GE's new GEnx engine, which is scheduled to enter service in 2008 on the Boeing 787 and in 2010 on the Airbus A350, introduces new technology intended to reduce emissions and improve fuel consumption as well as reduce maintenance time and costs.
Bob Rooney is an icon, albeit an extreme one, of an emerging symbiosis between government and industry when it comes to military aircraft maintenance. Rooney, 71, a field services representative for Rolls-Royce, just spent two months in Iraq with U.S. Marine Corps VMGR 252, a unit that flies Rolls-Royce AE2100D3-powered KC-130J tankers. Rolls-Royce has a multi-year performance-based logistics contract worth as much as $50 million to maintain the engines and propellers for 17 tankers.
The IAF's 16 or so Ilyushin Il-76MD four-turbofan heavy lift aircraft are to be upgraded with a Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM) avionics suite to allow them to operate above 29,000 feet on international and some domestic air routes. The suite will be retrofitted when the aircraft are rotated to Russia for major overhauls, each of which takes about six to eight months. It could therefore be some years before the complete fleet is RVSM-equipped.
SR Technics U.K. has received Japan Civil Aviation Bureau approval, which will allow the company to perform repair and alterations to Japanese registered aircraft components at its Stansted, U.K., facility.
Rockwell Collins will provide flight deck and cabin technology for Raytheon's upgraded Hawker 800XP aircraft. The upgrades include Rockwell Collins' integrated flight information system and its Pro Line 21 communication, navigation and surveillance radios, both of which are designed to increase safety, efficiency and enhance situational awareness.
United Eagle Airlines, a private Chinese airline, awarded ST Aerospace Supplies a $15 million contract to maintain and manage components on 11 Airbus A319 and A320s over five years. ST Aerospace Supplies is a division of Singapore Technologies Aerospace.
Air New Zealand selected Honeywell to provide wheels and brakes for its fleet of Boeing 747-400 aircraft. Honeywell also is retrofitting Trans States Airlines' fleet of Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft with Honeywell's certified carbon heat sink friction braking material, which is part of a wheel and brake service and support package signed with TSA last year. Honeywell has expanded its marketplace for pre-owned Honeywell aircraft components, Honeywell Aerospace Trading, to include mechanical systems as well as avionics.
Varig Engineering & Maintenance (VEM) says it is maintaining full operation and is fulfilling all contractual obligations despite the restructuring and financial situation of Varig, its parent company.
Boeing began installing satellite communications and air traffic management upgrades on the first of 32 U.S. Air Force AWACS aircraft in a contract that is part of a series of contracts valued "in excess of $200 million," according to the U.S. Air Force.
Aero Pneudraulics will provide overhaul and repair services of CF6-80 center drive units. The company planned to begin supporting customers with OEM-approved servicing of CDUs in mid-July.
THE ARINC LOGISTICS ASSESSMENT AND RISK MANAGEMENT (ALARM) SYSTEM is designed to predict when electronic parts and components may become obsolete. ALARM should identify high-risk components, suggest alternatives and help engineers determine a cost-effective design solution. ALARM can assign obsolescence risk ratings to all types of parts, including avionics and hydro-mechanical ones.
Max Moutoussamy is an interpreter of sorts, a maintenance middleman who helps airline pilots understand what engineers know -- the tradeoffs between engine performance and cost containment. With oil topping $60 a barrel and maintenance costs the bane of budget-cinching airlines, he's a popular guy with airline management at the moment.
Selex Sensors, Finmeccanica's Airborne Systems and Thales UK formed Avionics Alliance, a group that will provide avionics support to Westland Helicopters, which is the prime contractor for the Sea King Integrated Operational Support (SKIOS) program. The SKIOS program provides the U.K. Ministry of Defense integrated support and maintenance program for supporting Sea King helicopters.
Zodiac's IN-SNEC released its UMA2000 data acquisition system for military and civilian aircraft. The UMA2000 is a smaller version of the original design delivered to Airbus for its A380 flight tests. It is designed to include better network capabilities, hold acquisition boards, and be available in different chassis sizes that can be connected. The UMA2000 uses a high-speed internal backplane bus that allows it to acquire big chunks of data. It also can be installed on a wide range of acquisition boards to help simplify the instrumentation on an aircraft.
Sagem Defense Security (SDS), a branch of the Safran Group, and Thales are joining forces to propose complete upgrade solutions for Dassault combat aircraft, excluding current Mirage 2000 and Rafale series. Thales will provide expertise for onboard radars, electronic warfare, communications and laser-designation pods. SDS will add its know-how in navigation and mission planning systems, computers, software and integration, plus new-generation weapons deployment.
In June, BAE Systems announced first flight-tests of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook Digital Advanced Flight-Control System (DAFCS), just over a year after contract award, representing a significant advance in this major upgrade program. The DAFCS replaces a legacy flight-control system in CH-47D helicopters, as Boeing upgrades 300 of those to F-model standards under a U.S. Army contract.
COVER STORY: Partnership Prowess Bringing Holism to Military Maintenance Finding the right readiness at the right price. Business & Operations 27 Composite Erosion Control: Is it Possible? Commercial and military operators and MROs tackle erosion but admit there's the unknown factor for future materials' reparability. 31 Landing Gear Overhauls With a wave of landing gear coming due for overhaul, operators and MROs explore cost-cutting options.
ARINC Engineering Services selected Rockwell Collins to provide Pro Line 21 avionics systems to upgrade the U.S. Navy's fleet of 55 T-44A aircraft over four years. L3 Communications is the prime contractor and ARINC is the purchasing and installation agency.
Air China selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 700 to power its fleet of 20 Airbus A330-200 widebody aircraft. The total value of the contract, including a long-term TotalCare services agreement for the engines, is $800 million.
From the Editor 4 Biznet 9 Interview 12 Nobert Lohl, European Aviation Safety Agency Safety & Regulatory News Washington in Action 15 Human Factors 18 Calendar 53 O&Marketplace 54 Advertiser Index 59 At Presstime 60 Use AVIATIONNOW.COM for the latest aviation news.
Bauer's Model 6057 aircraft brake assembly test stand is designed to provide accurate testing of aircraft brake assemblies. The stainless steel stand features a modular design consisting of a pump and control section and a test sink section that can be sized to accommodate a single brake assembly or multiple ones at the same time. All controls are designed to withstand Skydrol. Bauer, Attn: Lou Auletta, 175 Century Dr., Bristol, CT 06010
Russian RSK MiG engineers and technicians recently started upgrading a dozen of the air force's 18 MiG-29 combat aircraft, from an estimated $72 million government contract placed last November, in Slovakia. Few details have been revealed of the proposed enhancements, which apart from structural airframe and engine life-extensions, appear to be based on the MiG-29SMT's digital avionics mission systems, with numerous components from western sources to achieve NATO-interoperability standards.
