Further details have emerged of Russian air force (VVS) Sukhoi Su-27/30 single- and two-seat air defense combat aircraft ``Bort 302'' avionics upgrade programs, following the start of service flight-tests last June of two two-seat prototypes. These comprised the Su-30KN (s/n 302), which first flew in March 1999 as the Su-30MKR, and the Su-27UBM (s/n 20), formally delivered by the Irkutsk Aviation Production Association (IAPO) on March 6, 2001.
Hainan Airlines received its first three Boeing 737-800s with blended winglets at the beginning of this year. The retrofitted winglets on the 737-800 curve out and up from the wingtip to reduce draft and boost performance. The winglets also are designed to reduce noise and lower engine-maintenance costs. Hainan Airlines is the first Asian airline to operate the 737-800 with winglets.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics received a contract for the delivery of 306 F-16 modification kits, spares, support equipment and technical manual changes from the air forces of Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Their F-16s already underwent the F-16A/B Mid-Life Update. The new modification includes Link 16, a NATA-standard data communications form; Joint Helmut-Mounted Cueing System; upgraded processors and displays; and group of ``smart weapons.'' The contract is worth about $142 million.
GE Aircraft Engines received a $78 million contract from the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command and the Corpus Christi Army Depot to supply helicopter engine parts and technical services. The contract is a four-year extension of a previous agreement.
Ordering parts through electronic business to business (B2B) brokers has received mixed reviews in airline maintenance departments. Some carriers report a noticeable savings by bypassing traditional means of procurement. Other airlines first want to change their infrastructure before committing fully to this method of ordering.
Keystone Helicopter was acquired on Jan. 15 by a group of venture capital companies that formed a holding company called Keystone Ranger Holdings. Peter Wright Jr., Keystone's long-serving president, will continue to lead the formerly family-owned business.
The value of the commercial aircraft MRO market declined roughly $2.6 billion, or more than 6%, from $42.2 billion at the beginning of 2001 to $39.6 billion at the end of the year, according to BACK Aviation Solutions and Strand Associates Inc. (SAI). Airlines staggered under huge losses and grounded hundreds of aircraft after Sept. 11,but BACK and SAI, who last year collaborated to produce O&M's 2001 MRO Forecast, said there are some reasons for optimism. (O&M, March 2001)
Pentastar Aviation began life in 1964 as Chrysler Pentastar and was the auto maker's corporate flight department, later branching out into third-party business aircraft services. When Daimler merged with Chrysler in 1998, the aviation services company was renamed DaimlerChrysler Aviation. In October, Edsel B. Ford II's Lakeshore Capital purchased DaimlerChrysler Aviation and reinstated the Pentastar name.
Continental Airlines primarily uses portable data loaders to update avionics databases and software. Technicians log onto SCEPTRE, the airline's computer-based system for monitoring and maintaining aircraft, to find the latest version of the software, and if it matches, they load it using the portable data loader.
The Airline Suppliers Association changed its name effective Jan. 1 to the Aviation Suppliers Association to better reflect its role and its members. The association also redesigned the ASA-100 accreditation logo to reflect the change.
Lord Corp. introduced repairs to restore Blue Coat on parts to new condition. Lord has provided blue-coated parts to Bell Helicopter as an OEM supplier for 20 years, and now it is Bell-approved to offer this service as aftermarket support. Lord's Blue-Coat replacement process includes parts inspection, NDT, Blue Coat replacement and cad-plate restoration (if applicable).
Bii (Bearing Inspection Inc.) appointed Larry Stephenson global military program manager. He joined the company in 1999 as program manager, global aero-derivative/ industrial.
Korean Air's Maintenance&Engineering division employs 3,600 people at four main facilities in South Korea: Gimpo airport, Incheon airport and Bucheon in the northern part of the country, and Gimhae in the south. In addition to working to improve the safety of its operations, the airline's five-year maintenance plan includes JAA approval, improvement of computerized systems, installation of advanced avionics, and Boeing 737 Next Generation and Airbus A330 maintenance capability development.
Lockheed Martin Systems Integration (LMSI) has upgraded the avionics and weapons on the first of six Spanish Naval Aviation (AAAE) Sikorsky S-70B-1 Seahawks from a $77.4 million FMS contract finalized in mid-2001. Upgraded equipment includes new communications and navigation systems, a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, plus provision for Boeing/
Derco Repair Services signed a five-year agreement to coordinate the distribution of all airborne commercial products for Litton Systems' Life Support Division, a Northrop Grumman company.
Major upgrades of existing combat and support equipment are expected to predominate Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) modernization plans over the next decade. Experts predict some C$12 billion ($7.56 billion) should be allocated for required funding. Increases of about 23% in equipment procurement appropriations, which totaled 18.8% of the C$11.39 billion ($7.18 billion) FY2001-2002 Canadian defense budget, will be needed to meet this target. Whether this is achievable in the face of other budget priorities, remains to be seen.
Rolls-Royce has doubled its market share in the repair and overhaul of its civil engines over the past five years. The company says it now maintains 56% of its engines and that its aftermarket services account for 40% of the company's revenue.
Total Aircraft Services received upgraded authorization from FAA at its Van Nuys (Calif.) Airport facility. The company now possesses Class 3 and Class 4 unlimited airframe ratings for metallic aircraft and updated Limited powerplant ratings to include Pratt&Whitney JT15Ds, Rolls-Royce Speys and Tays, GE CJ610s and CF700s, Honeywell TFE-731s and TPE-331s.
FLS Aerospace expects to receive a contract worth $130 million from the Irish government to convert Sikorsky S-92 helicopters from passenger to freighter configurations. FLS expects to receive that contract either this year or early 2003. The work would be done at FLS's Dublin facility.
Delta Air Lines accelerated the planned retirement of its Boeing 727s from early 2005 to late 2003. To replace those aircraft, the airline received 11 new aircraft in late 2001 and plans to take delivery of 13 additional aircraft in 2002 and 2003.
What do Elvis Presley, country music and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore have in common? They all have roots in Tennessee, and the same increasingly is true of regional jet maintenance.
Boeing completed installation of a 737 Next Generation glass cockpit in the first of 16 U.S. Navy E-6B 707 communications aircraft. Under a $123 million contract, Boeing will replace the fleet's analog cockpit instruments with flat-panel digital displays and dual flight management systems. Flight testing is scheduled to begin in the second quarter, with delivery to the Navy scheduled for the third quarter. Retrofit of the fleet is expected to be completed in 2005.
Watch for a draft screw thread/ fastener specification that will supercede the inactive Mil-S-8879C. The Fastener Improvement Team, recently renamed the Aerospace Industry Screw Thread Conformity Task Force to promote broader industry participation, expects to release the draft this month (O&M, December 2001). The group already has resolved several key issues, including provision for clearance between mating threads to prevent assembly issues for non-standard lengths.
