The Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is a single-seat multirole fighter/attack aircraft designed for an Indian military requirement; a two-seat trainer version is also being developed. Initial production aircraft are powered by GE F404-GE-IN20 augmented turbofans rated at 18,700 lb. thrust each. Although later production aircraft were to feature the indigenously designed Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE) GTX-35VS Kaveri augmented turbofan. The Indian government has now decided to use the GE F414-GE-INS6 (rated at 22,000 lb.
Preliminary design studies for the B-52 heavy bomber began in 1946 and, in 1952, a prototype made its maiden flight. Production continued until 1962, reaching a total of 744 aircraft plus two prototypes. Seventy-four H models remain in U.S. Air Force service and are the subject of several modernization programs. B-52H bombers are powered by eight Pratt & Whitney TF33-P-33 turbofans (17,000 lb. thrust each).
Dave Whitten has been named senior vice president-sales, marketing and strategy for Tulsa, Okla.-based Nordam. He was senior vice president-strategy and marketing.
Paul Anderson B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; Ph.D. candidate in Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado. GPA: 4.0 Research: Evolution of the geosynchronous orbital debris environment. Undergraduate Research: Development of Stability Conditions of Oblique Wave Trains
The Beechcraft King Air series of pressurized, twin-turboprop-powered transport aircraft that see widespread use in a variety of roles, including basic utility, medevac, training and VIP transport. In addition, highly modified King Airs are used as maritime patrol and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms. In U.S. military service, variants are designated C-12. The MC-12W Liberty ISR aircraft is a recent version. Initial flight of a King Air took place in 1964.
I would like to point that it is not only the EAA that has tended to be a little ahead of the military in technology applications. It is now some years since the Atlantic was crossed by an amateur robotic aircraft, and even longer since an amateur robotic flight from the U.S. to Canada took place across the Straits of Juan de Fuca. In 1994, a friend stood in a green field, both showing and recording—via VHS—live footage from a 5-ft.-span model flying at 200 ft. about 1 mi. away.
The Saab Gripen is a single-engine multirole fighter. A prototype made its first flight in 1988, and deliveries began in 1993. Gripens are currently operated by the Czech Republic, Hungary, South Africa, Sweden and Thailand. Power for the Gripen comes from a single Volvo/GE RM12 turbofan engine rated at 18,000 lb. thrust with afterburning. Through 2012, Saab produced seven prototypes and 238 production aircraft, with another 44 forecast to be built through 2022.
The AW109 is a twin-engine, eight-seat, single-main-rotor multipurpose helicopter. The current military model is the AW109LUH, which is powered by two Turbomeca Arrius 2K2 turboshaft engines, rated 670 shp each. Armament capability for the AW109LUH includes 7.62- and 12.7-mm machine guns, rocket launchers, antitank missiles (TOW, HOT or Hellfire) and/or air-to-air missiles (Stinger or Mistral). Through 2012, AgustaWestland produced 1,382 AW/A109s of all variants, including 88 AW109LUHs.
The Su-27/30/35 series comprises a family of twin-engine, single- and two-seat fighter/interceptor aircraft. Development of the Su-27 began in 1969, and a prototype made its initial flight in 1977. Power for the Su-27 comes from two Saturn/Lyulka AL-31F turbofan engines each rated at 27,557 lb. thrust with afterburner. Other derivatives of the base design include the two-seat Su-30M multirole combat aircraft, Su-34 fighter/bomber, Su-33 carrier-based naval aircraft and the latest iteration, the Su-35. India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.
Lockheed Martin has tested for the second time the unique fairings that will shield radiators and other delicate hardware on the Orion crew capsule's service module during launch, using pyrotechnics and release mechanisms to jettison the hardware with simulated ascent heating.
The Mi-28 is a twin-engine, tandem-seat attack helicopter. In Russian military use, the Mi-28 has become the successor to the Mi-24. First flight occurred in 1982. The current version is the all-weather/night-capable Mi-28N, which saw initial deliveries in 2006. The Mi-28N is powered by 2,194-shp Klimov TV3-117VMA turboshaft engines. Through 2012, two Mi-28 prototypes, two Mi-28A prototypes, one Mi-28N prototype, and approximately 67 pre-production and production Mi-28Ns were built. An additional Mi-28N prototype was modified from an existing Mi-28.
The E-2 Hawkeye is an aircraft carrier-capable, airborne-early-warning-and-control aircraft. First delivery of the initial model, the E-2A, occurred in 1964. The improved E-2C model first flew in 1971 and was produced through 2009. The latest iteration is the E-2D version, which is now in production for the U.S. Navy. E-2D upgrades include Rolls-Royce T56-A-427A turboprops rated at 5,100 shp, a more powerful APY-9 active, electronically scanned array radar, and increased capabilities for surveillance of ground targets.
The Mi-24 series is a family of twin-turboshaft attack helicopters. The Mi-35M features two 2,400-shp Klimov VK-2500 engines and is available as a new-build helicopter as well as a retrofit package. More than 2,400 helicopters in the Mi-24/25/35 series were produced through 2012. An additional 82 are forecast to be produced through 2022.
Avic Engine, well into development of a technically conservative high-bypass turbofan, is pushing to replace fellow Avic unit ACAE as the supplier of a Chinese engine for the Comac C919 airliner. In doing so, Avic Engine, the main propulsion subsidiary of state aeronautics group Avic, is offering a more dependable and realistic way for China to accumulate early experience in developing, building and supporting commercial aircraft engines.
The FAA may still be lagging a congressionally mandated timeline for integrating unmanned aircraft into domestic airspace by 2015, but at least a new annual road map shows that the agency is getting somewhere.
Developed from the E-2A, the twin-engine C-2A Greyhound filled the U.S. Navy's need for a carrier-based personnel/materiel transport. Nineteen C-2A aircraft were produced from 1964 through 1967; these aircraft were overhauled in 1973. Production was restarted in 1982, when Grumman began building 39 additional and improved C-2As. Deliveries of the new C-2As began in May 1985 and ended in 1989.
is a light-strike/reconnaissance aircraft that was produced by Societe Europeenne de Production de l'Avion ECAT (Sepecat), a consortium consisting of BAE and Dassault. A prototype made its first flight in 1968, and deliveries began in 1972. Production by Sepecat ended in 1985, but Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. built a licensed version in India at various times up through 2008. Power for the Jaguar comes from a pair of Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour turbofan engines; the exact version varies by aircraft model. Some 632 Jaguars were built through 2008.
The J-10 is a single-engine, single- or two-seat interceptor/ground-attack aircraft powered by a Lyulka Saturn AL-31FN turbofan rated 27,560 lb. thrust with reheat, although the Chinese have been working on a version powered by the indigenous WS-10 engine. The aircraft's first flight occurred in March 1998. An estimated 218 aircraft were produced through 2012, including prototypes and pre-production aircraft. Production of an additional 240 is forecast for the 2013-22 period.
The Chinese Shenyang J-31 (aka J-21 or F-60) is a twin-engine medium fighter that looks similar to the Lockheed Martin F-35A. First flight took place in October 2012. The aircraft appears to be equipped with Russian-made RD-93 engines. The indigenously developed WS-13 engine is reportedly installed in operational aircraft, but some sources say it has not yet reached parity with Russian-made powerplants and remains in development.
The An-70 transport is a high-wing aircraft powered by four 14,000-shp ZMKB Progress D-27 propfan engines with six-blade counter-rotating propellers. Maximum payload is 103,615 lb. Two An-70 prototypes were built and flown: one in 1994 and a second in 1997. Each was involved in an accident, but both were repaired. In 2006, the An-70 effort took a further hit when Russia pulled out of a deal to acquire 164 aircraft, leaving Ukraine as the sole client.
