GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team launches path to flight test

Evendale, Ohio, US – May 27, 2009 – The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team has launched its flight clearance certification review, a process that will prepare the F136 engine for flight testing over the next several months.

Following flight certification, the first F136-powered F-35 Lightning II will take to the air in early 2011, in alignment with Lockheed Martin’s ongoing flight test schedule for the Joint Strike Fighter program.

The flight clearance certification reviews will include representatives from the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team, Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Government Joint Program Office, the U.S. Air Force and Navy. The review team will evaluate all pre-flight and performance parameters that will lead the F136 engine to be cleared for flight testing. The review team has already conducted two days of detailed technical reviews, which included representatives from Edwards Air Force Base and Patuxent River Naval Air Station.

“This early look at our flight clearance process and program will enable the Fighter Engine Team to develop the best solutions to complex flight clearance issues, thus ensuring a safe and timely flight release for the F136 engine. We have flight clearance in our sight and will be powering the F-35 in the air very soon, as part of the rapidly developing F-35 program,” said Jean Lydon-Rodgers, President of the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team.

“Flight certification will be a challenging process but the F136 team will deliver on its commitments to Lockheed Martin and the Joint Program Office as we have demonstrated on all of our major milestones to this point. We have a solid record of on-time, on-budget results and every day we are focused on maintaining that level of performance for our customers,” said Mark Rhodes, Senior Vice President for the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team.

The GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team is currently in the fifth year of its System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract with the Joint Program Office. The first SDD F136 engine, in production-configuration, began testing in January 2009, a month ahead of contract schedule, and has continued testing at GE’s test facility in Evendale, Ohio.

Two other F136 engines are currently in assembly and will be testing within a few months. The Fighter Engine Team has already received 70 percent of the total funding through its SDD contract, and has been progressing on schedule and within budget. The remaining efforts in SDD will lead to the successful completion of the F136 development program and to production engine deliveries in 2012.

Source: Rolls Royce

Airbus celebrates the 40th anniversary of its first aircraft programme

Tomorrow Airbus celebrates the 40th anniversary of the Franco-German agreement which launched its first ever aircraft programme, the A300. On May 29, 1969, the French Minister of Transport, Jean Chamant and the German Minister of Economic Affairs, Karl Schiller, signed an agreement for the joint-development of the A300 aircraft, a first European twin-aisle twin-engine jet for medium-haul air travel. This historic event took place during the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.
 
The launch of the A300 programme marked the first milestone in Airbus’ successful history and set the foundation of its today’s vision and strategy. Tom Enders, Airbus President and CEO reminds: “40 years ago – in May 1969 – the commercial jet aircraft market was entirely dominated by the US industry. Giving the go-ahead for the A300 was a bold strategic decision. The pioneering spirit of our engineers as well as Airbus’ continuous strive for innovation and international cooperation have made us a global market leader and at the same time a symbol for successful European cooperation. «New standards. Together» – this is our guiding principle and from now on our new tagline that will keep us ahead”.
 
The A300 revolutionized the civil aviation sector. Dubbed “the profit machine” the A300 was the first twin-aisle twin-engine short/medium haul aircraft, which offered for the first time all the amenities and assets of long range aircraft such as a wide-body comfort, low noise levels, low fuel consumption and low operating costs. Based on the successful idea, Airbus developed its first family of aircraft, the A300/A310 and their respective freighter derivatives. The A300/A310 Family set completely new standards that were adopted on all modern civil aircraft later on.
 
In total, Airbus had built 822 A300/A310 Family aircraft, while the original business case only foresaw 300 aircraft to be built. The A300 was delivered to over 80 customers. Over the years, these aircraft have flown more than 30 million flight-hours and have taken off more than 15 million times. Today, more than 620 aircraft are still in operation.
 
The A300 programme was also the starting point of a successful European cooperation. From the beginning the work share was divided: The wings were produced in the UK, the fuselage in Germany and the cockpit in France. The Final Assembly Line was built in Toulouse, France. Eighteen months later, on December 18, 1970, Airbus Industrie was created as Grouping of Economic Interest under French law (GIE, Groupement d’intérêt Economique) gathering the European industrial partners of the programme SNIAS (Société nationale industrielle aérospatiale), Deutsche Airbus, Hawker-Siddeley and VFW-Fokker. Over the years, additional manufacturers joined the consortium, the Spanish CASA in December 1971 and British Aerospace in January 1979.
 
Airbus today is a leading aircraft manufacturer with the most modern and comprehensive family of airliners on the market, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. Airbus has delivered more than 5,600 aircraft to some 400 customers and operators worldwide and boasts a healthy backlog of around 3,500 aircraft for delivery over the coming years. Airbus is a global company with design and manufacturing facilities in France, Germany, the UK and Spain as well as subsidiaries in the U.S., China, Japan and in the Middle East. Headquartered in Toulouse, France, Airbus is an EADS company.

AgustaWestland Opens New Dedicated T129 Facility

AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce the opening of its new T129 facility in Cascina Costa, Italy. The official opening ceremony was attended by delegates from the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM), Turkish Land Force Command and Turkish General Staff as well as industry representatives from Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI) and Aselsan. The T129 programme is on schedule and on budget, and has already successfully completed a System Requirements Review in January 2009 while the Preliminary Design Review is ongoing. The new dedicated facility, staffed by more than 70 Turkish and AgustaWestland integrated team technicians, comprises an assembly area for the T129 prototypes as well as office space for the T129 team members. The entire facility has been designed to bring together the integrated team into a single location to enable all industry partners to work together in a highly efficient manner.

The T129 programme represents a new endeavour between AgustaWestland and Turkish aerospace industries with the aim to develop in Turkey a modern helicopter industry to satisfy the future requirements of the Turkish armed forces as well as enhancing the technological capabilities of the Turkish defence industry. Through the T129 programme AgustaWestland is transferring its know-how to its Turkish industrial partners to make the T129 the most advanced helicopter in its class, so satisfying the requirement of the Turkish Land Forces as well as making it very appealing to the international market where Turkish industry will play a primary role. The first T129 helicopter demonstrator (P1) is planned to fly in Italy soon, followed by P2 and P3 prototypes in 2010. P4, the first TAI aircraft, is scheduled to be delivered to TAI early next year for final assembly in Turkey and will be used to achieve military certification for the full T129 configuration. Aircraft P4 will then be delivered to the Turkish Army as the first production helicopter. The programme also includes a second TAI assembled prototype, P5, which will fly in the first half of 2011.
The AgustaWestland AW129 was selected to meet the Attack and Tactical Reconnaissance Helicopter (ATAK) requirement of the Turkish Land Forces Command in March 2007 leading to contract signature in September 2007. In accordance with the contract, TAI is the appointed prime contractor while AgustaWestland and Aselsan are the main sub contractors. In addition many leading Turkish aerospace companies are also involved in the programme with significant industrial benefits for Turkey, including local final assembly, delivery and acceptance of the aircraft. The partners have formed the ATAK TEAM to develop the T129.

Source: Agusta Westland

OasISS mission heading to ISS with ESA astronaut Frank De Winne

ESA PR 13-2009. ESA astronaut Frank De Winne is heading to the International Space Station at the start of his six-month OasISS mission. Together with Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, De Winne launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 12:34 CEST (10:34 UT) today.
 
Their Soyuz TMA-15 spacecraft is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station (ISS) at 14:36 CEST (12:36 UT) on Friday 29 May. The arrival of De Winne, Romanenko and Thirsk at the ISS will mark the first ever six-member ISS crew, as they join the three Expedition crewmembers already in residence on the Station: Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, NASA astronaut Michael Barratt and Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata.

For the first four months of his OasISS mission, De Winne will be a Flight Engineer as a member of the Expedition 20 crew, reporting to Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka. With a rotation of three of the six crewmembers due in October, De Winne will take over as Commander of the Expedition 21 crew until his return to Earth in November. He is the first European to take on this role.

As ISS Commander, De Winne will be responsible, among other things, for conducting operations on the ISS, directing the activities of the ISS crewmembers as a single, integrated team, and for ensuring the safety of the crew and the protection of the ISS elements, equipment and payloads.

“Witnessing this launch is a great moment a moment of accomplishments that opens up new opportunities and projects us all in the full exploitation of the ISS in preparation of new exploration missions to other destinations. I am looking forward to a full 6 crew onboard the ISS for a full exploitation of its scientific potential and to carry out activities in preparation of missions to future destinations. We have had a very intense fortnight: the roll out of the Node 3, the selection of 6 new member of the European Astronaut Corps and now this milestone. Human spaceflight and exploration is gaining momentum and we will be working for Europe to seize bigger opportunities in this field “, said Simonetta di Pippo, ESA Director of Human Spaceflight.

“Last year Columbus and the Automated Transfer Vehicle Jules Verne have demonstrated the reliability and the capability of the Europan Space Agency in the International Space Station endeavour. The European scientific laboratories and instruments on board Columbus are now operated on a daily basis, controlled from the Control Centre in Oberpfaffenhofen (Germany). The crew of six will provide much more resources on board to make scientific and technological progress.” said ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, witnessing the launch from Baikonur.

“The presence of two ESA astronauts on board the ISS this year – Frank de Winne and Christer Fuglesang – will bring a European touch to that crew. Even more, for the first time, the five partners of the ISS –USA, Russia, Canada, Japan and ESA – are all represented in the crew of six. I wish all of them a successful mission and I am confident that they will give once more proof that space is where international cooperation can express itself at its best, for the benefit of all of us, citizens on the Earth,” Dordain added.

De Winne will also be the main operator of the Japanese robotic arm and will be one of the two astronauts who will berth the HII-Transfer Vehicle (HTV) to the ISS using the Station’s robotic arm when the Japanese cargo spacecraft arrives at the ISS in September.

During the OasISS mission, De Winne will use the scientific facilities of the ISS, especially the European Columbus laboratory, to undertake a European programme of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations. These come predominantly from scientific institutions across Europe and include experiments in human physiology, biology, radiation dosimetry, exobiology, fluid physics and materials sciences.

ESA views education as a valuable aspect of its human spaceflight missions, helping to inspire the youth of today. As such, the OasISS mission will be the prime focus of ESA’s education activities during the mission, including a live lesson given by De Winne from the ISS.

De Winne is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF Belgium, which provides an opportunity among other education activities for cooperation between ESA and UNICEF Belgium. This cooperation will be based on the common ground of water, and in support of UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene campaign (WASH). Water is not only one of the most important basic elements of life as we know it and therefore the most important thread to follow when searching for life in the Universe, but it is also a very important resource for astronauts and spacecraft in orbit.

This is De Winne’s second spaceflight after taking part in the Odissea mission to the ISS from 30 October to 10 November 2002. He will be joined on the ISS by Swedish ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang, who will fly as mission specialist on the 11-day STS-128 mission scheduled for August 2009.

Source: ESA

Alenia Aeronautica completes the deliveries of the C-27Js to the Italian Air Force with the 12th aircraft delivered

Today, at its Caselle South facility, Alenia Aeronautica completed deliveries to the Italian Air Force (AMI)
with the delivery of the twelfth C-27J. The aircraft was delivered to the 46th Air Wing based in Pisa.
Today’s ceremony completes the deliveries of aircraft that began in January 2007.

The AMI C-27Js include an advanced and sophisticated configuration that, in addition to the basic
configuration, includes an in-flight refuelling system, self-protection and a flight-data-projection system on
two head-up-displays, one per each pilot, to be able to operate also in the most complex operational
scenarios.

Alenia’s contract with the AMI includes Logistics Support at the Pisa base until the beginning of 2012 and
the delivery of a Flight Simulator for the AMI Training Centre at Pisa in December 2009.
The C-27sJ replace the AMI fleet of G.222s, from which they have inherited capability and excellent
operating performances displayed in operations both in Italy and overseas for the transport of troops and
materials, civilian protection, airdrop of cargo and paratroopers, fire fighting, and search and rescue.
Combat proven, the C-27J has been deployed to Afghanistan by the Italian Air Force from September 2008-
January 2009 in support of coalition military and humanitarian operations. The C-27J fleet of the AMI has
accrued over 5,000 flight hours, a milestone celebrated at the military base of Pisa this past May 19th.

The “numbers” of the C-27J are excellent: The C-27J is able to take-off from and land on unprepared strips,
shorter than 2,000 ft with a maximum take-off weight of 67,241 lbs; the aircraft can transport up to 68 troops
or up to 46 fully equipped paratroopers plus two loadmasters and, in MEDEVAC/CASEVAC configuration,
36 stretchers plus six medical assistants.

The large cargo cross section (8.5 feet in height and 10.8 feet in width) together with the high floor strength
(cargo capacity of over 3,320 lbs/ft), allow for the transport of heavy military equipment.
The C-27J it is the only aircraft of its class offering interoperability with heavier airlifters in service with other
NATO air forces, also thanks to its large cabin cross section, allowing the transport of NATO-standard
pallets.

The C-27J is a twin-engine turboprop tactical transport aircraft with state-of-the-art technology, avionics,
propulsion and systems. It demonstrates superior performance over its competitors in all weather
conditions, cost effectiveness, extreme operating flexibility.

Source: Alenia North America

First flight of serial Yak-130

The first serial jet-combat trainer Yak-130 performed its maiden flight on 10 of May from Nozhni-Novgorod aviation plant airfield. The aircraft was piloted in 32 minutes flight by Hero of Russia Chief test pilot R.Taskaev and test pilot S.Kara. The flight was devoted to checking aircraft stability and controllability as well as take-off/landing parameters. The flight was a success.

The jet-combat trainer Yak-130 has been developed by Yakovlev Design Bureau – Irkut Corporation Daughter Company and assembled at Nozhni-Novgorod aviation plant for Russian AF.

Source: Yakovlev

EMBRAER DELIVERS 100th SUPER TUCANO AIRCRAFT

Brazilian Air Force receives this advanced training and light attack airplane

São José dos Campos, May 26, 2009

Embraer delivered the 100th Super Tucano aircraft, today, at the Company’s headquarters in São José dos Campos, State of São Paulo, Brazil. The Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) established the technical-operational requisites for this advanced turboprop, designated as the A-29 by the FAB, which has ordered 99 aircraft, and now receives this commemorative unit.

“We are proud to deliver the 100th aircraft specifically to the FAB, which was the first to operate the Super Tucano,” said Orlando José Ferreira Neto, Embraer Executive Vice President, Defense Market. “The FAB’s ability to establish challenging requisites that reflect real operating conditions was of paramount importance to our development of such a successful airplane. As a result, the Super Tucano offers the market’s best solution for more efficient tactical training, and the best operational adaptation, by incorporating leading edge technologies.”
Out of a total of 169 units sold, so far, Embraer has orders from the Air Forces of Chile, the

Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. The Super Tucano currently operates successfully with the Brazilian and Colombian Air Forces on air space surveillance and operational missions.

The Super Tucano, in its single- and two-seat versions, entered service with the FAB in December 2003, to be used both to train pilots and to fly operational missions. This flexibility makes the Super Tucano the only aircraft in production, in the world, that is capable of handling advanced pilot training, surveillance, and counter-insurgency missions, including at night, with the aid of night-vision goggles, and electro-optical and infra-red sensors. It also operates on rustic airfields and with a wide variety of qualified external load configurations.

Source: Embraer

Boeing KC-767J Aerial Refueling Tankers Join Active Air Wing in Japan

ST. LOUIS, May 26, 2009 – The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today announced that three KC-767J aerial refueling tankers recently achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) and have been placed in an active air wing in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).

“This is a historic achievement for the nation of Japan and a significant accomplishment for Boeing’s tanker program,” said Dave Bowman, vice president and general manager of Boeing Tanker Programs. “These wide-body KC-767Js are now providing the JASDF with its own aerial refueling capability for the first time in history, while improving its ability to deliver passengers or cargo.”

Officials with the Japan Ministry of Defense and JASDF officially designated the KC-767J tankers “operational” during an April ceremony at Komaki Air Base, Japan, after the aircraft successfully completed a yearlong technical evaluation.

The third of four KC-767J tankers ordered by Japan was ferried from Boeing’s Wichita, Kan., modification facility and delivered on time and within budget to the JASDF in March. The first two tankers were delivered to Japan in February and March 2008.

Boeing is scheduled to transfer the fourth Japan tanker to the company’s partner Itochu in December for delivery to the Ministry of Defense in the first quarter of 2010. Final work on that tanker is taking place at the Wichita modification center.

The KC-767 tanker, a military derivative of the proven Boeing 767-200 commercial airplane, features the company’s advanced aerial refueling boom and Remote Aerial Refueling Operator II system. Japan’s tankers are convertible tanker/freighter KC-767Js, which provide flexibility in carrying cargo or passengers while maintaining their primary role as aerial refueling tankers.

“Delivery of the first KC-767J aerial refueling tankers, and their achievement of IOC status just a few weeks after the arrival of Japan 3, are great milestones,” Bowman said. “Boeing has KC-767 international tankers that have been built, flown, tested, certified, delivered and in operational service today.”

Boeing also has two KC-767 tankers in comprehensive flight test for the Italian Air Force (ITAF) and is performing modification work on two additional ITAF tankers. The first tanker for Italy is scheduled for delivery this year.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

Source: Boeing

ASTRA AIRLINES OF GREECE ACQUIRES SECOND BAe 146

Hatfield, Hertfordshire – Astra Airlines of Greece has acquired a BAe 146-300 from BAE Systems Asset Management to add to its existing Series 300 that it has had in service since July 2008, when it commenced operations.

The second aircraft (msn E3193) was delivered in the third week of May and is configured in a 99-seat all economy class layout. The airline has chosen the BAe 146-300 because its low fixed costs make it an ideal option for a charter operator.

The airline is unique in being based at Thessaloniki in northern Greece from where it has conducted nearly 500 direct ad hoc and pre-scheduled charter flights on behalf of tour operators, agencies and brokers from Greece, Cyprus, Poland and Ukraine covering sporting and cultural events, trade fairs as well as incentive and pilgrim flights.

The Astra Airlines BAe 146-300 has flown to destinations across Greece as well as wider European centres such as Barcelona, Bremen, Dublin, Florence, Geneva, London, Milan, Paris, Prague and Vienna, as well as Tel-Aviv in Israel and Damascus in Syria.

The second aircraft has been acquired to help service this growing charter programme and also to launch its first scheduled operation between Thessaloniki and Kiev in Ukraine. In addition, the aircraft is required because Astra Airlines is expanding its existing ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) co-operation with Olympic Airways.

It currently flies on behalf of Olympic to Cyprus on the Athens- Larnaca route, and has also carried out more than 600 flights including to international destinations such as Alexandria, Beograd, Bucharest, Frankfurt, Rome, Sofia, Tirana and Vienna and the majority of Greek domestic destinations on behalf of the flag carrier. In addition, from this month, it is starting ACMI cooperation flights with Athens Airways, a scheduled Greek domestic operator.

Source: BAE

Raytheon to Build More AESA Radars for U.S. Navy Super Hornets

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 26, 2009 /PRNewswire/ — Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has been awarded a $54 million U.S. Navy contract to retrofit Super Hornet block II aircraft with APG-79 active electronically scanned array radars.

 

The award by the Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., calls for APG-79 AESA radars to be retrofitted into lots 26 to 29 of the F/A-18E/F aircraft. The units will replace the APG-73 radars currently installed in the aircraft, ensuring that pilots and aircrews are equipped with the most advanced technology available.

 

“Raytheon’s reliable, high-performance radar systems provide an affordable means for fleets to optimize fighter capabilities,” said Tom Kennedy, vice president for Tactical Airborne Systems. “The added reliability and maintainability of the APG-79 result in lower life-cycle costs and enhanced capabilities for the Navy.”

 

Raytheon has delivered 134 AESA radars to the Navy for the Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler aircraft. With this latest contract, orders for the retrofit of the 133 block II F/A-18s now total 38.

 

Work on the retrofit program will be performed in Forest, Miss.; Dallas; El Segundo; and Andover, Mass., and is expected to be completed in December 2010.

Source: Raytheon

Boeing B-52 With Combat Network Communications Upgrade Makes 1st Flight

WICHITA, Kan., May 22, 2009 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced the successful first flight of a B-52 Stratofortress upgraded with Combat Network Communications Technology (CONECT), a modification that equips the legendary B-52 with 21st-century situational awareness and mission flexibility. The aircraft made the 3.5-hour flight on May 21 from the Boeing Integrated Defense Systems facility in Wichita.

“The CONECT modification gives our warfighters equal footing in a network-centric battlefield,” said Scot Oathout, Boeing director of B-52 Programs. “It is fitting that this very airplane was delivered from Boeing Wichita in 1960 as the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. Air Force and now it’s on track to be delivered from Wichita again, transformed with a new capability for today’s mission.”

The CONECT modification installs a digital communications infrastructure in the B-52 that allows the aircraft to communicate with the Air Force’s digital communications network and tie in with Air Force command and control centers, ground forces and other platforms. This first aircraft will leave Wichita in June to go into flight test at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. All 76 aircraft in the fleet will receive the CONECT modification after the flight test program is complete.

Boeing employees celebrated the achievement today at a ceremony that also included Air Force staff, state and local elected officials, and representatives from the city of Wichita.

“We are excited to be taking the CONECT program into the flight test phase,” said Lt. Col. Darren Cochran of the Air Force’s 651st Aeronautical Systems Squadron, which is responsible for the development, acquisition, fielding, modernization and sustainment of the B-52. “I want to personally thank the men and women of The Boeing Company for their hard work and dedication to the B-52 in the past, today and in the future. Together, we continue to transform this platform for today’s fight.”

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world’s largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $32 billion business with 70,000 employees worldwide.

Boeing Completes First 787 Dreamliner Engine Runs

EVERETT, Wash., May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Boeing [NYSE: BA] continued to make steady progress toward the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner, completing the first engine runs on the all-new airplane. The occasion marks the first all-electric start of a commercial jetliner engine on a twin-aisle commercial jetliner; the engines had been started electronically in test facilities earlier.

Engine runs began at 9:30 a.m. (PDT) today and ended 40 minutes later. During initial engine runs, the engines are started and operated at various power settings to ensure all systems perform as expected. Today’s engine run test began with the Auxiliary Power System providing power to start the two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines.

Basic systems checks continued throughout the test. The engines were powered down and inspected and will be restarted following a technical review. The team completed a vibration check and monitored the shutdown logic to ensure it functioned as expected.

“We were very pleased with the performance on the engines during this test,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program. “We will now get ready for our intermediate and final gauntlet tests.”

Source: Boeing

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