The French company GECI International and its Sky Aircraft subsidiary are developing a 19-passenger twin-turboprop called the Skylander SK-105. The Skylander was formally launched in September 2008. The aircraft is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65B engines. First flight is planned for September 2013, followed by certification and service entry in 2014.
On the Ares blog, DTI Editor Bill Sweetman notes that short takeoff and vertical landing (Stovl) has been one of two driving requirements behind Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter design, the other being stealth. He lists several constraints dictated by the design and says: “If you ever wondered what a JSF might look without those constraints, we now have an example . . . Unfortunately, it's Chinese,” apparently designated J-31.
The 787 series is a family of twin-engine, widebody airliners. Two versions are marketed. The 787-8 carries 210-250 passengers and has a range of 7,650-8,200 nm. The 787-9, lengthened by 20 ft., carries 250-290 passengers and has a range of 8,000-8,500 nm. Both versions are offered with either two General Electric GEnx-1B or Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 turbofans producing 62,800-69,800 lb. thrust each. A third possible version, the 787-10, would be stretched another 20 ft. beyond the 787-9 and is being studied for launch later this year.
Mitsubishi launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) family in March 2008. Initially, two basic models are planned: the 78-passenger MRJ70 and 92-passenger MRJ90. Both will be powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1200G geared turbofans. Extended-range and long-range versions of each basic model are envisioned, while a 100-seater dubbed the MRJ100X is also being considered. First flight of the MRJ is planned for late 2013. Service entry is planned for the 2015-16 timeframe. Some 182 MRJs are forecast for production in the 2012-21 period.
Veteran astronaut Chris Hadfield is training to become the first representative of the Canadian Space Agency to command the ISS, with a two-month stint at the helm of the six-person orbiting science laboratory set to begin in March 2013. Hadfield, 53, has trained for two years with cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, 41, and NASA astronaut Tom Marshburn, 52, for a Dec. 5 liftoff aboard the 33 Soyuz mission to the station for a six-month tour of orbital duty.
The Il-96 is a four-engine, medium-/long-range, widebody commercial passenger and cargo transport aircraft. The Il-96-300 first flew in 1988 and was certificated in December 1992. It is powered by Aviadvigatel PS-90A engines. The stretched Il-96-400 exists only as a freighter and is powered by uprated PS-90A1 engines. Two Il-96-300s for government/VIP transport and 12 Il-96-400Ts are forecast for production in the 2012-21 period.
NASA's space shuttle Endeavour landed atop its Boeing 747 carrier aircraft at Edwards AFB, Calif., just before 1 p.m. local time, marking the penultimate stop of its final journey into retirement. The shuttle, which was the last to be built, completed 25 missions and spent 299 days in orbit.
This single-turboprop-powered utility/passenger aircraft first flew in December 1982. Designed with the small-package delivery segment in mind, the two models currently in production are the Caravan 675 and the 208B Grand Caravan. Power for both aircraft is provided by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-114A turboprop engine rated at 675 shp. Through 2011, Cessna produced 2,107 Caravans of all types and is forecast to deliver 1,015 during the 2012-21 period.
The An-28 and -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. Production was transferred to Poland's PZL-Mielec, now a Sikorsky company. A Westernized version of the An-28, the PZL M28, made its first flight in 1993 and received FAA certification in 2004. A stretched An-28 version, the -38, made its first flight in 1994 and received Russian certification in 1997.
A frequent critic of the FAA's progress on the $40 billion NextGen air traffic management (ATM) modernization program, Government Accountability Office (GAO) infrastructure guru Gerald Dillingham tells an industry gathering in Atlantic City, N.J., that the FAA needs to show some “little victories,” if it ever hopes to get airlines off the dime to invest in avionics to make NextGen work. As in response, the FAA came through with a bit more just two days later. It signed, sealed and delivered a $331 million contract to Florida's Harris Corp.
The Israeli air force has resumed operations with its Israel Aerospace Industries Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicle after lifting a grounding order imposed following a Jan. 29 crash. The decision came after a successful test, clearing the aircraft for safe operation. The aircraft, also known as Eitan, is the largest unmanned system in air force inventory. A combined investigation by IAF and IAI concluded the accident was caused by a wing structural failure, probably due to a manufacturing process.
It was disrespectful to opt not to feature Neil Armstrong on the cover. You correctly gave Scott Crossfield pride of place when he died. Only a few aviation and space pioneers are cover-worthy. Armstrong was certainly one of them. Elk Grove, Calif.
The first end-to-end test of Israel's Arrow air defense system carrying the new advanced-performance Arrow 3 interceptor was canceled Sept. 16, during preflight preparations “a few days” before the actual launch date. Due to the Jewish holidays in September, the launch date will not be rescheduled until October when industry and government officials return to work.
USAF Brig. Gen. John K. McMullen has been appointed deputy chief of staff for operations for Allied Air Command at Headquarters Allied Air Command, Allied Command Operations (NATO), Ramstein AB, Germany. He has been commander of the 325th Fighter Wing of Air Education and Training Command, Tyndall AFB, Fla.
Peter Bols (see photo) has been named CFO of Paris-based MBDA, succeeding Julian Whitehead, who has moved to EADS Cassidian. Bols was CFO of the AirTanker consortium at EADS.
The Irkut MS-21 is a twin-turbofan, narrowbody airliner family that comprises the 150-seat MS-21-200, 181-seat MS-21-300 and 212-seat MS-21-400. All three are to be available in both basic and extended-range versions; the -200 is also to be available in a long-range variant. Power will be provided by Pratt & Whitney PW1400G or Aviadvigatel PD-14 engines. First flight is planned for 2015, with a service entry target date of 2017. Primary competition is likely to come from the Boeing 737, Airbus A320 and Comac C919 families.
The French Polynesian island of Bora-Bora gleams in 1.5-meter (5-ft.) resolution in this image collected by the new SPOT 6 Earth-observation satellite three days after its Sept. 9 launch from the Satish Dhawan space center on Sriharikota Island on an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C21). Built by Astrium Services, the 800-kg (1,765-lb.) spacecraft images a 60-km (37-mi.) swath and can be complemented by 50-cm (20-in.) data from the very-high-resolution Pleiades 1A satellite, Astrium says.
As Tom Enders tells employees in a letter, he is convinced that the planned merger of EADS and BAE Systems offers a “singular chance.” But there is a problem: Investors are notably uninspired and European governments lukewarm. There is a real possibility that the deal may still fall through.
The An-148 is a twin-engine regional jet designed to serve the 70-80-seat market. First flight took place in 2004, with type certification by Russia and Ukraine following in 2007. The An-158, a stretched, 99-passenger version, first flew in 2010. Power comes from two Ivchenko-Progress D436-148 turbofan engines. Ten An-148s were built through 2011, and an additional 143 are forecast for production through 2021.
The C212 made its first flight in March 1971, and deliveries began in May 1974. It is built under license by Indonesian Aerospace (IAe). Some 476 C212s (of all versions) were built through 2011. The C212 is an unpressurized, 21-28-passenger regional turboprop. The -200 model is powered by two Honeywell TPE331-10R-511C or -512C turboprop engines rated at 900 shp each. The -300 used two TPE331-10R-513C turboprops, also rated at 900 shp each. The latest model, the -400, uses two TPE331-12JR-701C engines rated at 925 shp each.
In the remaining months of 2012 and first part of 2013, attention in the commercial aircraft sector will be focused on narrowbodies, as Airbus and Boeing continue to rack up orders for their reengined A320NEO and 737 MAX families and Bombardier works to get the CSeries into the air.
Initially, the new ARJ21 regional jet from Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China (Comac) is to be available in the ARJ21-700 78-90-seat variant, while later introduction of the 98-105-seat ARJ21-900 is a possibility. Power is provided by two General Electric CF34-10A turbofans producing 18,500 lb. thrust each. Rollout of the first ARJ21-700 occurred in December 2007, followed by first flight in November 2008. The ARJ21 faces competition from Bombardier and Embraer.
Many a Western airline or airport manager, begging for better infrastructure, must gaze wistfully at China. There, it is so often said, “the government just gets things done.” And it often seems that when any level of government in China sees a need for roads, power stations, airports and the like, not much time passes before trees are crashing down and excavators are at work. A “Nimbyism” stance does not stand much chance.
