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Aerospace Insider

Off the record - April 4, 2008

The highest offer for the 80% of Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) currently held by the University of Surrey was apparently submitted by EADS Astrium. It seems that the European giant accepted that a high bid was the price to pay to expand its UK footprint and extend its product offering into the micro- and mini-satellite segment of the market. EADS had to outbid rivals Thales Alenia Space and OHB-System, with which SSTL is presently preparing the operational phase of the Galileo programme. Rumour has it that interest was also shown by MDA, which is cooperating with SSTL on the constellation of five Rapideye observation micro-satellites.

 

Bell to set up shop in Europe?

Bell Helicopter is lookin to reinforce its presence on the European market. The company is mulling the creation of a major sales and services centre in Europe, which could also include a pilot training unit. Also under consideration are plans to perform final assembly of some of its commercial helicopters. Speculation is rife that Germany is in pole position among the candidate countries, in  view of the company's ongoing efforts to purchase a large maintenance centre there.

Off the record - March 21, 2008

Turkish partner for AW149?

The decision by the Turkish government in December to restructure a competition to acquire 32 utility helicopters for the Army, plus 20 for civil applications, raises questions about AgustaWestland's projects. Prior to the restructuring announcement, Sikorsky had been widely tipped as the favourite. It appears that the European firm, which is currently seeking partners for its future AW149 military helicopter, came up with an eleventh-hour codevelopment proposal for Turkish industry, which would extend the cooperation currently under way on the A129 attack helicopter, selected by Ankara in 2007.

All change in Russian aircraft industry

Russian aircraft programmes have been plunged into turbulence. Irkut has decided to focus on the MS-21 single-aisle project with Sukhoi. The company is rumoured to have decided to drop its participation in the future Russian-Indian MTA military transport project in order to bring all its ressources to bear on the civil programme. Meanwhile, the other MS-21 partner, Ilyushin, is thought to be on the verge of dropping out of the civil programme, but continuing alongside India's HAL on the MTA programme.

Off the record - March 14, 2008

Skyteam eyes Latin American expansion
Watch for Brazilian airline Varig to join the Skyteam alliance. Having failed in its attempt to sign up Brazil's other major carrier, TAM, the Skyteam group, created by Air France and Delta Airlines, has reportedly turned its attention to Varig, which recently resumed international service. The deal could be a crucial one for Skyteam, allowing it to expand its sphere of influence to Latin America. Varig is now operating under the ownership of Brazilian budget carrier Gol.

Marine One budget boost on the way?
An analysis of the specifications for the Lockheed Martin VH-71 US presidential helicopter programme (based on the AgustaWestland AW101) led to the conclusion that development could not be completed within the existing budget and schedule. Accordingly, the US Navy suspended development work in December for 90 days. At the time speculation was rife that the programme would be switched to Sikorsky. However, with a US Navy announcement expected soon, rumours in Italy now indicate that the Marine One budget could be extended from $6.1 billion to $11.2 billion – comprising two phases of $3.7 billion and $7.5 billion – to cover the cost of additional specifications.

Open rotor's false hopes?

Questions are being raised in some quarters of the aviation community about the merits of the open rotor engine configuration. Does the concept really offer a solution for the future or will it remain stalled on the drawing board? Though most engine-makers are looking into the concept, Pratt & Whitney remains skeptical. The US firm claims that the promised performance of the unshrouded fan will be cut in half once the engine is installed under the aircraft wing, due to the weight, drag and size of the engine.

 China cheating on chopper deal

Despite the commercial success of the Euro-Chinese EC175 programme, a cloud is drifting over the hitherto idyllic relationship between partners Eurocopter and Avic 2. It has been brought to the attention of the European firm that the Chinese are offering the Z11 and Z9 helicopters (Chinese versions of the French Ecureuil and Dauphin) on the export market, particularly to Argentina. The problem is that the licence production agreement for these helicopters covered a limited number of machines and did not include machines intended for the export market.

  

Off the record – February 22, 2008

Farnborough launch for Bombardier CSeries?

Canada's Bombardier will officially launch its new CSeries family of 110/130-seat regional jets at the Farnborough Air Show (14-20 July). The move follows final agreement with Pratt & Whitney, whose geared turbofan (GTF) has been selected to power the aircraft, regarding Pratt's technical and commercial participation in the programme.

Tiger cutbacks looming

Though France's defence white paper has yet to be published, some high-ranking military officials are already privately bracing for a reduced rate of delivery of Tiger combat helicopters. Additionally, they are worried that the number of helicopters could be scaled back from the current target of 120. By way of comparison, some observers point to the UK's more modest fleet of 67 Apaches. The French Army retorts that the UK forces plan to beef up their fleet of EH101s. This is something of a sore point in view of the schedule for French NH90s.

 Off the record – February 15, 2008

Airbus-Finmeccanica deadlock

Negotiations between Airbus and Finmeccanica over the Italian group's participation in the A350 programme are turning nasty. Finmeccanica, which hopes to secure a 5% share of the aerostructures development work through its Alenia Aeronautica unit, is threatening to walk away from the programme. The disagreement stems from the fact that the workload being offered by Airbus is not in line with Italian ambitions in large composite structures, now that Airbus is committed to helping the buyers of its French and German factories to make the transition to composite production. The Italian firm claims that in any case it already has sufficient work with the Boeing 787.

A380 syndrome hits A350 XWB

There is growing concern in the Toulouse design bureaux about certain options being taken regarding equipment for the future A350 XWB. This is particularly true of the possibility of dividing the aircraft's cable and wiring into several packages, rather than selecting a single prime contractor. This same approach was at least partly responsible for the wiring problems that dogged the A380, eventually pushing the programme two years behind schedule.

  

Off the record – February 8, 2008

Thales expands its product offering

Following its inertial reference breakthrough, with its first-ever commercial transport selection on the Airbus A350, Thales now aims to break into another US avionics stronghold: weather radars. According to company sources, upstream studies are already under way to ensure that Thales is ready to compete on the next-generation narrowbody that will follow the A320 and Boeing 737. The move follows the recognition of the fact that the absence of a weather radar in the company's product offering, which already includes collision alert (Acas) and terrain warning (Taws) systems, constitutes a handicap at a time when the airframers are asking for fully integrated alert functions.

Light ahead for the TP400

Expect some good news regarding the A400M's TP400 engine in the near future. Upcoming positive developments should include the signature of paperwork clearing the way for the first engine to fly on its test bench in early March and the delivery of the first four flight-ready engines to the assembly line in Seville. It remains to be seen whether the C-130 test bench will be ready in time to fly a sufficient number of hours to meet the A400M maiden flight deadline in July.

  

Off the record - January 25, 2008

End of the line for the A340

Production of the various versions of the Airbus A340 family will be shut down at the end of 2009. The decision is hardly surprising, given that, as of 31 December 2007, the backlog of aircraft to be delivered had shrunk to 41 units, comprising 26 A340-600s, 12 A340-500s and three A340-300s — the equivalent of two years' production. Airbus CEO Tom Enders inadvertently gave the game away when he indicated that Airbus production rates for 2010 would be based on a monthly rate of 40 A320s, 10 A330s and four A380s.

Super Etendards heading for Afghanistan?

French Navy pilots will not be sitting idle until the "Charles-de-Gaulle" carrier completes the major overhaul currently in progress. Plans are being made to send four Super Etandards (SEMs) to Brazil in late March or early April to perform approach or landing manoeuvres using the former French carrier "Foch", now rebaptised "Sao-Paulo". Then, at the end of July, six Rafales and a Hawkeye will embark on the USS "Theodore-Roosevelt". The real surprise, though, could come from the Armed Forces General Staff, which will soon receive a report recommending the deployment this summer of three SEMs to Kandahar, Afghanistan to replace the Mirage 2000Ds currently stationed there — an idea that was earlier believed to have been dropped.

  

Off the record – Januray 17, 2008

A bit short for the freight

With its two decks and vast floor area, the Airbus A380 offers the airlines a wide variety of potential cabin configurations in comparison with other widebody transports. However, it does not hold the same advantage in cargo capacity. According to Emirates, an A380 with a full passenger load flying from Dubai to Sydney can only carry 8-10t of cargo. That's around half as much as a Boeing 777-300ER.

Anti-missile

Astrium is seeking funding from the DGA procurement branch of the French Ministry of Defence to finance a missile defence demonstrator with a view to performing an exoatmospheric interception in 2012. Astrium underlines that the interceptor is the only technological building block that France does not currently possess for the construction of a national missile defence shield. The company argues that, even if the demonstration did not pave the way for a French Star Wars missile defence programme, it would provide invaluable input for future cooperation choices at a time when the USA is seeeking to extend its missile defence shield to Europe.

Off the record: January 11th, 2008

French Air Force Rafales headed for Afghanistan

It is now certain that three French Air Force Rafale F2s from EC-1/7 squadron based at Saint Dizier will be deployed to Afghanistan in early February. They will be based at Kandahar, where they will replace the three Mirage F1CRs currently operating alongside Mirage 2000Ds. The deployment comes slightly ahead of the original French AF schedule, which was set for the spring. Another change concerns the weapon load – it seems that the Rafales will not now be equipped with the new modular AASM ground attack weapon.

Surveillance upgrade for Kourou

France is quietly preparing to utilise a new-generation GM 400 radar from Franco-US joint venture ThalesRaytheonSystems at the Kourou spaceport in Guyana. The radar, which offers unique detection capabilities for targets at high, low and very low altitude, will ensure comprehensive surveillance of airspace around the launch site. The surveillance zone will extend practically to the border with Venezuela, which operates Su-30 combat aircraft. The operational deployment comes ahead of initial deliveries to an unidentified customer in Asia.

Off the record: December 22nd, 2007

Attempts by EADS and Airbus to paint ongoing cost-cutting moves primarily as a reaction to the low US dollar are getting an increasingly sceptical reception in some quarters, and not just from the unions in Toulouse. It has been widely noted, for example, that one-third to one-half of the content of current Airbus models is already produced in the US, partly neutralising the exchange rate effect. Observers note that, as yet another record-breaking year for Airbus orders draws to a close with order books bulging at the seams, the US dollar makes a convenient villain in the quest to press ahead with politically sensitive restructuring.