Russian Helicopters says it expects to deliver 301 aircraft in 2012, up from 262 in 2011, and 214 the year before. The trend marks significant growth from 2006 when deliveries topped out at 94 helicopters and represents a 15% year-on-year expansion, according to officials. It also underlines the continuing recovery of the country's helicopter industry from the steep declines seen after the end of the Cold War.
I agree with reader Hank Caruso that the “From the Web” portion of the Feedback page is a waste of space (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 12). I can only wonder what comments of substance have been discarded in order to offer the floor to anonymous bloggers. If I want their input, I can look to the Internet. Portland, Ore.
Transport Editor Andrew Compart's “People Express Attempts to Return,” about the comeback plans of the long-defunct low-fare carrier, yielded: jacjetlag weighing in: Industry trailing wages in a pilot shortage era is a recipe for disaster, literally. Goforride noting:
A U.S. Marine Corps AH-1 Cobra fires a pair of BAE Systems-designed, advanced precision-kill weapon system 2.75-in. rockets. The rockets, previously dumb, have been upgraded with screw-in, mid-body guidance systems that feature fold-out wings, flaperons and four optical sensors that quarter the field of view for faster, more accurate targeting. The missiles have hit a meter-wide, laser spot from a range of 3 mi. Seven-rocket pods are being prepared for several Marine helicopter models and the U.S. Navy's MQ-8 Fire Scout unmanned aircraft. BAE Systems photo.
Feb. 27-29—Defense Maintenance Sustainment Summit. Hilton Torrey Pines, La Jolla, Calif. See www.wbresearch.com/dms/ March 4—Tyabb (Australia) Airshow 2012. Peninsula Aero Club. See http://tyabbairshow.com.au/ March 5—Southern California Aviation Association's Safety Seminar. Airtel Plaza Hotel, Van Nuys. See http://scaa.memberlodge.com/
Charitably, one might say that the U.K.'s Defense Ministry is in a no-win situation regarding defense programs—damned if it cuts more and damned if it doesn't. A less charitable interpretation posits that after almost two years of trying to fix its military equipment plan, the U.K. is still left with a huge mismatch between funding and capabilities, with risk increasing of even greater imbalances as the nation's economy remains in a slump.
William Greenwalt has joined the Aerospace Industries Association, Arlington, Va., as VP-acquisition policy. He was deputy director for surveys and investigations of the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.
Boeing Capital Corp. (BCC) says it is finding homes for the 25 717-200s it took back as a result of Mexicana's bankruptcy filing. Three are destined for Volotea, a Spanish low-fare startup that is to open services from Venice, Italy, in April to small- and medium-sized cities in France, Italy and Spain. Volotea's strategy is to offer low-cost services for cities not currently served with direct flights or that have high fares from existing carriers. All of the 717s will fly in a 125-seat, single-class configuration.
The Air Force garnered $2.4 billion worth of “savings” from the KC-46A aerial refueling tanker program owing to lower than expected contract costs, David Van Buren, the Air Force's top acquisition official, tells us. He says that the “restructuring” of the program described in the Pentagon's fiscal 2013 budget was a “poor choice of words.” Boeing remains poised to deliver 18 KC-46As in 2017 as agreed last year, Van Buren says. The tanker funding proposed in the fiscal 2012 budget was “notional” and submitted to Congress before the contract was awarded.
“Budget Cyber Threat” (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 30) was an interesting and well-written piece that opened my mind to an area of cost overrun on the F-35 that I had not considered, but one that made some sense. I thought, “At least this is a plausible reason for some of the outrageous cost overruns we have seen on this project.”
Airbus is taking another run at building up its cargo aircraft portfolio, hoping the launch of the A330 passenger-to-freighter (P2F) conversion will not suffer the same fate as other efforts. Airbus has long tried to build up its freighter offerings, an area in which it has trailed Boeing. But its A380 freighter and A320/A321P2F efforts stalled for disparate reasons.
“Finding the Pulse” (AW&ST Feb. 6, p. 22) highlights Boeing's drive for lean satellite manufacturing. However, its GPS-IIF has been anything but. General Electric (now Lockheed Martin) was criticized for taking seven years after contract award to launch the first GPS-IIR satellite. Well, Boeing took at least twice that long. Literally. It took them 15 years after contract award to launch the first GPS-IIF satellite! Please explain what part of that endeavor is “lean”?
Gene L. Stygles and Renee D. Palyo have been appointed chief and deputy chief, respectively, of the Facilities Div. at the NASAGlenn Research Center in Cleveland. Stygles worked on the advanced solid rocket motor program, and Palyo was head of the division's Program Management Office.
In the letter “Regulation Strangulation” (AW&ST Jan. 16, p. 8), is reader Roy Steele trying to rewrite air transportation historical events? I recall that the Civil Aeronautics Act of 1938 was intended to bring economic stabilization to the industry. It worked, and interstate air carriers received an immense amount of route protection via “certificates of public convenience and necessity rules,” and thereby flourished.
“The Rise and Fall of Global Hawk Block 30,” Senior Editor Amy Butler's concise history of the Northrop Grumman unmanned air system, elicited the following exchange: FMafia writing: “If we had to do it all over again, we would do it differently” appears to be the motto of most U.S. Air Force programs. But they never seem to learn from it. X-Planes responding:
A young outfit based in Dublin, but with a distinctive New York accent, drew attention at the recent Helicopter Association International convention when its boss signed for 16 Eurocopter EC225s, worth nearly a half-billion dollars, one day and then for three Sikorsky S-92s worth an estimated $70 million the next. He never flinched. After all, he is well-practiced.
Sikorsky is eyeing potential new helicopters to plug the gap in its lineup between the 12-passenger twin and 19-passenger S-92, some 180 of which have now been built. The emerging focus is the 7-8-ton, 16-seat offshore oil support market also identified by AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter and Eurocopter. The initial entrant into the medium and super-medium field will be Eurocopter's EC175 later this year, followed by the AgustaWestland AW189 in 2014. Not far behind comes Bell's newly launched 525 Relentless (see p. 36).
Eurocopter plans to develop a two-step approach to introducing its advanced X4 helicopter, with the first version entering service in 2017. The X4 is aimed at the AS365 Dauphin/EC155 replacement market in the medium-twin, 9,000-11,000-lb. category, with first flight in 2015. This intermediate configuration would be followed by an updated variant in 2020 featuring fly-by-wire and more advanced avionics and systems, says CEO Lutz Bertling.
Certification of the long-awaited Sikorsky S-76D is on track for around mid-year, with first deliveries in the third quarter, confirms company President Jeff Pino. Delayed by up to four years based on its original program targets, the S-76D effort has overcome rotor lag, avionics problems and an engine redesign.
Amy K. Hoage (see photo) has been selected as VP-business development for PAS Technologies, Kansas City, Mo. She was director of aerospace business development at Goodrich Corp. Engine Components.
