Highly innovative Flap concept, annual production of 140 sets of flaps

30 November 2009 Today Stork Fokker AESP has signed an important contract with Airbus for the development and manufacturing of the composite outboard Flaps for the A350 XWB family of aircraft.  

Outboard flaps are increasing the surface-area of the wing during take-off and landing. The A350 XWB composite flaps have unique capabilities. For the first time differential flap settings are applied, enabling the center of lift to be moved depending on the loading scenario. Development activities, scheduled to last 18 months, have already started in Papendrecht in close collaboration with Airbus Operating Company in Bremen with first hardware deliveries in 2011. During serial production, Fokker intends to produce 140 sets of flaps annually. The new contract will ensure employment for 100 specialists.

 This contract recognizes Fokker’s position as a specialist in complex lightweight aerostructures. The company recently won the contract for the JSF Flaperons and already produces the inboard flaps for the Boeing 747-8 and the Flaperons for the F16. Fokker and Airbus have a long lasting business relationship. The company is an important supplier on the A380 for the Glare (glass fibre reinforced) fuselage panels and the thermoplastic leading edge. The awarded contract expands this position to the latest Airbus program and is therefore considered a real milestone.

 “We are delighted with the opportunity for growth and development of highly qualified employment that this contract brings. It is an excellent achievement for Dutch aerospace industry proving that collaboration between knowledge institutes, industry and government creates a fruitful innovative environment, enabling the industry to win substantial orders in new aircraft programs “says Henk Valk Executive Vice President.

Source: Fokker Stork

Komsomolsk-on-Amur aviation plant supplied modernized Su jets to Russian Air Force

Yemenia airline avoids EU blacklist again

BRUSSELS – The European Union added all airlines from Djibouti, the Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe to its airline safety blacklist on Friday, but Yemenia Yemen Airways avoided inclusion despite a fatal crash in June.

EU authorities threatened Yemenia with a ban if it failed to act after one of its airliners crashed in the Indian Ocean in June, killing all but one of the 153 passengers and crew on board.

“The efforts deployed by Yemenia to correct the identified safety deficiencies in the various audits are acknowledged,” the European Commission said in a statement.

“The list was extended to include all air carriers certified in Djibouti, Republic of Congo and Sao Tome and Principe because of safety deficiencies identified in the system of oversight by the aviation authorities of these countries,” it added.

The Commission noted evidence that airlines registered in Sao Tome and Principe suffered an unusually high level of accidents, and also that it was becoming a haven for dangerous airlines attempting to circumvent bans on their home countries.

“There is evidence that some air carriers currently subject to an operating ban within the European Community have been relocating part of their activity in Sao Tome and Principe,” it said in a statement.

The ban on the Republic of Congo came after International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) raised safety concerns, and follows the crash of a cargo aircraft in August, which killed all six occupants.

The Commission reported progress by Angola’s state-owned airline TAAG, allowing the carrier to increase the number of aircraft it uses on flights to Portugal.

TAAG was banned from the EU in 2007, leading to massive financial losses, but the government is trying to turn it around after sacking the entire board of directors last November. It suspended a pilot in April for accidentally landing at the wrong airport.

Source: business.maktoob.com

Qatar Airways CEO hits out at 787 delay again

DUBAI – Qatar Airways’ CEO has again criticised Boeing over delays to the plane maker’s 787 Dreamliner and threatened to walk away from a 60-aircraft order.

Akbar al-Baker said in comments aired on Thursday that he will “cancel the orders” if deliveries slip any further.

“I am not playing with words … I want my aircraft earlier … We gave them ultimatum to accept the conditions because they have been continuously delaying the delivery,” he told British broadcaster the BBC.

“If this is the way they treat customers they will not only miss me but other countries as well.”

Qatar Airways has firm orders for 30 787s and options for 30 more.

Baker has been an outspoken critic of the delays to the 787, which is already two years behind its original schedule.

The aircraft was set to fly in the second quarter of 2009, but as yet has still to take its first test flight.

Baker in June threatened to become an exclusive Airbus customer and pull its 787 and 777 orders over delivery delays, saying “the writing is in the wall for Boeing and they don’t care”.

Baker said later that month Qatar Airways expects to receive its first four 787s by the end of 2011 and its entire order of 30 planes by 2015.

Sources: business.maktoob.com

Air France Super Jumbo A380 forced to turn back over Atlantic

An Airbus airplane was forced to turn back to New York 90 minutes into a flight to Paris, Air France said Monday.

The Air France A380 turned back due to a “minor incident,” the airline said, refusing to say what the technical hitch was.

Airbus also declined to specify what caused the plane to turn back, saying the incident was an issue for the Air France maintenance team not the aircraft’s manufacturer.

The pilots made the decision to turn back “in strict accordance with procedures and as a precautionary measure… following a minor technical problem in order to carry out ground checks,” Air France said.

The plane landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International airport “without incident” at 10:17 p.m. ET on Friday, November 27, Air France said. The plane was serviced and later completed its transatlantic journey, the airline said.

Air France had begun flying the brand-new A380 across the Atlantic only days before, Airbus said.

Its inaugural commercial flight from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport to JFK was on November 21.

BAE Systems Bae 146 success in Indonesia

BAE Systems announced at the LIMA ‘09 International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in Langkawi today that it has clinched another sale of a BAe 146 regional jetliner into Indonesia.

PT Aviastar Mandiri, a certified air charter operator, has bought a BAe 146-200 which has just been delivered, and will be operated on behalf of Transnusa Air Services in a 98 seat all-economy layout. It will be based at Denpasar Airport in Bali and will operate to destinations in East Nusa Tenggara.

Indonesia is becoming a very strong market for the BAe 146/Avro RJ family and so far this year BAE Systems has placed four aircraft into the country. Aviastar Mandiri bought another BAe 146-200 in June, while PT Nusantara Air Charter also bought a Series 200 passenger airliner from BAE Systems and a Series 200QT (Quiet Trader) freighter in a deal brokered by BAE Systems in the summer.

Mr Raj Singh, Director Sales and Leasing Asia for BAE Systems Regional Aircraft said: “Indonesia is a very receptive market for us at the moment and we are actively engaged in further discussions with a number of operators. The geography of the country means that regional air transport can often be the only reliable means of getting passengers and goods from one area to another. The BAe 146/Avro RJ family has the airfield performance, economics and price tag to make it a strong contender for these roles.”

There are three variants of the aircraft operating with seven carriers in Indonesia – a total of 11 aircraft so far.

Scheduled and charter passenger operations are carried out by PT Riau Airlines with two Avro RJ100s, by Aviastar Mandiri with two BAe 146-200s, by PT Manunggal Air with two BAe 146-100s, by PT Nusantara Air Charter with its Series 200 and by PT Air Maleo with a single BAe 146-100.

Freighter operations are carried out by the BAe 146-200QT operated by PT Nusantara Air Charter.

Two Avro Business Jet variants are operated by PT Pelita Air Service (one RJ85) and by PT Airfast Indonesia who fly a corporately-configured BAe 146-100 on behalf of Metro TV, Indonesia’s first 24-hour news station.

BAE Systems Hawk AJT creates a buzz at RAF Valley

BAE Systems has welcomed the start of the next generation of the UK MoD’s combat training with the phased arrival throughout this year of the new Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales. This represents a major milestone in the RAF’s long involvement with BAE Systems’ Hawk programme.

On arrival, each Hawk AJT, known to the RAF as the Hawk TMk2, is put through its paces as the training syllabus begins to take shape, to help RAF pilots transition to handling current and future generation military jets such as the Typhoon and F-35 Lightning II. Under a £450m contract, a total of 28 aircraft were ordered by the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Mark Kane, Managing Director for BAE Systems’ Air Mission and Support Services said:

“I am delighted that there are an increasing number of new Hawk AJTs being delivered to our customer, with 17 of the 28 aircraft contract now accepted. BAE Systems is very proud to be associated with operations at RAF Valley, where our presence has grown over the last 12 years. We are playing a key role in the successful entry into service of the Hawk AJT, with an innovative and challenging support package that will hold us responsible not only for the number of aircraft made available on a daily basis for training flights, where we consistently exceed the 95% ‘dispatch reliability’ level set by the customer, but, in an industry first, ensuring that the aircraft are able to carry out the chosen mission, known as ‘duty carried out’”.
 
In charge of the growing Hawk TMk2 fleet at RAF Valley is Squadron Leader Dan Beard, Flight Commander for the new planes. He said they were creating a “fantastic buzz” for all involved. The first of the planes was delivered in February 2009. Squadron Leader Beard said it is clear that the current focus was on the aircraft acceptance process, including shake-down flights and other testing. Work was also under way to redesign the training syllabus to take account of the very different more advanced capabilities of the new aircraft, compared to the current fleet of Hawk TMk1s. Instructor training will start midway through 2010, with the first students flying the aircraft towards the end of 2011.

In Squadron Leader Beard’s words, the AJT was a “massive leap forward” that will give students the cockpit environment and advanced avionics of front-line aircraft such as Typhoon.

“It is almost a misnomer to call it a Hawk because it is such a totally different aircraft – from the outside it looks like a Hawk but inside it is a totally different beast. The T1 Hawk was designed for training for a previous generation of frontline aircraft, such as Phantoms, Buccaneers and Jaguars, and that’s what sitting in its cockpit is like. It means we have had a growing capability gap between the training we can do at RAF Valley and what the latest front-line combat aircraft do,” he said.

Squadron Leader Beard continued “Although we have still been able to produce pilots with the skills and capacity to deal with those frontline aircraft, now we will be able to train them in an aircraft that looks and feels just like the front-line aircraft they are going to fly. There is a fantastic buzz for us in flying this new aircraft and there’s also a big buzz on the base about the change to T2 operations. Everyone who is involved with it is very excited, and I think it’s fair to say that people outside RAF Valley who are not yet involved are possibly a little bit jealous, and looking forward to the day when we start training everybody on the new aircraft.”

BAE Systems has been involved in operations at RAF Valley since 1997, when the Hawk Synthetic Training Facility (HSTF) was opened. In 2001 the Company was awarded a Ground School contract for technical and survival training, and June 2007 saw the introduction of the Hawk Integrated Operational Support (Hawk IOS) programme, delivered with BAE Systems’ sub-contractor partner Babcock Defence Services. This involves the provision of both forward and depth maintenance of the Hawk TMk1 fleet at RAF Valley.

Boeing Receives Follow-on Contract for B-1 Targeting Pod Software Upgrades

Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced it has received a $23 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for Phase 2 of the B-1 Laptop Controlled Targeting Pod software upgrade. The upgrade will add additional capability to the B-1 bomber aircraft’s targeting system by allowing it to more accurately identify both stationary and moving targets.

Boeing in April finished development on the contract’s Phase 1, a $28 million hardware and software-development phase. The Air Force so far has updated 40 of its 66 B-1s with the software and hardware that allows the aircraft to use the 15 interchangeable Sniper pods and the associated laptops assigned to the fleet.

Phase 2 will complete the integration of the Sniper pod with the B-1 software to deliver single-moving-target kill capability using the Guided Bomb Unit-54 (GBU-54) Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (Laser JDAM). Laser JDAM adds a precision laser guidance set to the standard JDAM tail kit to acquire, track and engage mobile targets. The Air Force fielded the Laser JDAM in May 2008 and has used it successfully in combat.

An additional improvement will enable the targeting pod to find stationary targets and automatically send the target GPS coordinates via the B-1’s avionics system to the weapons. This removes the need to enter the coordinates manually, dramatically reducing both response time and the potential for error.

“The B-1 is a highly adaptable platform capable of contributing in all types of warfare,” said Mahesh Reddy, Boeing B-1 program manager. “Continuing to upgrade the bomber and its tactics, such as the targeting pod, allows it to remain flexible and reliable.”

Boeing will begin design and development of the Phase 2 software immediately. The software is expected to enter testing in February 2011.

Lockheed Martin Delivers First Production F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has marked successful entry into low rate initial production on the F-35 Lightning II Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS). The first production units have been delivered to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth, TX, for integration onto the aircraft.  

Embedded into the F-35’s fuselage with an innovative faceted sapphire window, the low-drag, stealthy EOTS is the world’s first and only sensor combining forward-looking infrared and infrared search and track functionality. The F-35 EOTS will provide Lightning II pilots with significant air-to-air and air-to-ground situational awareness in a single compact and completely passive sensor. 

“Our team looks forward to meeting its commitment to provide a superior targeting system to F-35 pilots around the world as we gear up to produce more than 3,000 units,” said Rich Hinkle, program director of F-35 Lightning II EOTS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This delivery marks a pivotal achievement for the EOTS as we transition from a system design and development program to a production program.” 

The F-35 EOTS production is ramping up to produce up to 200 units a year. “The outlook for the F-35 program is very strong,” Hinkle said. “Our success in supporting the program is vital to the F-35’s mission to provide dominant airpower across the full air-to-air, air-to-ground mission spectrum.” 

The latest generation infrared sensor technology, the F-35 EOTS builds upon the success of Lockheed Martin’s Sniper^® Advanced Targeting Pod to provide high-resolution imagery, automatic target tracking, infrared-search-and-track, laser designation and range finding, as well as laser spot tracking—all at greatly increased standoff ranges. Modular components allow the F-35 EOTS to be maintained on the flight line for true two-level maintenance.

Source and picture: Lockheed Martin

China to launch second lunar probe

Beijing, China  — China will launch a second lunar probe next October, state-run media reported Friday.

The probe, named Chang’e-2, will orbit 60 miles (100 km) closer to the moon than the nation’s first probe, which launched in 2007, according to China Daily.

That unmanned probe, Chang-e-1, hit the moon in a controlled crash in March after a 16-month mission.

Chang’e-2 is part of the second phase of China’s ambitious lunar exploration program Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP). In the third phase, scheduled for 2017, China plans to send a spacecraft to collect samples on the moon, China Daily reported.

The country’s space program has made significant steps this decade.

In 2003 China became the third nation, after the United States and Russia, to put a person in orbit. That year, Yang Liwei was celebrated as a national hero when he became the first Chinese in space.

Five years later, Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese to make a spacewalk.

Zimbabwe cargo plane crashes in China

Three crew members were killed when a Zimbabwe-registered cargo plane crashed and caught fire on take-off at Shanghai’s Pudong airport.

The plane left the runway and crashed into a storage building, sending thick black smoke billowing across the scene.

The plane, with a total of seven crew members on board, Avient Aviation McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighter, registration Z-BAV  aircraft destined to Bishkek, capital of Kyrgyzstan. It flew out of the runway and crashed at the safety zone of the airport at around 8:12 am. It is believed that a failure to lower the plane’s undercarriage might have caused the accident.

The police, firefighters and armed police soon rushed to the site for the rescue and blocked the area, and the fire, which also lead to an ignition of a nearby warehouse that belongs to China Eastern Airlines, was put off at around 9 am.

So far the four injured were receiving treatments at the nearby Pudong People’s Hospital, one of them was reported to be seriously injured.

Shanghai television reported that the tail of the plane had broken into two or three parts, and that hundreds of firefighters were at the scene.

Ryanair and Easyjet announce route expansion

Low-cost carriers Ryanair and Easyjet are both bucking the trend for capacity cuts, with the announcement of further fleet and route expansion in 2010.

Six new Airbus A319s will increase Easyjet’s fleet to 185 aircraft, enabling the carrier to operate a total of 449 routes next year, including three new routes from UK airports. Meanwhile Ryanair’s plans include the extension of its services to and from Trapani, Sicily with the opening of 13 new routes and the addition of two new aircraft, doubling their fleet based on the island.

Easyjet’s ten new routes are being introduced from February 8, 2010 and include flights from Liverpool to Malta, London Stansted to Cagliari in Sardinia, and Manchester to the Finnish capital Helsinki.

1 februari 2010	Dusseldorf – Rome Ciampino
2 februari 2010	Londen Gatwick – Hamburg
2 februari 2010	Dusseldorf – Londen Gatwick
8. februari 2010	Parijs Charles de Gaulle til Helsinki
9. februari 2010	Parijs Charles de Gaulle til Catania (Sicilië)
9. februari 2010	Parijs Charles de Gaulle til Agadir
11. februari 2010	Milaan Malpensa til Casablanca
11. februari 2010	Milaan Malpensa til Agadir
12. februari 2010	Milaan Malpensa til Porto
28. maart 2010	London Stansted til Cagliari (Sardinië)
28. maart 2010	Manchester til Helsinki
30. maart 2010	Milaan Malpensa til Malta
13. juni 2010	Liverpool til Malta

Ryanair estimates that its move will deliver an extra two million passengers per year to the airport. Services begin in March 2010, with destinations including Genoa, Krakow and Gothenburg. A number of current flights from Sicily will benefit from increased frequency, including Brussels, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf.

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