Irkut Corp.'s MS-21 narrowbody airliner orderbook has climbed by 35 as Aviation Capital Services (ACS) converted options. ACS, a leasing company that is a subsidiary of state-owned Russian Technology Corp., will receive 18 MS-21-200s with 150 seats and 17 MS-21-300s designed to carry 180 passengers. Irkut, part of United Aircraft Corp., is expected to deliver the aircraft in 2022-25.
The U.S. Air Force has completed the first flight of an aircraft using alcohol-to-jet (ATJ) biofuel on June 28, flying a Fairchild A-10 from Eglin AFB, Fla., “without any issues.” Fuel for the test flight was supplied by Gevo, which was awarded a potential $600,000 contract last year to provide up to 11,000 gal. of ATJ. Gevo uses a fermentation process to convert plant sugars and other biomass to isobutanol, which is further processed to produce a drop-in replacement for JP-8 jet fuel.
The most recent new aircraft programs at Airbus and Boeing have incurred years of delays and substantial additional costs. As the CSeries production has now started, Bombardier Aerospace is trying its utmost to avoid the same fate. Its priorities in the ramp-up to first flight are testing and early risk mitigation.
Scandinavian Airlines and Lufthansa Technik have signed a seven-year total component support contract for SAS's 140 aircraft. Under the contract, which will go into effect on March 15, 2013, repair and pooling of the parts will take place at Lufthansa Technik facilities. The service company will handle all aspects related to daily component supplies for SAS. Both companies will integrate information technology services by exchanging ordering information and processing data online.
Even as Airbus and Boeing worry over how to ramp up their single-aisle production rates to meet record demand, when Boeing looks ahead 20 years, it sees the single-aisle market cooling off a bit in relation to demand for the larger, long-haul twin-aisle jets. In the latest version of its annual 20-year forecast, Boeing sees demand for 34,000 new aircraft valued at $4.5 trillion through 2031. Passenger growth is expected to average 5%, while airfreight will be slightly higher, at 5.2%, even though the cargo market has been weak for the past year.
With the first phase of X-47B flight testing complete, the U.S. Navy and Northrop Grumman are turning their focus to preparing the Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) for the first trials of a pilotless, tailless, stealthy aircraft on an aircraft carrier deck.
As U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130s resumed attacks on wildfires in Colorado and Wyoming, the first fatal crash for the USAF in 40 years of supporting the U.S. Forest Service brought the danger inherent in the aerial firefighting mission into sharp focus.
It can be assumed that China is developing a combat drone, maybe several. The technology is so obviously part of the future that the rising power cannot ignore it. But making even tentative conclusions about China's progress in the field is not easy. The country's rapid advances in fighter technology suggest it may be little more than a decade behind the West; yet even the U.S. is still years from deploying an unmanned strike aircraft with the penetration capabilities of a modern fighter.
Robert Wall (Madrid), Amy Butler (Washington and Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio)
The next two years could see a sea change in the shape of the worldwide airlift market, as new entrants try to secure their global positions while incumbents aim to keep production lines open. Despite tight defense budgets, operations in Afghanistan and increased demand for humanitarian support around the world have kept the airlift market relatively vibrant, a situation not hurt by the fact many air forces are operating aging airlifters.
Richard Hawkins (see photo) has been appointed group quality director for Pattonair, Derby, England. He was supplier development executive for Rolls-Royce's Marine Sector.
Martin Bentler has been appointed CFO of Krauss-Maffei Wegmannof Munich, succeeding Stefan Krischik, who plans to leave the company. Bentler has held management positions in the finance and information technology divisions of Siemens.
Boeing has confirmed what everyone knew: that it will put on a flight demonstration at the Farnborough International Airshow this week with a 787-8 in Qatar Airways livery (AW&ST July 2, p. 33). The decision abandons a 28-year policy of not participating in flying demonstrations for safety reasons and because they are not thought to help sales.
Few military competitions will mirror the protracted, bare-knuckle fight between Boeing and EADS over the U.S. Air Force refueling tanker program. Now the two rivals are ready to take the battle on the road as other countries look to recapitalize their fleets.
Autonomy—the ability of automated systems to make their own decisions—is essential if the manpower demands of unmanned aircraft are to be minimized. But autonomy means behavior that cannot be predefined and programmed, anathema to certification authorities wanting guarantees a vehicle will always perform as designed.
Japan has come to the conclusion that without exports, there is no way it can sustain its domestic defense industry. Consequently, some in the government are pushing Japan's defense companies to seek overseas sales, but there will be limits on how far the country can go to become a supplier of military aircraft.
Fernando Lacerda Da Silva has been appointed sales director for new aircraft in Brazil for Montreal-based Bombardier Aerospace. He is a veteran of Latin American business aircraft sales.
There are many things that composites take away from aerospace—weight, corrosion, part count, manufacturing complexity—and many that they give, such as stiff, strong structures that open the door to innovative, easier-to-maintain designs. Boeing has been the big leader in composite airframes, but in propulsion, GE Aviation has been out front. With its own innovations, Snecma, its partner in the CFM International engine alliance, has joined GE in that leadership role.
Rose Wai Mun Lee has been appointed as an independent non-executive director for Swire Pacific Ltd.of Hong Kong, succeeding Margaret Leung, who has retired. Lee is a director of the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. and vice chairman of the China Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce.
Virgin Australia has ordered 23 Boeing 737-8 aircraft, which will be of the MAX family and used to replace its oldest 737-800s. The new aircraft will be delivered between 2019 and 2021. The carrier currently operates 62 737-800s, and has seven 737-700s that are scheduled to be retired by the end of 2013. The airline has also deferred an undisclosed number of the 737-800s that it already has on order. Under its revised plan, it will take delivery of 31 between 2013 and 2016.
The JetBlue Airways pilot whose bizarre behavior on a New York-Las Vegas flight March 27 led to an emergency landing of an Airbus A320 at Amarillo, Texas, has been ruled not guilty in U.S. District Court there after a psychological assessment found that severe mental illness had impaired his judgment. All parties, including the prosecutors, agreed to the report. Clayton Osborn, 49, was charged with interfering with a flight crew and faced up to 20 years in federal prison. The judge ordered that Osborn be sent to a mental health facility for further examination.
Mike Piscatella and Bruce MacCoubrey have been appointed to share the duties of the Office of the President of IWG Technologies, Burnaby, British Columbia, following the departure of David Fox. Piscatella and MacCoubrey are directors of the company.
When International Airlines Group (IAG) was formed by the merger of British Airways and Iberia, CEO Willie Walsh announced a grand list of acquisition targets. Only a year and several iterations of the European banking crisis later, part of IAG is now up for grabs.
July 16-17—Airports Council International-North America's 2012 Small Airports Conference. JW Marriott Hotel, Grand Rapids, Mich. See www.aci-na.org July 16-18—Worldwide Business Research's Performance-Based Life-Cycle Product Support. Washington Plaza Hotel. See www.wbresearch.com/pblusa July 23-25—Practical Aeronautics Short Course: “Introduction to Jet Engines-A Practical Perspective.” Ohio Aerospace Institute, Cleveland. See www.practicalaero.com
