Winging Wingi ng it Airbus ready to fly laminar-flow adaptation as its oldest A340 gets novel look for EU study 1 12 2
United front Why Moscow is bringing MC-21 and Superjet manufacturers’ activities under one roof 17
12-18 September 2017
Star return Reborn Dornier amphibian will be making waves soon, after 26-year hiatus 25
flightglobal.com
FUTURE COMBA COMBAT T
Afte A fterr the Raptor How will a next-generation air dominance fighter outgun Washington’s mighty F-22?
£3.70 3 7
9
7 70 01 5 3 7 12 97
AT-802L LONGSWORD™ SIMPLE. EFFECTIVE. AFFORDABLE.
A POWERFUL, YET AFFORDABLE, PLATFORM FROM L3 AND AIR TRACTOR, INC. The AT-802L LongswordTM combines the strength and simplicity of the Air Tractor AT-802 with leadingedge technologies to deliver outstanding ISR and light strike capability. With best-in-class payload and endurance, Longsword carries both FAA and Military Type certifications and has the persistence and performance to guarantee mission success. Featuring an affordable purchase price and lower operating costs than trainer-based attack aircraft, Longsword is one of the most cost-effective weapon systems in the world. Proven and practical, it’s proof that simplicity can be highly effective. To learn more about L3, email us at:
[email protected]. L3T.com/PID/Longsword
L3T.COM AEROSPACE SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS COMMUNICATION COMMUNICA TION SYSTEMS SENSOR SYSTEMS
PLATFORM INTEGRATION
AT-802L LONGSWORD™ SIMPLE. EFFECTIVE. AFFORDABLE.
A POWERFUL, YET AFFORDABLE, PLATFORM FROM L3 AND AIR TRACTOR, INC. The AT-802L LongswordTM combines the strength and simplicity of the Air Tractor AT-802 with leadingedge technologies to deliver outstanding ISR and light strike capability. With best-in-class payload and endurance, Longsword carries both FAA and Military Type certifications and has the persistence and performance to guarantee mission success. Featuring an affordable purchase price and lower operating costs than trainer-based attack aircraft, Longsword is one of the most cost-effective weapon systems in the world. Proven and practical, it’s proof that simplicity can be highly effective. To learn more about L3, email us at:
[email protected]. L3T.com/PID/Longsword
L3T.COM AEROSPACE SYSTEMS ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS COMMUNICATION COMMUNICA TION SYSTEMS SENSOR SYSTEMS
PLATFORM INTEGRATION
CONTENTS Volume Volu me 192 Number
5603
12-18 SEPTEMBER 2017
NEWS Wingingit
Airbusreadyto d yto flylaminar-flow adaptationas itsoldestA340 getsnovel look forEUstudy12 forEUstudy 12
Unitedfront
WhyMoscowis bringingMC-21 andSuperjet manufacturers’ activitiesunder oneroof 17 oneroof 17
THIS WEEK Social media likes Lilium fundraising OEM scepticism greets mega-merge mega-merger r An-2 airworthiness expired five years before fatal crash. Taxi trials prepare C919 for return to test flights 9 United goes big on smaller A350 deal. MRJ resumes testing after engine flameout 11 Pentagon targets Silicon Valley Valley software
Starreturn
RebornDornier amphibianwill bemaking wavessoon, after26-year hiatus25 hiatus 25
12-18 September 2017
6 7 8
flightglobal.com
FUTURECOMBAT
After the Rapto Raptorr Howwilla next-generationairdominance fighteroutgunWashington’smightyF-22?
n i t r a I £3.70
37
9
FI
_
_
. ni
770015371297
/
/
:
M d e e h k c o L
COVER IMAGE As the US Air Force starts assessing requirements for a next-generation air dominance platform, this Lockheed Martin graphic gives a glimpse of what could follow the F-22 P30
NEWS FOCUS 12 Airbus to harness fuel saving which is waiting in the wings 22 Raising consciousness in the battle against pilot hypoxia AIR TRANSPORT 777s, but Aeroflot Aeroflot delays A350s. 14 More 777s,
e c r o F r i A S U
USAF seeks more data on F-35A pilot hypoxia
70,000hp stress test for UltraFan gearbox
home countries to level 15 SAS looks beyond home playing field. GoAir defers deliveries over P&W engine issues 16 Procedural lapses caused Senegal crash. EASA orders action on A350 fire danger United 17 Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, Irkut to be United
n i t r a M d e e h k c o L
BEHIND THE HEADLINES Leigh Giangreco (pictured ) visited Cobham i in n Orchard Park, New York, to hear
DEFENCE 18 Suppliers target target Polish rotorcraf rotorcraftt need. Eurofighter suggests pairing Typhoon, F-16 19 Kenya Longsword Longsword deal deal is valid, GAO says. Vixen 500E rada radarr boosts boosts Rom Romania anian n demonstrator Stallion gains pace pace with LRIP LRIP deal. 21 King Stallion Slovakia’s first Black Hawk makes public debut BUSINESS BUSINE SS AVIA AVIATION TION VistaJet Jet expa expansio nsion n plan plan gets $200 $200m m 24 Vista
about the company’s work to address pilot oxygen issues (P22). In Toulouse, Michael Gubisch studied a laminar-flow A340 (P12)
investment support. Production-standard Production-sta ndard G600 makes debut 25 One Aviation tests EA700 wing update. New-generation Seastar rolled out
P22
COVER STORY 30 Shaping its future For the US Air Force, total
air domination is a strategic imperative – so identifying the technologies it needs to outclass rising threats beyond 2030 is an urgent mission
FEATURES 26 F-22 RAPTOR Master of the air faces new threats Lockheed Martin’s F-22 has been the world’ss undisputed air superiority champion for world’ two decades. The US Air Force plans to make sure it rules the skies for years to come
REGULARS 5 36 37 39 40 43
Comment Letters Straight & Level Level Classified Jobs Working Week
l a b o l G t h g i l F / n o l l e M s e m a J
NEXT WEEK A380 WEEK A380
r e t p o c i l e H l l e B , t u k r I
Airbus tried to change the game with its superjumbo: is its A380 winning after a decade of airline service? UAC to merge Irkut with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft P17. Bell promotes AH-1Z for Polish attack requirement P18
Download the Military Simulator Census online now. www.fightglobal.com/milisim CAE oers training centres, training services, and simulation products for trainer and ghter aircraft.
flightglobal.com
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 3
CONTENTS
Image of the week A tail-mounted camera captures a record-breaking moment as the Perlan II glider soars to an altitude of 52,000ft. The Airbusbacked project saw pilots Jim Payne and Morgan Sandercock make history on 3 September, during a flight from El Calafate in the south of Argentina
View mor more e great great avia aviation tion shots online and in our weekly tablet edition: flightglobal.com/ flight-international
s u b r i A
The week in numbers
90%
Question of the week Last week, we asked: Aerospace industry consolidation? You said: You Flight Dashboard
Total votes:
559
Q2 pre-tax profit soared to SKr1.97bn ($247m) at SAS Group, which now expects full-year profit to top 2016’ 2016’ss SKr939m
€150m
45%
Only at the lower end 174 votes
24%
Flight Dashboard
Bigger is not better 251 votes
European regulators approved a bridging loan to Air Berlin to facilitate an “orderly wind-down of the insolvent airline”
Major shake-up imminent 134 votes
31%
39
Flight Dashboard
Claiming a European first, Virgin Atlantic has fitted all of its aircraft with wireless broadband – either Gogo or Panasonic
This week, we ask: Who should build the USAF’s next fighter? Boeing ❑ Lockheed Martin ❑ Northrop Grumman General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Vote Vo te at flightglobal.com ❑ ❑
FlightGlobal’s premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with profiles, schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information flightglobal.com/dashboard
load the new Engines Directory Download theCommercial 2017 Commercial Engines Report
nload The Engine Directory Directory..
now with updated enhanced data and in-depth market analysis ith enhanced data and in-depth market analysis
tglobal.com/ComEngDirectory tfightglobal.com/commengines loba lo bal. l.co com/ m/co comm mmen en in ines es13 13 4 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
flightglobal.com
COMMENT
Symbiosis, strained Boeing may have justified scepticism about consolidation in the aerospace supply chain, but it would do well to remember the origin of the forces driving the latest wave of merger activity
f any two companies ought to enjoy a close relation-
Iship, it should be Boeing and United Technologies.
From 1929 to 1934, Boeing and UTC even belonged to the same company – United Aircraft and Transport. Decades later, many of UTC’s products, including the electric power and generation system for the 787 and 777X, seem intrinsic to new Boeing aircraft. But the two companies are locked in a disagreement that extends far beyond UTC’s decision to acquire avionics supplier Rockwell Collins. Indeed, the debate between UTC, as the propulsion and systems supplier, and Boeing, as the aircraft designer and assembler, is really a dispute over the forces now shaking up the entire aerospace industry supply chain. It is tempting to pick sides, but it is also possible to appreciate that each has legitimate concerns.
UTC is placed in the awkward position of competing against its biggest client for services deals From Boeing’s perspective, the OEM spends a disproportionately large share of its capital on research and development to bring new aircraft to market and assumes the bulk of the risk of commercial failure, yet struggles to claim half the operating margins enjoyed by many of its own suppliers. That has driven a provocative new strategy, which calls for steep price concessions from suppliers and involves a push deep into an aftermarket sector dominated by those same companies. UTC, on the other hand, is placed in the awkward position of competing against its biggest customer on services deals. At the same time, Boeing is asking suppliers to assume greater risk in development, yet
k c o t s r e t t u h S / X E R / c n I s c i P n g i s e D
A bit of give and take receive lower rewards in terms of pricing and aftermarket opportunity. Indeed, it is these pressures that many believe are the ultimate driver for the latest merger. A business combining Collins’ avionics and information systems with UTC’s electronics and power equipment could wield enormous pricing influence. But it would also have more capital for innovation. Self-interest, clearly, is driving Boeing’s supply chain strategy, which is not unreasonable. But it has to expect a similarly selfish response from the tier ones. When Boeing complained that UTC and Collins should avoid becoming distracted from their production commitments, the suppliers could have – and perhaps should have – responded that the launch of Boeing Global Services is an equally needless distraction. In the end, Boeing needs suppliers as much – if not more – than suppliers need Boeing, and company leaders would be wise to integrate that reality into strategic planning. ■ See This Week P7
Fighter update V3.1 s the US Air Force contemplates how to field a
Anext-generation air dominance capability by 2030,
Stay up to date with the latest news and analysis from the commercial aviation industry: flightglobal.com/dashboard flightglobal.com
a key piece of the puzzle may have just come to light. Whoever ends up making that aircraft will have to grapple with how to design and execute short-lived software applications within the military’s long-term development cycles. The solution? US defence officials say they are now close to fully embracing Silicon Valley’s iterative approach to software and electronics refresh cycles for military aircraft, starting with the Lockheed Martin F-35. The announcement represents a seismic shift. If executed properly, it could finally break military aviation’s struggle with keeping software and electronics
relevant over the decade-plus cycle for developing new airframes and engines. That is not to suggest the new approach is a panacea. Silicon Valley-style refresh rates work in the relatively benign environment of an Apple iPad, but are not easily reconciled with airworthiness certification. It also would not accelerate the timelines required to design and test aerodynamic and propulsion technology. But many of the electronics and sensors vital to a modern combat aircraft have no impact on airworthiness. Finding ways to refresh that technology on monthly or even weekly cycles could transform the military’s ability to field a next-generation aircraft on time. ■ See This Week P11, Feature P30 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 5
THIS WEEK Keep up with the latest news and read in-depth analysis from the business aviation sector: flightglobal.com/bizav
BRIEFING QANTAS PICKS AIRFRAMER FOR A380 WORK INTERIORS Qantas has selected Airbus to refurbish the forward upper decks of its dozen A380s, with the airframer to install a new business lounge area between mid-2019 and the end of 2020. A new and “unique” business lounge area will be installed on the forward upper deck, and Airbus is to develop “specific tailored monuments” for the business and premium economy cabins. Work is scheduled to start during the second quarter of 2019 and be completed around the end of 2020. SKYWEST PLUMPS FOR E175 ACQUISITION AIRLINE US regional carrier SkyWest Airlines has ordered 25
Embraer 175s, in a deal valued at $1.1 billion at list prices. The Brazilian airframer says the aircraft will be listed in its backlog for the third quarter, and delivered in 2018. SkyWest says 15 will be configured with 70 seats initially, and the rest with 76.
AIRBUS REPORTS QUIET SALES IN AUGUST DATA Airbus formally recorded 10 A321s for budget airline Wizz Air, disclosed during June’s Paris air show, in an otherwise quiet August. Only two other aircraft were ordered: an A320neo for US carrier Frontier Airlines, and a private A319neo. The agreements take Airbus’s overall net orders this year to 215. It delivered 399 aircraft over the period, virtually matching the 400 transferred over the same interval a year earlier. LATE-RUNNING KA-62 DUE IN 2020 DEVELOPMENT Russian Helicopters intends to commence certification trials of its late-running Kamov Ka-62 medium-twin in early 2018, leading to approval and service entry in 2020. A pair of flight-test articles have now been produced. First flight of the 6.5t Ka-62 had originally been scheduled for 2013, but repeated and unexplained delays have hindered its progress.
DEVELOPMENT STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Social media likes Lilium fundraising $90m in additional capital for start-up will speed progress on electric air taxi, with backing from Silicon Valley royalty tart-up aircraft designer Lilium
Shas closed a $90 million round of financing, garnering support from the founders of Skype and Twitter, to continue developing a five-seat, electric-powered, vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle as an air taxi scheduled to enter service by 2025. The Series B funding announced on 7 September came five months after Lilium demonstrated vertical take-off and transition to forward flight with an unmanned prototype of the electric-powered aircraft, using a distributed propulsion system, the company says. With overall capital raised in excess of $100 million, Lilium can expand its staff to 70 to prepare for a scheduled first flight of a manned Lilium Jet in 2019. “Our backers recognise that Lilium’s innovative eVTOL technology puts us in the lead in this
exciting new industry, with no other company promising the economy, speed, range and low noise levels of the Lilium Jet,” says Lilium co-founder and chief executive Daniel Wiegand. The Lilium Jet is promised to deliver speeds up to 160kt (300km/h) for 1h on a single charge of the aircraft’s batteries. If used as an air taxi, Lilium cites a 5min journey by air from Manhattan to New York-JFK airport. Instead of relying on quadrotors or tilting engines or wings, the designers of the Lilium Jet embedded 36 electric jet thrusters into the flaps along the trailing edges of a forward canard and rear-mounted wing. The flaps point the jet exhaust downward for vertical take-off or landing. Retracting the flaps moves the direction of jet exhaust to a horizontal position for highspeed cruise. ■
INDIAN MILITARY ADDS TO DHRUV BACKLOG ROTORCRAFT India’s army and navy have signed orders for another 40 and one Hindustan Aeronautics Dhruv advanced light helicopters, respectively. Their commitments are worth a combined Rs61 billion ($976 million) over a five-year period. The new orders follow a joint buy by the Indian coastguard and navy for 16 Dhruvs each in March. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows the Indian army as operating 115 Dhruvs, and the navy eight. IRAN AIR WAITS ON NEXT ATR BATCH DELIVERIES Iran Air is expecting to take delivery of two more ATR 72s around September-October, Tehran’s deputy transport minister, Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, has disclosed. The Iranian government has defined financing packages covering seven aircraft, with the ministry stating that it has been communicating with five financial companies in China, Norway and elsewhere in Europe. Iran Air reached a final agreement earlier this year on taking 20 ATR 72-600s, with an initial four delivered. FLIGHT ASCEND BOLSTERS APPRAISAL TEAM APPOINTMENT Flight Ascend Consultancy has recruited ISTAT-accredited David Griffin to its valuations and appraisal team. Based in FlightGlobal’s New York office, Griffin joins from US aviation appraisal firm BK Associates, where he has served as assistant vice-president since 2015. 6 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
r e t p o c i l e H l l e B
ROTORCRAFT
Bell has another tilt with first V-280 Bell Helicopter has completed assembly of the first prototype of its V-280 Valor tiltrotor. The airframer is preparing to perform an initial ground run at its Amarillo, Texas facility, with a maiden sortie planned for later this autumn. The V-280, which builds on lessons from the V-22 Osprey, is Bell’s proposal for the US Army’s next-generation vertical-lift requirement. It faces competition from a joint Boeing-Sikorsky team, which is working on the SB-1 Defiant. flightglobal.com
THIS WEEK
Taxi trials prepare C919 for return to test flights This Week P8
ACQUISITION STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
OEM scepticism greets mega-merger United Technologies unveils multi-billion-dollar move for Rockwell Collins, but Airbus and Boeing question value of deal
I
f you want to know how highly avionics and cabin systems are valued by the aerospace industry, consider United Technologies’ (UTC) last two billion-dollar deals: three years ago, it sold the $7.5 billion-turnover Sikorsky helicopter business to Lockheed Martin for $9 billion. Now, UTC has agreed to acquire Rockwell Collins’ $8.3 billion-revenue portfolio. The price? $30 billion. In an aerospace industry grappling with attempts to redefine the value chain, UTC’s consummated pursuit of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based cabin and cockpit specialist highlights the growing might of software and applications in an industry usually defined by aerodynamics and propulsion. The proposed combination completes a key piece in UTC’s corporate structure, uniting Pratt & Whitney’s propulsion systems and the aircraft systems and flight controls of United Technologies Aerospace Systems with Collins’ flightdeck displays, connectivity and interiors. UTC would lack only the metallic or composite fuselage and wing to make an entire aircraft. “Together, Rockwell Collins and UTC Aerospace Systems will enhance customer value in a rapidly evolving aerospace industry by making aircraft more intelligent and more connected,” says UTC chairman and chief executive Greg Hayes. The combination also upsets the aircraft OEMs’ hopes to disrupt the structure of the supply chain. With a goal of reaching 15% operating margins – a standard figure for tier one suppliers, but almost double the aircraft OEM norm – Boeing has applied pressure on suppliers to lower costs, even as the aircraft designer encroaches into lucrative aftermarket services previously delegated downstream. It also recently announced a plan to move into the avionics flightglobal.com
On top of that, Boeing reserves the option to oppose a merger between companies that supply avionics, interiors, auxiliary power units, electric systems and flight controls for multiple commercial and military aircraft, including the 787 and 777X. HEALTH CHECK
s e g a m I m a e T r i A
Avionics firm has strong presence on 787, including head-up displays development business. Airbus has stopped short of standing up an independent services business, but is also promising higher volumes to suppliers that lower costs. By joining forces, a combined UTC and Collins business could improve their position to fight back, preserving their margins while growing market share. UTC predicts the merger can yield $500 million in cost savings between the two companies within four years. As UTC’s geared turbofan and Collins’ newly-acquired interiors business – the former B/E Aero-
space – struggle to meet the industry’s rising demand, Airbus and Boeing urged two of their top suppliers to not allow the acquisition to distract them. “Both companies are significant suppliers to Boeing and other OEMs, and at a time of record industry production, their first priority should be delivering on existing cost, schedule and quality commitments for their customers and ours,” Boeing says. “Our priority and focus today is solely on delivering aircraft,” says Airbus. “Our hope is that this [step] will not distract UTC from its top operational priority.”
“We intend to take a hard look at the proposed combination… until we receive more details, we are sceptical that it would be in the best interest of – or add value to – our customers and industry,” Boeing says. “Our interests and those of our customers, employees, other suppliers and shareholders are in ensuring the long-term health and competitiveness of the aerospace industry supply chain. Should we determine that this deal is inconsistent with those interests, we would intend to exercise our contractual rights and pursue the appropriate regulatory options to protect our interests.” UTC officials argue that the deal will benefit Airbus and Boeing, by creating more financial leverage to allow it to pursue new innovations. “This will be good for our customers,” Hayes says. “This will be good for the industry because it gives us the scale to do things we couldn’t do on our own.” ■
FINANCE ELLIS TAYLOR PERTH
Acquisition will create $37 billion-turnover supply-chain giant United Technologies’ (UTC) plan to acquire Rockwell Collins in a $30 billion cash and shares transaction will cement its place as one of the world’s largest aerospace suppliers. Collins itself recently bought interiors specialist B/E Aerospace, and the UTC deal will create a supply-chain giant with combined aerospace revenues of at least $37.19 billion, based on the 2016 figures pub-
lished in Flight International ’s recent Top 100 listing. The merger will not move the business up the rankings, although it will close on third-placed Lockheed Martin, which had revenues of $47.2 billion in 2016. The transaction is set to be completed in the third quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory and shareholder approvals. Once the deal is finalised, Rockwell Collins will be reorgan-
ised under UTC as Collins Aerospace Systems, which will be led by current chief Kelly Ortberg. Dave Gitlin will serve as the unit’s president and chief operating officer. UTC owns engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney and aircraft systems and sensors specialist United Technologies Aerospace Systems. That unit was formed through the merger of Goodrich and Hamilton Sundstrand in 2015. ■
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 7
THIS WEEK For up-to-the-minute air transport news, network and fleet information sign up at: flightglobal.com/dashboard ACCIDENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
An-2 airworthiness expired five years before fatal crash k c o t s r e t t u h S / X E R / a n i h c e n i g a m I
Comac says it has been making small improvements to aircraft 101 DEVELOPMENT MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
Taxi trials prepare C919 for return to test flights C
omac has resumed test activities with its first C919 prototype, moving the narrowbody closer to a return to flight later this month after a lengthy pause following its maiden sortie on 5 May. The Chinese airframer says aircraft 101 began taxi tests at Shanghai Pudong International airport on 6 September. The aircraft conducted high-speed taxi tests and also trialled its brake system. This included performing normal brake, emergency brake and anti-skid tests, as well as evaluations of its back-up brake system. FlightGlobal understands that the jet is likely to return to flight testing later this month. Aircraft 101 is scheduled to perform a ferry flight to Xian in
September, and is required to carry out a number of flights around Shanghai beforehand. Comac intends to conduct certification testing of the C919 across sites in Shanghai, Xian and Dongying. The initial flight-test vehicle has not flown since its May maiden sortie. Comac says that no major issues have been identified, although a number of small improvements are being made to the aircraft. A second prototype, aircraft 102, is in final assembly, and Comac is still aiming to perform a first flight later this year; the aircraft was powered up on 28 July. Certification and service entry for the C919 are scheduled for 2020-2021. ■
Biplane was not built to perform manoeuvre at air show, regulator says, and operators were “totally irresponsible”
R
ussian investigators have disclosed that the Antonov An-2 which crashed at an air show at Balashikha, killing both pilots, should not have been flying as its airworthiness certificate had expired nearly five years earlier. Its left wing struck the ground, after the biplane (RA-35171) descended and banked steeply at low altitude. The wing was torn off and the aircraft rolled inverted before igniting. While federal air transport regulator Rosaviatsia says the inquiry is continuing, it has sharply criticised the organisers of the 2 September flight, which took place at a show to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the An-2. The crashed aircraft “was not supposed to [fly] at all”, it says, because its airworthiness certificate had expired in Novem ber 2012. Although both crew held pilot licences, there is no evidence of official authorisation to fly the An-2, Rosaviatsia states, and the aircraft type is “not intended” to engage in the aerobatics undertaken during the flight. Rosaviatsia accuses the flight’s organisers of having a “totally irre-
sponsible attitude”, stressing that the crash occurred just in front of the spectator line, risking injury or death to dozens of attendees. The authority is citing the accident as an example of operational violations in general aviation, adding that “bravado” which “borders on the criminal” is contributing to accidents. It says a recent landing accident – involving a TR-301, which is based on the An-2 – followed an unauthorised flight in the Sverdlovsk region. The pilot, who refused medical assistance and screening for psychoactive substances, was in a “visible altered state of consciousness”, the regulator adds. Rosaviatsia says 17 general aviation accidents have occurred this year, eight of which have resulted in 17 fatalities. Eight aircraft, it adds, did not have an airworthiness certificate. The regulator adds: “In search of thrills, such pilots go beyond the limits of what is permitted, which invariably leads to the same results – catastrophic consequences and irreversi ble damage to technology and human life.” ■
ROTORCRAFT
CHC goes offshore with first H175 Restructured offshore specialist CHC Helicopter has performed its first revenue flight with the Airbus Helicopters H175 super-medium twin. The inaugural service linked the operator’s base in Aberdeen with the Ocean Patriot platform in the North Sea on contract to Shell. CHC Helicopter took delivery of the first of three H175s in August. It is configured in a 16-passenger layout. CHC is also a customer for the rival AgustaWestland AW189. The operator has designated the Aberdeen facility as its global centre of excellence for H175 engineering.
8 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
r e t p o c i l e H C H C
flightglobal.com
THIS WEEK
Pentagon targets Silicon Valley software This Week P11 COMMITMENT EDWARD RUSSELL WASHINGTON DC
United goes big on smaller A350 deal Chicago-based carrier converts order for -1000 variant to baseline model, but increases commitment by 10 extra aircraft
U
nited Airlines has converted a commitment for 35 A350-1000s to the smaller -900 and added 10 of the latter variant to its overall order. The move is not unexpected – the Chicago-headquartered carrier has been reviewing its eightyear-old deal for the -1000 since at least January, when it first disclosed that it was re-evaluating its long-haul fleet requirements. “The A350 aligns with our replacement needs and our network,” says United chief financial officer Andrew Levy. “The combination of the range performance and efficiencies make the A350 an attractive aircraft for United.” The Star Alliance carrier’s switch lifts the backlog for the A350-900 to 673, according to Airbus’s latest order and delivery data, while the backlog for the -1000 contracts to 177. United says it will replace the majority of its Boeing 777-200ER fleet with the incoming A350-900s, with deliveries running from late 2022 until 2027. “The A350-900 is an outstanding aircraft and an excellent replacement for our 777-200ERs,” says Levy in a letter to employees, noting that some -200ERs in its
US airline will replace 777-200ERs with XWBs fleet will be 25 years old in 2023. The carrier configures its 777-200s with up to 269 seats, while Airbus advertises the A350-900 as seating 325 passengers in a standard three-class con-
figuration. However, US rival Delta Air Lines has opted for a 306-seat layout on its A350-900s. United operates 55 777-200ERs with an average age of 17.5 years, Flight Fleets Analyzer records.
s u b r i A
The aircraft were delivered to the carrier and Continental Airlines, with which it merged in 2010, between 1997 and 2010. United also operates 19 777-200s with an average age of 20.5 years. United has options for additional A350-900s that it could exercise to replace the remainder of the 777200ER fleet, and retains the flexibility to convert some aircraft back to the larger -1000 variant, says Levy. The carrier had 40 options for the A350 prior to the conversion. All A350s are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan engines. ■ Additional reporting by Stephen Trimble
FLEET
‘Challenging’ economics rule out 100-seaters to plug fleet gap United Airlines has ended months of speculation over a potential order for 100-seat aircraft, with the carrier’s president making a firm denial that such a deal is being contemplated. “We’re in a world where flying bigger and bigger airplanes is just better,” says Scott Kirby. “100 seaters, it’s just hard to make the economics work.”
Kirby says that although United may not be able to fill a Boeing 737-700 – the smallest aircraft in its mainline fleet – the costs are still low enough that the type makes sense. “The economics of a 100-seater are just really, really challenging,” he says. Kirby’s comments came hot on the heels of a letter to pilots from United’s senior vice-president of
flight operations, Howard Attarian, in which he indicated that the airline was evaluating a possible 100-seat mainline aircraft as part of a fleet-plan analysis. “There seems to be an opportunity for an aircraft with around 100 seats to fill a gap in our network, but the problems with the complexity cost for a new fleet type is a big concern,” he wrote. ■
PROGRAMME MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
MRJ resumes flight testing after engine flameout M
t f a r c r i A i h s i b u s t i M
Airframer will return prototypes to the skies “in a phased manner” flightglobal.com
itsubishi Aircraft has returned one of its MRJ prototypes to flight testing, as the investigation into an in-flight engine flameout last month continues. The manufacturer was able to restart flights with aircraft FTA-4 after it “reviewed and re-inspected” the regional jet’s Pratt & Whitney PW1200G powerplants in collaboration with the engine maker. Two sorties were performed on 6 September without incident. FTA-4 is used to evaluate the MRJ’s powerplant and air sys-
tems, as well as natural icing and fire protection. Mitsubishi grounded its test fleet last month after an “uncommanded shut down” of FTA-2’s left-hand engine during a flight on 21 August. “We are still determining the cause of the malfunction,” the company says. It adds that it will resume flight tests with the rest of its test fleet “in a phased manner”, after inspection and verification of the engines, and with approval from the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau. ■
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 9
THE SKY IS O U R BUSINESS Where opportunities are infinite Enjoy unparalleled access to global leaders of aviation, aerospace and defence. Network, develop business, and gain insights into the forefront of industry technologies and solutions. Be part of aviation’s ascent - register now.
SINGAPORE AIRSHOW 2018 ASIA’S LARGEST AEROSPACE AND DEFENCE EVENT 6- 11 FEBRUARY • CHANGI EXHIBITION CENTRE
Register your attendance now at www.singaporeairshow.com/register
THIS WEEK
Airbus to harness fuel saving which is waiting in the wings News Focus P12
TECHNOLOGY STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Pentagon targets Silicon Valley software Fresh approach would attack costly and cumbersome block development cycle by adopting more agile commercial model
U
S military and defence industry officials are close to adopting Silicon Valley-style software development and refresh processes for military aircraft, starting with billion-dollar upgrade programmes for the Lockheed Martin F-22 and F-35. The new strategy could be approved within months as the F-35 Joint Programme Office (JPO) faces the challenge of fixing bugs in the F-35’s go-to-war Block 3F software and developing the follow-on Block 4 package of capability improvements. F-35 software planning has entered a “strategic pause” until JPO employees present a new software development plan for consideration by top Pentagon officials in late October, says F-35 programme executive Vice Adm Mat Winter, speaking at a Defense News conference on 6 September.
The new strategy could be approved within months as the F-35 Joint Programme Office faces the challenge of fixing bugs Meanwhile, the “agile” software development technique employed by Apple to develop iPhone applications could be adopted by the F-22 system programme office (SPO), as the US Air Force considers the development of a stealthy transmit and receive mode for the Link 16 datalink to communicate with a future unmanned “loyal wingman” and the F-35, says Sean Singleton, director of business development and marketing for the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx). Singleton, speaking on the sidelines of the same conference, says the F-22 SPO and prime contractor Lockheed are open to flightglobal.com
n i t r a
M d e e h k c o L
F-22 programme could be an early adopter of the updated method making the switch, with an eye to accelerating the new datalink capability from 2021 or 2022. The goal of the revised strategy is to circumvent the US military’s costly and time-consuming process that delivers new software in cumbersome blocks, with development cycles often measured in years and frequently delayed. Instead, the updated approach breaks new capabilities into smaller increments of software code, allowing developers to deliver some applications months or years faster.
planners could shift modernisation priorities to account for the impact on airworthiness certification timelines.
In the case of the F-35, the JPO will bring Block 4 capabilities forward that do not have an impact on the airworthiness, centre of gravity or flight dynamics of the fighter, Winter says. Such capabilities include software- and hardware-enabled sensor upgrades, he says. Other improvements, such as adding new weapons that require airworthiness certification, would be implemented later, from 2020 to 2022, Winter says. Lockheed is now on track to deliver the full Block 3F software package by the end of the year, allowing the USAF to begin initial operational test and evaluation on the F-35A next year. ■ See Feature P26
HARD STOP
The military aircraft strategy has emerged five months after the USAF issued a stop-work order to Northrop Grumman on developing the software for Block 10.2 of the Air Operations Center (AOC), a network of air warfare command centres around the world. Instead, the USAF started working with DIUx in July to form partnerships with Silicon Valley firms to deliver the same capabilities within a year. “DIUx will bring the agile methodology that we’ve done with AOC” to military aircraft, Singleton says. “We’re bringing in Silicon Valley into these large weapon systems.” As the strategy shifts from a ground-based operations centre to aircraft software, programme 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 11
NEWS FOCUS For up-to-the-minute air transport news, network and fleet information sign up at: flightglobal.com/dashboard TECHNOLOGY MICHAEL GUBISCH TOULOUSE
Airbus to harness fuel saving which is waiting in the wings EU-backed project will used modified A340 to research drag-reducing laminar-flow designs
A
irbus is about to start flighttesting an A340 that has been fitted with experimental laminarflow wing sections under a partly EU-funded technology project. The objective of the Breakthrough Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator in Europe (BLADE) effort is to assess the industrial feasibility of natural laminar-flow wings – as opposed to hybrid laminar flow, which is artificially induced through hardware – on future aircraft. The theory and potential benefits of achieving a laminar rather than turbulent airflow in the boundary layer around wings have been known for 20 years. But Axel Flaig, senior vicepresident research and technology for Airbus’s commercial aircraft division, said on 30 August in Tarbes, where the A340 has been modified, that the technology had so far not been practically applied, because it had not been possible to produce on an industrial scale wings that were smooth enough to achieve a laminar airflow and aerodynamically robust enough to sustain the desired effect in daily operations. The laminar air flow can be disturbed by gaps and steps – es-
pecially around conventional, retractable slats along a wing’s leading edge – fasteners, surface deformations and even contamination through dirt, de-icing fluid and rain droplets.
“This laminar boundary is very sensitive to small disturbances” Axel Flaig Senior vice-president research and technology, Airbus
“To make this [laminar flow] happen you need very high [design and manufacturing] tolerances,” says Flaig. “And you need to make this wing robust against contamination… because this laminar boundary is very sensitive to small disturbances.” On the A340-300 – MSN 001, the first A340 to fly in October 1991 – Airbus has replaced the entire wing section outside the outboard engines with a laminarflow section that has a different geometry and, crucially, a shallower sweep, giving the aircraft a distinctive kinked-wing planform. The wingtips have been fit-
s u b r i A
Port wing leading edge is integrated with upper composite surface 12 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
ted with pods containing sensors, including video cameras. And the attachment structure to the A340’s existing wing has been covered by fairings to accommodate further sensors and separate the air over the laminar-flow section from that across the conventional wing. The new wing section contains no fuel system, but is otherwise fully functional and includes the aircraft’s two ailerons on each side. The interior structure is metallic, while the upper wing surface – where laminar flow is to be achieved – is carbonfibre-reinforced plastic. Different construction techniques were employed for the leading edge and upper wing skin to assess feasibility of different manufacturing approaches. On the port wing, the leading edge is integrated with the upper wing surface in a single D-nose carbonfibre panel – provided by Swedish programme partner Saab – which has internal attachment points to avoid any external fasteners from the leading edge to just forward of the ailerons. On the starboard side, a metallic leading edge is joined with a car bonfibre upper wing surface supplied by UK composites specialist GKN Aerospace. Flaig describes the port side as a more “elegant” solution, but expresses hope that the starboard wing will fulfil aerodynamic requirements as its more conventional construction is less demanding and costly to build. The laminar-wing sections are not equipped with slats, and those on the remaining conventional wing have been deactivated. This will reduce the A340’s capability to operate at high pitch-up angles, and take-off and landing speeds will be higher than usual. Flaig says this will pose no problem, as the aircraft –
which has a maximum take-off weight of 275t – will not weigh more than 150t for test flights. Part of the effort will be to assess a Kruger flap for the laminarflow wing – to provide both high lift for take-off and landing, and leading-edge shielding. The team will install a fixed Kruger flap approximately 2m (6ft 6in) in length on a section of the laminar wing, and remove the device for high-speed tests. Additionally, coatings are being evaluated to reduce wing contamination, especially by insects. PURE RESEARCH
Airbus insists “there is no link to any possible future aircraft programme”. However, the tests are clearly aimed at maturing technology for a potential next-generation narrowbody. While the A340’s standard wing has a sweep of about 30°, which is linked to achieving a cruise speed of Mach 0.82-0.84 for long-haul flights, the laminar wing has a sweep of about 20°. Airbus says the test aerofoil is optimised for cruising at M0.75. “Natural laminar-flow at a 30° sweep angle is impossible because of the instability of the flow,” Airbus’s flight-lab project flightglobal.com
NEWS FOCUS
More 777s, but Aeroflot delays A350s Air Transport P14
Wingtip pods carry sensors and cameras to measure airflow and structural movement
s u b r i A
leader Thierry Fol tells FlightGlobal. “You have to make a decision: either you would like to have natural laminar flow so you have to slow down in order to have a less important sweep angle… or you keep the 30° in order to fly at Mach 0.85, but have something to stabilise the turbulent flow.” Fol says high-speed flight would require a hybrid laminarflow system that produces a suction effect around perforated wing surface areas. The required low pressure could either be produced by redirecting air inside the aerofoils – a passive system; or through an active pump system. Flaig acknowledges that a speed reduction to M0.75 would not be acceptable for long-haul, and that aircraft designers would have to adopt a hybrid laminarflow system. But he argues that it could be acceptable on shorter routes, as A320-family aircraft typically cruise at M0.78. “We think it doesn’t make a big difference,” he says. While the boundary airflow on conventional wings tends to become turbulent just aft of the leading edge, the BLADE programme’s objective is to achieve laminar flow along 50% of the flightglobal.com
chord length, which Flaig says would halve wing friction drag. Based on an 800nm (1,480km) sector, this could reduce overall aircraft drag by 8% and fuel burn by up to 5%.
SWEET SPOT A central aspect of the research is to find a sweet spot between potential savings and a sufficiently robust laminar flow that can be sustained in daily operations. As natural wing flexing can break up the laminar flow, the team wants to determine how much movement can be tolerated before the flow becomes turbulent. In order to measure the wing’s flexibility, the fairing around the old and new wing joint has been finished with a stripe pattern. A set of eight video cameras in each of the two wing-tip pods will monitor the pattern and its reflection on the laminar wing’s surface to determine the aerofoils’ movement. This will be com bined with data from interior sensors on the wing spar to assess the structure’s movement. Meanwhile, infrared cameras on top of the vertical tailfin will monitor the laminar flow over the wing. BLADE project leader Daniel Kierbel explains that the lami-
nar flow area can be visualised because the flow cools the wing’s surface – which is being warmed by sunlight – at a slower rate than turbulent air. He adds that flight tests will need to be interrupted from October, as the sun will be at too low an angle during winter to sufficiently heat the wing. Flight-test engineer Philippe Sève says the A340 will be “a bizarre aircraft to fly”, as its original wing is a 1980s design, while the outer, approximately 9m section has a newer, more radical shape. The flight-test programme will concentrate on aircraft handling, and then move on to laminar flow evaluations. At a later stage, Sève says the team wants to “alter the wing”, in order to assess the laminar flow’s robustness. There is no intention to damage the wing, but tests will include the application of stickers to simulate gaps, steps and surface deformations around rivets. On one side, Airbus has installed a speaker system to gauge the potential effects of engine noise on the laminar flow. Sève says the A340 provides an optimal testbed, as its legacy wing provides stability and safety if lift is compromised on the laminar section. “We will be able to do whatever we want,” he says. “It’s better to have a test wing that doesn’t alter the full physics of the wing”. During the early planning phase – the BLADE project was launched in 2008 as part of the Smart Fixed-Wing Aircraft initia-
“Natural laminar flow at a 30° sweep angle is impossible because of the instability of the flow” Thierry Fol Flight-lab project leader, Airbus
tive under Europe’s Clean Sky research effort – there were evaluations to use a smaller aircraft, reveals Flaig. He says this would have meant building a completely new wing and would have been “very expensive”.
EFFICIENCY DRIVE Flaig says the BLADE project represents the largest part of Airbus’s estimated €330 million ($392 million) contribution to the EU’s approximately €4.2 billion Clean Sky 2 initiative – a 10-year programme until 2024 that includes other projects to mature technology for more efficient aero engines, helicopters and onboard systems. Some 20 other contributors are involved in the BLADE scheme, including Dassault, Romania’s Romaero – whose responsibility included production of the wing-tip pods – and Spanish aerostructures specialist Aernnova, which assembled the two laminar wing sections. Clean Sky 2 is half-funded by the EU, and Flaig says Airbus would not be able to pursue an undertaking such as BLADE on its own. ■
e l y t s t i d e r c e r u t c i P
Modified outboard sections include ailerons, but slats are not fitted 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 13
s u b r i A
AIR TRANSPORT For up-to-the-minute air transport news, network and fleet information sign up at: flightglobal.com/dashboard FLEET DAVID KAMINSKI-MORRIOW LONDON
More 777s, but Aeroflot delays A350s Boeing widebodies will bolster flag carrier’s long-haul operation, as first deliveries of Airbus big twins pushed to 2019
R
ussian flag carrier Aeroflot’s board has approved the purchase of a further six Boeing 777-300ERs, while also appearing to push back deliveries of its Airbus A350-900s. Its new 777s will be delivered from the second quarter of 2018, with deliveries running to the first quarter of 2021. The airline had indicated in May that it was considering taking the additional GE Aviation GE90-powered twinjets. Aeroflot says the approval will “significantly strengthen” its long-haul capabilities, adding that it is aiming to improve links to remote Russian regions and connections between Europe and Asia. However, under a revised fleetmodernisation schedule, the first of the A350-900s will now not arrive until 2019. Aeroflot’s previous plan had
s e g a m I m a e T r i A
Airline will use the new additions between Europe and Asia and to remote destinations within Russia shown that five A350s were due to arrive next year, with three more being delivered in 2019 and two in 2020. But the latest schedule shows three aircraft are to be handed over in 2019 and three more in 2020; no reasons are given for the change. Aeroflot had originally ordered
22 A350s but only 14 remain, according to Airbus’s backlog data, following the cancellation of eight of the smallest -800 variant. The airline recently signalled plans, however, to increase its A350 order to 28 aircraft. Its revised schedule indicates an intention to take 13 A350s over the course of 2021 and be-
yond, suggesting a current overall commitment to 19 of the type. The airline has also firmed details of a lease contract for 20 Sukhoi Superjets with VEB-Leasing. Aeroflot will take the aircraft under typical 12-year leases, it says. Deliveries began last month and will run until July 2018. ■ See Feature P34
s u b r i A
PROPULSION MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON
70,000hp stress test for UltraFan power gearbox R
olls-Royce has tested its UltraFan gearbox to a load of 70,000hp (52,200kW) at its site in Dahlewitz, near Berlin. “This record is a great achievement for the team, and I’m proud we’ve managed to get there so quickly,” states chief technology officer Paul Stein. “Our power gearbox technology is central to the success of the next generation of Rolls-Royce jet engines and I’m pleased to see us pushing back engineering boundaries with this work.” High-power testing of the demonstrator gearbox was begun in May on a purpose-built rig at R-R’s facility near the German capital. The UK manufacturer aims to cut fuel burn by 5% through de-
coupling the fan from a new engine core, which is being separately developed under the Advance programme, with its own target of 20% fuel savings. The objectives for the gearbox are to optimise fan and engine core speeds and to avoid any need for a low-pressure turbine on a post-2025 powerplant. R-R notes that the planetary gearbox has been designed to accommodate loads up to 100,000hp and that “future demonstrators are expected to achieve these levels”. However, the next batch of tests on the current demonstrator will be concentrated on “lowerpower functions such as endurance and reliability”, the engine manufacturer says. ■
14 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
AIRLINE
Hong Kong Airlines joins XWB club Lessor AerCap has handed over Hong Kong Airlines’ first Airbus A350-900, making it the 15th operator of the widebody twin. The carrier is to receive a further three A350s via AerCap: a second will arrive in November, with another pair to follow later. Hong Kong Airlines will eventually take 21 A350s – 15 direct from Airbus and six from lessors – configured in a four-class, 334-seat layout. After initially being deployed on regional routes, the carrier’s first A350-900 will enter long-haul operations in December, flying to Los Angeles.
flightglobal.com
AIR TRANSPORT
Procedural lapses caused Senegal crash Air Transport P16 STRATEGY DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
SAS looks beyond home countries to level playing field Carrier will station nine aircraft at external bases in London and Malaga, with new Irish air operator’s certificate pending
S
AS Group intends to station nine Airbus A320neos at external bases, and has applied for a new air operator’s certificate in Ireland in preparation for the transition. The company is aiming to conduct its first flights from the bases – located in London and Malaga – at the beginning of its new financial year in November. SAS says it has recruited the management team for the Irish operation, as well as most of the administrative personnel and some flightcrew. “Preparations are progressing as planned,” it says. The bases, external to its core Scandinavian operations, are intended to give SAS access to the same lower labour costs from which its competitors benefit. SAS says it needs to “secure the profitability” of key traffic flows and take advantage of the “same preconditions” as its ri-
vals, “otherwise SAS will be forced to reduce its production and discontinue routes”. While start-up costs for the new air operator’s certificate and bases will have an initial negative impact on earnings, the company believes the benefits will gradually emerge as operations evolve. “When the bases are fully operational, we expect them to have
s u b r i A
Unit costs should rival those of low-cost competitors, the airline says the same underlying unit cost as our low-cost competitors,” the carrier says. SAS has turned increasingly to leisure traffic to expand its network, and expects leisure production this year to be about dou ble its level of five years ago.
It says 15% more passengers were carried on leisure routes in the third quarter of 2017 than in the previous equivalent period. Over the summer period it has opened nine routes, including services to Ibiza, Lisbon, Malaga, Malta and Olbia. ■
ENVIRONMENT
Neo drives Leap forward in carbon dioxide emissions reduction Analysis of carbon dioxide emissions by SAS Group has found that the figure for its Airbus A320neos amounted to just 60g per passenger in July. The company says this represents the lowest-ever monthly result for a single aircraft type in the carrier’s fleet. SAS has taken delivery of 11
A320neos, with three more due in its fourth quarter, which ends on 30 November. Another seven will be handed over in 2017-2018 and seven in 2018-2019. It says the A320neo has carbon dioxide emissions per passengerkilometre around 18% lower than comparable previous-generation aircraft.
The company has ordered a total of 30 A320neos, all of them to be fitted with CFM International Leap-1A engines. SAS is also pressing for wider access to biofuel, stating that the present offering is “limited”. The company has been using biofuel on its services from Stockholm and Oslo. ■
FLEET AARON CHONG SINGAPORE
GoAir defers deliveries over P&W engine issues I
ndia’s GoAir will take three fewer Airbus A320neos than planned during its current financial year due to the ongoing issues with Pratt & Whitney’s PW1100G engines. A source familiar with the matter tells FlightGlobal that the lowcost carrier is now targeting a fleet of 34 A320s at 31 March 2018, down from the 37 announced by chief executive Wolfgang Prock-Shauer in June. GoAir expects to induct two or three Neos in September. The source blames the fall in fleet size on the delays in fixing
flightglobal.com
s e g a m I m a e T r i A
PW1100Gs have delivered better-than-promised fuel consumption problems with the PW1100G. GoAir, along with fellow Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo, has seen
its PW1100G engines suffer from premature degradation of the combustor chamber lining, and
premature wear of the number three bearing seal. Meanwhile, the source says GoAir expects that the final fixes to its five in-service A320neos “will be implemented by the end of 2018”. Despite the issues, the carrier is seeing “better-than-promised” reductions in fuel consumption on the PW1100G-powered aircraft of 16% to 18%, above the 12% to 15% promised by P&W. Flight Fleets Analyzer shows GoAir has a fleet of 24 A320s, including five Neos, and has a further 144 A320neos on order. ■
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 15
AIR TRANSPORT For half-year analysis of airline safety and losses worldwide in 2017, go to: flightglobal.com/safety2017
Business jet struck the wing-tip of Ceiba 737-800
s e g a m I m a e T r i A
ACCIDENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Procedural lapses caused Senegal crash Senegalair BAe 125 kept in operation without restrictions despite earlier incidents indicating problem with instrumentation
F
ailure to comply with airworthiness procedures allowed a British Aerospace 125 to be flown with an altimeter defect before a mid-air collision over Senegal. None of the seven occupants survived after the Senegalair BAe 125 struck the wing-tip of a Ceiba Intercontinental Boeing 737-800 on 5 September 2015. Senegalese investigation authority BEA found the BAe 125 had been involved in a serious conflict with an Arik Air 737 six weeks earlier, in July 2015, during which the two aircraft had been closing on opposing headings at about the same altitude. It determined that the BAe 125 crew had told air traffic control that their aircraft was flying at 32,000ft, while the 737 pilots insisted both aircraft were
at 31,000ft. The incident took place in reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM) airspace, where adjacent cruise levels are 1,000ft apart. BEA states that, less than two weeks earlier, a 200ft discrepancy between the BAe 125’s primary altimeters had been observed by the crew. Senegalese regulations prohibit operations in RVSM airspace with a discrepancy greater than 75ft. Even after the Arik incident, says BEA, the altimetry problem was not listed in the aircraft’s technical log. Multinational air navigation agency ASECNA did not submit an incident report on the Arik conflict until more than a month later. ASECNA recommended inspection of the aircraft.
BEA says the aircraft “was kept in operation without technical intervention and without restrictions”, up until the fatal collision. Investigators found that a technician responsible for airworthiness, and authorised to approve the release of the aircraft, left the airline on 15 August. His replacement was officially employed by the company on 17 August but, says BEA, his licence had still to be validated by Senegalese civil aviation authority ANACIM. “He was therefore not permitted to work on aircraft with Senegalese registration,” the inquiry says. The BAe 125 was on the Senegalese register as 6V-AIM. BEA says that the aircraft “should not have been returned to flight” from the date of the original technician’s departure.
But the BAe flew again on 29 August and, two days later, raised further concerns from ASECNA when a 1,000ft discrepancy was detected between the aircraft’s assigned altitude and that shown on Dakar radar. Although ASECNA also submitted a report on this incident, it was not sent until 8 September – three days after the collision. BEA says that “rigorous application” of regulations covering the technical condition of the aircraft “would have prevented” it from flying with altimetry problems. It points out that the aircraft was declared airworthy despite a critical abnormality. The inquiry also notes other procedural weaknesses, including the failure to authenticate fully the BAe 125 first officer’s licence. ■
DIRECTIVE DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
EASA orders action on A350 fuel tank fire danger A
irbus A350 operators have been ordered to urgently address a potential threat to fuel tanks arising from overheat failure of a hydraulic pump. The A350-900 is designed with a hydraulic fluid cooling system located in the fuel tanks. But analysis of an overheat failure mode of the aircraft’s hydraulic engine-driven pump has determined that it can generate a
“fast” temperature rise of the hydraulic fluid, says the European Aviation Safety Agency. If the aircraft’s fuel-tank inerting system is inoperative, adds EASA, an uncontrolled overheat of the hydraulic fluid could potentially ignite the tank’s fuel-air mixture. Airbus has responded by undertaking an in-depth revision of the A350’s master minimum
16 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
equipment list, the document which determines the extent to which crucial aircraft systems can be permitted to be inoperative before flight. EASA says the revision incorporates “restrictions” to avoid uncontrolled overheat of the hydraulic system, and amended a number of items to “no go” status. Under an emergency airworthiness directive, the agency has or-
dered immediate implementation of the master minimum equipment list changes for the A350. Among the systems affected are air conditioning packs, hydraulic monitoring controls, and fuel-tank inerting. EASA says the directive, which covers all A350-900 airframes, is an interim document and further related action could follow. ■ flightglobal.com
AIR TRANSPORT
Suppliers target Polish rotorcraft need Defence P18
RESTRUCTURING DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft, Irkut to be United Subsidiaries to be brought into single division as parent seeks efficiency gains to boost commercial share to 45% by 2035
R
ussia’s United Aircraft (UAC) plans to combine airframer Irkut with Sukhoi Civil Aircraft under a programme to unify civil aircraft manufacturing. Irkut produces the MC-21, while Sukhoi Civil Aircraft builds the Superjet 100. UAC, which owns large stakes in several individual aircraft production organisations, is establishing the new civil division as part of a restructuring effort. The company is trying to simplify its operation and increase efficiency in order to hike the share of civil products in its portfolio to 45% by 2035. It also wants to ramp up its civil production to 100-120 aircraft per year. Projects still under development include the revamped Ilyushin Il-114 regional turboprop and a longhaul twinjet to be produced jointly with China. UAC will cut layers of management and centralise functions to reduce costs, while the unification will also enable it to achieve better continuity and simplicity in certification. As part of the management overhaul, UAC president Yuri Slyusar will take over as president of Irkut – on which the unified civil division will be based – while current Irkut chief Oleg Demchenko will be retained as first vice-president and general designer. Sukhoi Civil Aircraft will become the platform for marketing, sales and aftersales activity, covering all civil aircraft produced by the division. It has separately disclosed that it will undergo a management change, with current president Vladislav Masalov being replaced by Alexander Rubtsov, the head of lessor Ilyushin Finance. Masalov will be moved to “another position”, says UAC, without elaborating. The airframer says that, following a 1 September meeting, the flightglobal.com
t u k r I
New MC-21-300 made its maiden flight in May and is scheduled to enter service with Aeroflot in 2019 board opted to “terminate” the employment agreement with Masalov from 4 September. Masalov has been in the role for barely six months, having suddenly succeeded Kamil Gaynutdinov – who himself had only occupied the position for five months. Slyusar states that the “old structure” of UAC is becoming “less adequate” to address “new challenges”.
“We do not compete internally, with one another, as in the old days,” he adds. “We compete on a global field, with global partners. Without unity, there is no competitiveness.” The company adds that both Airbus and Boeing have undergone similar transformations in order to strengthen their market position. UAC says it is intending the unification to be part of the tran-
sition to a single share. Under international accounting standards the company turned in a loss of Rb6.6 billion ($114 million) for the first half of this year – an improvement on the previous figure of Rb7.3 billion – after increasing revenues by 51% to just under Rb180 billion. Meanwhile, the company’s gross profit doubled, to Rb44.4 billion. ■
PROPOSAL
Moscow will make sure that its domestic carriers buy local Airlines based in Russia will need to have a proportion of domestically-produced aircraft in their fleets in order to obtain an operating certificate under a new Russian government proposal. The ministry of transport is putting forward changes to federal aviation regulations intended to stimulate the use of new Russianbuilt aircraft in the country’s commercial air transport sector. It is proposing to amend the minimum fleet criteria for an op-
erating certificate, requiring airlines to have at least three domestically-produced aircraft no older than five years, the ministry adds. This change, it says, will “encourage” those Russian airlines planning to operate scheduled services to increase the number of newly-developed Russian-built aircraft. Federal regulations currently set the minimum fleet for scheduled airline operations at eight
aircraft, all of which must have at least 55 seats. Russia’s government has been attempting to reinforce the country’s aircraft-production industry, and defend the internal market in the face of sustained pressure from foreign manufacturers. This strategy has focused on development of the Irkut MC-21 and Sukhoi Superjet 100, while the government is also supporting plans to restart manufacture of the Ilyushin Il-114. ■
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 17
DEFENCE For insight and analysis of the latest developments in the defence sector, visit: flightglobal.com/defence TENDER BARTOSZ GLOWACKI KIELCE
Suppliers target Polish rotorcraft need Rival manufacturers use MSPO show to promote potential candidates for 32-unit “Kruk” attack helicopter requirement ith Poland poised to launch the tender process for a new fleet of “Kruk” attack helicopters, potential suppliers used the MSPO show, held in Kielce from 5-8 September, to promote their candidates. Warsaw wants to acquire 32 new attack helicopters, with an initial batch of three required by 2022 to support training activities. It plans to award a contract by the end of the third quarter of 2018. Analysis and concept definition phases have already been completed, along with technical dialogue, with four bidders. Airbus Helicopters/Heli Invest Services are offering the Tiger; Turkish Aerospace Industries and PZL Świdnik the T129, and Bell Helicopter and Boeing are promoting their respective AH-1Z and AH-64E models in conjunction with the US government. “We are open for ‘Polonisation’ of the AH-1Z, but first the Polish government must formulate requirements, how many helicopters will be acquired, and what support package would be provided,” says Bell international military business development official Mike Gleason. “After that we can start dialogue with the US government and US Marine Corps
W
about the FMS [Foreign Military Sales] procedure. “We are able to co-operate with Polish aviation companies,” Gleason says. “Establishing a MRO facility in Poland and indigenous training capabilities is a minimum of our offer.” Bell says AH-1Z deliveries could start 30-34 months after a final agreement. “More helicopters means more opportunity for ‘Polonisation’, but a configuration other than the USMC’s will be costly to develop and integrate,” says Joel Best, senior manager Europe, Bell military programmes. Separately, Bell on 14 August delivered its first AH-1Z to an export customer, under a 12-aircraft deal with Pakistan.
r e t p o c i l e H l l e B
Bell says AH-1Z deliveries could start 30-34 months after agreement
Promoting the AH-64E, Patrick Druez, Boeing’s team leader for Apache Poland, says the company is also awaiting Warsaw’s requirements for the Kruk deal.
Deliveries could begin 30-32 months after a contract award. “Polish AH-64Es will be maintained in Poland, with Boeing personnel support,” Druez says. ■
BIDS
Warsaw reviewing two offers for eight-unit CSAR competition Poland’s defence ministry is processing two bids linked to a requirement for eight combat search and rescue (CSAR) helicopters, and is also starting to consider a future need for multirole rotorcraft. Col Dariusz Pluta, chief of the defence ministry’s armament inspectorate, says an Airbus Helicopters/Heli Invest Services
consortium and PZL Świdnik – part of Leonardo – are pursuing the CSAR deal with the special forces. The companies are promoting the H225M and AW101, respectively. Both bidders are also in contention for an opportunity to supply the Polish navy with eight anti-submarine warfare (ASW) and SAR helicopters, pitching the same
types. A PZL Mielec/Sikorsky team is also pursuing the deal, offering the S-70B Seahawk. “Negotiations about CSAR helicopters were finished and in early September a RFI [request for information] will be sent to all bidders,” Pluta says. “For the ASW/SAR helicopters, initial offers were submitted and we are starting technical dialogue.” ■
MARKETING BARTOSZ GLOWACKI KIELCE
Eurofighter suggests pairing Typhoon with F-16 he Eurofighter consortium is promoting its Typhoon as the T Polish air force examines its fu-
t h g i r y p o C n w o r C
Consortium says all options are on the table, including local assembly
18 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
ture combat aircraft requirements. “Eurofighter Typhoon augments existing capabilities and further complements a powerful deterrence against any potential threat to Poland’s borders,” says head of marketing Raffael Klaschka. “The Typhoon with the [Lockheed Martin] F-16 Block 52+ will be a perfect combination.” Klaschka says a selection by
Warsaw “would bring new and additional opportunities to Poland – both from a military and economic perspective, from assembly and manufacturing to support and maintenance. All options are on the table. “Poland can integrate and certificate weapons, pods and other equipment,” he adds. “We believe we can deliver an attractive and cost-effective solution, and are able to co-operate with every company.” ■ flightglobal.com
DEFENCE
King Stallion gains pace with LRIP deal Defence P21
PROCUREMENT LEIGH GIANGRECO WASHINGTON DC
Kenya Longsword deal is valid, GAO investigation finds Lawmaker’s objection to selection of L3 armed cropduster over rival Iomax dismissed despite claims of big price gap
A
US Government Accounta bility Office (GAO) report found no fault in a proposed Foreign Military Sales (FMS) deal for Kenya, but the US lawmaker spearheading an investigation into the L3 Technologies contract opportunity is not satisfied. In January, the US State Department approved a possible $418 million FMS contract with Kenya for up to 12 Air Tractor AT-802L Longsword aircraft and two AT-504 trainers, with L3 serving as the prime contractor. Its backing for the transaction cited the type’s short-field capa bility and use of precision-guided munitions, saying this would serve the nation’s close air support mission in the fight against
al-Shabaab militants and buttress the air force’s ageing Northrop F-5 fleet. Pricing terms in L3’s original proposal to Nairobi expired in June, but the US Air Force granted a request by the Kenyan government to extend the offer until 16 September, after national elections held in August. A final contract has not been announced. But North Carolina Congressman Ted Budd, whose district includes Iomax, Air Tractor’s rival in the armed cropduster market, called foul on the Kenya order. Iomax’s Archangel already flies with the United Arab Emirates air force, while the Kenya deal marks the Longsword’s first selection. L3 proposed a $365 million
x i P y l l i B
Nairobi specifically requested a purchase based on adapted AT-802L aircraft deal to Kenya, excluding ordnance, while Iomax quoted $234 million for the same num ber of Archangel aircraft, a source tells FlightGlobal. Budd has previously questioned L3’s relationship with the USAF’s acquisition engine, Big Safari, and launched an investigation into the Air Tractor contract earlier this year. While the recent GAO report concludes that Kenya did not improperly select the Longsword, he points out that the investigation excluded interviews with
Kenyan officials. “A report on a Kenyan arms sale that did not involve speaking to Kenyan officials is virtually useless,” he says. “I’m looking forward to continuing to pursue oversight of this deal, and examining why the US contracting system would steer our allies in Kenya towards a contract that is inflated by $130 million for an aircraft that has never flown in combat.” Kenya’s request for a solesource acquisition was motivated by specific interest in Air Tractor, the GAO report states. ■
CONTRACT CRAIG HOYLE LONDON
Vixen 500E radar boosts Romanian demonstrator L
eonardo has been chosen to provide its Vixen 500E active electronically scanned array radar in support of an advanced trainer research activity in Romania. Announcing the deal on 29 August, the European sensor provider said the Vixen 500E has been chosen by Romania’s national institute for aerospace research (INCAS) for its new trainer technology demonstrator programme, IAR-99 TD. “The project is based on a Romanian air force IAR-99 Soim, which will be modified by INCAS together with aircraft manufacturer Avioane Craiova,” it says. It identifies the aircraft involved in the activity as the Soim programme’s third prototype. flightglobal.com
o d r a n o e L
Research institute INCAS is adapting an IAR-99 Soim prototype INCAS general manager Catalin Nae says the institute is conducting the IAR-99 TD project “to fully test and further develop technologies for an advanced
trainer, with enhanced sensing and combat capabilities.” While the radar acquisition is being made in support of this research, Leonardo believes a suc-
cessful outcome could lead to further opportunities. “The sale of the Vixen 500E could lead in future to Romania’s fleet of IAR-99s being retrofitted with the new radar as part of a wider upgrade progra mme,” it suggests. Flight Fleets Analyzer records the Romanian air force as having an active fleet of 18 IAR-99s, which range from 16 to 29 years old. The service is the only operator of the Rolls-Royce Viper-engined type. “We see further commercial potential outside of Romania, and are looking forward to working with INCAS to address this,” says Leonardo Airborne and Space Systems managing director Norman Bone. ■
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 19
Flight Safety Symposium 26th - 27th September 2017 | London, UK Strengthen your insight, processes and systems, as well as your network at this year’s denitive safety conference.
Commercial Flight Safety – how is safety performance measured? Air Trafc Control – what are the risks of a cyber-attack? Airline Engineering & Maintenance Safety – is technology a help or a hindrance?
Over 170 attendees 62% senior management 30+ unique airlines
To book or nd out more visit: ightglobal.com/FSS17 Delegate enquiries: +44 (0)20 8652 3233
[email protected]
Sponsor enquiries: +44 (0)20 7911 1490 rebecca.covey@ightglobal.com
Secure your place today Trade body partners
Silver sponsor
DEFENCE
Raising consciousness in the battle against pilot hypoxia News Focus P22
PRODUCTION LEIGH GIANGRECO WASHINGTON DC
King Stallion gains pace with LRIP deal Low-rate production launched under $304m contract, as heavy-lift helicopter heads for US Marine Corps service entry
S
ikorsky has been cleared to begin assembling the first two production examples of the CH-53K King Stallion under a $304 million contract awarded by the US Navy. The Lockheed Martin-owned airframer will deliver two of the heavy-lift rotorcraft, which has a maximum take-off weight of 39,900kg (88,000lb), to the US Marine Corps in 2020 under the low-rate initial production (LRIP) Lot 1 contract. The US Department of Defense approved the King Stallion’s production and deployment phase in April 2017, clearing the way for the order. Assembly will be performed in Stratford, Connecticut, with the first LRIP deal also covering the
n i t r a
M d e e h k c o L
CH-53K is also being offered to export prospects Germany and Israel provision of spare parts and logistics support. The USMC plans to replace its fleet of CH-53E Super Stallions with 200 King Stallions, with four early production aircraft due to be
delivered this year. The USN estimates an average unit price of $87 million, if all 200 CH-53Ks are ordered by the Marines. While the K-model remains similar in shape to the legacy
CH-53E, it represents a full transformation of the heavy-lift helicopter. The new version features three GE Aviation T408 engines, a new transmission and rotor blades, a composite fuselage and clean-sheet avionics. Sikorsky is also eyeing export opportunities for the King Stallion, with Germany and Israel the most clear-cut opportunities. Berlin intends to replace its fleet of 81 CH-53GA/GS helicopters, with a request for proposals anticipated in mid-2018, leading to a contract award in 2019. Deliveries would begin in 2023. Tel Aviv, meanwhile, is looking for deliveries to start in about 2025 as it begins the replacement of its 23-strong CH-53 “Yas’ur” fleet. ■
ROTORCRAFT IGOR BOZINOVSKI SILAC AIR BASE
Slovakia’s first Black Hawk makes public debut T
he Slovak air force has publicly displayed one of an initial pair of Sikorsky UH-60M Black Hawks as it begins the progressive retirement of its current Russian-built inventory. Displayed at the SIAF 2017 air show, held at Silac air base near Zvolen in central Slovakia in late August, the new helicopter is part of a $261 million modernisation effort. Acquired direct from the USA using Washington’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) mechanism, the two Black Hawks were delivered to Presov air base in June, before officially joining the air force’s 1st Helicopter Sqn on 3 August.
Two further examples will arrive in 2018, with the remainder to be handed over in 2019 under a nine-aircraft deal. Configured in a utility transport configuration, the UH-60Ms are able to accommodate 11 fully equipped troops, as well as two rear crew and two pilots. The Black Hawks join a current fleet of eight Mil Mi-17 helicopters, which are used for troop transport and search and rescue missions. Although five of the Mi-17s are capable of providing air support using their 23mm machine guns or rocket pods, there is no plan to arm the incoming Black Hawks.
However, Bratislava says it will analyse this requirement as part of a long-term development plan for its armed forces.
Under the FMS programme, four crews received training in the USA in 2016. Two more crews are currently in training. ■
i k s v o n i z o B r o g I
New UH-60M was put on display at SIAF air show at Silac air base
Download the 2017 Wo r l d A i r F o r c e s R e p o r t
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
www.flightglobal.com/waf flightglobal.com
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 21
NEWS FOCUS For insight and analysis of the latest developments in the defence sector, visit: flightglobal.com/defence SAFETY LEIGH GIANGRECO WASHINGTON DC
Raising consciousness in the battle against pilot hypoxia US services call on Cobham to help determine cause of persistent oxygen supply issues
E
ven as the US Air Force’s Lockheed Martin F-35A soared above Le Bourget in June, oxygen issues had grounded the same aircraft back home at Luke AFB, Arizona. Just weeks before the conventional take-off and landing Lightning II was set to make its Paris air show debut, the USAF announced it would cancel F-35A flying operations at Luke AFB following five separate oxygen deprivation incidents in a month. Pilots had reported experiencing “hypoxia-like symptoms”, although the air force would later characterise the incidents as physiological events (PE) that could include hypoxia, hypocapnia or hyperventilation. The Arizona base houses 55 F-35As, but the issue applied to only 48 of those aircraft. A range of symptoms were reported, from slight dizziness and disorientation to tingling and coldness in the extremities – but the pilots were trained to recognise the problems and landed safely using the aircraft’s back-up oxygen system. When the USAF announced the grounding on 9 June, it set an optimistic return-to-flight date of just three days later. But Luke’s aircraft did not return to normal
flying operations, at altitudes above 25,000ft, until 30 August. At Le Bourget, USAF officials insisted the oxygen issue was isolated to Luke’s jets. A pilot survey that began at the base in May later expanded across all F-35 pilots. The survey also examined the aircraft’s low-rate initial production numbers as a possible common thread, as well as software variants.
ing T-45 Goshawk trainers. Although the service allowed its instructors to resume flying the type in April under a restricted envelope that excluded using its on-board oxygen generation system (OBOGS), Naval Air System Command (NAVAIR) officials later said that students would not be trained until an air supply fix was implemented in July. In June, the USN rolled out a comprehensive review of PE on its T-45s and Boeing F/A-18 fighters, which concluded that the OBOGS on both aircraft are not able to provide clean, dry air to pilots, and can allow contaminants to escape into their breathing air, potentially causing hypoxia. The service found that pressurisation issues caused most of the oxygen problems for F/A-18 pilots, while the OBOGS emerged as the culprit on the Goshawk.
“Every flight is a physiological event – we’re putting people in an extreme environment” Ryan Mayes Biomedical engineer, US Air Force Research Laboratory
When Luke’s F-35As returned to the skies last month, their pilots did so without the root cause of the PE identified. But officials at the base have been able to rule out some contamination risks, such as suspected higher levels of carbon monoxide on the hot and congested Arizona flightline. Meanwhile, the US Navy is also attempting to grasp at the elusive cause of PE plaguing its pilots, including oxygen issues on its Boe-
SPECIFIC SYSTEMS
y v a N S U
Fears over equipment have restricted US Navy training on the T-45 22 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
Those findings may have narrowed the scope of the navy’s hypoxia problem, but the report did not single out a specific system or environmental condition that would cause a hypoxia event or pressurisation malfunction. On 3 August, the USAF began OBOGS testing that will continue until the end of this year. Working with the F-35 Joint Programme Office and the Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) in Dayton, Ohio, a team of engineers and statistical analysis experts at the 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, are testing OBOGS that have never been flown before, in order to compare their baseline performance with systems which have experienced incidents at various simulated cabin altitudes, aircraft altitudes, and breathing demand flows. The two services have long battled, and to some extent ac-
cepted, oxygen issues as part of the risk their pilots must take. Between 2003 and 2008, the USAF’s F-22 fleet experienced six incidents, followed by another dozen by 2011. The service stood down the Raptor fleet and directed its Scientific Advisory Board to study the F-22’s life-support system. The board could not determine a root cause, but found that the supply or quality of oxygen may contribute to pilots’ symptoms. The USAF returned its air-superiority fighters to normal operations in 2013, after modifying life-support systems. Historically, the air force has taught pilots to recognise the symptoms of hypoxia, loss of consciousness induced by g forces, or fumes in the cockpit, says Ryan Mayes, a biomedical engineer at the US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). But pilots keep experiencing unexplained events that are not necessarily caused by those factors. “Every flight is a physiological event – we’re putting people in an extreme environment,” Mayes says. “The way to eliminate PE is to better characterise what might drive PE. Part of our function is informing and defining the risk.” Following a request from the flightglobal.com
NEWS FOCUS
VistaJet expansion plan gets $200m investment support Business Aviation P24
sues. While measuring gas going into the pilot’s mask is critical, the exhalation side measures the amount of carbon dioxide, which helps Cobham understand incidents such as hyperventilation and hypocapnia. Schaeffer says that based on preliminary data, PE could be linked to a lack of oxygen at altitude, or even cockpit pressure. “A lot of fingers are being pointed at the oxygen system,” he says. “I don’t disagree. However, there’s a lot more going on in the cockpit that the oxygen system may not be the root cause of.”
Some USAF Lightning IIs were grounded on 9 June, after five pilots reported symptoms
MORE AUTONOMY
e c r o F r i A S U
USAF School of Aerospace Medicine, the service awarded Cobham, which manufactures the OBOGS, a contract in 2016 to develop a new method for monitoring pilot breathing and physiology. In addition to the AFRL, the company has briefed NAMRU and NAVAIR on its aircrewmounted physiologic sensing (AMPS) technology, which connects to the CRU-94 integrated terminal block that sits about 18in from the pilot’s mouth. AMPS examines the oxygen concentration, gas flow, temperature and pressure in the breathing gas, whether through OBOGS or a liquid oxygen system. In early June, Cobham delivered the first sets to Wright-Patterson AFB, where validation and verification testing began. Preliminary tests show AMPS is still capable of sensing in a high-g environment, which can often stress electronics, says David Burch, a biomedical engineer at the AFRL. “The oxygen sensor is an optical sensor, so any type of fluctuation in the boards changes the distance that the light has to go,” he says. “We’re dealing with very sensitive components. Right now the system looks very good.” Cobham first developed the inflightglobal.com
halation sensor block portion of AMPS, and then created the exhalation block by re-packaging the system and adding a carbon dioxide sensor. The inhalation block measures oxygen pressure, gas flow to the pilot and aircraft acceleration to determine whether the life-support system is performing within specifications.
“Fingers are being pointed at the oxygen system. But there’s a lot more going on in the cockpit” Rob Schaeffer Environmental systems product director, Cobham
Rob Schaeffer, product director for environmental systems at Cobham, told FlightGlobal at the company’s Orchard Park, New York facility that before AMPS, no sensor looked at the pilot’s breathing or overall health. “So the pilot – for all intents and purposes – has been the sensor.” AMPS collects data on the oxygen concentration, but does not measure contaminants in the OBOGS. Along with the sensor blocks, Cobham created a digital
upgrade to the CRU-99 oxygen monitor – the solid-state oxygen monitor (CRU-123) – which delivers data on temperature and oxygen pressure to T-45 pilots. DATA SPEED
While the USAF has been able to measure oxygen levels, the service has never been able to quickly record the data for speeds that are relevant to physiology, Burch says. Also, even though technology is not yet mature, the service has faced challenges getting monitoring culturally accepted. “We have not really grown up in a flying world where it’s a part of the weapon system,” says Mayes. “So part of us reaching out to groups like the test pilot school is to start to think about how pilots can use this.” The USAF put pulse oximeters, which measure the amount of oxygen in the blood, on F-22 pilots, but Schaeffer says Cobham wants to go further, by taking a threephase approach to the PE issue: monitor, predict and protect. The monitoring phase starts with the AMPS’ inhalation and exhalation block, which collects data on a large cross-section of pilots that should help the services draw conclusions on oxygen is-
Once the USAF and Cobham amass a library of data, the company can develop a predictive algorithm to help pilots make decisions, Schaeffer says. The company plans to integrate the technology into its next-generation emergency oxygen system. Cobham plans to propose that technology for the USAF’s smart aircraft digital breathing regulator (SDBR). In July, the service released a request for information seeking a technology that would enable autonomous control of the regulator using aircraft state, inflight environment, and pilot physiological state information. The system would notify pilots and allow the breathing regulator to take corrective action before the pilot or jet is compromised. “The [SDBR] monitoring systems will access, predict, and initiate the flow of oxygen to the pilot using external input parameters,” the request says. “The tactical version shall account for both altitude and accelerationinduced hypoxia and head-level blood flow and blood oxygen changes.” Despite decades of testing on oxygen systems, pilots are likely to always experience PE, Mayes says. “It’s hard for us to characterise and mitigate an unknown something with an unknown cause,” he says. “So the first step in that is trying to define the cause. Once we have done that I’m optimistic AMPS will be an important part of that and we can move on to what’s next, whether that’s mitigation or training.” ■
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 23
BUSINESS AVIATION Keep up to date with business aviation news and analysis at: flightglobal.com/bizav APPROVAL
KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Blackhawk wins certification for engine upgrade
U
S engineering company and aftermarket specialist Blackhawk Modifications has received US supplemental type certification for its XP67A engine upgrade on the Beechcraft King Air 350, and is working on similar approvals for the 350ER and 300 variants of the twin-engined turboprop. The upgrade replaces the type’s 1,050shp (783kW) Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines with 1,200shp PT6A-67As, boosting maximum cruise speed by up to 40kt (74km/h). The re-engined twin can also climb from sea level to 35,000ft in 18min in hot conditions, says Blackhawk – more than twice the rate of the baseline model. The upgrade package includes a five-blade composite propeller from German manufacturer MT, which Blackhawk says “delivers significant reductions in noise and vibration levels while improving overall performance”. Blackhawk is now adapting the XP67A upgrade for the King Air 350ER and 300, with certification scheduled for late 2017 and early 2018, respectively. ■
CHARTER KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
VistaJet expansion plan gets $200m investment support Private equity backing will let company expand, with additional purchases due from 2019
L
uxury charter operator VistaJet has secured $200 million in investment from the private equity firm Rhône Capital, as part of a strategy to strengthen its balance sheet in preparation for further expansion. The injection, which is made up of $150 million in cash and $50 million in “secondary acquisitions”, gives Rhône a 7.5% stake in the Malta-headquartered company, which is valued at more than $2.5 billion. VistaJet founder and chairman Thomas Flohr describes the deal as a “major vote of confidence in the firm’s strategy and business model”, and says it puts VistaJet in a strong position to expand its market share. Flohr has no immediate plans to spend the cash, however. “We don’t need the money now,” he explains. “The golden rule is to raise investment when you don’t need it.” VistaJet owns and operates 72 Bombardier business jets – 29 Global 6000s, six Global 5000s,
t e J a t s i V
VIP operator’s 72-strong Bombardier fleet includes 29 Global 6000s six Challenger 850s, 10 Challeng- turnover for the first half of the er 605s and 21 Challenger 350s. It year, driven by the increasing will take delivery in mid-Septem- popularity of its subscription ber of another Global 6000, mark- based programme. The flagship ing the final aircraft from a 2014 service accounts for nearly twoorder with the Canadian airfram- thirds of the company’s revenues. er for 50 large-cabin, long-range Vistajet has also launched and super-midsize aircraft. VistaJet Direct, a smartphone and “We don’t expect to place an- desktop app that gives customers other order until 2019,” says priority access to empty aircraft Flohr. “Our current plan is to ex- and one-way flights at preferenpand our service offering and to tial rates, for an annual membercontinue to grow our customer ship fee of $10,000. base. The existing fleet will ena“It is the only end-to-end book ble us to do that.” ing app in business aviation,” VistaJet recorded a 30% rise in says Flohr. ■
DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Production-standard G600 makes maiden flight G
ulfstream’s G600 business jet has entered the final stages of its certification campaign, following the debut flight of the fifth and final test aircraft – a production-representative example featuring a full interior. During the 2h 55min sortie on 29 August, the large-cabin, longrange aircraft (N600G) reached an altitude of 51,000ft and a speed of Mach 0.8, the airframer says. “The goal of including a production aircraft in our flight-test programme is to ensure we deliver the most functional, comforta ble and reliable cabin environ-
m a e r t s f l u G
The fifth airframe will be used to validate interior build and design ment for our customers,” says Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Our extensive testing will validate design and perfor-
24 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
mance, so we can provide a cabin that exceeds expectations.” The G600 flight-test campaign kicked off on 17 December 2016
with the maiden sortie of the first prototype. The test fleet has logged 800h across 180 flights, and the programme is on track to secure certification and service entry in the second half of 2018. The G600 was launched in October 2014 alongside the smaller and shorter-range G500, which is earmarked for service entry later this year. The pair feature Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800 engines – breaking from a half-century of exclusive partnership with RollsRoyce – fly-by-wire controls and an industry-first application of active control sidesticks. ■ flightglobal.com
BUSINESS AVIATION
Master of the air faces new threats Fighters P26 DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
One Aviation tests EA700 wing update Adapted Eclipse testbed completes first outing with design, ahead of maiden sortie for VLJ’s largest variant next year
A
n aerodynamic, proof-ofconcept wing intended for One Aviation’s in-development Eclipse EA700 very light jet (VLJ) has flown for the first time. The structure was attached to a modified EA500 testbed (N990NE) for the 1h 30min sortie performed on 1 September. During the flight, One Aviation says its chief test pilot Jerry Chambers evaluated the experimental aircraft’s manoeuvring and basic flying qualities at altitudes up to 15,000ft. The VLJ performed flawlessly and the test results were as expected, it says. Alan Klapmeier, chief executive of the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based airframer, calls the debut sortie “a key milestone in the path to making a very good airplane a great airplane”.
n o i t a i v A e n O
Fuel tanks are moved to the wing root, lifting capacity by 265 litres The EA700, formerly known as Project Canada, was launched in 2016 as an upgraded version of the EA550 – the latest iteration of the EA500, which it will replace. The wing is one of a handful of design changes and improve-
ments that are being incorporated into the $3.6 million EA700, which is expected to make its first flight next year. The wing has been lengthened by 61cm (24in) on each side and fuel tanks moved from the tips to the root, to allow
AMPHIBIAN KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
New-generation Seastar rolled out D
ornier Seawings has rolled out its first new-generation Seastar amphibian, and is preparing the twin-engined turboprop for its maiden sortie in the first half of 2019. The programme milestone was marked at a formal ceremony on 18 August at Dornier’s German final assembly facility in Oberpfaffenhoffen, near Munich. It
came more than 26 years after the original programme was moth balled due to financing problems. Despite the company securing US and European certification in 1991 for the 12-seat model, no aircraft were ever delivered. The Seastar was acquired in 2013 by Chinese companies Wuxi Communications Industry and Wuxi Industrial Develop-
s g n i w a e S r e i n r o D
First flight of the 12-seat, twin-engined turboprop is due in 2019 flightglobal.com
the aircraft to carry another 265 litres (70USgal) of fuel. Upswept wingtips will be also be added. Other improvements to the EA700 include a longer, lighter cabin, thanks to a 35cm stretch to the fuselage, and an extra window. Williams International FJ33-5A-12 engines replace its predecessor’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofans, while a Garmin 3000 flightdeck replaces the EA550’s IS&S installation. The EA700 is projected to have a 1,470nm (2,720km) range – 320nm more than the current design – and will be able to climb to its 43,000ft operating ceiling in just over half the time of the $3 million EA550. Flight Fleets Analyzer lists a global fleet of about 300 EA500 and EA550s. ■
UPGRADE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Europe certifies Supervan 900’s swept propeller
ment, although the Dornier family retains a minority stake. The new aircraft boasts a num ber of improvements over the exas Turbine Conversions original. These include a rede(TTC) has secured European signed and upgraded interior, a supplemental type certification Honeywell Primus Epic 2.0 avi- for the Hartzell four-bladed, lightonics suite, a stern hydro-thruster weight, composite, swept propelfor improved water manoeu- ler designed specifically for its vring, corrosion-resistant tricycle Supervan 900 single-engined turlanding gear, a hydraulic electri- boprop. cally steerable nose gear, and fiveIntroduced in 2008, the Su blade composite propellers de- pervan is a re-engined version of signed by MT. the Cessna 208 Caravan, featuring Type certification for the up- a Honeywell TPE331-10/12JR graded model is expected in 2020. turbine in place of the Pratt & China is expected to be a key Whitney Canada PT6A-114/A. market for the Seastar. Speaking The Denison, Texas-based enat the roll-out, Dornier Seawings gineering and modification comchief executive Amy Pan said pany secured US approval for the that as the country “opens up and new propeller in May. develops”, the Pratt & Whitney When coupled with the Canada PT6A-135A-powered TPE331 engine, the propeller type “will be able to seize oppor- generates up to 30% more static tunities and play a significant thrust, cuts fuel consumption role in the general aviation indus- and “gives the aircraft a great pertry on a global scale.” ■ formance bump”, says TTC. ■
T
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 25
FIGHTERS
STEPHEN TRIMBLE
WASHINGTON DC
T
wenty years after the first flight of a production aircraft on 7 September 1997, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor remains unchallenged as the world’s top air superiority fighter. Remarka bly, the F-22 dominates despite some startling gaps in its arsenal which are only now being addressed as the US Air Force looks to keep it relevant beyond 2060. Nothing in the air seemed remotely comparable when the F-22 first flew over Marietta, Georgia, two decades ago, but the Raptor quickly inspired imitators. Russia unveiled the less stealthy but super-agile Sukhoi Su-57 – formerly identified as the T-50 – in 2010, featuring internal weapons bays and a multi-axis
thrust vectoring system. In 2011, China finally revealed the AVIC Chengdu J-20, with a nose and engine inlets resembling the Raptor’s. Meanwhile, in Germany, India, Japan, South Korea and Turkey fifth-generation fighters are moving from drawing boards into early development stages. Still, no aircraft in production or development yet combines the three capabilities that make the F-22 stand out. Powerful Pratt & Whitney F119 engines can vector jet exhaust in the pitch axis and take it to Mach 1.5 without afterburners for more range. Integrated avionics fuse data from the Northrop Grumman APG-77 radar and BAE Systems ALR-74 electronic warfare suite on to a common display, including inputs from the same sensors on other F-22s via the intraflight data link. Fi-
nally, radiation absorbent materials and a stealthy airframe design – featuring leading edges of the wings and horizontal tails set at the same angle – that make the F-22 still the hardest combat jet to track on radar. AIR SUPERIORITY
Newer aircraft designs, including the Lockheed F-35, boast one or even two of these qualities, but none owns the F-22’s unique package of all three. “After 20 years, the F-22 still rules the sky,” Air Combat Command (ACC) chief Gen Mike Holmes tells FlightGlobal in an emailed statement. “Continuous updates and dedicated training have maintained that edge, but our adversaries are hard at work to close the gap. Future deterrence will depend on developing new
Master of the air faces new threats Lockheed Martin’s F-22 has been the world’s undisputed air superiority champion for two decades. The US Air Force plans to make sure it rules the skies for years to come
26 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
flightglobal.com
F-22 RAPTOR
ways to maintain America’s air advantage.” Despite that unequalled performance package, the F-22 achieved initial operational capability in December 2005 missing some capabilities – a helmet-mounted cueing system (HMCS) and infrared search and track (IRST) sensor – that even a decade ago counted as standard equipment for a modern fighter. As Lockheed delivered the last of 195 F-22s in May 2012, those gaps remained unaddressed, even as other USAF and US Navy fighters, including Boeing’s F-15C and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, stood ahead of the F-22 in the queue to receive the US military’s most advanced air-to-air missiles: Raytheon’s extended-range AIM-120D AMRAAM and back-flipping AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder. But the F-22’s time is coming. Initial opera-
Twenty years after first flight, a fleet size of just 183 is the F-22’s main limitation flightglobal.com
e c r o F r i A S U
e c r o F r i A S U
Upgrades to keep Raptors combat-ready for the next 45 years are the USAF’s next challenge tional test and evaluation began in August on Increment 3.2B, a software upgrade that will finally add the AIM-120D and AIM-9X Block II to its weapons stations, the F-22 programme office confirms to FlightGlobal. Increment 3.2B also improves the ALR-74’s ability to geolocate targets accurately based on their electromagnetic emissions. The current schedule calls for wrapping up testing by next April, then beginning installations on 150 F-22s from mid-2019 to autumn 2022. As Increment 3.2B installations begin, the F-22 programme office plans to address more gaps in the F-22’s technology. As of now, adding a potentially radar signature-compromising IRST sensor to detect engine exhaust heat from other aircraft is not on the priority list. When asked about an IRST upgrade, the programme office responds: “No new requirements or technology solutions have been determined or finalised at this time.” A funded requirement exists, however, to add an HMCS to the F-22, allowing pilots to select targets by turning their heads rather than the aircraft’s nose. Adding the AIM-9X Block II in mid-2019 would be compromised by the lack of such technology, as the F-22 would be unable to exploit the weapon’s full capabilities without helmet-mounted cueing. The USAF came close to funding an HMCS upgrade in 2013, but budget cuts stopped the effort. “Updated HMCS capability requirements will be developed and finalised in 2018 in preparation for a pre-engineering and manufacturing development programme start in early 2019,” the programme office says. The final decision for selecting the HMCS could be delegated to the F-22’s prime contractor, according to Lockheed. “As product support integrator for the F-22, Lockheed Martin would be tasked by the air force’s F-22 system programme office to run the competition, evaluate the various products submitted, select the winning design,
develop all of the requisite integration for the new system, and ultimately install all of the software and hardware modifications required to add the new capability to the aircraft,” the company tells FlightGlobal. After Increment 3.2B and HMCS upgrades are completed, the F-22 will continue operating for decades. The F-35A achieved initial operational capability last year and now the USAF is studying how to field a “penetrating counter-air” (PCA) system by 2030, but the F-22 should remain in operation for decades to come. The last F-22 is currently planned to be retired after 2060, the ACC says. Keeping the aircraft relevant in combat for the next 45 years is the USAF’s next challenge with the F-22 fleet. As the aircraft approaches a 20-year anniversary of operational service in 2025, the USAF will be looking to launch a potentially wide-ranging refresh of avionics, sensors and weapons.
“Continuous updates and dedicated training have maintained that edge, but our adversaries are hard at work” Gen Mike Holmes
Commander, Air Combat Command
“The F-22 will not require any major structural upgrades to operate out to [2060] and Air Combat Command has a notional plan for an F-22 mid-life update [MLU] around the 2024 timeframe,” Lockheed tells FlightGlobal. The USAF releases long-term budget plans in six-year increments, so no such requirement appears in the most recent spending roadmap. The ACC confirms, however, that an MLU for the F-22 is possible within a decade. “We are in the beginning stages of looking at mid-life upgrade options,” the ACC says. “They will likely entail computer hardware, avionics and sensors, along with a detailed 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 27
❯❯
Find your next deal with the world’s most comprehensive feets database
72,000
Find out more and request your demo at
www.fightglobal.com/feetsanalyzer
F-22 RAPTOR
analysis of the supportability of the systems and sub-systems.” Of course, the PCA programme is likely to draw on multiple research and technology efforts under way by industry and the Air Force Research Laboratory, including adaptive cycle engines, directed energy weapons and so-called sixth-generation missiles. How such technologies will be applied to the USAF’s existing stealth fleet, including the F-35A and F-22, remain to be seen. So far, the service has made no commitments. Incorporating such technologies in the F-22 implies extensive design changes. Some concepts for sixth-generation missiles incorporate MBDA Meteor-style variable-flow ducted rockets (VFDR), for example, with significantly wider missile body diameters than the tightly packed, six AIM-120s inside the F-22’s weapons bay. But the USAF remains open to any changes that the ACC requires. “Should the air force choose to pursue this requirement and its integration on to the F-22, the [system programme office] would follow our standard process for integrating new weapons capabilities on to the airframe, to include VFDR technology accommodation, if appropriate,” the programme office says. If the F-22 fleet suffers from any gaps in airto-air technology today, the USAF is yet to have been tested. When a Syrian Sukhoi Su-22 was shot down in June 2017, becoming the US military’s first air-to-air kill of a manned aircraft since 1999, the credit belonged to an F/A-18E pilot. But the F-22 has hardly been idle. Of 238,533 flight hours logged by F-22s since December 2005, nearly 5% – 11,583h – occurred in combat, according to data the ACC provided in mid-August. ❯❯
“Air Combat Command has a notional plan for an F-22 mid-life update around the 2024 timeframe” Lockheed Martin
The F-22’s sensors allow it to play a role that USAF officials have likened to an American football quarterback, designating targets and directing other aircraft in to strike. In other cases, F-22 pilots act alone. The air superiority fighter has dropped 1,171 bombs in anger – either 907kg (2,000lb) GBU-32 Boeing JDAM munitions or 113kg GBU-39 Boeing small diameter bombs – totalling 422,000kg of ordnance. The F-22’s prowess in the air-to-ground role comes from a historically circuitous legacy. The programme that led to the F-22 actually started in the early 1970s as studies for a new aircraft to replace the Republic F-105 and General Dynamics F-111 – two masters of flightglobal.com
e c r o F r i A S U
New armaments including sixth-generation missiles could dictate a weapons bay redesign intermediate-range strike. But the early studies evolved as the Soviet Union introduced the Su-27 and RAC MiG-29 to counter the F-15 and Lockheed F-16. The USAF diverted the strike mission to the stealthy Lockheed F-117 and the F-15E, while the advanced tactical fighter programme concentrated on developing a dominant air superiority fighter. BUDGET PRESSURE
A decade after the USAF selected the F-22 in 1991, however, the programme faced a budgetary crisis. In a relatively lean era for defence spending, Congress mandated a buy-to-budget strategy for the F-22 programme, which meant any increases in development costs had to be funded by debits to the production accounts. That legal constraint set up a downward spiral of rising costs and declining quantities, as the programme of record contracted from 750 aircraft in 1991 to 341 a decade later. By 2002, a new Defense Planning Guidance recommended cutting production to 180. In response, USAF leaders – then-secretary of the air force James Roche and chief of staff Gen John Jumper – reintroduced the Raptor as the “F/A-22”. This newly dual-role aircraft would receive billions of dollars of new investment to add a capability to carry eight GBU-39s internally and a ground moving target indicator mode to the APG-77. Those capabilities made the F-22 more relevant in operations over Syria, but in 2004 it was not enough to spare the programme from further budget cutbacks. In a sweeping cost reduction plan
outlined in a 23 December 2004 memorandum called PBD 753, the then-defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, cut F-22 production to 183, nearly matching the 180 units recommended in the 2002 guidance document, with a few units tacked on to maintain fullrate production on the final assembly line. Today, the F-22 production fleet still stands at 183 aircraft, despite three aircraft lost to crashes throughout the history of the programme. That number includes 137 com bat-coded F-22s, 15 test aircraft and 31 training aircraft. Twenty years after first flight, it is fleet size – more than any lack of weapon or sensor capability – that is the F-22’s biggest combat limitation. In 2012, Lockheed carefully placed each piece of production tooling in storage, with video recordings of machinists explaining how each part of the F-22 comes together. But any hope of restarting production has faded. The USAF concluded three months ago that such a move was unaffordable, at $50 billion to build 194 more F-22s. Instead, the USAF is making do with existing resources. The single F-22 kept in flyable storage is now being upgraded to return to service as a test aircraft, raising that portion of the fleet to 16 aircraft. In addition to 137 combatcoded F-22s upgraded to Block 30/35 aircraft, 13 of the Block 20 F-22s used for training and testing are being upgraded to the more capable Block 30/35 standard. The last three Block 30/35 conversions will be complete by the end of the year, according to the ACC. ■ 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 29
COVER STORY
A
s the US Air Force approaches production on its Northrop Grumman B-21 bomber and eyes full operational capability for its Lockheed Martin F-35A, the service is examining the future of air superiority with its next-generation air dominance (NGAD) concept. Last April, the USAF wrapped up its 2030 air superiority study, which assessed its limitations against future airpower threats. While the study did not name particular adversaries, the document included a picture of China’s AVIC Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter. More broadly, the USAF has warned against the growing threats in an increasingly complex anti-access/area denial environment. The study, led by Brig Gen Alexus “Grynch” Grynkewich, also criticised traditional platform-based acquisition practices, instead favouring a strategy to develop prototypes that can be transitioned into development as they mature.
VOTE OF CONFIDENCE Even with the unorthodox acquisition practices of US President Donald Trump, who has ruffled the feathers of both Boeing and Lockheed executives with his critiques of the Air Force One recapitalisation and the F-35 programme, the administration appears to have invested its confidence and dollars 30 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
Shaping its future For the US Air Force, total air domination is a strategic imperative – so identifying the technologies it needs to outclass rising threats beyond 2030 is an urgent mission LEIGH GIANGRECO WASHINGTON DC
in NGAD. In the president’s proposed fiscal year 2018 defence budget, the programme picked up some research and development steam. The USAF proposed a significant increase to NGAD, from $21 million in FY2017 to $294 million in FY2018. With the 2030 study completed, the air force is now in the middle of the NGAD analysis of alternatives (AOA). The additional research funding will allow the service to analyse future threats, informed by the 2030 study.
The gaps identified in the study have already allowed the USAF to shift its resources towards areas that will enable future air superiority, says Col Tom Coglitore, concept development lead for the Air Superiority 2030 effort. That is evident in the FY2018 budget and will allow the air force to plan 30 years out, he says. Both the USAF and industry have used the phrases NGAD and PCA – penetrating counter-air – almost interchangeably to describe the air dominance concept, though service officials only recently clarified the semantics. flightglobal.com
NEXT-GENERATION AIR DOMINANCE
late where the programme is heading. Unlike past USAF fighter jet acquisitions, NGAD may not shape up to be one fighter-type platform. Over the past year, Grynkewich eschewed both the terms “fighter” and “sixthgeneration” platform. That may also hint at an effort to distinguish PCA from the maligned F-35 programme. Grynkewich told reporters that PCA’s requirements as an air superiority platform, rather than an air-to-ground aircraft, would make it more difficult to find commonality across the services.
“The nuance is, as you’re standing off with your vehicle, you’re still seeing deep with your sensors” Dave Bujold Fixed-wing programme director, Boeing Phantom Works
This Lockheed Martin concept is a spark for imagination rather than a hard clue as to the appearance of a future fighter Specifically, the term “penetrating” in the counter-air description appears antithetical to the air force’s characterisation of the aircraft as a “standoff” platform. “The nuance is, as you’re standing off with your vehicle, you’re still seeing deep with your sensors,” Dave Bujold, director of fixedwing programmes for Boeing Phantom Works, tells FlightGlobal. “I think that’s what they’re really talking about when they talk about a standoff capability on NGAD.” NGAD has always referred to the programme element in the budget as well as the AOA, which will determine attributes for PCA, Coglitore says. There are several capa bilities within the NGAD concept, and PCA is one of them, he says. PCA will provide a full spectrum of operations, from high- to lowend, so the concept could pursue both standoff and a stand-in capability, he adds. “When Grynch speaks, he doesn’t talk about specific platforms,” Coglitore says. “We usually talk about a family of capabilities which came out of the ECCT [air superiority enterprise capability collaboration] team, that he led, so there are several different capabilities. PCA is one of those.” Although the air force’s quibble over names looks like another example of Washington’s acronym alphabet soup, the slippery characterisation of PCA or NGAD seems to encapsuflightglobal.com
n i t r a M d e e h k c o L
“In an air superiority mission, it’s fundamentally a different set of problems,” he says. “So for the navy it’s about fleet defence, some limited power projection. For the air force, it’s how do I go wherever I need to go in the world, and I need air superiority to do that.” While he admits the future platform may end up with an “F” designation in the end, he says PCA’s range, persistence and lethality will not look like today’s fighters, which still embrace 20th-century warfare tactics. USAF officials still have not identified where PCA fits in – such as whether it could look more like a fighter or a bomber – although longer range and survivability will remain key attributes. Both Boeing and Lockheed NGAD concept art feature tailless supersonic aircraft, but the companies say that is just one option.
“Whether or not that future fighter would have those features is to be determined,” Bob Ruszkowski, director of air dominance and strike systems at Lockheed’s Skunk Works, tells FlightGlobal. “Although I think you could safely say that aircraft that have enhanced survivable characteristics, many of them don’t have tails. We’re in the midst of exploring these different technologies – the illustration is more or less to spark the imagination.” PCA’s range will outstrip an F-22’s, but Grynkewich is not sure whether its range would be greater than that of a bomber. He also referred to his ideal platform as a “sensor shooter”, which would allow salvos not only from PCA, but would also enable any standoff weapon in the air force’s inventory. “When we think about air superiority, we don’t think about fighter jet combat anymore,” Grynkewich told an audience on Capitol Hill in July. “We need to think about how it’s a network of capabilities that come together in order to achieve that air superiority. If technology was at the point where you could just make one system that could do all of that in some package, like the Death Star or something, maybe you’d want to do that, maybe you wouldn’t.” FRESH APPROACH
Depending on the AOA’s outcome in a year’s time, PCA could step back from previous fighters’ emphasis on stealth. Rather than focus on stealth alone, as the air force has with the F-22 and F-35, PCA could gravitate toward a mix of capabilities, such as speed and electronic warfare, which complement each other. Coglitore’s comments echoed the ECCT study’s critical look at recent USAF procurements and seem to point to an NGAD concept that will break away from the traditional devel- ❯❯
g n i e o
B
Like its rival Lockheed Martin, Boeing is exploring tailless concepts for enhanced survivability 12-18 September 2017 Flight International | 31
New Generation of Airline Passenger Service Systems 10 – 12 October 2017 | London, UK Driving the Digital Passenger experience How much are airline innovations impacting your core architecture when it comes to passenger service systems? Learn what others like you are doing and see how you can differentiate your PSS offering, ultimately helping you win (and keep) more business.
70 unique airlines
Over 300 attendees 1.02bn passengers represented globally
To book or fnd out more visit: ightglobal.com/PSS17 Delegate enquiries: +44 (0)20 8652 3233
[email protected]
Sponsor enquiries: +44 (0)20 7911 1344
[email protected]
Secure your place today Platinum sponsor
Platinum sponsor
Silver sponsor
Silver sponsor
NEXT-GENERATION AIR DOMINANCE
opment cycle that has characterised the service’s recent fighter and bomber acquisitions. Coglitore has also said NGAD could be more than one platform. The ECCT flightplan included Air Force Research Laboratory unmanned air vehicle concepts, such as the Low Cost Attritable Strike Demonstration and the Pentagon Strategic Capabilities Office’s Arsenal Plane concept, which could take an aircraft like the Boeing B-52 out of inventory to create a larger airborne magazine. “If you look at the capability we’re looking to pursue, it’s more than just a fighter. I look at it more as a weapons or sensor truck,” he says. “Those folks who say it’s a fighter are looking at it old school versus how we have looked at it for several years now.” Ruszkowski says the jury is out on PCA’s configuration until the AOA is revealed. But he still sees fighters as part of the USAF’s future and envisages them working in concert with unmanned platforms. However, he does not believe the air force is ready to employ a Loyal Wingman – a concept that aims to multiply a manned fighter’s capabilities by teaming it with an autonomous jet – as part of PCA. ❯❯
DEVELOPMENT NEED
“They have a long way to go, not only on the military side but on the civilian side, to be able to train more freely with unmanned systems,” he says. “There’s a lot of work going on with unmanned regulations with the FAA. You have to be able to train with those systems, and to be able to train you have to more readily transit civil airspace.” As the USAF examines which technologies could buy their way onto a platform by 2030, the service is also taking a critical look at some of the capabilities that have been “just around the corner” for decades. While the air force has long sought the unlimited magazine
k c o t s r e t t u h S / X E R / a n i h c e n i g a m I
The USAF is concerned with growing and increasingly complex threats, such as China’s J-20 that direct energy could bring to an aircraft, Coglitore says the service wants to chase gaps in capabilities, not technologies. There is no requirement to field a laser on an aircraft for the NGAD concept, but the AOA will help determine how easily those technologies could be integrated onto a platform, he adds. As part of the USAF’s effort to break away from tired acquisition practices, the service’s head of Air Combat Command hinted at a rapid acquisition plan for PCA earlier this year. That plan would allow the air force to purchase PCA aircraft in batches and add capabilities, such as directed energy, along the way. “I want directed energy as soon as I can get it and as soon as it works. Not a moment before and not a moment after,” Grynkewich says. “When that moment happens, we need to have in place the ability to incrementally
e c r o F r i A S U
One possibility for the service’s future capability could be an enhanced version of the F-35A flightglobal.com
improve upon whatever platforms exist.” As with all AOAs, the air force is weighing up whether to include legacy systems or even change concepts of operations for the nextgeneration air dominance concept. But the defence industry, which is also providing the air force feedback on the AOA, seems keener to capture another major defence acquisition programme than update existing systems. “If you look at how they do AOA, they look at doing things as surprisingly simple as changing the doctrine to see if they can accomplish the mission, or doing better training,” Bujold says. “They’re [also] looking at a material option, and Boeing stands ready to support the decision to go after a new material option.” For Lockheed, the AOA might bring out the possibility of enhancing existing F-35s. Although some have characterised PCA as an F-22 replacement, pointing to its emphasis on air superiority, Ruszkowski believes that is a narrow approach. Although he will not comment on PCA directly, he says the F-35 is not primarily an air-to-ground machine. “F-35 is going to have a long service life and it will be modified over time: capabilities will be added to it,” he says. “There might be more in the future – whether the aircraft could be modified to fill other mission roles, I think that’s to be determined depending on how requirements unfold.” Boeing is also leveraging its expertise from its work on the missions systems on both the F-22 and the F-15 for its PCA venture. In May, Boeing officials hinted that technology developed on the Advanced Eagle could make its way onto PCA. Boeing’s bid would not necessarily have the same “outer mould line”, but it would leverage the F-15’s updated mission computers and advanced radars, Bujold says. ■ 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 33
AIRLINERS
Big twin’s twilight? With an ageing fleet, competition from newer types and poor prospects for freighter conversions, a growing number of parked 777s are heading only for the scrapyard ELLIS TAYLOR SINGAPORE
A
lthough there have been some small signs of life, a growing num ber of Boeing 777-200s and -300s appear to be headed for the scrapyard amid rising supply and poor interest in the secondary market. It has been a tough few years for the wide body twin, with availability of -200/-200ERs and -300s rising following Malaysia Airlines’ dumping of its 777-200ERs in 2015 and the collapse of Transaero in the same year. Still, a number of those aircraft were picked up by other Russian operators, such as VIM Airlines and Rossiya. The situation was not helped when, the same year, Delta Air Lines’ then-chairman and chief executive, Richard Anderson, said his airline had been offered 777-200s for less than $10 million.
s e g a m I m a e T r i A
There was little indication airworthy aircraft with life left were trading at such levels, however. Values for the type have yet to reach that level, but Flight Values Analyzer data shows that the 777-200ER’s values have declined faster than other twin-engined wide bodies – down about 45% since January 2014. That compares with declines of about 30% for 767s and Airbus A330s over the same period.
LIMITED MARKET A large factor in that is the lack of a major secondary operator for 777-200s and -300s. A small number have transitioned to budget, charter and ACMI operators, but these are exceptions rather than the rule. “Clearly the relative illiquidity of these types in today’s market has had a significant impact on values,” says Flight Ascend Consultancy head of consultancy Rob Morris.
The supply of used 777s without operators has been growing over the past year, with All Nippon Airways, China Southern Airlines, Emirates and Singapore Airlines already drawing down their 777 Classic fleets. More carriers could also dump aircraft in the coming year, with Flight Fleets Analyzer indicating that at least 23 aircraft will come to the end of their leases in 2018. Some aircraft have been picked up by Boeing Capital Corporation. Fleets Analyzer shows that between August 2015 and the end of July it will have bought four 777-200s, and is also scheduled to take three aircraft from China Southern Airlines. While Boeing Capital has managed to transition some of those aircraft to new operators, it has also retired two jets, and to date 43 Classic 777s have been retired, representing 7.5% of the fleet. “This is not unnatural given that the 777-200
Emirates is among a number of carriers which have begun reducing the size of their 777 fleets over the past year
34 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
flightglobal.com
BOEING 777
fleet age ranges from three to 22 years, which places the older aircraft at the inflexion point of the widebody survivor curve,” says Morris. Although the trend for the 777 Classic is towards retirement and part-out, some fullservice carriers still see life in the type. British Airways and United Airlines have both announced major cabin refits for their 777-200s and -200ERs. Fleets Analyzer shows that a number of 777-200s coming to the end of their leases over the next few years with Air France and KLM look to be likely candidates for lease extensions. From next year, Cathay Pacific will take five ex-Emirates 777-300s it has bought from AerCap to replace its five 777-200s. They will join 12 other -300s in its fleet, with all 17 aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 800 engines. Those aircraft will be reconfigured to increase their capacity to 396 seats and will be deployed on regional services. The upgauging will be achieved largely through switching the economy cabin from a 3-3-3 seating layout to 3-4-3. Morris expects that the Cathay transaction is likely to be a one-off, driven by a desire to increase capacity on regional routes amid a dearth of slots at Hong Kong International airport over the next few years. Asahi Aviation also recently brokered the sale of another Trent-powered 777-300 on behalf of a Japanese investor. While the new owner’s identity was not disclosed, Asahi told FlightGlobal that it intends to offer it for lease. Some carriers have also chosen to increase the seating density of their 777-200s, which lowers the type’s unit costs. Scoot’s 777200ERs, which have now been replaced by 787s, operated with 402 seats in a dual-class layout – close to the capacity of most 747-400s. But those cabin changes do not come cheaply. One industry source tells FlightGlobal that the cost is about $10 million per aircraft, and that has to be weighed against the expected operating life.
“The relative illiquidity of these types in today’s market has had a significant impact on values” Rob Morris
Head of consultancy, Flight Ascend Consultancy
Added to that are complications around the Classics’ engine choice. The majority of the aircraft are fitted with Trent 800s, but GE Aviation GE90s and Pratt & Whitney PW4000s were also offered. For some potential operators, that makes it difficult to source aircraft with the same engines. The industry has also been critical of what it sees as inflexibilities and high costs for most of the Trent engines that have been tied into powflightglobal.com
Boeing 777 in-service fleet 1995-2017 In-service fleet 1,500
1,200
900
600
300
0 9 5 9 6 9 7 9 8 9 9 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 0 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 9 1 9 1 9 1 9 1 9 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 Source: Flight Ascend Consultancy
777-200/ER/LR
777-300/ER
777F
Boeing 777 parked fleet 1995-2017 Parked fleet 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
9 5 9 6 9 7 9 8 9 9 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 0 6 0 7 0 8 0 9 1 0 1 1 1 2 1 3 1 4 1 5 1 6 1 7 1 9 1 9 1 9 1 9 1 9 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 2 0 Source: Flight Ascend Consultancy 777-200/ER/LR
777-300/ER
777F
er-by-the-hour agreements. Nonetheless, one source notes that as more Trent-powered aircraft are parted-out, it is possible that more engines with green time on them could enter the market. TRENT LONGEVITY
Ascend senior analyst Richard Evans points out that fewer Trent-powered aircraft have been scrapped. “Proportionately more P&W aircraft have been parted-out, which may reflect trading of engines, and help lower overhaul costs,” he says. Most widebody types have historically found a second life as freighters, but so far there has been little progress on a conversion programme for Classic 777s. Boeing started studies in 2008 for a potential conversion programme, which could see it offer a converted 777-200ER with a payload of about 81t – significantly lower than the 103t payload of the 777-200LR Freighter. That study appears to have gone nowhere, with concerns about issues of cost, timing and suitable feedstock of aircraft for conversion.
In the OEM’s absence, Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Bedek division has stepped in. In April, it announced that it had secured a launch customer for its planned 777 freighter conversion line. Although the customer’s name has not been disclosed, IAI expects the first conversion will be completed by mid2020, based on the expectation that a contract would be signed at mid-year, with development taking three years. While significant, many observers feel that the 777 converted freighter will face a number of challenges. The first will be replacing the composite floor beams with steel ones to allow it to carry freight. Then, there is a big question mark over who will take the aircraft, given an environment where Boeing is fighting hard to sell new-build 777-200LRFs and 747-8Fs. That leaves the future of the 777 Classic fleet looking rather bleak, particularly as more efficient and capable aircraft continue to push them out of the global fleet. Clearly, the type is heading rapidly into its twilight years. ■ 12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 35
flight.international@flightglobal.com
LETTERS
Editor’s reply: Thanks to Mr Davis for pointing this out. Al Blackman did indeed start his career with American Export Airlines (part of the American Export Lines shipping company). The airline was absorbed into American Airlines at the end of the war, so Mr Blackman’s service has been continuous.
CONCORDE
A missed market opportunity? We welcome your letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry. Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK Or email: flight.international@flightglobal.com The opinions on this page do not necessarily represent those of the editor. Letters without a full postal address supplied may not be published. Letters may also be published on flightglobal.com and must be no longer than 250 words.
I have just finished reading an excellent book Concorde: New Shape in the Sky . As we all know, this aircraft failed to sell as anticipated. Apart from a single reference to its possible use as a transatlantic parcel carrier with FedEx, there is no mention of it being developed for other markets, as is common with today’s commercial airliners. Was there ever any consideration to a military application?
Cheaper option
John Davies Barrow-upon-Humber, UK
In your flight test of the Cirrus SF50 Vision (Flight International , 22 August-4 September), you say that the aircraft is the cheapest jet on the market, with a price tag of $2.3 million. This is true for the market segment the Vision is aimed at, but it costs far more than the Sonex Aircraftproduced SubSonex kit-plane. This single-seat jet can be built and flown for around £100,000 ($130,000). Steve Moody Leamington Spa, UK
Plotting a path for good cause There’s an interesting trend among operators and manufacturers, where they use applications like Flightradar24 and FlightAware to get the attention of users and the media by flying a unique flight pattern. We have seen this recently with Boeing plotting a 787 over the USA, and a pilot flying a very creative flightpath across New Zealand’s Northland region to raise awareness of prostate and testicular cancer. We also had Air New Zealand on 3 September operating a special 787-9 flight on behalf of local charity Koru Care – which it has been supporting for more than 30 years. The aircraft took 50 children with critical medical conditions, such as cancer and heart disease, on a mystery journey that drew a 237nm (440km)-long and 260nm-wide heart shape across New Zealand. In a global first, the airline says it live-streamed the top-secret route in partnership with Flightradar24, and gradually revealed the heart-shaped flight plan during a Facebook Live broadcast.
k c o t s r e t t u h S / X E R
Could Concorde have been adapted for military purposes? Many of the children had never been on an aircraft before, let alone the Dreamliner, and this gave these brave kids the chance to experience the excitement of flying. Peter Clark Auckland, New Zealand
Staying fitter Regarding the piece in Straight & Level (Flight International, 1-7 August) detailing Al Blackman’s 75 years as a fitter: technically his job may have always been the same and he never had to fill out a second application, but it was not always with American
Airlines. The carrier never had flying boats, so one presumes that his first employer was American Export Airlines, about the time it started transatlantic service with the Vought-Sikorsky VS-44 in June 1942. AEA became American Overseas Airlines (AOA) in November 1945, and a month later was merged into American Airlines. AOA continued to fly the Atlantic as such until American sold the operation to Pan American in September 1950. Evidently Mr Blackman remained with American. John Davis Wichita, Kansas, USA
High definition In his response to my letter about the meaning of the word “oversight” (Flight International , 8-14 August) Alan Curry is quoting from the 2004, 11th edition (and highly abbreviated) Concise Oxford English Dictionary . If he were to refer to the more comprehensive, two-volume Shorter OED (or the 20 volumes of the full OED) he would appreciate that there are indeed two meanings of the word oversight. He might also consult the Oxford Dictionary online to be similarly enlightened. Incidentally, there is no such thing as an “American version” of the OED – only British original texts printed in the USA, for sale in the USA. Malcolm Bowden via email
Check out Flight Inter national’s Image Store Browse or customise a gift or memento from our CUTAWAY ARCHIVE of more than 1000 aircraft drawings
www.fightglobalimages.com 36 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
flightglobal.com
STRAIGHT&LEVEL From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com
An image that’s hard to shake off As if pranging a Bombardier Q400 by prematurely retracting the landing-gear wasn’t embarrassing enough, Google Maps appears set to prolong the pilot’s discomfort in its latest landscape update. The Luxair Q400 involved in the mishap – during take-off from Saarbrücken on 30 September 2015 – is clearly shown in the aerial photos of the airport, being attended by emergency vehicles after it skidded to a wheel-less halt on the runway. Investigators found the hapless pilot had been a bit too quick on the draw with the landing-gear lever as the turboprop departed for Hamburg. Probably not one for the family album.
Flying solo Did Captain Speaking mean this as a profound Brexit-Britain statement as our aircraft began its approach over the North Sea to Stansted? “Now Europe is behind us, we are descending into the United Kingdom.”
South-wet
When Houston’s William P Hobby airport was hit by Hurricane Harvey, it forced base carriers including Southwest to make dramatic changes to their operations. However, we suspect this particular image is probably what a certain president would call fake nooz.
e l g o o G
“I have only 30 bottles of spirits in the place,” declared an offlicence holder in an East End suburb last week. The chief reason for his depleted stock was the increased demand for stimulants for consumption at home resulting from the air raids.
Ever get the feeling you’re being looked down upon?
Weighty matters
Early to bed Think airline lie-flat beds are new? This photo posted by Croydon airport – London’s main gateway in the 1930s and now a listed terminal and museum – shows an Imperial Airways de Havilland DH.91 Albatross from 1938 outfitted for transatlantic horizontal comfort. Sadly, the war put paid to the development.
Sea Fury’s back The Fly Navy Heritage Trust’s repowered Hawker Sea Fury T20 has returned to flight, three years after an engine failure compelled pilot Lt Cdr Chris Gotke to make a belly landing during the RNAS Culdrose Air Day, for which he was awarded the Air Force Cross. The Royal Navy Historic Flight-operated aircraft, developed in the war and the navy’s last propeller-powered fighter – returned to the skies at North Weald on 1 September.
No-frills on floats: how airline might have dealt with flooding flightglobal.com
Staying in
t r o
p r i A n o d y o r C
Daddy, I can’t get on Snapchat After the emergency landing, the Trust launched an appeal to buy a new Bristol Centaurus 18.
Reconnected
It is a quarter of a century since the British Airways dirty tricks scandal, so it is nice to see that there has been rapprochement with Sir Richard Branson’s empire. The wi-fi provider in the BA lounge at Gatwick? None other than Virgin.
Armageddon off If you ever fancied experiencing a North Korean air show, last year may have been your only chance. After launching in 2016, the Wonsan International Air Festival was due to take place again on 23-24 September, featuring aircraft from flagcarrier Air Koryo, Korean People’s Army Air Force jets and a “national beer showcase”, no less. Its website remains live, but reports say the event has been cancelled for “geopolitical reasons”.
The British Minister of Production was able to tell America that, on this basis [per head of population], Britain had produced approximately twice the weight of combat aircraft that they had during the first quarter of the present year.
Linking Pakistan It was announced in Rawalpindi on September 4 that Pakistan plans to establish a communications satellite link between its widely separated provinces of East and West Pakistan, thus becoming the only country except Japan to use a satellite for internal communications.
Flat Farnborough Like most of the interesting aircraft at the show, Farnborough 92 never really got off the ground. Exhibitors and visitors wearied by the recession talked about future business more in hope than in expectation. 100-YEAR ARCHIVE
Every issue of Flight from 1909 onwards can be viewed online at flightglobal.com/archive
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 37
READER SERVICES
EVENTS
23-26 September
World Routes Barcelona, Spain routesonline.com/events/
24-27 September RAA Annual Convention Palm Beach, Florida, USA raa.org/page/2017ACMain
25-28 September
Airline Passenger Experience Association Long Beach, California, USA apex.aero
26-27 September Flight Safety Symposium Heathrow, London, UK flightglobalevents.com/ flight-safety-symposium-2017
3-5 October Helitech International Expo and Conference London, UK helitechinternational.com
10-12 October New Generation of Airline Passenger Service Systems London, UK flightglobal.com/pss17
10-12 October NBAA Las Vegas, Nevada, USA nbaa.org/events/bace/2017
17-19 October ERA General Assembly Athens, Greece eraa.org
17-22 October Seoul ADEX 2017 Seoul, South Korea seouladex.com
12-16 November Dubai Airshow Dubai, UAE dubaiairshow.aero
19-21 November ALTA Airline Leaders Forum Buenos Aires, Argentina alta.aero
6-7 December
Aerospace Big Data London, UK flightglobal.com/bigdata
5-7 February 2018
Loyalty 2018 Bangkok, Thailand flightglobalevents.com/ loyalty2018
6-11 February
Singapore Airshow Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore singaporeairshow.com
13-15 February Routes Americas Quito, Ecuador routesonline.com
26 February - 1 March HAI Heli-Expo Las Vegas, Nevada, USA heliexpo.rotor.org
3-10 March IEEE Aerospace Conference Big Sky, Montana, USA aeroconf.org
For a full list of events see flightglobal.com/events
EDITORIAL, ADVERTISING, PRODUCTION & READER CONTACTS EDITORIAL +44 20 8652 3842 Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK flight.international@flightglobal.com Editor Craig Hoyle +44 20 8652 3834 craig.hoyle@flightglobal.com Deputy Editor Dominic Perry +44 20 8652 3206 dominic.perry@flightglobal.com Head of Strategic Content Murdo Morrison FRAeS +44 20 8652 4395 murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com Features Editor Dan Thisdell +44 20 8652 4491 dan.thisdell@flightglobal.com Business & General Aviation Editor Kate Sarsfield +44 20 8652 3885 kate.sarsfield@flightglobal.com Consulting Editor David Learmount +44 7785 901787
[email protected] Magazine Enquiries flight.international@flightglobal.com AIR TRANSPORT TEAM Editor Flightglobal Premium News Graham Dunn +44 20 8652 4995 graham.dunn@flightglobal.com Managing Editor Niall O’Keeffe +44 20 8652 4007 niall.okeeffe@flightglobal.com Managing Editor – Flight Airline Business Lewis Harper +44 20 7911 3105 lewis.harper@flightglobal.com Air Transport Editor David Kaminski-Morrow +44 20 8652 3909 david.kaminski-morrow@flightglobal.com Air Transport/MRO Reporter Michael Gubisch +44 20 8652 8747 michael.gubisch@flightglobal.com Senior Reporter Oliver Clark +44 20 8652 8534 oliver.clark@flightglobal.com AMERICAS Americas Managing Editor Stephen Trimble +1 703 836 8052 stephen.trimble@flightglobal.com Deputy Americas Editor – Air Transport Ghim-Lay Yeo +1 703 836 9474 ghimlay.yeo@flightglobal.com Americas Finance Editor Edward Russell +1 703 836 1897 edward.russell@flightglobal.com Senior Reporter Jon Hemmerdinger +1703 8363084 jon.hemmerdinger@flightglobal.com Aviation Reporter Leigh Giangreco +1 703 836 7442 leigh.giangreco@flightglobal.com ASIA/PACIFIC Asia Editor Greg Waldron +65 6780 4314 greg.waldron@flightglobal.com Asia Air Transport Editor Mavis Toh +65 6780 4309 mavis.toh@flightglobal.com Asia Finance Editor Ellis Taylor +61 498 878 583 ellis.taylor@flightglobal.com Reporter Aaron Chong +65 6780 4851 aaron.chong@flightglobal.com Reporter Firdaus Hashim +65 6780 4313 firdaus.hashim@flightglobal.com EUROPE/MIDDLE EAST Israel Correspondent Arie Egozi FINANCE Global Finance Editor Sophie Segal +1 212 448 2253 sophie.segal@flightglobal.com Europe Finance Editor Jamie Bullen jamie.bullen@flightglobal.com FLIGHTGLOBAL.COM Web co-ordinator Rebecca Springate +44 20 8652 4641 rebecca.springate@flightglobal.com EDITORIAL PRODUCTION Global Head of Design & Production Alexis Rendell Chief Copy Editor, Europe Dan Bloch Layout Copy Editors Sophia Huang, David Mawer, Tim Norman Global Production Editor Louise Murrell Deputy Global Production Editor Rachel Warner Global Digital Producer Damion Diplock Web Production Editor Andrew Costerton Senior Designer Christine Zhang Designers Coco Li, Lin Ning, Lucy Xiao, Shirely Xiao, Vera Yang, Sonja Ye Consulting Technical Artist Tim Hall
38 | Flight International | 12-18 September 2017
DISPLAY ADVERTISEMENT SALES Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK EUROPE Global Sales Manager Mark Hillier +44 20 8652 8022 mark.hillier@flightglobal.com Key Account Manager Grace Hewitt +44 20 8652 3469 grace.hewitt@flightglobal.com Display Sales Executive Chris Pilkington +44 20 8652 8130 chris.pilkington@flightglobal.com Sales Support Gillian Cumming +44 20 8652 8837
[email protected] NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA Vice-President, North & South America Rob Hancock +1 703 836 7444 robert.hancock@flightglobal.com Regional Sales Director Warren McEwan +1 703 836 3719 warren.mcewan@flightglobal.com Sales Executive Kaye Woody +1 703 836 7445 kaye.woody@flightglobal.com Reed Business Information, 333 N.Fairfax Street, Suite 301, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA ITALY Sales Manager Riccardo Laureri +39 (02) 236 2500
[email protected] Laureri Associates SRL, Via Vallazze 43, 20131 Milano, Italy ISRAEL Sales Executive Asa Talbar +972 77 562 1900 Fax: +972 77 562 1903
[email protected] Talbar Media, 41 HaGiva’a St, PO Box 3184, Givat Ada 37808, Israel ASIA/AUSTRALASIA Key Account Manager Jay Ee +65 6780 4301 jay.ee@flightglobal.com Fax: +65 6789 7575 1 Changi Business Park Crescent, #06-01 Plaza 8 @ CBP, Singapore 486025 RUSSIA & CIS Director Arkady Komarov
[email protected] Tel/Fax: +7 (495) 987 3800 World Business Media, Leningradsky Prospekt, 80, Korpus G, Office 807, Moscow 125190, Russia
CLASSIFIED & RECRUITMENT Business Development Manager Katie Mann +44 20 8652 3074 katie.mann@flightglobal.com Sales Manager Sophie Wild +44 20 8652 4239
[email protected] Classified Sales Executive Chris Pilkington +44 20 8652 8130 chris.pilkington@flightglobal.com Recruitment Sales Executive Chris Harding +44 20 8652 4900
[email protected] ADVERTISEMENT PRODUCTION Production Manager Sean Behan +44 20 8652 8232
[email protected] MARKETING VP Marketing Justine Gillen +44 20 8652 8031 justine.gillen@flightglobal.com Group Marketing Manager Jo Goodwin +44 20 7911 1366 jo.goodwin@flightglobal.com DATA TEAM Director of Data Trevor Mountford trevor.mountford@flightglobal.com Fleet Research Manager John Maloney +44 20 8564 6704 john.maloney@flightglobal.com PUBLISHING MANAGEMENT Chief Operating Officer Philippa Edward philippa.edward@flightglobal.com Executive Director Content Max Kingsley-Jones max.kingsley.jones@flightglobal.com Commercial Director Publishing & Conferences Stuart Burgess stuart.burgess@flightglobal.com
READER SERVICES Subscriptions Jenny Smith Flight International Subscriptions, Reed Business Information, PO Box 302, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, RH16 3DH, UK Subscription Enquiries From UK: 0330 333 9533 From overseas: +44 1444 475 682 Fax +44 1444 445301 fl
[email protected] Subscription Rates 1 Year: £145/$229/€179 2 Years: £246/$389/€304 3 Years: £348/$549/€429 Only paid subscriptions available. Cheques payable to Flight International Flight International welcomes unsolicited contributions from readers but cannot guarantee to return photographs safely. © and Database Rights 2017 Reed Business Information Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of the publishers. Flight Ascend Consultancy is a leading provider of expert advisory and valuations services to the global aviation industry. Its specialist, independent services inform and shape the strategies of aviation businesses worldwide. It offers an unrivalled breadth and depth of aviation expertise and experience, backed by unique access to robust industry data. flightglobal.com/consultancy Tel: +44 20 8564 6700 email:
[email protected] Flight Dashboard is a subscriber service which provides news and analysis of the aviation industry, from fleet information to orders, deliveries, airline start-ups and routes and network coverage. Personalise your research by airline, region or country to find the market intelligence you need to support planning, competitive strategy and find new opportunities. flightglobal.com/dashboard With information on more than 360,000 aircraft, Flight Fleets Analyzer provides you with the most comprehensive current and historical fleet data and detailed information about aircraft specifications. It also enables you to access hours and cycles data to understand aircraft usage across the global fleet. flightglobal.com/fleetsanalyzer Registered at the Post Office as a newspaper. Published by Reed Business Information Ltd, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK. Tel: +44 20 8652 3500. Newstrade distributed by Marketforce (UK), 2nd Floor, 5 Churchill Place, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5HU, UK. Tel: +44 20 3787 9001. Classified advertising prepress by CCM. Printed in Great Britain by William Gibbons and Sons Ltd Flight International published weekly 49 issues per year. Periodicals postage paid at Rahway, NJ. Postmaster send changes to Reed Business Information, c/o Mercury International Ltd, 365 Blair Road, Avenel, NJ 07001 This periodical is sold subject to the following conditions: namely that it is not, without the written consent of the publishers first given, lent, re-sold, hired out or in any unauthorised cover by way of trade, or affixed to, or as part of, any publication of advertising, literary or pictorial matter whatsoever. No part of the content may be stored electronically, or reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the Publisher. ISSN 0015-3710 (Print) ISSN 2059-3864 (Online)
flightglobal.com
WORKING WEEK
WORK EXPERIENCE CORDULA PFLAUM
Set for the long haul at Lufthansa As a captain and instructor with the German flag carrier, Cordula Pflaum regularly flies the newest additions to the fleet and trains other pilots in the finer points of a constantly changing profession Have you always wanted to be a pilot? Since I was 11 years old – and I was determined to follow that dream. Tell us about your career to date I started at the age of 19 with Lufthansa Aviation Training in Germany. A two-year training period followed in Bremen and Goodyear, Arizona, USA. I then became first officer with Lufthansa with ratings on the Airbus A320, A310 and A300. A short stint as senior first officer on the Boeing MD-11 offered an insight into flying for Lufthansa Cargo. I obtained my upgrade to commander in 2005 on the A320. After three years of flying as captain for Condor Berlin, I was promoted to long-haul on A330/A340s at Lufthansa, based in Munich. In 2009 I was selected by the airline as type rating instructor and type rating examiner on the A330/A340-300 and -600. During this time I was part of the start-up team for enrolling Lufthansa’s first A350. What have been the highlights? Inducting the A350 into the Lufthansa fleet. As the airliner’s first female long-haul check captain I enjoyed receiving the type rating at Airbus in Toulouse. Today we operate four of the type. What have been the lowlights? When I finished my training in 1992, Lufthansa had frozen pilot recruitment due to the Iraq war. This freeze lasted for over two years, so I wasn’t able to start flying with the airline until the end of 1994.
a s n a h t f u L
Among other roles, Pflaum is an examiner on several Airbus types What aircraft has been most enjoyable to fly? The A350. It has the most advanced interface structure of any model I have experienced so far. Tell us about your current role? At the moment I fulfil several functions at the company. I mainly work as captain, instructor and examiner on the A330, A340-600 and A350, but I also work as a trainer and supervisor in the advanced human factors department at Lufthansa Aviation Training. Here I teach leadership and customer relationship management skills to flightcrews from a host of airlines. Last but not least, I support the crisis inci-
“As the A350’s first female long-haul check captain I enjoyed receiving the type rating at Airbus” dent stress management team from the Mayday Foundation as a co-ordinator in crisis intervention, to help crews deal with incidents that have happened at work. What are the key challenges facing commercial airline pilots today? Nowadays pilots have many
roles to perform, such as managing regulations and monitoring the boarding process. For example, if the pilot sees that the flight time is 20min shorter than expected, he/she can decide to delay the departure – with the co-operation of the hub control centre and air traffic control – in order to load late baggage onto the aircraft. Instances of diversion landings due to unruly passengers or medical cases are also on the rise. The final decision to divert the aircraft is always taken by the pilot. Fatigue risk management is becoming an increasingly important issue as the ranges of long-haul aircraft expand and maximum flight times for pilots grow. The commander has to take care of himself and his crew. Where do you see your career 10 years from now? In 10 years’ time I will be 57 years old. If I am still in good shape and pass my medicals with no problems, I will be working in the same field. I would like to be even more involved in the process of developing and monitoring the training standards for pilots at Lufthansa, for example as chief training captain. n Looking for a job in aerospace? Check out our listings online at flightglobal.com/jobs
If you would like to feature in Working Week, or you know someone who does, email your pitch to kate.sarsfield@ flightglobal.com
Check out Flight Inter national’s Image Store Browse or customise a gift or memento from our CUTAWAY ARCHIVE of more than 1000 aircraft drawings
www.fightglobalimages.com flightglobal.com
12-18 September 2017 | Flight International | 43
