and Airbus (page 60), India's mission to Mars (page 34), jockeying to supply engines for the C919 (page 30) and young engineering talent (page 68).
The Yak-130 is a subsonic advanced trainer and light attack aircraft powered by two 5,512-lb.-thrust ZMKB Progress AI-222-25 or Soyuz RD-2500 turbofan engines. A Yak-130 prototype first flew in 1996, followed by the initial flight of a production aircraft in 2004. One technology demonstrator, three prototypes and an estimated 46 production aircraft were manufactured through 2012. From 2013 through 2022, another 199 Yak-130s are forecast to be built, the majority for the Russian air force.
Upon perusing the chart that accompanies “Hamburger Hill” (AW&ST Oct. 28, p. 31), it is clear that the most potent force in the U.S. military is the Marine Corps lobby on Capitol Hill. In 1998-2021, the Navy will lose more than half of its fleet due to budget cuts. The Air Force will lose well over half of its tactical fighter inventory, and the Army will shrink from 20 divisions to a grand total of six—cut by more than two-thirds.
The TH-28 is a single-main-rotor, turbine-powered, militarized IFR training version of Enstrom's commercial Model 480. (China's Chongqing Helicopter Investment Co. Ltd. purchased Enstrom in December 2012.) The helicopter's interior is configured for three: two student pilots and an instructor. At this time, the civil Model 480 remains in production, and occasionally finds its way into the military market. Some 128 480s are forecast for production during the 2013-22 period.
Since he was appointed CEO of Thales earlier this year, Jean-Bernard Levy has repeatedly proclaimed that there is nothing wrong with the company's business portfolio, because all of its operational units are profitable, if only marginally. Unfortunately, this view is symptomatic of the way most European aerospace and defense (A&D) players fail to understand the value of dynamic business portfolio management.
At Airshow China in November 2012, a new Z-9 variant, dubbed the Z-19, made its public debut. The Z-19 is a twin-engine light-attack helicopter that first flew in 2010. It features a new fuselage, tandem-seat configuration, revised landing gear and other changes.
