Plane Speaking
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Have you graduated? Are you thinking about upgrading your membership? Take advantage of the Continue to utilise your professional qualifications membership benefits with and recognition available access to: with membership of the world’s leading aerospace Industry Expertise professional body. With access to magazine, Specialist Groups, conferences, lectures and the National Aerospace Library. Industry Experts Global membership of like- minded professionals sharing knowledge and expertise. Industry Recognition Support for engineers working towards professional registration, Don’t miss out on opportunities to enhance your an internationally recognised professional development - upgrade now! qualification and We are currently offering FREE e-Associate grade membership for the rest of essential requirement for this year when you apply for 2017. You can apply for this grade if you have an undergraduate degree, an integrated masters’ degree, a postgraduate degree or an commercially aware appropriate Level 3 qualification. engineers showing dedication We also offer Professional Registration at CEng, IEng and EngTech and you can and competence. achieve Interim Professional Registration with the Engineering Council UK now, if you have graduated from an accredited Engineering degree. Get in touch to find out more and for help with your next steps. To apply for e-Associate membership and for more information on professional registration contact: E [email protected] T +44 (0)20 7670 4384/320 Volume 43 Number 12 December 2016 USAF Making of a hero A change in power Clint Eastwood, director The varied Bros Warner of ‘Sully’, speaks about technologies for 14 how the ‘miracle of the improving helicopter 26 Hudson’ was adapted performance. for the big screen. Contents Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK [email protected] Comment Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and feedback. analysis and comment. 58 The Last Word Buckle up for turbulence 10 Antenna Keith Hayward looks at what Howard Wheeldon asks lies ahead for Heathrow’s what next for Eurofi ghter. plans to build a third runway. After the surprise outcome of the UK’s Brexit referendum – another shock result has been the US Presidential election win for Donald Trump – a person who has never held government offi ce. What does the election of this outsider mean for aerospace and defence? With aerospace being a truly global industry, there are Features already fears that a Trump Presidency could do damage to this sector by knee-jerk reactions that could spark a trade war. Trade tariffs, for example, on ‘foreign’ airliners could negatively impact jobs at US aerospace companies. Trump has already Airbus demonstrated what might be considered to be a limited understanding of the aerospace manufacturing industry – accusing Boeing of moving its manufacturing jobs to China after seemingly getting mixed-up that a Boeing 737 interior and paint completions centre in China was full fi nal assembly production line. Trump’s calls University of Southampton 30 to tear up two international free trade agreements (the TTIP (Transatlantic Trade 18 and Investment Partnership) and TPP (Trans-Pacifi c Partnership) between the US 10,000 and climbing The lessons for new-entry and Europe and Pacifi c could also lead to a slowing of growth around the globe. Falling with style Students at the University of aircraft manufacturers from However, there may be some positive news for passengers, as part of Trump’s Southampton aim to set new Airbus’ road to success. acceptance speech mentioned an ambitious $600bn ‘New Deal’ style stimulus plan wing-suit world records. 34 A game for drones to create jobs by modernising US infrastructure – with airports one of the sectors The Royal Navy’s Unmanned mentioned. Meanwhile, there could be signifi cant shifts in US defence and foreign Warrior 16 naval exercise policy, as it is known that Trump tilts towards an isolationist stance and has drawn and its implications for autonomous systems. fi re for his pro-Russian links. With Congress also now Republican, there is now an end to the Sequestration stand-off. Most worryingly for Europe, Trump has hinted NAL/RAeS that NATO Article V, the bedrock that guarantees that ‘an attack on one, is an attack GKN on all’, is up for discussion if he considers NATO allies are not pulling their weight. What is certain for this President is unpredictability. Buckle up for the ride on Trump’s Air Force One, we may be in for turbulence. 22 38 Tim Robinson Visions of the future Plane Speaking [email protected] How many predictions about the future of aviation made An interview with Kevin NEWS IN BRIEF by RAeS experts in 1966 Cummings CEO of GKN actually came true? Aerospace. Editor-in-Chief AEROSPACE is published by the Royal AEROSPACE subscription rates: Tim Robinson Aeronautical Society (RAeS). Non-members, £155 +44 (0)20 7670 4353 Chief Executive Please send your order to: [email protected] Simon C Luxmoore Dovetail Services Ltd, 800 Guillat Deputy Editor Advertising Avenue, Kent Science Park, 41 Afterburner Bill Read Simon Levy Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8GU, UK. +44 (0)20 7670 4351 +44 (0)20 7670 4346 +44 (0)1795 592939 [email protected] [email protected] +44 (0)844 856 0650 (fax) 42 Message from our President [email protected] Publications Manager Unless specifi cally attributed, no 43 Message from our Chief Executive Chris Male material in AEROSPACE shall be taken Any member not requiring a print +44 (0)20 7670 4352 to represent the opinion of the RAeS. version of this magazine, please 44 Book Reviews [email protected] contact: [email protected] Reproduction of material used in this 47 Library additions Online Production Editor publication is not permitted without the USA: Periodical postage paid at Wayne J Davis written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. Champlain New York and additional 48 Sir Henry Royce Lecture Additional features and content +44 (0)20 7670 4354 offi ces. [email protected] Printed by Buxton Press Limited, 49 150th Anniversary gifts are available to view online on Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire Postmaster: Send address changes www.media.aerosociety.com/ Book Review Editor SK17 6AE, UK to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, 50 Stepping up to aerospace-insight Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. Management Brian Riddle Including: Management predictions from 1966, Editorial Offi ce Distributed by Royal Mail 51 New at the NAL Aerospace and a Trump presidency, Redressing Royal Aeronautical Society ISSN 2052-451X the balance, Airbus delivers 10,000th aircraft, No.4 Hamilton Place 52 Diary London’s runways – into the fi nal act?, A London W1J 7BQ, UK 55 Corporate Partners AEROSPACE +44 (0)20 7670 4300 preview of November’s , [email protected] 56 RAeS Elections A game for drones, Rafale deal www.aerosociety.com Front cover: USAF HH-60 Pave Hawks over Alaska. (USAF) sealed at last, Faster fuel 57 Obituary @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com DECEMBER 2016 13 Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT Cockpit and avionics Information on the J-20’s avionics and systems is patchy but the fi ghter does feature a large HUD. In addition, cockpit mock-ups at Zhuhai showed a large F-35-like widescreen display, centre pedestal MFD display, standby instruments and an upfront controller. The fi ghter is believed to be equipped with a KKJ-5 AESA radar and also sports a chin-mounted EO/IRST sensor, similar to the F-35’s faceted window EOTS. DEFENCE Chinese stealth on show Airshow China 2016 held in Zhuhai on 6-11 November saw the much-awaited fi rst public appearance of China’s secretive new Chengdu J-20 stealth fi ghter. Two J-20s appeared briefl y at the show, one of which did a longer fl ypast. The J-20 is a fi fth-generation stealth fi ghter aircraft developed by Chengdu Aerospace for China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF). The aircraft in the display, sporting a new grey splinter camoufl age, are believed to be two of four low-rate initial production (LRIP) examples, although one report claims that up to 11 LRIP airframes have been produced. The fi rst prototype J-20 fl ew on 11 January 2011 and the aircraft could enter service as early as 2017 after operational evaluation at Dingxin air base. 4 AEROSPACE / DECEMBER 2016 Mystery mission China has been tight-lipped over what the J-20's precise role will be in service with the PLAAF, and whether it is indeed a fi ghter or a stealth strike aircraft. However, informed observers have speculated that a large combat aircraft could be optimised for long-range Pacifi c air superiority – particularly to go after high-value assets, such as tankers and AWACS. Engines The engines for the J-20 prototype are believed to have been derivatives of the Russian AL-31 or Chinese Shenyang WS-10 turbofan engines but these may be replaced by the more powerful Saturn AL-31F 117S engine used on the Su-35S or China’s own WS-15 turbofan engine, Specifi cations enabling the fi ghter to accelerate to Crew: one supercruise without using afterburners. Length: 20m (66.8ft) The engines do not appear to have thrust Wingspan: 13m (44.2ft) vectoring capabilities. Alert5/Commons Wikipedia @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com DECOMBER 2016 5 Radome AEROSPACE GENERAL AVIATION Third Heathrow runway approved Albatross back from the dead A company, Amphibian has signed an agreement Aerospace Industries (AAI), to remanufacture the is planning to resume H-111T Turbo Albatross Flying B production of oa at a A$100m t F ilm the Grumman factory in New G-111/HU- South Wales, Heathrow AirportHeathrow 16 Albatross Australia.