Lockheed Martin received a $20 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Italian air force and the Royal Australian Air Force to collaborate on defining a C-130J avionics and hardware block upgrade program. Known as Cooperative Systems and Software Upgrade Requirements Management (COSSURM), the three-year program will ensure that enhancements and upgrades to areas such as radio communications, aircraft diagnostic displays and collision avoidance systems will be shared across the user community. A total of 106 C-130Js have been delivered to date.
Honeywell also announced an electric APU, the RE50, which weighs only 55 lbs. and is gearless. The APU, for business jet and helicopter applications, is gearless because the generator is part of the APU shaft. Honeywell is designing it to stay on wing three to five years and then be replaced, so it is designed to be virtually maintenance free.
When talking to executives at Grupo TACA's maintenance arm, Aeroman, one learns pretty quickly where they think their operation ranks in terms of MRO providers in the Americas: They consider Aeroman a ``first tier'' MRO, like Goodrich Aviation Technical Services, Timco, Pemco and ST Mobile Aerospace. ``In terms of quality and capability, we're in a league with them,'' said Phil Gaudet, director, North American sales. At least on paper, Gaudet would seem to have a point.
Bell Helicopter's multi-billion dollar H-1 Upgrade Program received a major boost in October when the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) approved Bell to remanufacture six U.S. Marine Corps UH-1N and three AH-1W helicopters to the UH-1Y and AH-1Z standard during FY04. A second LRIP (low rate initial production) batch, currently scheduled to be another six Hueys and three SuperCobras, should enter production in FY05.
Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. named Sarah C. Hoyt director of corporate communications. Before joining Ball Aerospace, Hoyt was director of marketing communications for Raytheon Co.'s Intelligence and Information Systems business.
Honeywell introduced its latest LTS101 turboshaft engine, the -850, which is designed to provide 14% more takeoff power at sea level and 25% more at hot-day conditions. The -850 can be installed in Eurocopter/Kawasaki BK117, Eurocopter AS350D and Bell Textron 222B and 222UT helicopters.
The debate over how far design approval holders must go to satisfy an FAA requirement for providing instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) to qualified third-party repair stations may be put to rest soon. FAA is considering a formal complaint against Airbus filed by the Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA).
Work is well-advanced on WESCAM's portion of the Canadian Department of Defense's CP-140 Aurora Incremental Modernization Program (AIMP). WESCAM, a subsidiary of L-3 Communications, received a US$19 million contract last July from Lockheed Martin Canada to produce MX-20 sensor systems for delivery through 2004. Part of L-3 WESCAM's MX Series of electro-optic/ infrared (EO/IR) products, the MX-20 is claimed to be one of the highest performing stabilized multi-sensor systems in the world.
Lufthansa Technik will assume component maintenance responsibility for Indian carrier Jet Airways under terms of a recently signed, seven-year agreement. Total Component Maintenance contract covers the carrier's Boeing 737 fleet, comprising six -400s and 27 NGs. LHT also signed a 10-year Total Component Maintenance contract with Aeroflot, covering 18 A320s and A319s.
Goodrich Corp. appointed Eric Schulz president of its Aviation Technical Services division in Everett, Wash. Schulz, previously president and CEO of EADS Aeroframe Services, will report to John Grisik, segment president, airframe systems. Schulz replaces Dave Shaw, who has been appointed to the new position of vice president, new business model projects.
ARINC Direct launched RVSM upgrade packages for Cessna 650 series and Learjet 35 series aircraft in cooperation with AeroMech and Shadin Co. ARINC hopes to receive the STC for these upgrades in the first quarter 2004. ARINC also offers RVSM upgrades for Cessna Citation 500 series aircraft.
Boeing introduced a new support package for its 717 Business Express that includes maintenance, engineering, operational tools, parts, portable computer and onsite technical personnel. The 717 Business Express was introduced earlier this year as a new concept to help corporations deal with high-volume business travel.
Boeing has 100 Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) customers as of mid-September. Boeing estimates that the PMA can cut the time it takes to find applicable maintenance data by 40% because of its advanced search capabilities and hyperlinks.
AEM Ltd. opened an office in Singapore to be closer to Far East customers. Gary Hale, AEM's vice president of sales and marketing, will head the operation.
Thailand is attracting increasing interest from the aviation industry because of its skilled workforce, competitive labor rates and location in the heart a huge and rapidly growing market. As more aerospace and non-aerospace companies locate in Thailand, it makes the country more attractive. There is a larger pool of potential job recruits, and these prospective employees have more experience and more varied skills. Common industrial supplies and equipment become easier and cheaper to obtain, as supporting industries cluster around the big manufacturers.
The value of the worldwide commercial jet transport MRO market has fallen $1.5 billion since the beginning of the year as a result of economic malaise, SARS, the war in Iraq and slower-than-expected airline capacity growth, according to BACK Aviation Solutions and Strand Associates Inc. (SAI), the consulting firms that produce O&M's annual MRO Forecast. BACK and SAI now peg the value of the MRO market at $34.6 billion, down from the $36.1 billion used as the baseline for the 2003 MRO Forecast published in May.
British Airway's engineers voted overwhelmingly to reject a company offer on a 3% pay increase (dependent on a number of conditions) and to reject the adoption of a controversial swipe card system. Amicus, which represents the vast majority of the members of the BA Engineering bargaining group, asked for talks with the airline.
It is a new world in military maintenance, or at least it is trying to be. Technologies are changing as a new generation of military aircraft comes on line and as manufacturers develop an even newer generation. The fighters and other platforms of the future will be much smarter, more reliable and much easier to keep on the flight line, if plans work out. Meanwhile, mature planes need to keep flying. These senior jets are getting older, a bit rustier and much more complicated to maintain. And many will remain in service for quite a while, at least through 2010.
Dassault Aviation selected Mxi Technologies' Maintenix system to enhance the visibility of its fleet data, thus improving reliability, supply chain and customer support issues.
Lufthansa Technik Budapest won its first external customer, Austrian Airlines, which will send five Airbus A321-100/200s and six A320-200s to the facility for heavy checks in the next five years. The facility predicts the five-year and 10-year structural checks will take between 27 and 32 days. Austrian and Lufthansa are both StarAlliance members.
Rockwell Collins signed a five-year, $130 million performance-based logistics contract with the Naval Inventory Control Point. The deal includes managing, supporting and repairing various models of the F/A-18 cockpit displays. Rockwell Collins is signing contracts with naval air depots in San Diego and Jacksonville to perform jointly about 66% of the depot work; Rockwell Collins will complete the rest.
Twelve Boeing AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters ordered by the Hellenic government in August from a euro 620 million ($680 million) contract will incorporate BAE Systems' advanced helicopter integrated defensive aid suites (HIDAS). Developed for the British Army Air Corps' AgustaWestland WAH-64s by BAE following its Marconi Electronic Systems merger, HIDAS uses mainly British components, apart from Lockheed Martin's UV/IR-based AN/AAR-57 common missile warning system and AN/APR-48 RF interferometer (RFI).
Nordic East Airlink of Sweden selected SAS Component to provide component supply and maintenance support for its MD-81 fleet. The contract includes access to SAS Component's main and base stores in Scandinavia and supply of components on demand to line stations. Finnair owns 85% of Nordic Airlink.
