SR Technics plans to close its MRO operation at Dublin Airport , where it does airframe base and heavy maintenance, landing gear and APU overhauls, and line maintenance. The Feb. 12 announcement came just weeks after SR Technics confirmed that it was losing the Dublin facility’s remaining primary load customer, Gulf Air. The Bahrain-based airline opted to terminate early a five-year, $750 million full support contract announced in March 2006.
Performance-based logistics (PBL) and lean maintenance are transforming the MRO business. At the same time, these new maintenance and business strategies have the potential to bring MRO supply chains in line with other industries that rely on supply chain technologies for coordination with suppliers as well as extensive parts tracking and record-keeping requirements, like automotive manufacturing and the pharmaceutical industries.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) on Jan. 5 notified FLIR Systems of its intent to exercise a contract modification option that involves FLIR supplying Star SAFIRE HD (high-definition) imaging systems for installation in RAAF Lockheed Martin AP-3C maritime patrol aircraft. The option is part of a prior $13.5 million program.
Star Aviation, amended STC to install a Universal Avionics Systems Corp. EFI-890R electronic flight instrument system and dual IS&S air data computers on Falcon 10 aircraft, STC ST02194CH
Two bills introduced in the Australian Parliament aim to give the country’s aviation safety agencies more power and to increase their oversight of airlines. The Civil Aviation Amendment Bill and the Transport Safety Investigation Amendment Bill, introduced on Feb. 12, include structural changes and additions to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
BALTIMORE—“Customers are looking for revolutionary enhancements” to their F-16 radars, at affordable upfront and life-cycle costs, which is part of the reason Northrop Grumman has created the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), said Arlene Camp, director of advanced F-16 systems for Northrop Grumman.
The U.S. Marine Corps in January awarded Norwegian communications firm Nacre a contract worth $4.3 million for its QUIETPRO intelligent hearing system. The Marine Corps currently is the largest user of the system, which is designed to provide high-level hearing protection and full situational awareness in noisy environments. But, Nacre is going through the process of developing QUIETPRO technology for industrial applications, said Neal Muggleton, VP strategic marketing and product management.
Northrop Grumman received a $5.1 million foreign military sales contract in December to upgrade weather and navigation radar systems on Iraqi Air Force C-130 cargo aircraft. The contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman’s Sperry Marine business unit by Lear Siegler Services, based in Annapolis, Md., to deliver AN/APN-242 weather and navigation radars to replace obsolete AN/APN-59 systems in the C-130s. The contract also includes funding to develop a new high-resolution flat-panel cockpit display processor for the radars. Deliveries are scheduled to be completed by July.
BURBANK, Calif.—Imagine walking into a white-walled hangar with floors resembling polished grey granite. The shiny floor reflects sunlight cascading through rooftop windows/panels, obviating the need for fluorescent lights. More than 95% of regularly occupied spaces, even center offices, are daylit—connecting the indoors and outdoors.
Panasonic Computer Solutions introduced upgrades for its Toughbook 30 rugged laptop and Toughbook 19 rugged convertible tablet computer. Both notebooks will incorporate anti-glare/anti-reflective screen treatments for viewability in sunlight, a necessity for a mobile worker in the field.
Avidyne Corp., amended STC to install Avidyne TWX 670 Tactical Weather Detection System, consisting of an Avidyne processor and antenna with doubler plate and mounting tray, on numerous general and business aviation models, STC SA00269BO
Late last year, Singapore Technologies Aerospace (ST Aerospace), received a $51 million (about S$75 million) contract to perform maintenance and modifications, and to return to service four Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) Lockheed C-130B transports. The program was due to start immediately for scheduled completion over 30 months, involving work performed by ST Aerospace subsidiary, ST Aerospace Engineering (STA Engineering).
LONDON—It’s a sign of the times when a big landing gear services provider says it wants to become equally well known for component services. According to Alan Doherty, SVP sales and business development, the focus at Messier Services during 2009 will be components, despite its involvement in landing gear.
DUBAI—Middle Eastern carriers will spend about $2.2 billion on airframe, engine and component maintenance, repair and overhaul this year, which represents about 5% of expected global demand, according to forecasts presented at AVIATION WEEK’s MRO Middle East Conference & Exhibition in January.
Birds are more likely than bank bailouts to have caused US Airways flight 1549 to ditch in New York’s Hudson River on Jan. 15, but it’s the economy that has prevented the 10-year old Airbus A320 from being salvaged and returned to service. “Why repair this airplane when I have three of them on the ground?” asked Jim Jijawi, managing director of Source One Airplane Repair (SOAR) in Newport Beach, Calif., summing up the stance of the owners/operators. “The repairability decision on the airplane depends in large part on the economy,” he said.
Avenger Aircraft and Services, to install Avenger Extended Performance Front Spar Enhancement Kit (new wing front spar lower caps, center splice and doublers) on various Thrush S-2R aircraft, STC SA03654AT
Supply chain software systems are designed to manage processes, people and assets. Service lifecycle management is a different kind of software system. Sitting at the junction of ERP, MRO and content management solutions, it is designed to put a comprehensive maintenance library of technical information in the hands of maintenance technicians, engineers and parts managers as they are performing their jobs.
Seaton Engineering Corp., amended STC to build, install new and/or replace instrument panel lights dimmer control on a variety of general aviation and business aircraft, STC SA01800SE
