FlightGlobal.com June 2021

Airbus nears narrowbody rate rise

Freighter conversions deliver the goods p16

Remembering Perlan Perfect 10X? pioneer Enevoldson p34 What to expect from Dassault’s greatest Falcon p12 705371327 770015 9 £4.99

Firm ground Power shift Boeing seeks How engine stability before makers see next project the future 06 p50 p69

Comment

Plus ca change?

Forming up Apparent accord between three European nations on their future fighter project is positive, but a lack of detail on the agreement’s practicalities leaves many unanswered questions Bundeswehr

or a while it had seemed NGF’s prime contractor, it has UK-led Tempest future fighter pro- doubtful that an accord seen its share of the project fall gramme continues to go quietly might ever be reached be- from 50% to 33%, while its rival’s about its business. tween France, Germany and has risen to 66%. In contrast with its FCAS rival, FSpain to allow their Future Com- Although the defence ministries the Tempest effort, which also bat Air System (FCAS) to progress of the three nations say that their includes Italy and Sweden, has so to the next stage of development. differences are resolved, it is so far far has been notable for a lack of There had seemed too many unclear how that translates to the public discord. obstacles to progress, notably the industrial level. It is hard to pinpoint the reason thorny issues of workshare and Further hurdles remain, of for that apparent harmony – and it intellectual property. course: the Bundestag still needs may well not last for the duration Dassault Aviation was particularly to give its assent to this next step; of the programme – but perhaps outspoken about the potential di- elections in Germany this year and it is simply that all the parties are lution of its role in the process. France in 2022 have the poten- currently in alignment. When originally conceived, tial to sabotage the process; and To succeed, multinational pro- FCAS and the New Generation possible future discord between curements require a tight forma- Fighter (NGF) at its heart was a the various parties is virtually a tion and common goals, rather marriage of equals; France and given (Berlin’s continued misgiv- than simply common interests. A Germany and their various indus- ings about defence export sales desire for European sovereignty is trial champions would divide the look likely to cause friction, and an admirable ambition, but smacks work on an even basis. a French requirement for a carri- strongly of politics trumping all But the formal inclusion of Spain er-borne NGF may also prove to other concerns. in late 2020 upset the balance be challenging). Principles are fine, but unless of power. While the overall FCAS Success for the FCAS pro- tempered by practical considera- project is now a tri-national effort, gramme is by no means guaran- tions they can threaten the under- on the NGF, airframe activities teed. But the mantra of European lying product. continue to be divided between sovereignty – from two of the EU’s In both cases, the partner nations Dassault and Airbus Defence & staunchest advocates – that under- would do well to remember what Space, with the latter representing pins the whole initiative is likely to they are fighting for: is it to build both Berlin and Madrid. overcome this rocky beginning. the best aircraft, or to satisfy an In other words, although the Meanwhile, over on the other abstract political aim? ◗ French manufacturer remains the side of the English Channel, the See p6, p58

June 2021 Flight International 3 In focus NATO details rotorcraft need 6 ITAR breach costs Honeywell 20 Greener Vista 32 Partners push on with FCAS 7 IAI broadens horizons 22 Soaring ever higher 34 In for the long haul 8 Super Air Jet ready to roar 24 Shock and AW 36 Material benefi ts 10 JAL fl ies fl ag for A350 25 Airbus aims for Vertex 37 Dassault’s big bet 12 Marshall’s star attraction 28 Unclear approach 38 New converts to cargo 16 F-15E to pack more punch 30 Seeking stability 40 62

Keeping pace: Airbus Helicopters’ Racer is set to make its fi rst fl ight next year FlightGlobal.com June 2021 54

Airbus nears narrowbody rate rise

Freighter conversions deliver the goods p16

Remembering Perlan Perfect 10X? pioneer Enevoldson p34 What to expect from Dassault’s greatest Falcon p12 705371327 770015 9 £4.99

Firm ground Power shift Boeing seeks How engine stability before makers see next project the future 06 p50 p69 Dassault Aviation Dassault

Regulars Comment 3 Best of the rest 42 Straight & Level 74 Letters 76 Jobs 81 Women in aviation 82

4 Flight International June 2021 Contents

In depth A chance to rebuild 46 Biden time 54 Back in the Racer 62 Airbus believes it will be Will the new president promote Europe’s high-speed ready to respond fast defence exports aggressively? compound rotorcraft when demand returns Flying high 58 Needing support 66 Recovery mode 50 There are lucrative near-term MRO providers await recovery Is Boeing falling behind sales targets for Europe’s The great engine race 69 its European rival? current combat aircraft Aviation seeks zero emissions

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June 2021 Flight International 5 Rotorcraft Technology

Bell’s V-280 Valor cruises at 280kt

NATO outlines attributes for next-generation rotorcraft Alliance details desired characteristics for medium-class helicopter project, but speed may be lower than US options

Dominic Perry London While the NGRC is intended to be The NGRC is due to enter service faster than a conventional helicop- in 2035. Its development is being ter, where cruise speeds are around driven by the forecast retirement ATO members driving the 150kt (280km/h), its intended of around 1,000 medium-lift heli- development of a next-gen- cruise speed – “optimally 220kt or copters operated by NATO mem- Neration rotorcraft appear to more but not less than 180kt” – is bers other than the USA in the be prioritising range and less than that of the 250-280kt cur- 2030-2040 period. capability – including use as an op- rently envisaged by the US Army A letter of intent covering co-op- tionally piloted aircraft – over very for its Future Long-Range Assault eration on the NGRC development high speed, according to docu- Aircraft. One contender for that was signed by five nations in Octo- ments released by the Alliance. requirement, the Bell V-280 Valor, ber 2020, but the document notes In addition, two new countries, cruises at 280kt and has been tak- that “Spain and [the] USA are also Spain and the USA, are considering en to speeds above 300kt. considering joining”. joining the five nations that signed Affordability and availability are Separately, the US Air Force up to the Next Generation Rotor- also key metrics: the NGRC should Research Laboratory (AFRL) has craft Capability (NGRC) initiative have a fly-away cost of no more contracted Bell to research a high- last year: France, Germany, Greece, than €35 million ($42 million) and speed vertical take-off and landing Italy and the UK. a cost-per-flight-hour of “opti- (VTOL) aircraft. In an invite to a September in- mally” €5,000 but no more than No details of the specific research dustry day, the Alliance’s NSPA €10,000. Meanwhile, availability were disclosed in the contract no- procurement body details the re- rates for forward deployed fleets tice titled “Bell’s High Speed VTOL”. quired attributes of the NGRC. should hit 75%. However, patents filed by the It should, the document says, manufacturer over the preceding have a range in excess of 900nm Mission equipment years have revealed a number of (1,650km), a maximum take-off Under the heading “desired attrib- concepts that could be of interest weight of 10-17t, capacity for up utes”, the document reveals that as it investigates an aircraft able to to 16 troops in full combat gear or the NGRC should use “novel/hybrid operate at speeds above those of mission equipment, and endurance powerplant[s]” producing at least the V-280. of more than 5h, or up to 8h with 3,000shp (2,240kW), feature “fly- These include the use of jet en- additional fuel tanks. Combined in- by-light/fly-by-wire” controls, be gines, or powerplants that can ternal and external payload should capable of being transported in an double as turbofans and turbos- be greater than 4t, with at least Airbus Defence & Space A400M or hafts, proprotor blades that fold to 2.5t carried internally. Boeing C-17 with minimal disassem- reduce drag or that are optimised Additionally, it should be capa- bly, of undergoing air-to-air refuel- to acted as a wing during cruise. ble of being used in as an “op- ling, and feature an array of mission The research contract came sev- tionally unmanned/remotely pilot- equipment and weapon systems, eral months after the US Air Force ed vehicle”, it says. Maritime and including air-launched effects. Special Operations Command said land variants should use a com- In addition, it should be able to it was looking ahead for a VTOL air- mon airframe and have a footprint conduct manned-unmanned team- craft with “jet speeds” to replace its no larger than the NH Industries ing, including managing a swarm of Bell Boeing CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor. ◗ NH90 or Leonardo Helicopters unmanned air vehicles, launching AW101, including a folding tail and small “expendable” drones, and re- Additional reporting by Garrett main rotors. covering small drones in flight. Reim in Los Angeles Bell

6 Flight International June 2021 Development Combat aircraft

Partners push ahead with FCAS Agreement between France, Germany and Spain clears way for Future Combat Air System to move towards demonstrator

Craig Hoyle London

rance, Germany and Spain have completed negoti- ations covering the next phase of their Future Com- Fbat Air System (FCAS) activity, ad- vancing it towards the first flight of a demonstrator by 2027. The step was confirmed on 17 May, in a joint statement from the defence ministers of all three partner nations: Florence Parly, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer and Margarita Robles. French defence minister Parly Conducted over recent months, (left) with German counterpart negotiations between the nations’ Kramp-Karrenbauer

defence procurement agencies Phillip Guelland/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock “made it possible to reach a bal- anced agreement between the dif- ferent partners for the next step process for companies including The FCAS initiative is progressing in the demonstration phase of the Airbus Spain, Indra and ITP Aero. at the same time as the UK’s pursuit programme”, they say. “The corre- “The industrial organisation of the of a sixth-generation fighter via the sponding government agreements programme has been structured to Tempest project. Also involving Italy are now ready for national process- ensure the coherence and effective- and Sweden, this will enter its con- es to begin for formal validation.” ness of the project, taking advan- cept and assessment phase later However, there is no detail on tage of the best capabilities of each this year. If both projects proceed as how concerns around workshare nation’s industries within the frame- planned, a Tempest platform should or intellectual property have been work of a balanced, broad and deep enter UK service around 2035, with assuaged. Germany also previously partnership,” the nations say. the NGF to follow five years later. called for two demonstrator aircraft Underscoring the closely en- to be built, but the statement refers Best competitiveness twined nature of the European de- only to a single example. This “offers an unbeatable oppor- fence industry, Leonardo – which Launched at the Paris air show tunity to strengthen the technolog- participates in Team Tempest with in 2019, the FCAS effort aims to ical assets of the three participat- BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce and MB- develop a New Generation Fighter ing countries, while ensuring the DA’s UK arm – recently acquired a (NGF) and supporting remote car- best competitiveness of the future 25.1% stake in Hensoldt, which is rier vehicles, with operations to be system”, they add. among German industrial partici- underpinned by the use of a com- Dassault is leading work on the pants in the rival FCAS effort. bat cloud communications network. NGF, supported by Airbus Defence Leonardo chief executive Ales- “In an increasingly challenging & Space. The fighter’s propulsion sandro Profumo says the deal context where air superiority is seri- system is being developed by a “represents a long-term operation ously threatened by rapidly growing team of Safran Aircraft Engines, strengthening our portfolio in the threats, the New Generation Weap- MTU Aero Engines and ITP. strategic defence electronics busi- ons System [NGWS]/FCAS pro- Confirmed in late April via the ness in sensor solutions”. gramme contributes directly to the formation of an EUMET joint ven- Speaking on a first-quarter earn- national and European sovereignty ture, the agreement gives Safran re- ings call, Giovanni Soccodato, Leon- and security,” the nations say. sponsibility for the new engine’s hot ardo chief strategic equity officer, “Fully integrated into the differ- section, plus overall design and in- said the technology being devel- ent national Future Combat Air tegration, and ITP for the low-pres- oped by both companies will be Systems, the NGWS will be able to sure turbine and nozzle. MTU will suitable for the FCAS and Tempest achieve operational superiority in handle services and support. “whether they stay as two separate highly contested environments.” Describing the joint venture as programmes or converge”. ◗ Early discussions involved only a “satisfactory” construct, Safran See p58 France and Germany, before Ma- chief executive Olivier Andries said drid’s participation was formalised the pact had been finalised “with Additional reporting by Dominic last year, initiating an “onboarding” no compromises at all”. Perry

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In for the long haul Widebody activity is unlikely to grow markedly until mid-2022, Airbus believes, while short-haul shows signs of rebound

Airframer is modifying Toulouse site to allow production of A321neo Airbus

David Kaminski-Morrow London “For the long-range [aircraft] and probably with a couple of months from the long-range business for of delay,” he says. airlines, we think the tipping point Faury had previously told fi nan- irbus is not expecting to will probably not be before mid of cial analysts that, in response to a see a notable upward shift next year,” says Faury. “quite bullish” market situation, US in the long-haul market “The diff erent countries of the carriers were willing to start look- until the middle of 2022, world, the diff erent regions of ing at “accelerating deliveries” – Aas it prepares to begin ramping-up the world are really managing the whereas the recovery scenarios in single-aisle production. situation in very diff erent ways,” Europe were “much worse” than Speaking during May’s Atlantic Faury adds. “It will take a lot of airlines were expecting. Council EU-US Future Forum, Air- time to re-open.” But in a further sign of confi - bus chief executive Guillaume Fau- dence in single-aisle recovery, Air- ry said the impact of the Covid-19 Right direction bus has resumed work on an addi- crisis had been severe – particularly Faury says he has had “frustra- tional assembly line for A321neos. given that the airframer had been tions” with the European situation, The airframer had unveiled plans engaged in hiking aircraft output at whereas that in the USA is “moving for the modernised Toulouse line the time the pandemic hit. very quickly in the right direction” in January 2020, just weeks before “Our supply chain, ourselves, and is “refreshing to see”. the pandemic crisis forced it to were investing for more produc- “I am quite optimistic… that slash production rates and shelve tion moving forwards, and we Europe will follow [the USA], the work. had to face a brutal reality of the vast majority of the commercial [aircraft] around the world being “We had to face a brutal reality grounded,” he says. Airbus slashed production rates – of the vast majority of the bringing A320-family monthly out- put down to 40 aircraft – and aims commercial [aircraft] around the to increase this later this year. Its reduced twin-aisle aircraft world being grounded” rates, however, are set to remain at lower levels. Guillaume Faury Chief executive, Airbus

8 Flight International June 2021 Airframer Production

Airbus had already signalled that the twinjet’s range and capacity, A320neo-family output would with the A321LR and A321XLR, 170 start to ramp up in the third and edging into territory normally oc- fourth quarters, to 43 and 45 air- cupied by twin-aisle aircraft. craft, respectively. Airbus’s new, digitally-enhanced Total deliveries of commercial It says it sees a “potential return” assembly line will replace one of aircraft recorded by Airbus for the to pre-crisis production rates for the original A320 lines in Toulouse, first four months of 2021 single-aisle aircraft between 2023 offering the capability to manufac- and 2025. ture the A321neo at the airframer’s “With market recovery in sight… main base. – appears to be a rejig of a previous Airbus is resuming its activities for The line will be established at the agreement. Airbus listed 22 can- the [assembly line] project,” the Lagardere facility that was previ- cellations for the month and the airframer states. ously used for A380 production. overall number of aircraft ordered Airbus is only able to produce Airbus expects it to be operational by Avolon remained unchanged A321neo aircraft at its Hamburg by end-2022. from March. Finkenwerder, Germany and Mo- Airbus also recorded an order for bile, USA facilities. Industrial flow a single A319neo coming from a But this re-engined variant has “The modernised [line] in Toulouse private customer. become particularly popular, with will help improve the working con- These agreements reduced the orders at 3,473, nearly double the ditions, the overall industrial flow negative net order figure to 35 for total figure recorded for the con- as well as the quality and competi- the first four months of 2021. ventional A321. tiveness,” says Airbus. Airbus delivered 45 aircraft in The A321neo is crucial to Airbus’s It says the additional production April – including six A350s, two single-aisle strategy post-crisis, capability at Toulouse will provide A330neos, and 37 single-aisle jets because the airframer is enhancing flexibility to ease the initiation and – taking the total deliveries it has ramp-up of A321XLR assembly at recorded for this year to 170. the Hamburg Finkenwerder site Four of the A350s were delivered from 2023. to Chinese carriers, while the other 3,473 The airframer recorded orders two aircraft were handed over to for 48 aircraft in April, including 25 Air France. A321neos for Delta Air Lines and 22 Delta and Corsair received the Orders for the re-engined A321neo, for lessor Avolon. A330neos, both of them being which Airbus produces at plants in But the Avolon order – for 14 -900 variants. ◗ Germany and the USA A321neos and eight A320neos See p46

Faury predicts narrowbody triopoly by decade’s end

Guillaume Faury, Airbus chief executive, believes C919 represents China’s domestic its single-aisle duopoly with Boeing could entry into the single-aisle market transform into a three-way competition by the end of the decade if China progresses strongly with its Comac C919. Faury said such a development was “not an unlikely scenario”. Comac has already secured substantial domestic orders for the C919, although the aircraft has yet to enter service. “It’s still difficult to say at what stage and what level of competitiveness Comac will be able to introduce the [C919] in the market,” says Faury. “We believe they will start with China, because the Chinese airlines are state-owned companies and it’s easier to do it. It takes a lot of time to demonstrate the maturity of a product, to make it reliable, trusted, and economically viable. “But we believe it’s not unlikely [that] on the of Airbus deliveries last year – but Comac will single-aisle, by the end of the decade, Comac will “progressively come with domestic products”. have taken a certain share of the market.” “It will start slowly, probably reaching at the The C919 will compete in the same sector as the beginning only the Chinese airlines. But we believe Airbus A320neo, and uses the CFM International [that Comac] will progressively become a decent Leap-1C engine – a version of one of the A320neo’s player,” he says. powerplant options. “So we will grow probably from a duopoly to a Faury says China has been an important market ‘triopoly’, at least on the single-aisle, by the end of for the airframer – accounting for some 20% the decade.” Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock

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Material benefi ts Boeing is on the hunt for effi ciency and environmental improvements driven by design and manufacturing advances

Pilar Wolfsteller Las Vegas package that off ers 15-20% improvement with respect to ef- fi ciency” over the aircraft it is oeing chief executive David designed to replace, he adds. For BlueBarronPhoto/Shutterstock Calhoun believes that the instance, Boeing achieved around 777X will be more effi cient next generation of aircraft that level of fuel burn improvement to manufacture – and to fl y will distinguish themselves when switching from the 737NG Bby the way they are engineered to the 737 Max, the bulk of which and constructed, rather than came from the performance of the grow the amount of automation through increasingly effi cient en- jet’s CFM International Leap-1B used in the 777X’s assembly. gines alone. engines versus the CFM56-7Bs of With pressure growing on the Calhoun says new designs will its predecessor. aerospace and aviation industries take advantage of advances in to make meaningful strides to fi ght materials technologies – improve- Diminishing returns climate change, airlines and air- ments to composites, for example “I don’t believe the next genera- framers are trying to fi nd ways to – thus reducing the aircraft’s cost tion of engine can deliver that kind make fl ying cheaper and more ef- and overall environmental foot- of performance [improvement],” fi cient and to cut greenhouse gas print, rather than just through us- says Calhoun. emissions signifi cantly. ing engines with a lower fuel burn. A narrowing of propulsion effi - These eff orts include developing “I expect the next product will ciency gains can perhaps be seen new aircraft designs, increasing get diff erentiated in a signifi cant on the 777X: Boeing promises production and use of sustainable way on the basis of the way it’s en- a 10% improvement in fuel burn aviation fuel made from biode- gineered and built,” Calhoun says. effi ciency over the GE Aviation gradable waste, and experiment- “Less dependent on the propulsion GE90-powered 777, with the new ing with alternative power sources package that goes with it. GE9X engines delivering half that such as electricity and hydrogen. “Most often a new airplane is increase. But production advances Calhoun off ers few clues about developed around a propulsion have seen the manufacturer also Boeing’s future direction, but

Max fi x allows delivery restart, but sceptical Ryanair doubts deadlines

US regulators have approved Boeing’s fi x for the Boeing paused deliveries of new 737 Max aircraft electrical issue that grounded more than 100 after it also advised airlines to pull the aircraft from in-service 737 Max and paused deliveries of new service. The problem aff ected 106 examples of aircraft, a move that should allow the airframer to the 737 Max 8 and Max 9, predominantly with US inject renewed momentum into the programme. carriers. Aff ected jets have line numbers between But a resumption of shipments may not come soon 7,399 and 8,082. Boeing built them after making enough for Ryanair, which has voiced doubts about design changes in “early 2019”, the FAA says. the manufacturer’s ability to meet deadlines. But in a sign that the programme has yet to fully Boeing shipped just four 737 Max during April, far recover, major customer Ryanair says it is beginning lower than required as the manufacturer attempts to to doubt that its fi rst 737 Max 8-200s will arrive push inventory stockpiled out of the door. before this summer’s peak travel months. Its attempts to return the Max programme to an Group chief executive Michael O’Leary said on even keel were scuppered in early April, when the 17 May that even though Boeing was now suggesting electrical problem was revealed. However, on 12 May its fi rst Max aircraft will be delivered in late May, Boeing said that it had issued service bulletins “I’m not sure we necessarily believe that”. Instead, relating to the fault and that repairs should begin he says: “There is a real risk now that we will not see shortly after gaining fi nal approvals from the US any of these aircraft in advance of summer 2021”. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Ryanair had already downgraded its Max delivery The issue was related to the “potential degradation outlook in late March, when it said it expected to of bonds associated with electrical grounding of take 16 aircraft in time for Europe’s busiest travel equipment that could aff ect the operation of certain months, down from the maximum of 24 that it had systems”, says the FAA. Aff ected Max systems previously hoped to receive. include standby power control units, “P6” circuit In early April, the FAA and its European

breaker panels and main instrument panels. counterpart had certifi cated the high-density Vladdon/Shutterstock

10 Flight International June 2021 Airframer Strategy

better understanding of how to use the airframer’s entry-into-service such materials in aircraft designs. target of early this decade. “We have invested in compos- But R-R has now disclosed that ites in our platforms for a very long it is once again “in dialogue” with time,” he says. “The learning curves Boeing about possible applications associated with getting effi cient on a new aircraft. are signifi cant: how we bring that engineering modelling and the UltraFan club? composite development work [to Chief executive Warren East sug- production stage] and then devel- gests that once again the talks op quick, simple assembly, like we cover a potential application for have demonstrated with the [T-7A the UltraFan. “Time has marched Red Hawk] trainer airplane and on for a couple of years, our other defence programmes.” UltraFan has continued in that Boeing has used this time as we maintained investment model-based systems engineer- in it, and therefore it is a diff erent ing approach – a common set of situation today.” digital designs for engineering, While R-R has indicated that the manufacturing and maintenance, UltraFan architecture is scalable, maintains that the company as well as fl ight simulations – on East acknowledges that the design has the means to make aircraft its aircraft designs for the defence lends itself primarily to twin-aisles. cheaper, more effi cient and less industry, including the T-7A ad- “Below widebody long-distance polluting without the need for vanced jet trainer and the Airpow- travel… we totally understand that double-digit effi ciency gains from er Teaming System “loyal wing- UltraFan isn’t necessarily the right new engines. man” unmanned air vehicle, both power and propulsion answer.” “Whatever cost effi ciency or per- of which have advanced rapidly But the fact that UltraFan is po- formance advantages are derived from design to prototype. tentially under consideration sug- from the next airplane, in my view, Despite the lack of clarity on the gests where Boeing’s focus may lie. it’s going to come from the way it is airframer’s next commercial aircraft, Meanwhile, UltraFan develop- engineered and the way it is manu- the delayed launch has allowed ment continues, with R-R in early factured, all with a focus on a lower Rolls-Royce to reinstate itself as a May taking delivery of the fi rst en- cost per seat when we get it out to possible propulsion provider. gine demonstrator’s intermediate the marketplace, and a more sus- The UK manufacturer in 2019 compressor case. The structure has tainable package with respect to withdrew from the race to supply a been produced by GKN Aerospace the environment.” powerplant for Boeing’s then-pro- at its Swedish facility. Z Calhoun adds that Boeing’s posed New Mid-market Airplane, See p50 research, especially in composites believing that it could not develop manufacturing, has provided a its UltraFan engine in time to meet Additional reporting by Cirium

737 Max 8-200 variant that Ryanair is the launch customer for, appearing to give the green light for deliveries to begin. Since then, O’Leary claims that “the management in Seattle have constantly missed promised deadlines for the fi rst delivery”, leaving the airline “quite upset”. Although Ryanair may be sceptical of promised delivery dates, it retains a fi rm belief in the aircraft itself. Describing it as a “game-changer” for its cost base, the low-cost carrier notes that the Max 8-200 variant boasts four more seats and lower fuel burn than older-generation 737s. The group’s carriers “are all very keen to get their hands on these new, effi cient aircraft”, chief fi nancial offi cer Neil Sorahan says. Ryanair has orders in place for 210 737-8-200 Max jets, having fi rmed up 75 more units in early December 2020. While Boeing’s backlog for the type inched higher by three units in April – taking in 20 orders which were off set by 17 cancellations – the Max received a fi llip in early May when long-time customer Alaska Airlines announced it would exercise 13 options for the Max 9 variant, with deliveries in 2023 and 2024. Low-cost carrier has orders in place for 210 examples of high-capacity Max 8 Additional reporting by Lewis Harper in London

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Dassault’s big bet French airframer unveils Falcon 10X, a 7,500nm-range business jet which will be powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl engines and feature the largest cabin in its class

Dominic Perry London

assault Aviation has re- vealed the Falcon 10X, its largest-ever business air- craft, as the French airfram- Der looks to take on Bombardier and Gulfstream in the market for ultra- long-range jets. Although the Falcon 10X, which is scheduled to arrive in 2025, will be the last to the party – Bombar- dier’s Global 7500 entered service in 2018 and the Gulfstream G700 will follow in late 2022 – Dassault believes a focus on innovation, plus the widest cabin in the category, will give it a leg up on its rivals. Aviation Dassault Both engines are controlled Dassault’s decision to enter the with a single throttle lever new sector was based on demand from customers, who “asked us to have an ultra-long-range Falcon”, says chief executive Eric Trappier. Powered by twin Rolls-Royce To achieve a combination of effi- “It will put us at the top of business Pearl 10X engines, the $75 million ciency at high speed and predict- jets,” he adds. Falcon 10X will cruise at Mach 0.85, able low-speed handling to allow “We already have two contend- have a top speed of M0.925, and be access to short runways, the Falcon ers [in the segment] and they are able to access airports with steep 10X has a high-aspect-ratio, 33.6m good contenders. What we wanted approaches, such as London City. (110ft)-wide carbonfibre wing – al- to do was not to do the same thing, Range is pegged at 7,500nm most 8m wider than that of the and provide added value com- (13,900km) – matching that of Falcon 6X – which also features re- pared with the others,” says Carlos the G700, but 200nm short of the tractable high-lift devices. Brana, executive vice-president of Global 7500 – with a cabin for eight Composite was chosen to avoid civil aircraft at Dassault. passengers, plus four crew. a weight penalty from the larg- er structure, but it is the first time Dassault has employed a carbonfibre wing on a produc- tion business jet. Such a design is “a challenge – and it is also not, because it is something we have already done on the Rafale [fight- er]”, says Brana.

New dimensions Measuring 33.4m from nose to tail, the Falcon 10X is significantly longer than the next-biggest aircraft in Dassault’s range, the 25.6m-long Falcon 6X. The cabin is also wider and taller than its sta- blemate’s: 2.77m wide by 2.03m high, against respective dimen- sions of 2.58m and 1.98m. Com- Dassault Aviation Dassault bined with a 16m-long cabin, which Cabin will seat eight passengers in translates to an impressive cabin highly customisable configurations volume of 78.7cb m (2,780cb ft).

12 Flight International June 2021 Cover story Launch

Falcon 10X will cruise at Mach 0.85, and have a top speed of M0.925 Dassault Aviation Dassault

In comparison, the Global 7500’s combined vision system, enabling cabin is 2.44m wide by 1.88m high 33.6m its use as “primary instrumenta- and 16.6m long, while the G700 tion”, he says. The overhead pan- measures 2.49m by 1.91m and is el is slimmed down, with many 17.3m long. Span of jet’s high-aspect-ratio switches now “virtualised” on Conscious that at maximum carbonfibre wing touchscreen displays. range, both passengers and crew Advanced autothrottle and will be subject to flights of 15h or auto pilot modes have been added, more, Dassault felt it needed to “re- Rafale is also added, combined such as “soft go-around”, which think and reshape” the experience. with fly-by-wire sidesticks which will “avoid smashing everyone Customers should be able to en- feature flightpath stability, remov- back into their seats”. Others in- joy the flight so “they can exit the ing the need to trim the aircraft, an clude emergency descent mode, aircraft and start their working day action which Duchateau describes reduced take-off thrust and noise as if nothing had happened”, says as “something from the past”. abatement modes. Brana. Workload for the pilots is Although current regulations alleviated so they can “be alert at Level best call for three pilots for a 15h flight, critical times of the flight”. The DFCS will additionally be Brana notes that “this aircraft is Indeed, while the cabin has been able to control the engines – for designed to fly not just today but designed from the ground up to instance, increasing thrust as the for the next 40 or 50 years” and maximise passenger comfort and sidestick is pulled back. therefore anticipates possible reg- convenience, arguably more signif- An upset recovery function also ulatory changes. He says it is “not icant innovation has been lavished features – activated via a button on absurd” to think that with higher on the flightdeck. the main console – which will return levels of automation on the twinjet Here, a single throttle lever – the jet to straight and level flight. “the regulation could be changed which Dassault calls the Smart That system, another carry-over to allow two pilots to fly for 15h”. Throttle – controls both engines, from the Rafale, has already been Improvements in technology are with the reverse thrust and air- trialled on the company’s Falcon “leading us to a significant work- brake controls also integrated into 7X testbed, with “great success”, load reduction,” says Duchateau, the lever. This offers “vastly sim- says Duchateau. which “will allow us to postulate for plified thrust management”, says A simplified digital checklist one pilot [during cruise]”. Mean- chief pilot Philippe Duchateau. is incorporated, while enhance- while, the other would be able to A new digital flight control ments have been made to the take a “fortifying rest” in the fully system (DFCS) derived from the head-up display-based FalconEye reclinable pilot seat.

June 2021 Flight International 13 Cover story Launch

specialist does not off er a precise fi gure for the Pearl 10X, simply not- ing that it is “more powerful” than the other variants and sits in the 18,000-20,000lb-thrust range. At the front of the engine sits a titanium fan blisk, leading to a 10-stage high-pressure compres- sor, low-emission combustor, two- stage shroudless high-pressure turbine and four-stage low-pres- sure turbine. An ultra-slimline nacelle will be Flights of 15h or more will be provided by Spirit AeroSystems, possible at maximum range

Dassault Aviation Dassault creating streamlined laminar fl ow for enhanced aircraft performance. Improved acoustic treatment will also ensure quiet operation. How ultra-long-range rivals compare Testing time Dassault Falcon 10X Bombardier Global 7500 Gulfstream G700 More than 1,000 test cycles and Range 7,500nm 7,700nm 7,500nm over 500 test hours have been Cabin height 2.03m 1.88m 1.91m accumulated on the Pearl 10X, Cabin width 2.77m 2.44m 2.49m says Geisinger. The new power- Cabin length 16m 16.59m 17.35m plant will also be the fi rst R-R en- Wingspan 33.6m 31.7m 31.39m gine to be fl ight-tested aboard the Length 33.4m 33.8m 33.48m manufacturer’s newly acquired Engine 2x Rolls-Royce Pearl 10X 2x GE Aviation Passport 2x Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 Boeing 747-400. Thrust >18,000lb-thrust 18,920lb-thrust 18,250lb-thrust The Falcon 10X is large enough to Source: Manufacturers accommodate four cabin zones of equal length but is endlessly cus- tomisable, Dassault says. Space is “This will nicely contribute to leading engine supplier to the busi- suffi cient for a full queen-size bed fatigue management and being in ness jet market”. or an enlarged master suite with a best shape for approach and land- Based on the Advance2 core, private stand-up shower. ing. [Technology] will make it pos- Pearl-family engines off er a 5% re- Pressure altitude in the cabin sible for one pilot to manage all the duction in specifi c fuel consump- will be 3,000ft at 41,000ft, while tasks associated with cruise.” tion over previous-generation en- a next-generation fi ltration system Initial dialogue on the topic has gines. In addition, the powerplants will enhance the overall experience. begun with the European Union are capable of operating on 100% Light will fl ood in through 38 win- Aviation Safety Agency, he adds. sustainable aviation fuel. dows, which are 50% larger than Meanwhile, for R-R, winning a Dassault describes the engine as those on the Falcon 8X. position on the Falcon 10X – its the “largest and most powerful” Cabin systems will be controlled fi rst time on a Dassault business jet Pearl variant, which R-R indicates via an app on a mobile device, – is the third in a series of victories is rated at more than 18,000lb- simplifi ed switches or zonal touch- for the Pearl family of engines. thrust (80kN). Comparatively, the screens. Minimal hardware was The Pearl 15 was initially selected smaller Pearl 700 off ers 18,250lb- integrated in the cabin to avoid by Bombardier for the Global 5500 thrust at take-off . The propulsion obsolescence issues. Z and 6500, followed by the Pearl 700 for the G700. Pearl 10X is most powerful variant Right fi t in new engine family Trappier says: “We strongly be- lieve that Rolls-Royce has the right competencies and the right tech- nologies needed to design this engine for us.” Dr Dirk Geisinger, chairman of business aviation at R-R Deutschland, says the compa- ny is “honoured” that the Pearl 10X has been chosen to power the Falcon 10X. It will, he says, off er “a market-leading combi- nation of power and effi ciency”. The selection also serves to

“reinforce our position as the Aviation Dassault

14 Flight International June 2021

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New converts With cargo one of the few profitable areas for airlines at present, the market for passenger-to-freighter modification programmes continues to grow

Dominic Perry London modification line in Seoul, South Korea for 777-200LRs and -300ERs. That facility will augment IAI’s in- ews that Singaporean firms itial line in Tel Aviv, where the first ST Engineering and invest- aircraft under the 777-300ERSF ment company Temasek programme it launched in 2019 with are joining forces to create lessor GECAS will soon be inducted. Na new leasing venture for converted Meanwhile, US-based 321 Preci- freighters is the latest in a series of sion Conversions is close to deliv- recent announcements focused on ering its first Airbus A321 converted demand. “Interest in our A321P2F the booming market for passenger freighter, and plans to begin work conversion solution has been on a to freighter (P2F) modifications. on a second aircraft in June. The im- significant rise over the past year,” Announced on 11 May, the ven- minent handover follows the Feder- says chief executive Andreas Sperl. ture will over the next five years al Aviation Administration’s issuing The strong demand for convert- acquire passenger aircraft – pri- of a supplemental type certificate ed freighters has been driven by marily single-aisle types – for for the A321-200PCF in late April. a robust cargo market, one of the conversion to freighters, aiming few bright spots for the airline in- to hold a portfolio worth around Strong demand dustry over the past 12 months. $600 million. And on the other side of the At- While the loss of belly-hold Prior to news of the partnership lantic, Ireland-based lessor GTLK capacity, typically around 54% emerging there had been a flurry of Europe is to acquire four A321 of total capacity, through the activity in the sector. For instance, converted freighters, induction for collapse of long-haul passenger Boeing revealed it will in 2022 set which will commence this year. The demand has presented a logisti- up a P2F conversion facility for aircraft will undergo modification cal challenge which has required 737-800s in Costa Rica – the first by the EFW joint venture which is some creative solutions, both de- such operation in South Ameri- run by ST Engineering and Airbus. mand and rates are now higher ca – while Israel Aerospace Indus- EFW says the air cargo mar- than they were as the pandemic tries (IAI) will in 2024 establish a ket has experienced increasing took hold last year.

Widebody sector has bigger concerns

Single-aisle operators have little choice but to turn to converted freighters, given the absence of line-built models. That is not currently the case in the widebody space, however, where Boeing continues to assemble its dedicated 747, 767 and 777 freighters. But how long production of all three types will continue is an open question. So far, the only certainty is that 747-8F output will end in 2022. Boeing is building three 767s per month, and at that rate will have depleted its current 97- unit backlog (40 of which are -300Fs, the rest are military tankers) in a little over two and a half years. But with the US Air Force having an eventual requirement for 179 KC-46 tankers, the orderbook will be periodically topped up over the coming years. Of course, whether Boeing continues to offer the -300F is not guaranteed. The picture is even less clear on the larger 777: GECAS including a recently announced deal from Silk Way IAI and GECAS have launched West Airlines, of the current 57 orders for the 777 777-300ER conversion programme

16 Flight International June 2021 Cargo Conversions AirTeamImages Converted 737s dominate smaller narrowbody market, with -800s increasingly prevalent

In fact, IATA data for March shows than the $7.73/kg seen in May last Figures released in early 2021 by a record for air cargo, with cargo year, driven upwards by reduced consultancy IBA show the stark tonne kilometres (CTKs) fl own 4.4% capacity due to stricter quarantine contrast between passenger and above the same month in 2019 – well regulations in Hong Kong. freighter aircraft operations. At the before Covid-19 appeared. CTKs Clearly it is the absence of bel- turn of the year passenger aircraft have climbed consistently over the ly-hold capacity that has continued utilisation rates were around half last 12 months, save for the annual to keep rates buoyant. “Overall air pre-pandemic levels; during that post-Christmas slump. cargo rates remain at elevated lev- same period freighter utilisation els because of stronger demand rates had trended upwards – from Higher rates and an ongoing capacity crunch around 100,000 fl ights per month in Meanwhile, data from the Baltic caused by a reduction in belly-hold January 2019 to a little over 120,000 Exchange Air Freight Index shows services,” says Damian Brett, editor by the same month this year. that while cargo rates have fallen of FlightGlobal’s sister publication Such has been the demand for back over the last 12 months from Air Cargo News. cargo capacity that even aircraft their May 2020 high point, they are Passenger-freighter operations thought to be long retired have still signifi cantly above 2019 levels. are also more expensive to run than been returned to service: Georgian Indeed, in April this year rates on freighter and pre-Covid belly-hold start-up Geo-Sky has re-activated the Hong Kong-North America lane fl ights, which also contributes to a 1987-built 747-200 converted spiked to $8.48/kg, higher even the higher prices, he notes. freighter (4L-GEN) that was last

family, 45 are for the -200LR-based freighter variant. 300ER to be around $32.5 million. When the cost of Boeing is this year cutting output to two aircraft the feedstock aircraft and other costs are factored per month, including an unknown number of 777Xs. in, it puts the total outlay at around $54.5 million Depending on demand and build rates, the current- for an aircraft that will be able to carry a little over generation jet could continue in production for up to 100t. However, others put the price tag at around six years, observers estimate, although at low output $55-65 million. levels, near-term slots appear hard to come by. In addition, the partners involved, plus the support No freighter variant of the 777X is presently of engine provider GE Aviation, lend credibility off ered, and even if it is launched it is likely to carry to the eff ort, industry watchers say, despite the a “hefty price tag”, argues one industry watcher. engineering challenges involved. In the absence of new-build 747-8Fs and a lack of The conversion will include implementation of clarity on the 777F, operators seeking a suitable 747- a main-deck cargo door, reinforcement of the 400F replacement may well turn to P2F conversions, fuselage, fi tting of window plugs and a full freighter where price, availability and the high capacity of interior – including 9g rigid barriers and a loading the -300ER are likely to make the Israel Aerospace system – together with modifi cation work on the Industries/GECAS product a compelling prospect. crew compartment. The 777-300ERSF “will produce a signifi cant Kalitta Air is set to be the launch operator of the impact on the market”, the observer says; “It will not aircraft, receiving its fi rst example on lease from be a three-fi gure million number to put that on the GECAS in 2023. The identity of the launch customer ramp”, and it “can do what the 777F does, at lower further strengthens the case for the programme, cost and with much more volume”. according to one industry insider: “I don’t think its While no fi gures are offi cially available, IBA owner has put a foot wrong in all the years it’s been estimates the conversion cost of a 2005-built 777- in operation.”

June 2021 Flight International 17 Airbus 18 larger thantoday’s, risingfrom 2,010 in theneedfor afreighter fleet60% 4% over thenext 20years, resulting whole growing atanannualrate of seen average growth of17%,itsays. international express carriershave trends”. Over thelast five years, to extend express market growth because ofCovid-19 lookslikely “accelerated e-commerce adoption in November last year –notes that for theperiod2020-2039 –unveiled biennial edly addedfuelto thisfire. Boeing’s order secured two years later. was launchedin2015,withitsfirst A321 P2Fconversion programme freighters. For instance, theEFW to update theirfleetsofsmaller UPS, andAmazon, to adegree – carriers suchasFedEx, DHLand big integrators –express parcel demic, driven by theneedof conversions pre-dates thepan- Cirium fleetsdata. Ascend by Cirium deliveries during lockdowns” has beenboosted by more online the growth ofe-commerce which “Conversions are beingdriven by programme was launchedin2015 The EFWA321P2Fconversion Cargo Flight International operated in2012,according to Boeing seesthecargo market asa But thepandemichasundoubt- Of course, growing demandfor Conversions World AirCargoForecast June 2021 ,

around 600turboprops. more than3,300aircraft, including conversions, withtotal demandfor dicts a70-30 splitinfavour of for thenext two decades.Itpre- broadly shares Boeing’s outlook ard-body”, or737-sized, freighters. which (1,080 units) willbe“stand- will beconversions, itadds,72% of 60% ofthedeliveries, 1,980aircraft, replace current inventory. More than delivered, around 50%ofwhichwill to 3,260units.2,430aircraft willbe ble for conversion “driven by the ity offeedstock aircraft availa- market istheincreased availabil- gle-aisles and571 widebodies. forecast: 454turboprops, 1,347 sin- will berequired under theAscend Ciriumnotes. line deliveries duringlockdowns,” has beenboosted by more on- the growth ofe-commerce, which “Conversions are beingdriven by Forecast factors Consultancy Ascend by Cirium Another factor weighing onthe In all,2,372 converted aircraft

liance ononemanufacturer. lowing operators to avoid over-re- aided by achoice of engines,al- for theAirbusnarrowbody willbe potentially A330s. The prospects ed A321s,alongside737s, 767s and years, largely replaced by convert- around one-third over thenext 10 freighter examples willdeclineby story isnotfinished”,thenumberof believes thatalthoughthe“757’s as freighters atFebruary 2021. adding to the298unitsinoperation tired from passenger roles, itsays, pending conversion having beenre- IBA; anadditional20examples are the larger narrowbody space, says nearly 40aircraft pending. forer year” thetype, itsays, with is “lookingto beaneven strong- were addedto theglobalfleet. 2021 30 converted 737-800 freighters 2020 andJanuary2021, atotal of 737 Classics driesup. Between May as feedstock availability ofearlier sion activityshiftingto the-800 narrowbody market, withconver- ue asthemainstay ofthesmaller enabling itto acquire feedstock. sis generates overcapacity pressure, craft values astheairtransport cri- benefit from falling passenger air- Temasek venture isanintention to derpinning theST Engineering/ ger aircraft fleets”,notes IBA. accelerated retirement ofpassen- A well-placed industry executive The 757 continues to dominate In IBA’s view, the737 willcontin- Indeed, oneofthestrategies up- ◗ Airlines Legislation Not so convenient Politicians in the USA are again attempting to pass legislation preventing the arrival of foreign low-cost carriers in the country Peter Krocka/Shutterstock Peter Norwegian Air International was granted a foreign air carrier permit in 2016

Pilar Wolfsteller Las Vegas (DoT) to ensure that, when issuing “The controversial decision to new foreign air carrier permits, it grant NAI a permit only encourag- remains “consistent” with the la- es future opportunistic airlines to S lawmakers have intro- bour and competition provisions continue this race to the bottom duced a bill that would laid out in the US-EU-Norway-Ice- in international civil aviation,” the prevent cut-price airlines land Air Transport Agreement. The committee now says. that have been established requirement would apply only to NAI permanently ceased long- Uunder “flags of convenience” from non-US airlines seeking to begin haul flights in March 2020, but operating into the USA. USA-Europe flights that fall under more recently, Norse Atlantic Air- The chairman of the House Com- that treaty. ways, another start-up airline co- mittee on Transportation and In- This is the third time DeFazio has owned and led by NAI’s founder frastructure Peter DeFazio said introduced such measures, in an ef- and former chief executive Bjorn on 11 May that the “Fair and Open fort to stop low-cost carriers who Kjos, has said it aims to replicate Skies Act” is designed to force for- may skirt labour laws and safety that transatlantic model. eign airlines to “play by the rules” standards in the name of offering In a letter to transportation secre- rather than offer services under cheap transatlantic fares. tary Pete Buttigieg on 2 April, De- conditions that would be illegal in Fazio wrote that the new adminis- the USA. Short-term contracts tration of President Joe Biden must “In the past, we have seen foreign In December 2016, the DoT issued make good on its commitment to airlines set up under a flag-of-con- a foreign air carrier permit to Nor- protecting US jobs and promoting venience business model to exploit wegian Air International (NAI), a fair competition across borders. weaker labour laws outside their subsidiary of Norwegian Air Shut- “If Norse Atlantic Airways’ busi- home countries in order to save tle. Launching legislation at the ness model is predicated on the money, undercut competition, and time, DeFazio said NAI was “Nor- same flag-of-convenience concept skirt important labour standards wegian in name only”, as its domi- that we saw in the case of Nor- to get a leg up,” DeFazio says. “By cile was actually Ireland, in order to wegian and its various alter egos, preventing such an airline from avoid Norway’s labour protections, the public interest demands that serving the US this bipartisan bill and the airline employed crews on the department deny the carrier’s protects American jobs from pred- cheap, short-term contracts gov- application for a foreign air carrier atory and unfair competition.” erned under Singapore law. In 2019, permit,” DeFazio wrote. “All the el- The proposal would require the he made a second attempt at pass- ements are in place for a repeat of US Department of Transportation ing such legislation. the Norwegian debacle.” ◗

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June 2021 Flight International 19 Defence Supply chain ITAR breach costs Honeywell US company fi ned after multi-year transfer of military technical drawings sent to potential suppliers in China US Air Force and other nations Engineering prints included the geometries and layouts of Lockheed Martin F-22 parts

Garrett Reim Los Angeles manufacturers and China – a coun- Boeing, for example, is heavily try many invested in heavily a dec- reliant on Chinese airlines to drive ade ago, in the hope of tapping business for its commercial prod- oneywell has reached a $13 revenue growth. Now, those same ucts. In partnership with state- million settlement with the fi rms are caught amid a new geo- owned Comac, the company in US Department of State political rivalry between Washing- 2018 opened a completion facility following alleged multiple ton and Beijing. for the 737 in the country, antici- Hviolations of the Arms Export Con- US companies now face a grow- pating demand for thousands of trol Act and International Traffi c in ing list of potential suppliers with new narrowbodies in the decades Arms Regulations (ITAR) rules. which they can no longer deal, due to come. Between 2011 and 2018, the com- to concerns around the export of Honeywell’s example illustrates pany repeatedly sent drawings of sensitive technologies. Last De- the cybersecurity challenges that US military aircraft parts to sup- cember, the US government re- can be associated with doing busi- pliers in foreign countries, includ- leased its Military End User list, a ness in China. ing China, asking for price quotes, compilation of dozens of Chinese Boeing is betting part of its according to the Department of and Russian companies with links commercial future on the adoption State’s charging letter. to military programmes. of model-based systems engineer- The engineering prints showed ing design software developed layouts, dimensions and geome- Military developments for US DoD programmes like the tries for manufacturing castings The list includes Xian Aircraft, a T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet train- and fi nished parts. These includ- subsidiary of state-owned Avia- er. The company believes that its ed components for the Lockheed tion Industry Corporation of Chi- next generation of airliners will set Martin F-22 and F-35 stealth na (AVIC), which is developing the themselves apart by the way they fi ghters and the latter’s Pratt & MA700 twin-turboprop airliner. The are engineered and constructed, Whitney F135 engine, the Boeing project includes several US suppli- rather than solely via the use of B-1B bomber, and other hardware ers, among them Collins Aerospace more effi cient engines. and weapons. (avionics), Eaton (fuel system com- Such model-based systems en- In addition to China, Honeywell ponents), Honeywell (auxiliary gineering software tools allow allegedly also sent the drawings to power unit) and Parker Aerospace aircraft builders to create a digital suppliers in Canada, Ireland, Mexi- (fl y-by-wire fl ight control actuation twin of a design and then explore co and Taiwan. systems, and hydraulic system). its total lifetime cost through vari- The company voluntarily dis- Xian’s inclusion on the Military ous simulations. closed the violations. The Depart- End User list stems from its mili- For companies like Boeing, ment of State agreed to suspend tary developments, including the which want to do business with $5 million of its fi ne, on the con- Y-20 strategic transport and H-20 both the US DoD and China – and dition that the funds are used “to stealth bomber. in some cases transfer detailed strengthen Honeywell’s compli- As the MA700 illustrates, the know-how from the military world ance programme”. tricky industrial relationship with to the commercial sector – reg- The civil penalty highlights an China and the US Department of ulatory compliance is certain to increasingly complex relation- Defense (DoD) is by no means just become a growing area of concern ship between Western aerospace a Honeywell problem. and focus. ◗

20 Flight International June 2021

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IAI broadens horizons under new leadership Israel’s state champion is emerging from the pandemic relatively unscathed and prepared to develop emerging markets

Murdo Morrison London Locker calls the company’s “180° transformation” in recent years. “I am part of that change,” he con- oaz Levy, a 30-year Israel cedes. “And I will be continuing that Aerospace Industries (IAI) plan, by continuing to focus on our veteran, has graduated to customers and bring them the won- the top job at the state- derful capabilities of IAI.” Bowned group at one of the most As a result of last August’s Abra- promising periods in its seven-dec- ham Accords, one of these custom- ade history. The once-turbulent ers could soon be the UAE. Since business has just notched record last year, the Gulf nation has been revenues and healthy profi ts for establishing direct fl ight and trad- 2020, despite the pandemic, and ing connections with the Jewish seen the emergence of a lucra- state for the fi rst time. From an tive market in the Gulf following a economic point of view, the UAE’s landmark US-brokered peace ac- large defence and security budget cord with the United Arab Emirates makes it a prize target for Israeli (UAE) and Bahrain. industry. It also brings closer the This year IAI has also deepened prospect of a deal with Saudi Ara- long-standing ties with South Ko- bia and its even larger market. and will enhance co-operation for rea, one of its historically strongest research and development and export markets. In March, IAI signed Strategic agreement technological innovation,” he says. a memorandum of understanding In March, IAI announced a “stra- Although circumstances are very (MoU) with Korea Aerospace Indus- tegic agreement” with Edge, the diff erent, the two states face similar tries to develop loitering munitions UAE’s recently-established nation- threats. Like Israel, the UAE is wary for the country’s army. al defence house, to co-operate on of “asymmetric” attacks by hostile Under another South Korean an “advanced” counter-unmanned forces in the region using weap- partnership, IAI will expand its aircraft system for the federation onised drones, and both, together Tel Aviv-based Boeing passen- and the wider Gulf region. IAI has with Saudi Arabia, share a common ger-to-freighter (P2F) operation been developing and marketing enemy in Iran. “These deals give with a new 777 conversion facility such technologies for decades, us a great potential to enlarge our at Seoul’s Incheon airport, which it but Edge subsidiary SIGN4L has business, but also to contribute to plans to open with local fi rm Sharp created its own suite of electron- peace,” says Levy. “We have capa- Technics. Due to the shortage of ic warfare capabilities. The two bilities that meet their needs in a belly hold capacity with the companies say they will ex- way that makes us all safe.” grounding of thousands of change know-how. Until last year, Israelis were fl ights since March 2020, Levy, who began his ca- banned from the UAE. Now Israeli the P2F sector has been reer with IAI as an aero- companies have begun to feature one of the few bright space engineer, hopes at its many trade shows, which are lights in commercial air the partnership with taking place again after a pandemic transport, and IAI has Edge will lead to more hiatus. Although a last-minute Cov- benefi ted. co-operation with the id travel ban put paid to IAI’s plans Levy, who succeeded Arab state and its bur- to attend the IDEX defence expo in Nimrod Sheff er last geoning domestic Abu Dhabi in February, the compa- November after aerospace and ny did send a large delegation to running IAI’s sys- defence sector. April’s Cybertech in Dubai, and IAI tems, missiles “This MoU serves will be part of a sizeable Israeli pa- and space divi- as a stepping vilion at November’s Dubai air show. sion since 2013, stone for further IAI, which was ranked 33rd larg- is reluctant to business and est aerospace business in the latest claim too much Boaz Levy took over strategic alli- FlightGlobal Top 100, has a range of credit for what the top job at IAI in ances between expertise befi tting of a state cham- November last year Israel Aerospace Industries Aerospace Israel chairman Harel our countries, pion that has had to over the years

22 Flight International June 2021 systems, missiles & space. ising inunmannedairvehicles; and tures work; military aircraft, special- programme and militaryaerostruc- P2F activities,theGulfstream G280 equipment; aviation, whichincludes which offers electronic warfare now hasfour divisions:EltaSystems, more outward-looking business. It nues from exports –aleanerand almost three-quarters ofitsreve- years hasmadeIAI–whichmakes res However, Internal reorganisation owned mainrival ElbitSystems. to runthanitsnimbler, privately some andbureaucratic organisation at timesmadeIAIamore cumber- the business isrunday to day. Ithas role to have acloseinterest inhow and ministers whoseeitastheir highly unionisedworkforce andMPs have also hadto dealwithbotha help. Successive IAIchiefexecutives been asmuchofahindrance thana to electronic warfare. aerostructures, andspace launchers pair andoverhaul, airborneradars to from munitionsto maintenance, re- from exports. Itscapabilities range space needsaswell asearnrevenue fulfil many ofIsrael’s militaryaero- Sometimes that portfolio has Sometimes thatportfolio has tructuring inrecent distance to destroy anincoming crucial as150kmisthe“optimal” launch platform. The new range is of theinterceptors from asingle bat proven” shorter-range variants operated asasuite withthe“com- air missile defence” asitcanbe offers “enhanced capabilities for listic target. included theinterception ofabal- live firingtrialsearlierthisyear that to theBarak family. Itunderwent ceptor, thelongest-range addition ak ER81nm(150km)missile inter- important new product istheBar- and missiles houseRafael. Another space programme alongsideElbit launcher. IAIcontributes to Israel’s launched last JulyonanIAIShavit naissance satellite, whichwas Ofek 16,alow-Earth-orbit recon- Systems 2020, largely driven by driven by Elta IAI posted itshighest-ever revenues in $4.18bn According to Levy, theBarak ER The latter isresponsible for the passenger-to-freighter conversions Company offers MROservices and electronic warfare business Analysis

Israel Aerospace Industries than 70 to anundisclosedcustomer. which itclaimsto have soldmore take-off andlandingproducts, of gies. BlueBird’s specialityisvertical ing inremotely operated technolo- swathe ofIsraeli start-ups specialis- in BlueBird Aero Systems, oneofa tical segment,takinga50%stake upped itsinterests inthesmalltac- such asHeron, last September it known for itsstrategic platforms in unmannedsystems. While best customer for thelatest version. IAI hassecured atleast oneexport missile, says Levy, whoaddsthat the top job. cord ofsuccess duringhistenure in that hecancontinue thattrack re- weapon system. Hewillbehoping programmes, suchastheBarak of itsmost importantandlucrative ment andmarket launchof some pressive –hehasledthedevelop- year career withIAIhasbeenim- ent General Dynamicsin2001. ospace venture to Gulfstream par- two decades.ItsolditsGalaxy Aer- in itsown rightfor thefirst timein IAI returning to business aviation G280. There haseven beentalkof nership withGulfstream onthe and whetherto continue itspart- to boost market share intheUSA, how muchto stake inattempting will face tough decisions,including may helpreverse thattrend, Levy ing losses deepened. 18%, to $1.19 billion,anditsoperat- to theeffects ofthepandemic, fell the aviation group, most exposed uting muchoftheincrease. Salesat defence, withtheEltaunitcontrib- the success was largely driven by 2019, were theirhighest ever, but lion, compared with$4.11 billionin IAI’s 2020 revenues, at$4.18 bil- of thegroup are performing well. are largely behindit,notallparts were thoughtto beafactor. disagreements over USexpansion year, after just two years. Internal Levy’s predecessor Sheffer quitlast tional rivals. Itcanbeatough gig. can give ittheedgeover interna- that, delivered attherightprice, in thebreakthrough technologies owned behemoth,andinvesting responsibilities ofrunningastate- line between theoften conflicting tives have hadto tread adelicate Over itshistory, IAIchiefexecu- Conflicting responsibilities IAI continues to beapace-setter An engineeratheart,Levy’s 30 While thereturn ofairtransport While IAI’s financialtroubles Israel Aerospace Industries June 2021 ◗ Flight International 23 Air transport Launch Super Air Jet ready to roar Indonesia is to gain a new low-cost carrier with links to the Lion Group, but the reasons for its creation are unclear Khafid Mukriyanto/Shutterstock

Greg Waldron Singapore Apart from its statement on Super a new airline will also give Kirana Air Jet, which outlines the opportu- extra leverage over lessors, par- nity for the new carrier in Indonesia, ticularly as they negotiate with the new Indonesian airline with Lion Group has said nothing offi- company’s Transportation Partners links to the Lion Group is cially about the new airline, which unit regarding aircraft on lease to in the process of building as yet does not even have a website. Lion Group airlines. a narrowbody fleet. Founder Kirana has kept a very And while the idea of launch- AIts ownership structure is opaque, low profile since early 2020, as the ing a new carrier in the midst of but Super Air Jet appears to have group grapples with the effects of a pandemic may seem quixotic, links to Rusdi Kirana’s Lion Group, the coronavirus, including tough Lion Group is clearly manoeuvring which includes carriers Lion Air, Ma- discussions with lessors. ahead of an eventual recovery. laysia’s Malindo, and Thai Lion. In a recent forecast – compiled In response to a query from Configuration change by Padjadjaran University (UNPAD) FlightGlobal, Lion Group’s commu- Independent analyst Brendan So- and commissioned by the Indonesia nications team replied with a state- bie notes that Super Air Jet is sig- National Air Carriers Association ment regarding the new airline nificant in that it marks the first (INACA) – the country’s aviation – although it makes no mention time the Lion Group will operate sector is expected to make a full re- of Lion. Further, Reuters reports the A320 in an all-economy con- covery by 2026, contingent on vac- that the new carrier will be run by figuration. The carrier’s Batik Air cines and the pandemic’s retreat. Ari Azhari, formerly a general man- unit has both business- and econo- Domestic flight volumes are pre- ager in Lion Group. my-class seating in its A320s. dicted to return to pre-pandemic The statement indicates that the “Lion Group intends to keep all levels by 2024, while international airline will commence services with three of its Indonesia-based airline traffic will follow two years later. Airbus A320-family jets, and that it subsidiaries, Lion Air, Batik Air and However, the rate of recovery is will operate a low-cost model. Wings Air, despite initial concerns directly linked to the speed of the Cirium fleets data suggests that among lessors that launching Super vaccination programme’s rollout. the new airline has already se- Air Jet could be a strategy for clos- The researchers’ model suggests cured its first aircraft, a A320 on ing and replacing Lion,” says Sobie. that doubling or halving the speed lease from CDB Aviation. The air- “The strategy behind the new [air of vaccinations could either bring craft (MSN 4488) was operated operator certificate] is instead more forward a full domestic recovery to by IndiGo from 2010 to 2020, and about making it harder for poten- as early as December 2022, when is now in storage at Batam’s Hang tial start-ups to enter and providing annual passenger volumes would Nadim International airport. a platform for even lower costs by near 75 million, or delay it to De- FlightGlobal understands that securing very cheap eight-year-old cember 2025, when annual passen- lease deals on other initial air- aircraft coming off lease at IndiGo.” ger volumes would hit 83 million. ◗ craft have also been finalised over But one lessor spoken to by recent months. FlightGlobal has a different theory: Additional reporting by Cirium

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24 Flight International June 2021 Airline Strategy

JAL flies flag for A350 Japanese carrier says Airbus widebody will sit atop its fleet, as it reshapes twin-aisle inventory in pandemic-hit market

Alfred Chua & Greg Waldron Singapore Underpinning the move is JAL’s “Severe worldwide restriction on strategy to reduce the proportion international travel has caused the of large widebodies in the fleet. international passenger demand apan Airlines (JAL) has At the group level, large widebod- to almost disappear due to the re- picked the Airbus A350 as ies, which JAL defines as the A350 bound of infection and the spread Jits future flagship, as it retires and 777, made up about 18% of the of Covid variants,” says JAL. its fleet of domestic Boeing pre-pandemic fleet. The carrier “We provided an international 777s by 2023, and reduces the hopes to cut that to 14% by FY2023. route network for returnees, ex- number of large widebodies in the Meanwhile, the carrier swung to pats and transit demand from Asia medium term. an operating loss of Y390 billion to North America.” In a business update released ($3.6 billion) in the 12 months end- Domestic travel was hurt by a alongside its full-year financial re- ed 31 March. state of emergency in Japan in sults in early May, the Tokyo-based Revenues dived 65.3% to Y481 April 2020, but then picked up carrier disclosed that it will continue billion, as the carrier reported a again later in the year, only to be to introduce the A350 on domestic full-year net loss of Y334 billion. hit by another wave of Covid-19 in flights to replace its 777s, which it December 2020. had already decided to remove. Tough year The reduction in belly-hold ca- Last October, JAL announced The airline acknowledges it was pacity over the year was a boon for the retirement of up to 24 777s – an “extremely tough year” for the the cargo business, however, with comprising -200s and -300s used sector, with the collapse in air trav- JAL operating 15,299 cargo flights on domestic routes, and a number el amid the coronavirus pandemic. using passenger aircraft. of -200ERs used for internation- “Facing a rapid and significant “It is difficult to foresee the re- al flights. It will also move some decrease of revenue, we imple- covery of demand while the global -200ERs from the international mented fundamental cost-reduc- spread of Covid-19 shows no sign fleet to operate domestic flights in tion measures and investment re- of slowdown,” says JAL. the interim. duction to mitigate the negative “The recovery of international The carrier will introduce the impact of the decreased revenue,” and domestic passenger demand larger A350-1000 on flights to says JAL. may highly be affected by the cir- Europe and North America from For the 2020 financial year, op- cumstances surrounding Covid-19 fiscal year 2023, which begins on erating expenses were Y885 bil- and by situations of border closure 1 April that year. Airbus data indi- lion, down from Y1.3 trillion in the and travel restrictions by govern- cates that the carrier has 13 of the prior period. ments, so that uncertainty on our big twins on order, plus is still to re- International passenger revenue further business perfor- ceive 10 of 18 A350-900s. fell 94.2% to Y27.9 billion, while mances, especially both The move will mean that the domestic passenger reve- our future supply plan 777-300ER, the carrier’s current nue fell 67.2% to Y174 and revenue forecast, is long-haul aircraft of choice, will lose billion. But cargo expected to remain.” its position as the fleet flagship. and mail revenue However, in order to JAL says the combined 777 fleet rose 40.6% to capture more revenue will be reduced to just 13 exam- Y129 billion. from Chinese traffic, JAL is to ples by FY2023, down from 39 air- take a majority stake in Spring craft in April 2020. The A350 fleet, Airlines Japan, an increase on its meanwhile, is set to grow from five current 5% shareholding. to 18 aircraft. China’s Spring Airlines Group currently holds 48% of the joint venture. JAL does not indicate the size of the stake it hopes to acquire, but anticipates the deal closing by June. Spring Airlines Japan will be a “China-focused” operation, to attract visitors from China, while “leveraging” Spring Airlines’ brand recognition in its home market. The investment will help JAL “capture the first inbound demand Airline is still to receive 10 of the in China, which is expected to re- 18 A350-900s it has ordered cover in the future”, it adds. ◗ Viper Zero/Shutterstock Viper

June 2021 Flight International 25 PAID CONTENT

Defending across the domains The interoperability of security assets in air, land, sea, satellite and cyber is crucial to modern military thinking. This will be a key focus of the World Defense Show next March

or millennia confl icts have out from the competition in that it feature both land and air displays. been fought on land and sea, will feature all fi ve domains, with It will also be the fi rst show to have and, in the twentieth century an emphasis on interoperability its own purpose-built runway and in the air too. In the future, and integrated solutions. dedicated airspace for live military Fthey are likely to also be contest- The event – founded by the king- aircraft demonstrations. ed in space and even on the world dom’s General Authority for Military Each of the fi ve domains will be wide web, as new technologies and Industries (GAMI), the regulator and brought to life through virtual sim- tactics are employed to probe and enabler for Saudi Arabia’s defence ulations and live demonstrations. penetrate enemy defences. sector, and taking place from 6-9 For example, even though the Modern military planners now March – will give manufacturers and show location is inland, state-of- think in terms of these fi ve domains suppliers in each sector a chance to the-art, interactive visual displays as distinct but linked. Threats may showcase their products and servic- will illustrate how technologies can come from one, several, or all of es in one of the most impressive in- be incorporated into naval systems. them at once, and those charged dustry show venues ever built. The site is even set to feature a with maintaining safety must de- With 800,000 sq m of outdoor command and control centre where vise holistic and eff ective strate- space at the exhibition site, just visitors can experience the opera- gies to deter or counter them. one hour’s drive from downtown tional harmony across air, land, sea, Today’s defence show circuit Riyadh, the World Defense Show cyber and space that the latest inte- tends to comprise events that will be the only event of its kind to grated systems on the market off er. concentrate either on tradition- al domains – aviation, naval, and land – or cyber security. The space “The distinct format of the event element is often treated as an off - shoot of conventions focusing on will be a draw for any military commercial spacefl ight. Rather than taking this some- professional keen to understand what siloed approach to the challenge, World Defense Show the multi-domain potential of the – which debuts in Riyadh in Saudi Arabia early next year – will stand latest technologies”

26 Flight International June 2021 PAID CONTENT

Organisers of the World Defense that military commanders are able will also be a major draw for any Show – who spent almost two to rapidly shift their focus from one military professional keen to under- years planning the event in the run- domain to another to deal with stand the multi-domain potential of up to its offi cial launch in July 2020 security threats, while minimising the latest technologies. – took into consideration a number casualties and collateral damage. World Defense Show may be the of trends in the defence industry With its substantial military newest name on the defence expo and global military market when budget, Saudi Arabia is an attrac- calendar, but its organisers are devising the format. tive market for international man- in no doubt that – with its unique Firstly, although the sector has ufacturers. Additionally, there are off ering to exhibitors and visitors, survived the Covid-19 pandem- opportunities aplenty to partner coupled with Saudi hospitality – ic much better than its commer- with local industry, with the gov- the event will be a must-attend for cial counterpart, national defence ernment in Riyadh committed to thousands of industry executives budgets are likely to remain under securing a 50% share of defence and senior military personnel for pressure in coming years. This will procurement for domestic suppli- years to come. ◗ prompt national and military lead- ers by the end of this decade, as ers to increasingly seek effi ciencies part of its Vision 2030 strategy. ● World Defense Show will and value-for-money solutions. That in itself is sure to drive in- be held in the presence of Traditional “heavy metal” – ships, terest in the show from some of Saudi Arabia’s key leadership, artillery, armour, and aircraft – are the biggest players in the global international delegations and certain to remain vital assets in the defence industry – a large number prominent industry decision- defence portfolio. However, un- have already signed up. However, makers from around the world. manned platforms – with surveil- the distinct format of the event, To learn more about the show, lance and off ensive capabilities, with its focus on interoperability, visit www.worlddefenseshow.com. and across air, land, marine and sub-marine – will play a bigger se- curity role. So too will a new gen- eration of compact, less expensive observational satellites. Other than perhaps in the USA, the notion of national contractors making the bulk of their revenues from a domestic customer are long gone. So another market shift is that defence companies must co-operate across borders, often partnering industrially and sharing technologies with their customers. Finally, the interoperability of defence assets is one of the most Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s important developments. Recent most important defence markets

confl icts have shown how vital it is US Air Force

June 2021 Flight International 27 Visit FlightGlobal Premium for all the latest aviation news and insight FlightGlobal.com

Marshall’s star attraction

The UK Royal Air Force is now set to retire its Hercules fleet in 2023 Crown Copyright Copyright Crown

While its domestic customer is nearing “The criteria that make us suc- cessful in the military market are an end to almost 60 years of C-130 not important in the civil sector,” Moynehan says. “The people who use, UK support specialist’s boss says are successful in that space have a different set of characteristics.” international business is taking off The company also has moved away from offering bespoke spe- cial mission aircraft conversions, Craig Hoyle London One of the UK’s most successful which he says are “an inefficient use privately-owned defence compa- of that depth capability”. This fol- nies, MADG – as with all in the in- lowed a deal to supply the United aving provided in-service dustry – has faced a challenging Arab Emirates with a pair of heav- support to the UK Royal Air time over the past year, as Covid-19 ily-adapted Bombardier Global Ex- Force’s (RAF’s) tactical air- impacted its operations. Then, even press surveillance aircraft. lifter fleet for a remarkable as it was adjusting its working prac- As an example of this shift, MADG H55 years, Marshall Aerospace and tices in response, then-chief exec- in May 2020 withdrew its interest Defence Group (MADG) knew that utive Alistair McPhee took the sur- in modifying a five-strong fleet of their relationship on the Lockheed prise decision to leave. 737NG-based E-7A Wedgetail air- Martin C-130 could not last forever. borne early warning and control But the Ministry of Defence’s New leadership system aircraft for the RAF, after (MoD’s) March announcement that A 12-year Marshall executive who failing to agree a business case with operations with the service’s re- had most recently been the com- Boeing. Its executives are doubtless maining 14 J-model Hercules would pany’s director of finance and strat- now relieved, since the MoD’s re- end in 2023 – 12 years earlier than egy, Moynehan took the helm in view opted to reduce the incoming previously planned – still came as September 2020 and is continuing fleet size to just three airframes. “disappointing news” to the Cam- a transformation activity launched Referring to MADG’s at times wan- bridge airport-based company. on his predecessor’s arrival four dering direction prior to McPhee’s “There was always a risk the UK years earlier. Despite the upheaval, arrival, Moynehan notes: “We had would retire [them] a bit earlier, so it “the business has rallied around my a strategy where we were expand- was not a complete surprise,” inter- leadership”, he says. ing and diversifying the sectors and im chief executive Gary Moynehan Earlier, senior executives had markets we were in, but it didn’t tells FlightGlobal. In fact, he says strived to diversify the company’s really have a coherence – it was the company had been de-risking activities beyond central pillars of spreading us wider and thinner.” the potential for their accelerated C-130 MRO and military land vehi- Instead, the company has re- withdrawal since the publication of cle work, with only mixed results. turned its attention to supporting the MoD’s 2015 Strategic Defence Such side ventures – which a growing number of C-130 opera- and Security Review. ranged from entering the hugely tors, and also driven strong growth That planning document had competitive commercial MRO sec- in its land vehicle activities. set out an ambition to extend the tor, to being Northern European “We have been quite successful type’s use until 2030 via upgrade – distributor for the Honda Aircraft in doing that. We’ve narrowed the later moved out to 2035, thanks to HondaJet – have all now been end- focus a bit, but been more success- a centre wingbox replacement pro- ed. The company has also exited ful in those core markets. gramme activity to be performed providing support to Cessna Cita- “Over the past five years, we on each aircraft by MADG. The RAF tion and Gulfstream-family busi- have roughly doubled the number introduced its originally 25-strong ness jets; activities dating back to [of Hercules operators] being sup- fleet of C-130Js from 1999. 1960 and 1974, respectively. ported,” he notes.

28 Flight International June 2021 Interview Gary Moynehan

The company secured interna- reconfiguration and entry into ser- case,” Moynehan says, adding: “ [the tional C-130 business worth more vice of the aircraft, as well as longer MoD] recognise the importance of than £162 million ($225 million) in term fleet support.” not taking short-sighted decisions.” the three-year period ending De- Describing the activity as “a Promising opportunities also exist cember 2019. It currently supports well-trodden path”, Moynehan with the US Marine Corps (USMC). examples operated by 16 nations: notes: “The resale of the UK aircraft MADG and rival MRO provider Cas- Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bel- will be a priority, and a significant cade Aerospace are now able to gium, Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, amount of work” for the company. pitch for modification work on part France, Kuwait, the Netherlands, “There is a very strong market for of the service’s 66-strong KC-130J Norway, Oman, Qatar, Sweden, the used J sales,” he says, pointing to tanker fleet, via a 10-year enabling UK, and the USA. both the commercial and political contract placed with both last year. benefits made possible by the UK With 10-12 such maintenance Essential support brokering such deals. “We know a activities to be released per year, The RAF’s first K-model Hercules number of operators who would be Moynehan says “securing the max- arrived at Marshall’s facilities in interested,” he adds, noting that of- imum slice of that pie will be crit- December 1966 for modification fering prospective customers blocks ical”. Marshall expects to complete work ahead of entering operational of three to five aircraft “is natural”. work on its first USMC KC-130J dur- service in August 1967. The compa- ing June, and he notes: “The signifi- ny’s role in supporting the initially cant point is demonstrating perfor- 65-strong fleet cannot be under- mance.” Marshall already supports stated – in addition to performing KC-130Js operated by Kuwait. maintenance tasks, it completed a fuselage extension upgrade to Relocation plans 29 aircraft, developed and fielded Meanwhile, a major activity that an air-to-air refuelling receiver ca- the pandemic has not disrupted is pability within 15 days as the Falk- a plan for the company to relocate lands conflict began in 1982, and from its Cambridge home by 2030. subsequently converted several Last year it signed an option agree- airframes for tanker duties. ment to move to Cranfield in Bed- The RAF retired its last K-mod- fordshire and is considering Wyton el examples in late 2013, replacing in Cambridgeshire as an alternative, these with its Js and Airbus De- but has discounted Duxford. fence & Space A400Ms. “The requirement to relocate re- Cirium fleets data shows that mains the same,” Moynehan says, in seven of the UK’s original, now part due to the need to otherwise

53-year-old Hercules remain in use, Group & Defence Marshall Aerospace make major investment in the Cam- with the air forces of Austria (3), Moynehan took the helm in September 2020 bridge site’s aged facilities. Mexico (2) and Sri Lanka (2). and is continuing business transformation Around half of MADG’s employees So, given the pending removal of have had to be on site during the its maintenance work on the RAF’s While its close links with the pandemic, with the rest adapting Hercules – spanning forward work RAF may be coming to an end, to home working. “We prepared for conducted at its Brize Norton base Moynehan says “our relationship the worst, but didn’t get near it,” he in Oxfordshire by a 70-strong team, with Lockheed is exceptional”, and says: the only workers furloughed and depth activities performed in getting stronger. Dhaka was not a were airport operations staff. Cambridge – is a crisis looming? Foreign Military Sales candidate, “We are refining some of the foot- While there are clear potential he says, noting: “They would never print” as a result of new working negative implications for part of its have sold new Js to Bangladesh.” practices, says Moynehan, who be- 1,700-strong workforce, the compa- The status of the UK’s planned £110 lieves that as restrictions ease in the ny believes that this is not the case. million centre wingbox replacement UK, the company should maintain “Marshall has so far successful- activity is an unanswered question. its freshly proven agility, rather than ly acted as the resale partner for Three of the RAF’s aircraft have re- “spring back to the old way”. eight ex-RAF C-130Js,” the compa- turned to use since last August after A firm decision on the move lo- ny says: to Bahrain (2), Bangladesh receiving the life-extending modifi- cation will need to be made in the (5) and the US Navy (1). “Marshall cation, and discussions are to take 2023-2025 period, he says – both to works in concert with Her Majes- place about whether to conduct the give time for required infrastructure ty’s Government to provide the work on the remainder. work to occur at a new site, and “to technical expertise and knowledge “The value of those aircraft is a give clarity to our workforce”. to the transaction, supporting the pretty straightforward business So, with an expanding list of op- erators to support, Marshall’s rela- tionship with the Hercules will not “Over the past five years, we have be ending when the RAF brings op- erations to a halt in two years’ time. doubled the number [of Hercules “The C-130 is far from dead,” Moynehan says. “The UK [an- operators] being supported” nouncement] is disappointing, but if anyone thinks we’ll be going away, Gary Moynehan Interim chief executive, Marshall Aerospace & Defence Group they’re in for a surprise.” ◗

June 2021 Flight International 29 Visit FlightGlobal Premium for all the latest aviation news and insight FlightGlobal.com

New loading procedures allow the type to carry additional weapons

F-15E to pack more punch US Air Force

Strike platform tested carrying fi ve stealthy cruise missiles, as US Air Force looks to spread duties beyond its bomber fl eet

Garrett Reim Los Angeles formation of fi ghters instead of have made it more diffi cult for non- a single bomber to employ the stealthy types – such as the F-15E – JASSM salvo could not only reduce to fl y into adversary airspace. he US Air Force (USAF) the size and complexity of the In 2019, the US Department of has shown the ability for a strike package required to execute Defense more than doubled its Boeing F-15E to carry fi ve the mission, it would also distribute planned long-term acquisition of Lockheed Martin AGM-158 mission risk across the force.” JASSM rounds, from 4,900 to a TJoint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Using F-15Es to carry a large num- possible maximum of 10,000. Missiles (JASSMs), as it works to ber of JASSMs would give combat Were the F-15E to assume cruise increase the strike platform’s op- commanders options and create di- missile launch duties in place of erational fl exibility. lemmas for adversaries, who would a dedicated bomber, its current Called Project Strike Rodeo, fi nd it more diffi cult to predict which two-round capacity would have to the proof-of-concept activity was types of aircraft might be used dur- be increased. completed by the 85th Test and ing an attack, Benitez notes. “Unfortunately, the [additional] Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB munitions would not fi t on the con- in Florida. High-value targets formal fuel tank weapons stations The idea of increasing the F-15E’s Intended for use against high-value of the F-15E, as JASSM was de- weapons load-out emerged from or highly defended targets, such as signed to be loaded directly from a working group in January 2021, command and control centres and the base of their shipping contain- says Lieutenant Colonel Mike surface-to-air missile batteries, the ers, which is too large to fi t under Benitez, director of staff at the stealthy JASSM is qualifi ed for use the F-15E without hitting the main USAF’s 53rd Wing. on the Boeing B-1B and B-52 and landing gear,” says the USAF. “A team of expert tacticians were Northrop Grumman B-2 bombers. To address this, a team designed working through a specifi c scenar- The F-15E ordinarily can carry two and manufactured a special loading io that relied on the ability to es- of the weapons. tool and wrote new weapons load- cort a bomber loaded with stand- The USAF has increased its in- ing procedures for the AGM-158. off munitions to a release point in terest in cruise missiles in recent “No-one told us to do this,” says a highly-contested environment,” years, as sophisticated surface- Benitez. “We saw the need and the the USAF says. “Some warfi ght- to-air missile systems, such as the opportunity, so we executed. This in- ers hypothesised that using a Russian-made Almaz-Antey S-400, fectious attitude drove every unit or

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IN ASSOCIATION WITH World Air Forces Report FlightGlobal.com/waf

30 Flight International June 2021 Weapons Testing

offi ce we coordinated with. Every- strategy, which plans to disperse new model instead of some F-35As one wanted to see if we could do it, combat aircraft across diff erent air- in part due to its increased weap- and no-one ever pushed back and fi elds, including remote bases. ons payload capacity. asked for a requirement or a formal “The combat tactic of reload- Now entering operational test higher headquarters tasking.” ing in a remote location previous- and evaluation, the F-15EX is ex- Project Strike Rodeo went from ly took two [Lockheed] C-130s pected to remain in operational use idea to execution in about fi ve to carry the necessary munitions at least into the 2040s. months, says the USAF, and with and personnel. Once at the loca- Separately, the USAF has demon- the load test having proved suc- tion, the JDAMs had to be assem- strated the ability to pass data be- cessful, it is planning fl ight trials. bled, taking extra time,” the USAF tween an F-22 and fi ve F-35s by The prospect of increasing says. “The additional carriage on using an “Open Systems Gateway” JASSM capacity on the F-15E the F-15E allows fully assembled communications payload carried comes after the 85th Test and JDAMs to be transported, reducing aboard a Lockheed U-2 surveil- Evaluation Squadron in February the requirement to just one C-130 lance aircraft. demonstrated the type’s ability to and saving [time by] eliminating “Project Hydra marks the fi rst carry six Boeing Joint Direct At- on-site bomb building.” time that bi-directional communi- tack Munitions (JDAMs) on a sin- cations were established between gle side of the fuselage. In theo- fi fth-generation aircraft in-fl ight,” ry, this could boost the maximum says Jeff Babione, vice-presi- number of such weapons carried 10,000 dent of Lockheed Martin’s Skunk from nine to 15. Works advanced development “The Strike Eagle can now carry programmes unit. The F-22’s In- enough JDAMs for an active com- Maximum possible acquisition of tra-Flight Data Link and the F-35’s bat mission, land at a remote loca- JASSM rounds as planned by the US Multifunction Advanced Data Link tion, and reload itself and/or anoth- Department of Defense in 2019 cannot directly transmit informa- er aircraft – such as a [Lockheed tion to each other. Martin] F-35 or F-22 – for addi- The airborne gateway also al- tional combat sorties,” Lieutenant Lindaman adds that using the lowed the F-35 to pass sensor in- Colonel Jacob Lindaman, the test F-15E to move JDAMs also could formation to a US Army Integrated unit’s commander, said following help increase the tempo of combat Battle Command System centre the proof-of-concept installation. operations, thanks to faster weap- via a Tactical Targeting Network If such a confi guration were used, ons reloading. Terminal link. the USAF says not all of the 15 The additional carrying capacity “This next-level connectivity re- JDAMs carried could be released of the F-15E also may have impli- duces the data-to-decision time- during a mission. However, the abil- cations for the USAF’s eff orts to line from minutes to seconds, ity to ferry extra bombs in such a replace its aged C/D-model fl eet which is critical in fi ghting today’s way would simplify logistics in line with 144 enhanced F-15EX Eagle adversaries and advanced threats,” with its Agile Combat Employment IIs. The service opted to order the says Babione. ◗

Hypersonic simulation hits the spot

On 5 May, the US Air Force (USAF) demonstrated away, using an AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid a Boeing B-52 bomber carrying out a simulated Response Weapon [ARRW],” the USAF says. hypersonic missile strike using targeting data from Developed by Lockheed Martin, the boost- sensors that were positioned more than 1,000nm glide ARRW is expected to undergo fl ight testing (1,850km) away. through 2022, before becoming the service’s Performed during the Northern Edge 21 exercise fi rst operational hypersonic weapon. A fi rst free- in Alaska as part of an all-domain operations fl ight rocket booster test of the missile – which capability experiment, the activity involved a B-52 is believed to have a range of up to conducting a roughly 13h sortie from Barksdale 870nm – failed in April, due to a fault AFB in Louisiana. during its launch sequence. While en route to its simulated weapon “This was a successful showcase release point, the aircraft’s crew received of beyond-line-of-sight kill chain targeting data from undisclosed sensors employment – and notably, it positioned at Joint Base Elmendorf- was a success in the highly Richardson in Alaska. “The bomber contested and realistic threat then was able to successfully environment that Northern take a simulated shot of Edge exercise provides,” the target from 600nm the USAF says.

13h B-52 sortie replicated future operational use of ARRW system US Air Force

June 2021 Flight International 31 Operations Environment Greener Vista Charter operator VistaJet embraces environmental initiatives and targets carbon neutrality within four years Vytautas Kielaitis/Shutterstock Vytautas

Dominic Perry London VistaJet has seen an impres- conventional jet fuel, Moore is keen sive 80% take-up for its offsetting that the industry “works out how to scheme, run in conjunction with bring the cost down”. igh-end charter operator environmental consultancy South VistaJet has also been offering VistaJet has committed to Pole, far outstripping the rate seen customers incentives to enable achieving carbon neutral- in commercial aviation. For exam- a reduction in empty legs flown, ity by 2025 as it looks to ple, Lufthansa Group chief execu- through, for example, lower rates Hset the standard for environmental tive Carsten Spohr recently noted to switch departure airports. performance in the sector. that less than 1% of its passengers Noting that its target goes fur- use the group’s voluntary scheme Artificial intelligence ther and faster than the wider avia- to buy carbon credits or SAF to While 2020’s disrupted travel en- tion industry’s goal of a 50% reduc- compensate their flight emissions. vironment means no figures are tion in carbon emissions by 2050, Moore suggests that the relative available for last year, the company VistaJet hopes its example will be wealth of VistaJet’s clientele, and achieved a 20% reduction in emp- followed – or bettered – by others. pressure from their “stakeholders” – ty legs flown in 2019. It hopes that “Ultimately this is about the in- whether family members, investors through the application of higher dustry lifting up its socks and do- or board members – has contribut- levels of artificial intelligence with- ing the best it can,” says chief com- ed to the high level of participation in its booking system, that rate can mercial officer Ian Moore. “I think in the offsetting programme. be maintained as traffic normalises. our announcement shows what we VistaJet’s customers are also of- Flying the latest generation of feel needs to be the standard.” fered the option of using SAF in aircraft, such as the Bombardier Initiatives adopted by the op- place of regular Jet-A on flights, Global 7500, is also contributing erator include offering customers with blends varying from 10% to to the environmental performance, the option of offsetting their car- 100%. Those levels have been argues Moore. While there is also bon emissions, a partnership with achieved in collaboration with air- an operational cost benefit from SkyNRG to increase the uptake of frame supplier Bombardier and the lower fuel consumption of- sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), re- propulsion specialists GE Aviation, fered, he notes that this is more ducing the number of empty legs Honeywell and Rolls-Royce. than offset by the high acquisition flown and the introduction of the However, with SAF costing in price of the new jets. latest-technology aircraft. some cases six times more than Other initiatives adopted by VistaJet include a move to renew- able sources of electricity on the “This is about the industry lifting ground, the use of sustainable products on board, and an annual up its socks and doing the best greenhouse gas accounting report. Moore believes that the commit- it can – this shows what we feel ment to carbon neutrality will spur a response from the rest of the in- needs to be the standard” dustry. “We are now looking for- ward to seeing how everyone fol- Ian Moore Chief commercial officer, VistaJet lows this – or takes it further.” ◗

32 Flight International June 2021

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Soaring ever higher High-altitude glider research project looks towards future missions despite founder’s passing and Covid challenges

Jon Hemmerdinger Tampa say, ‘Oh my gosh, I am in the pres- “controlled deep-stall sailplane” ence of greatness,’.” and Martin Aircraft’s experimen- Enevoldson was indeed legend- tal “lifting body” X-24B. he Perlan Project proved ary in aviation circles. A Seattle He also fl ew British jets you don’t need fuel to fl y to native born in 1932, he earned a – Hawker Hunters and the edge of space – moun- master’s degree in aeronautical en- English Electric Lightings tain air will do just fi ne. gineering and embarked on a long and Gloster Javelins. TBut you probably need a man aerospace career. He was a US Air Through it all, Enevoldson fed his like Einar Enevoldson, the leg- Force fi ghter pilot, a test pilot for love for gliders, spending week- endary test pilot behind a project the Royal Air Force, a research pi- ends soaring from El Mirage, Cali- that has fl own gliders to altitudes lot with NASA and chief test pilot fornia. But he wondered if strato- exceeding 70,000ft, capturing re- at German airframer Grob Aircraft. spheric mountain air waves could cords and advancing high-altitude lift a glider to extreme altitudes. scientifi c research. Long experience “He had a singular passion for “His primary job was being our Enevoldson logged time in many this fl ight to the edge of space in compass,” Perlan chief executive aircraft: Vought F-8s that had been a glider,” Warnock says. “His quest Ed Warnock says of Enevoldson, modifi ed as part of a NASA pro- was to get to 100,000ft… high- who founded the project. “Einar gramme, Lockheed’s experimen- er than the SR-71” – Lockheed’s stayed involved day-to-day up until tal YF-12A fi ghter, NASA’s AD-1 legendary Blackbird reconnais- three days before he passed.” oblique-wing experimental jet, a sance aircraft. Enevoldson’s death on 14 April at the age of 88 has left the Perlan Project in a challenging position, as it seeks to continue its high-al- titude work without the man who helped make it all possible. But Warnock says the non-prof- it organisation’s ambitions burn bright as ever, despite the loss of Enevoldson and having scrapped two missions – in 2020 and again this year – as a result of the coro- navirus pandemic. “Next year we are hoping to go back to Argentina,” he says. Warnock remembers his fi rst breakfast meeting with Enevoldson to discuss his joining the team. “He was approachable, conver- sational,” Warnock recalls. “There

was nothing about Einar that, if you NASA

Airbus just bumped into him, you would Einar Enevoldson worked as a research pilot for NASA among many roles in his long career

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34 Flight International June 2021 Research Gliders

Enevoldson (left) and Steve Fossett piloted the unpressurised Perlan 1 to a then-record glider altitude of 50,722ft Mark Baker/AP/Shutterstock

Perlan 2 is becoming a platform for The cameras, to be operational scientifi c research into ‘the mysteries in four to six weeks, will enable of the upper atmosphere’ scientists to see conditions in the That vision led mountains, and to compare ob- to development of servations with computer moun- Perlan 1, a modifi ed DG Flug- tain-wave models. zeugbau DG-505M glider. In 2006, Perlan will also continue scien- taking off from El Calafate in Ar- tifi c research, but branch out to gentina – an area renowned for An- the project gain become what Warnock calls dean mountain air waves – Enev- exposure, but Enevoldson an “innovation incu- oldson and partner Steve Fossett was not driven by a quest for noto- bator”. He envisions piloted Perlan 1 to a then-record riety, says Warnock. Perlan partnering with researchers glider altitude of 50,722ft. “Einar envisioned that the pro- and for-profi t companies to de- Then came development of a gramme was not about setting a velop technologies that align with higher-altitude glider called Perlan record. Once we had a stable plat- Perlan’s high-altitude focus. 2, and formation of the non-prof- form – a proven platform – it would it, Oregon-based Perlan Project to turn into a scientifi c research or- Data collection oversee the increasingly complex ganisation,” he says. Perlan recently launched PART- and expensive eff ort. Warnock’s team had hoped to ners, an atmospheric research deploy Perlan 2 back to Argentina eff ort that involves Canadian Rising ambition both in 2020 and in 2021, but Cov- high-altitude unmanned glider Perlan 2, a pressurised two-pilot id-19 forced both missions to be company Stratodynamics Avia- glider with a 25.6m (84ft) wing- cancelled. tion, Nevada-based atmospheric span, was developed by Bend, Or- data company WeatherExtreme egon glider company Windward and Grob Egrett operator AV Ex- Performance. perts. The group will use data col- Airbus became a sponsor, and 76,124ft lected by Perlan 2. Perlan set out to fl y higher. Perlan’s other research eff orts In 2018, also from El Calafate, include supporting novel meth- Perlan 2 ascended to 76,124ft. That Perlan 2 reached a record altitude for ods of measuring atmospheric fl ight beat the known altitude re- subsonic aircraft while soaring over gas, understanding relationships cord for winged, manned subsonic Argentina’s Andean mountains in 2018 between high-altitude air waves, aircraft and took the second place and studying stratospheric waves altitude record for a winged air- over Canada. craft behind the SR-71, which has Then came Enevoldson’s passing. There are also plans to meas- reportedly reached 85,000ft. Perlan’s board is now tasked with ure stratospheric humidity using Perlan 2 is designed to fl y no maintaining the organisation’s mo- a radio occultation sensor that higher than 90,000ft; at that al- mentum and mission. has been developed by Airbus’s titude, a 50kt (90km/h) indicat- That includes getting Perlan 2, Silicon Valley-based innovation di- ed airspeed translates into about now on the ground at Minden- vision Acubed. 350kt over ground, meaning shock Tahoe airport in Nevada, back to El The sensor “could be carried on waves can form around an aircraft. Calafate next year. every airliner in the world”, giving For that reason, Perlan intends Meantime, Perlan is installing meteorologists a wealth of new at- eventually to develop a glider with three “sky cams” in the El Calafate mospheric data, Warnock says. transonic wings for the purpose of area: one in the town itself, one “The mysteries of the upper at- attaining 100,000ft. at the nearby airport and another mosphere are just beginning to be The records have highlighted about 17nm (32km) west of El Cala- tapped,” he adds. “We’ve only just Perlan’s achievements and helped fate, close to the mountains. got a glimpse.” ◗

June 2021 Flight International 35 Rotorcraft Development

Shock and AW Leonardo and Kopter eye hybrid future for rebranded AW09

Dominic Perry London helicopter, he identifies hybridisa- potentially opening the door for re- tion as one avenue of interest. use of an existing prototype. That might start with simple elec- He says it does not want to “waste eonardo Helicopters and trification – what he describes as energy” to “reinvent the wheel” Kopter are already contem- having “one and a half engines” – and may instead adapt one of the Lplating the development of but using an architecture that could pre-serial (PS) AW09s which are a hybrid-electric rotorcraft also in future “translate into other due to perform certification flights. demonstrator even as they work to variations including fuel cells”. Aircraft PS4 is due to fly some- bring the newly rebranded AW09 As regulations governing fu- time between September and No- to market. ture propulsion systems are still in vember this year, with PS5 follow- Swiss firm Kopter was bought development, any demonstrator ing in 2022. by the Italian aerospace giant a would allow Leonardo Helicopters Previous test flights have used year ago and the pair on 21 April to “support the evaluation process the company’s P3 prototype, announced the change from the and show what is the art of the which has now accumulated 40h previous SH09 designation, which possible today”, says Ragazzi. with its updated configuration, a they see as an important integra- change that was implemented at tion step. Unconventional propulsion the turn of the year. While test activities continue on The AW09 is seen as the “first plat- That saw the addition of an up- the 2.8t AW09 in order to achieve form” in a family of “new light air- graded main gearbox, enhanced ro- service entry by 2022 or ear- craft that will have conventional tor mast – controls are now on the ly 2023, Leonardo Helicopters is [helicopter] architecture but not exterior of the structure – and a new keen to bring new technologies to conventional propulsion”, he adds. Garmin G3000H avionics suite. Aer- the platform or to other products Kopter has previously touted the odynamic tweaks were also made in its range. design of its main gearbox as be- to improve the type’s handling. Matteo Ragazzi, Leonardo Hel- ing uniquely suited to hybridisation The change to the mast archi- icopters chief technology officer, and has filed patents outlining pos- tecture was driven by concerns said during a 21 April media brief- sible approaches. around the ease of access to the ing that as the AW09 closes on Michele Riccobono, chief tech- controls. “We realised almost im- certification there will be an “over- nology officer for Kopter, says mediately that from a maintenance lapping of activities” to ensure that it has not settled on any one standpoint the burden would have there is “a demonstrator out there direction, but says the patents are been significant. Any kind of main- shortly after”. “going to be the foundation of this tenance activity or inspection This would allow it to “refine the further evolution”. would have been quite complex,” final product for the second part of Although Kopter could build a new says Riccobono. the decade”. helicopter to serve as the demon- Leonardo Helicopters says the While Ragazzi says it is too ear- strator, Ragazzi says the company revised AW09 designation was se- ly to say what technologies it would prefer to direct its resourc- lected to show the helicopter had would look to implement on the es to validating new technology, been brought within its product family while also retaining Kopter’s “strong and original history”. Final assembly of the AW09 will take place at Leonardo Helicop- ters’ facility in Vergiate, Italy; a second production line is also due to be established in the USA, most likely at the manufacturer’s plant in Philadelphia. Mollis, Switzerland, which was to serve as Kopter’s European pro- duction hub, will “remain a plant with a clear prototype manufac- turing mission”, says Marco Vio- la, Kopter chief executive, as part of Leonardo’s strategy to use the business as a “centre of excellence for light helicopters”. Kopter has its headquarters in Kopter/Leonardo Helicopters Kopter/Leonardo Wetzikon, near Zurich, plus an ad- Airframer is keen to introduce new ditional subsidiary near Ottobrunn technologies to the former SH09 in Germany. ◗

36 Flight International June 2021 Technology Evaluation

Airbus aims for Vertex Airframer intends to test new autonomous technologies on Flightlab helicopter as it eyes future applications Airbus Helicopters

Dominic Perry London A pair of high-powered com- a target in itself” but instead is a puters will be integrated into the means “to explore autonomous Flightlab helicopter – one for the technologies alongside other tech- irbus in 2023 will begin sensor suite and image process- nological innovations”. fl ight tests of a new sense- ing, and the other for the avionics Grazia Vittadini, Airbus chief and-avoid system integrat- – plus fl y-by-wire controls. Also technology offi cer, says that the ed onto its H130-based forming part of the overall pack- airframer’s ambition from the pro- AFlightlab helicopter, as it works to age is an advanced human-ma- ject is to “signifi cantly increase mature autonomous technologies chine interface which incorporates safety margins” through reducing to increase operational safety on a touchscreen display and smart- crew workload and cognitive over- current and future platforms. type glasses for the pilot to show load and providing enhanced situa- Led by the group’s UpNext di- certain parameters. tional awareness. vision, the initiative, called Vertex, Integration activities have al- With the sensor suite and com- will build on activities already con- ready begun, and fl ights us- puting capability coupled to the au- ducted by Airbus Helicopters. ing some of the equipment are topilot, the system will be capable This includes previous tests of its planned ahead of 2023 in order to of managing navigation and route Eagle system, which used a trio of begin gathering data. preparation, performing automatic gyrostabilised cameras, data pro- take-off s and landings, as well as cessing and image recognition ca- Third pilot following a predefi ned fl ightpath. pability coupled to the autopilot to Next year will see a third pilot seat Should an obstacle be detected, enable automated approaches. installed in the H130, the occupant either the system will take avoiding Algorithms and advanced image of which will use a fl y-by-wire joy- action, while warning the pilot that processing allowed the automatic stick to control the helicopter. it is doing so, or the pilot can initi- recognition of features, such as the Severin Dauvergne, head of the ate the manouevre through double H of a helipad, from distances of up Vertex demonstrator, says that Ea- tapping the tablet. to 2,000m (6,560ft) away at shal- gle was “mature from the begin- Airbus says the installation of a low approach angles. ning”, enabling test fl ights to be joystick and full fl y-by-wire con- Eagle was trialed on an H225 halted after just 10h. He anticipates trols, using an “active trim system”, heavy-twin three years ago, and a similar level of performance from on the helicopter is to enable the was due to lead to a product being Vertex: “We expect it to also be Vertex system to be tested on the available across the range by 2021. right fi rst time,” he says, which will Flightlab platform and as a “techno However, advances in sensor be enabled by extensive ground- brick” to evaluate the fl ight con- technology and computing power based simulations. trols of future electric vertical take- should enable the “mass and cost In all, “less than 20 hours” of off and landing aircraft. However, of operation” of such a system to fl ying should be required, says “it is not aimed at developing a sys- be cut, says head of research and Dauvergne, as the manufacturer tem that could be retrofi ttable”. innovation Tomasz Krysinski. New looks to take the system to tech- Krysinski notes that two previ- iterations of image processing algo- nology readiness level 6. ous outputs from its research and rithms will gain more maturity with Signifi cant emphasis will be technology eff orts will be available Vertex, allowing industrial applica- given to low-speed, low-altitude to customers shortly: a Lidar-based tions in the medium timeframe. operations where there is “more Rotor Strike Alerting System and a Vertex will incorporate elec- opportunity to meet obstacles”, digital health and useage monitor- tro-optical and infrared cameras says Dauvergne. ing system for small helicopters. alongside a Lidar sensor supplied Airbus emphasises that Ver- Airbus Helicopters unveiled the by automotive specialist Luminar. tex does not have “autonomy as Flightlab platform in January. ◗

June 2021 Flight International 37 Visit FlightGlobal Premium for all the latest aviation news and insight FlightGlobal.com Unclear approach A UK effort to replace Puma rotorcraft will be one of its first to follow a new procurement model favouring national prosperity over capability alone Current fleet is expected to be replaced by middle of this decade Crown Copyright Copyright Crown

Dominic Perry London requirements for the new medium Leonardo Helicopters’ participa- helicopter. Therefore, details in re- tion – as the UK’s only rotorcraft lation to the procurement strategy, manufacturer – was a nailed-on ith the UK set to re- basing locations, fleet size, delivery certainty: it has been touting the place its Royal Air schedule and organisational struc- credentials of its AW149 as a Puma Force fleet of 23 Puma ture are being assessed,” says the replacement for several years and HC2 helicopters by the British Army, to which FlightGlobal clearly views the jobs that such a Wmiddle of this decade, the con- was directed for a response. contract would support as weigh- tenders are already lining up. Complicating the issue slightly is ing heavily in its favour. But the competition will be one the decision to also use the NMH But despite being on the mar- of the first major procurements in to replace three niche fleets used ket since 2006, sales of the AW149 the country to be conducted un- by the military: understood to be have been underwhelming: it has der new rules designed to make army-operated Bell 212 and 412 been selected by just two custom- economic and social factors a core transports, and Aerospatiale-built ers, the Royal Thai Air Force (5) part of the selection process, po- AS365 Dauphins which are used to and Egypt (24); deliveries to the tentially tilting the field. support special forces personnel. latter are ongoing. At this stage, much remains un- Airbus Helicopters, meanwhile, known: the Ministry of Defence Platform size has indicated that it could offer (MoD) announced the retirement The move to bring these within the the H175 or H225M, depending on of the Pumas in its Command Pa- scope of NMH will have a bearing the exact requirement, or even the per Defence in a competitive age, on both the size of the platform NH Industries NH90, in which it published on 22 March. That called and the quantity to be acquired. If has a majority 62.5% stake, along- for the twin-engined platform to all current aircraft are replaced on a side Leonardo Helicopters (32%) be replaced by a New Medium one-to-one basis, perhaps as many and Fokker (5.5%). These span the Helicopter (NMH) by the middle of as 40 helicopters could be required. weight range from 7.8t to 11.5t. the decade. So far, the only two manufactur- None of these helicopters are A team has been set up within the ers to declare a definite interest are without issues, however. No military MoD to draft requirements for the Airbus Helicopters and Leonardo version of the H175 has so far been contest, but there is no indication as Helicopters. US airframers Bell and developed, largely due to Chinese to when these might be released. Sikorsky, meanwhile, are waiting for involvement in programme. The “Work on this programme is at a more detail before deciding wheth- civil version of the Super Puma car- very early stage, with effort focused er to propose their respective 525 ries significant reputational bag- on developing and refining key user and UH-60M Black Hawk. gage, even if the underlying causes

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38 Flight International June 2021 Helicopters Contest

of a fatal 2016 crash are now fully for both domestic and export cus- encryption – capabilities for which understood. And the NH90, while tomers. While local assembly of the must be maintained onshore, it is an advanced platform with fly- H225M or NH90 would also be the- seen as part of a wider mix that en- by-wire controls, seems unable to oretically possible, existing produc- sures operational independence. shake off a problematic reputation. tion lines would likely rule out any Previous helicopter investments There also remains the question export potential. have benefitted the “UK industrial of whether the UK would really However, the airframer empha- base” and mean “the UK is still able seek to rejoin a programme it left in sises the “sustainability” of its to design and develop new rota- 1987 while still in its very early stag- approach for itself and the UK’s ry-wing capabilities” or integrate es. And there would need to be an rotorcraft industry; sustainment ac- new weapons and systems, it says. agreement with Leonardo Helicop- tivities, upgrades and supply chain “This has been enabled by the ters to include it in any offer. participation can create more value close relationship the UK MoD has Leonardo’s approach is essential- over the longer term than a single with Leonardo Helicopters through ly the AW149 or bust, as it has no final assembly facility, it notes. the Strategic Partnering Arrange- larger platform in its portfolio until ment, which ensures that togeth- the three-engined, 15.6t maximum Policy shift er we maximise the opportunities take-off weight AW101. The long-term effects of any pur- across our current systems, future But in its favour, the company has chase will be central as the MoD requirements and exports.” an existing final assembly facility shifts to a new acquisition model Maintenance of that capability in the UK and supporting supply that does not prioritise cost or ca- is vital so the UK can access “the chain. It says that an AW149 selec- pability over other considerations. know-how to support and upgrade tion “would establish a cutting-edge Contained in the Defence and our fleets to respond quickly to new production line in Yeovil”, and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) changing threats and operational estimates that “between 60-70% of document published at the same needs”. Plus, an industrial footprint content and through-life support” time as the Command Paper, the – the design, engineering and manu- will be provided by UK companies. new guidance “is part of a broad- facturing skills – will allow the coun- Export potential is also clear. er, consistent, government drive to try to help lead the development of The airframer is to the point promote both our national security a next-generation rotorcraft to ar- when asked if it would support the in its traditional sense, and the eco- rive in the 2040s. The UK is one of NH90 being offered, or whether it nomic growth which underpins and five countries currently involved in has had any dialogue on the topic depends on that security”, it says. a NATO capability study, alongside with its partner Airbus Helicopters. It should, says the document, be France, Germany, Greece and Italy. “Leonardo’s solution for the UK’s viewed in the context of wider ini- New Medium Helicopter require- tiatives as part of the government’s Social value ment is the AW149. We cannot levelling up agenda “to promote On that basis, while there are some comment further until we under- economic growth that is distributed on the operator side who would like stand the requirements of the UK more equitably across the UK”. to see the UK flying Black Hawks, MoD,” it says. In addition, a minimum 10% the DSIS appears to rule out, or at Airbus Helicopters says that weighting towards the “social value” least make harder, a straightforward should it offer the H175, there of a contract will be applied in com- purchase via the USA’s Foreign Mili- would be a big opportunity for UK petitions after 1 June, to ensure that tary Sales process. suppliers – components currently “the government takes into account With an existing European facil- sourced from its Chinese partners the effect of different procurement ity at Polish subsidiary PZL Mie- would need replacing – adding to options on wider policy objectives, lec, would Sikorsky countenance the roughly 10-15% of UK content including on the industrial base”. another UH-60 production line? currently on the civil variant. Although helicopter manufactur- Perhaps more value for UK indus- Final assembly of the H175M ing is not among the three “strate- try could be found in a long-term would also take place in the UK, gic priorities” – nuclear, cyber and industrial partnership with the US manufacturer, if it could accommo- date such a move. While the combat-proven Black Hawk would offer the benefit of interoperability with London’s biggest ally, if capability is not the be-all and end-all of a pro- curement, would participating in the supply chain do enough to maintain the UK’s design and de- velopment capabilities? Until the MoD reveals its require- ments it is impossible to say wheth- er the NMH contest is Leonardo’s to lose. But for any manufacturer trying to supplant the firm’s special Leonardo Helicopters Leonardo status in the UK, the question has Leonardo Helicopters has long become: what can you offer that it touted AW149’s credentials does not already? ◗

June 2021 Flight International 39 Opinion AirTeamImages Seeking stability As the industry emerges from Covid-19, a less volatile market will be vital in order to invest in the next generation of commercial aircraft, argues Michel Merluzeau

irlines and airframers will including adopting a greater engi- required from both the production recover from the shock of neering-driven approach to aircraft and customer standpoints. the 2020-2021 pandemic, development and a more nuanced Airbus has different issues to ad- but with varying degrees attitude to meeting financial targets. dress. Toulouse is blessed, on sheer Aof damage to their core businesses. In the near term, Boeing depends merits, with a more market-rele- This episode has been the equiva- on the recovery of the 737 Max and vant portfolio than Boeing. With lent of flying across a line of trop- 787. With a narrowbody market still the A220, A321neo and A350 all ical storms; not all aircraft OEMs going strong, the outlook for the delivering – both operationally have followed the same trajectory, 737 Max is upbeat – assuming issues and financially – the questions for and one in particular – Boeing – has are resolved promptly. But Boeing’s Guillaume Faury’s team are strate- been experiencing turbulence for ability to restore the programme in gic in nature, rather than driven by some time. the coming years will also define near-term troubles. How will Airbus As we look towards the coming its product development strategy maintain market leadership? What decade, the market needs, first and for the 2030s. The 787's recovery, is the acceptable degree of risk as- foremost, a return to stable air- which will probably take longer, ow- sociated with development of en- craft production rates and steady ing to the pandemic's devastating abling elements that the airframer growth. That stability will be key to effect on international air travel, will needs for a transition in the 2030s? enabling the industry to innovate also enable Boeing's strategy in the The strategy perhaps involves and transform; further disruption, next decade: a new 787 derivative new A220 and A350 derivatives. however, could hinder the sector's could potentially energise the pro- Let’s face it, hydrogen can wait. ability to develop technologies gramme and support new sales. It’s not a 2035 solution, but rather needed for the next generation of a means to find ways to subsidise commercial aircraft in the 2030s. Direct response? research and development. The Airbus-Boeing duopoly Boeing will seek stability, and nec- For other OEMs, Embraer and is alive but certainly not well. essarily so. This does not, however, ATR in particular, the post-pan- Boeing has been set back by 787 preclude it from planning its next demic decade will be one of trans- development troubles and the aircraft. But it faces two key ques- formational opportunities. The 737 Max tragedies and subse- tions: where should it invest first? turboprop market will be the tech- quent grounding. Those struggles And how will it counter Airbus? nology incubator for a multitude have profoundly affected Boeing While addressing Toulouse’s stran- of innovations that will further en- – its finances (debt), organisation glehold on the medium-lower end hance commercial aviation's ability (leadership and personnel churn), of the middle-market with a direct to reduce greenhouse gas emis- supplier management and, crucial- response to the A321neo might sions and maintain relevance and ly, product development. Boeing seem logical, the size of the availa- essential services. is emerging from the pandem- ble market is shrinking rapidly and In China, Comac will go through ic wounded but standing, largely the pace of production and engine a decade of learning. The only rea- thanks to contributions from its development suggest service entry sonable way to judge Shanghai defence and space business. would come in 2028 at the earliest. will be in the realm of execution. As the crisis subsides, it perhaps But Boeing might be wiser to Assigning Western-centric metrics is best not to fixate excessively on avoid the trap of developing a similar or expectations to the company’s current difficulties facing individual jet that simply bests the A321neo. A performance in the 2020s would programmes which have generally better strategy might be an aircraft reflect poor understanding of what strong outlooks over the long term. with more capability than the Air- China seeks to achieve. Z Boeing’s diversified approach also bus narrowbody, one that targets helps maintain a steady ship. the upper end of the middle-market Michel Merluzeau is a senior analyst However, the need for stabili- (around 240 or more seats). In that at US aerospace advisory firm AIR, ty post-pandemic must be cou- segment, Boeing could develop where he covers commercial and pled with transformative efforts, the transformational technologies defence markets

40 Flight International June 2021

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Qatar is to follow the Swiss air force in fielding Pilatus’s PC-24, having ordered two for pilot instruction and VIP transport tasks

US start-up Avelo Airlines made its operational debut on 28 April, with a service connecting Burbank and Santa Rosa Avelo Airlines Avelo

Lufthansa ordered five Boeing 787s – and five Airbus A350s - in early May, as part of a widebody fleet modernisation Boeing Pilatus

Air Tractor and L3Harris have joined forces to offer the AT-802U Sky

L3Harris Warden for a US Special Operations Command light-attack requirement

42 Flight International June 2021 Highlights

Malaysia Airlines’ parent company has indicated plans to dispose of its six stored Airbus A380s “in the coming

months” Mainka/Shutterstock Markus Best of the rest We showcase some of the other notable events covered by the FlightGlobal team between issues

Nigeria’s Green Africa Airways has received its first of three ATR 72-600s, for use from its Lagos base

Kaman’s unmanned K-Max Titan cargo-lift ways helicopter has been flown for the first time, with a safety pilot on board. It is expected to gain US certification within two years Kaman Air Africa Green

June 2021 Flight International 43

July’s issue Next month Why Russia’s domestic ambitions will keep rising at MAKS show

On sale 1 July

Fresh push Gold standard Our review Thwarted by of Moscow’s pandemic, air force RIAT’s 50th capabilities anniversary and export sparks fond potential memories United Aircraft United David Allison/Shutterstock David United Aircraft + aapsky/Shutterstock Aircraft United

June 2021 Flight International 45 Airbus 46 to rebuild A chance fast whenarecovery indemandstarts priorities, andbelieves itwillbeready to respond organisational, manufacturing anddevelopment Airbus hasusedthepandemicto assess its Flight International concepts basedonuseofliquid-hydrogen fuel The airframer hasunveiled arange ofinnovative June 2021 Manufacturing Airbus

David Kaminski-Morrow London The Saint-Nazaire site specialises in assembling and equipping A320-family forward sections, as well as forward and centre sections of A330s. ven if the home-turf showcase of the Paris air Airbus’s Nantes facilities produce centre wing-box- show had not joined the long list of exhibi- es for the airframer’s entire commercial range, along tion casualties, Airbus might have struggled with radomes, ailerons for A330s, A350 fairings, and to scrape together sufficient material around other miscellaneous structures. Similarly Airbus will Ewhich to build the sort of upbeat media event sched- combine the Premium Aerotec operations at Augs- ule to which it has become accustomed. burg, which specialises in fuselage sections, with those Over the year since March 2020, the point at which of the shell-building facility at Nordenham and the the pandemic started to throttle the global air trans- thermoplastics and sheet-metal centre in Bremen. port system, Airbus took orders for just 66 aircraft The re-organisation will simplify governance and – only three of which were widebodies: two of them interfaces, Airbus believes, allowing the French and A330s for military tanker conversion. German operations to be “more agile” and support a Airbus has kept its production rates at around the “stronger assembly value chain”. same low level for the duration and, although it is But the Premium Aerotec detailed parts activities looking to raise monthly A320-family output from 40 will be spun off into a separate German-based enti- to 43 aircraft in the third quarter of this year, and 45 ty. Faury says this will “give life” to the business and in the fourth, the prognosis for near-term long-haul provide an opportunity to expand, “but not as a core manufacturing rates remains grim. activity of Airbus”. Divestment of this entity is “one of But while the crisis has stifled Airbus’s regular ac- the scenarios we’ll investigate with partners”, he adds. tivities, chief executive Guillaume Faury argues it has “We believe it’s the right time to transform our given the airframer a chance to prioritise an overhaul industrial system into one digital design and produc- of its industrial operation tion stream, which also pre- and advance its “backbone” pares for the next-generation digital design and manufac- aircraft that is likely to have a turing project at a time when different architecture com- aerospace is embarking on pared with today,” says Faury. the most radical shift in de- Such architectural changes sign considerations since the will be driven by the environ- advent of jet propulsion. mental pressure to move away from fossil fuels and towards Next generation alternative sources of power. “We’ve more visibility on what While Airbus and Rolls- we want to do with the next Royce are carrying out emis- generation of products, a bet- sions tests of 100% sustain- ter understanding of the depth able aviation fuels, with an of changes in architecture and A350-900 testbed, expanding

the core nature of aerostruc- Airbus their use is only part of the ture assembly to enable digital Faury aims to transform the airframer’s industrial system airframer’s strategy to decar- design and production of into single unified ‘digital design and production stream’ bonise air transport. aircraft,” he said, outlining the Airbus has steered away company’s priorities during an April briefing. from focusing on batteries as a source of power for fu- “[The pandemic] and the low level of production is ture commercial aircraft, believing the energy required providing an opportunity to accelerate change. This for designs larger than regional aircraft is too great. will provide [capability] to [bring] into service modern The company views hydrogen as a more promising products in a much more efficient way in future. This fuel source, but one that demands a complete rethink will improve the cost base at that point in time.” of aircraft architecture and airport infrastructure. Airbus has determined that aerostructures will be a core activity to be integrated with its main industrial Innovative configurations chain, and will combine its operations in France as well The company has been examining various aircraft as those in Germany, creating two wholly-owned and configurations – from conventional arrangements managed aerostructures companies rather than main- to blended-wing body and propeller-driven designs taining the previous supplier-client relationship. – and Faury believes Airbus will be able to narrow “We aim to become more resilient toward unexpect- its options over the next five years, enabling it to ed changes that inevitably happen from time to time,” progress towards a formal programme for entry into says Faury. “To enable the ramp-up of more complex, service in the mid-2030s. innovative products faster than before, and drive our It is exploring a range of innovative technologies competitiveness by consolidating and simplifying including the use of standalone liquid-hydrogen our industrial set-up – which is still partly fragmented engine pods, and implementation of superconduct- across the company, our subsidiaries and suppliers.” ing systems to reduce the weight of electrical power He says Airbus will place fuselage aerostructures transmission components. assembly “at the heart” of its production system. While Faury considers industrial preparation for the Stelia Aerospace, which notably builds forward future to be a priority for Airbus, he stresses that there fuselage and cockpit sections for the Airbus range, is “no major revolution” planned in the short term. will be brought together with the Airbus operations More immediate concerns, he says, centre on man- managed at Saint-Nazaire and Nantes. agement of deliveries and the backlog of almost

June 2021 Flight International 47 Stelia Aerospace will be combined with operations at Saint-Nazaire and Nantes Stelia Aerospace Aerospace Stelia

7,000 aircraft. Having responded to cuts in pro- Airbus experienced considerable bottlenecks duction rates caused by the dip in demand, Airbus’s during ramp-up of A320neo production, largely suppliers face a tricky reversal of the process as the relating to engine supply. While Faury says these recovery progresses – complicated by the non-line- issues were overcome, he says the powerplant ar nature of that recovery, with China and the USA supply chain is “complex”, with “some specific parts showing signs of acceleration while Europe lags. always at the edge”. “We fear the problems, the main risks ahead of us “It’s premature to say that engines will not be a are on the supply chain,” says Faury. “This rollercoast- limiting factor again in the ramp-up,” he cautions. er situation is very difficult to manage for a long-term “I’m more optimistic on that front than was case industry like ours.” previously. But I would be prudent.” He says Airbus is focusing on “transparency” with suppliers, running preparatory scenarios and putting Government support “watchtowers” in place to increase the visibility on While Airbus has been restructuring it has taken the response readiness. Faury says the company is advantage of government-finance schemes and other still in the “big wake” of issues on the demand front negotiated labour measures to retain “thousands” of and is starting to see “challenges” regarding supply. staff, says Faury, and the company has the personnel Airbus expects a “steep” single-aisle ramp-up over it needs to hike single-aisle production. 2022-2023 but it is still defining the precise rates, he Airbus slashed long-haul production at the same says, and giving an estimated figure would be “pre- time as it lowered single-aisle rates, and Faury wants mature”. While it is aiming to match last year’s de- to prioritise returning its widebody production livery level of 566 aircraft, the path is yet to smooth. “back to break-even as soon as we can” – but sig- Deliveries surged to 72 in March after a weak total of nals that the long-haul sector is unlikely to recover 53 for January and February combined. before 2022. Stored aircraft, a symptom of delivery snags, in- This part of the market had been struggling under creased in the first quarter, driving up by €785 million soft demand and global economic malaise even be- ($941 million) an inventory figure which Airbus had fore the havoc wrought by the pandemic. been working to bring down. Airbus’s order and backlog figures for the past Faury hopes to have the visibility required for pro- decade illustrate the slackening interest in widebod- duction decisions by the end of June, but says the ies. FlightGlobal analysis indicates that orders for company has yet to reach this “tipping point”. nearly 600 twin-aisle aircraft were cancelled in the 10 “We’ve already given indications to the supply years to the end of 2020. chain outside of our firm horizon,” he says, adding These included 116 A380s, of which 70 were struck that the airframer is exploring “what’s reasonably off in the immediate aftermath of Airbus’s decision to possible” to achieve with them. “We’ll solidify those terminate the beleaguered double-deck aircraft pro- numbers and communicate at a later stage once we gramme in early 2019. But the A350 family account- enter that firm horizon.” ed for over 320 cancellations, the equivalent of one

48 Flight International June 2021 Manufacturing Airbus

cancellation recorded for every two A350s ordered over the decade. The A330 – which underwent a re-engining pro- gramme to emerge as the A330neo – fared relatively better, with a ratio of one in five, but this was still double the rate of A320-family cancellations. While the long-haul market prior to the pandemic has been weak, Airbus’s backlog has been surprising- ly resilient over the course of the crisis. The airframer has engaged in deferral negotiations and avoided a Fasttailwind/Shutterstock The A350 logged more than heavy wave of cancellations. 320 cancellations last decade Of the 115 aircraft struck from its books during 2020, more than half had been cut in the first three months of the year, before the pandemic’s effects had fully begun to emerge. approaching 170 aircraft per year – a position which The most notable impact has been the absence of Airbus does not expect to reach until around the mid- orders. Airbus’s total order figure, which has typically dle of the decade. risen by around 1,000 aircraft annually over the last Given the projected upturn of the single-aisle mar- decade, actually fell in the 12 months subsequent to ket and the prolonged stagnation of the widebody March 2020. sector, Airbus believes its long-range A321XLR – in- Airbus’s tasks taking immediate precedence include tended to offer narrowbody economics on long-haul concentrating on the company’s cash preservation routes – is a critical part of its product strategy. and earnings beyond 2021. Faury says the XLR programme “remains on track”, The airframer’s A220 family continues to show with service entry planned for 2023, even if the crisis promise, with cumulative orders of around 650 delayed plans to set up an additional A321neo pro- aircraft, but the programme remains loss-making duction line in Toulouse: a step confirmed on 12 May. with relatively high cash usage, and will probably not Although overall Airbus orders fell in the year to break even until the assembly lines at Montreal Mira- March 2021, the figure for the A321neo actually rose bel and Mobile, Alabama, achieve a healthy loading by 46 aircraft, illustrating the popularity of the twinjet, which accounts for 47% of all A320neo-family orders. Airbus’s plant in Hamburg Finkenwerder has taken “We think it’s not healthy delivery of the first A321XLR centre wing-box from the Nantes manufacturing facility, one of the first to have only one player major sections to be handed over for the structural in the [freighter] market assembly of the XLR’s centre fuselage. Design modifications – a segment that is very The component has undergone substantial design modifications and reinforcement in order to accom- significant, and has modate the XLR’s increased take-off weight, as well as the need to allow new fittings and supply lines to been resisting well in the support the aircraft’s characteristic large aft centre fuel tank. Two other centre wing-boxes for flight-test pandemic” aircraft are undergoing assembly at Nantes and the first for a customer aircraft will enter production in Guillaume Faury Chief executive, Airbus the fourth quarter of this year. Airbus might have to forego a big-bang Paris air show centrepiece, but Faury hints that the airframer A321neo orders rose by 46 is looking towards addressing customer require- in the year to March 2021 ments post-crisis – notably in the widebody freight sector, where he admits the company’s presence has been “weak”. Faury promises to be “more aggressive” in this market. Airbus only offers a single dedicated freight- er, the A330-200F, which has sold poorly and has no orders outstanding. “I don’t like the idea to remain weak on that segment in the future,” he says. “We believe we have the prod- ucts to be able to be more aggressive in the future. “We think it’s not healthy to have only one player exclusively in the market for a segment that is very sig- nificant, and has been resisting well in the pandemic.” If Airbus is considering developing the A350 as a freighter, and opening a new front of competition with the Boeing 777, it has yet to confirm such a plan and indicate a timeframe. Something for a future air ◗ Airbus show, perhaps.

June 2021 Flight International 49 Boeing 50 B Jon Hemmerdinger the 737 Max’s grounding last November US Federal Aviation Administration lifted at Boeing.” is arecent history ofdesignanddevelopment issues agrees Credit Suisse analyst Robert Spingarn.“There is thisnotgoingto happenagain?” Epstein, financialanalyst withBofASecurities.“How is goingto fixthis onthenext airplane,” says Ron over amulti-year period.” continue to execute awidespread setofchanges future,” saidchieffinancialofficer Greg Smith. “We’ll market recovers andproduction… increases inthe leaner, sharperandmore-resilient company asthe reporting to achiefengineer. internal shiftinitsstructure thatnow has engineers investment in“fundamental designpractices” andan management system, more-efficient useof data, production problems. real progress toward improving safety andaddressing Boeing’s seniorofficialssaidtheairframer hasmade current modelsrecurring onfuture programmes. Airbus, andprevent thetypesofproblems facing its plans entail.They want to know how itwillcounter Flight International “They canframe thish “He didn’texplain how business transformation But analysts want specifics. “We’re doingthisnow sothat we canemerge a Chief executive David Calhouncited Boeing’s safety During afirst-quarter earningscallon28April, ingly eagerto understand exactly what these those whofollow theairframer are increas- plans to address itsmany challenges,but oeing executives insist thecompany hassolid Tampa June 2021 owever they w they owever ant to,” 20-month grounding. al Aviation Administration (FAA) lifted thetype’s highest hurdle last November, whentheUSFeder- decade”, headds. The company must “prioritisetheMaxover thenext Merluzeau, aerospace analyst withconsultancy AIR. stability for Boeinggoinginto the2020s”, says Michel and deliveries, themodelcanstill bea“guarantor of questions remain unanswered. suffered qualityproblems, andbroader leadership certification. Its767-based KC-46 tanker hasalso 787 programme andguidethedelayed 777Xthrough 737 Max’s return. The company alsomust mendthe the company’s recovery still dependslargely onthe As hasbeenthecasefor several years, analysts think Leadership questions have amuchbetter ideaofwhat2021 willlooklike.” to thinkabouttherest oftheyear,” hesays. “We will results willbemore telling. summer season,SpingarnthinksBoeing’s next setof viewed thelatest figures asunsurprising. –analystsand performance issues atoursupplier” programme –attributed by Smithto “Covid impacts 747-based VC-25B presidential aircraft replacement an $8.4billionloss. last year, whena$6.5billion777Xcharge pusheditto ter; avast improvement from thefourth quarter of The Maxprogramme successfully overcame its If itcansucceed inramping up737 Maxproduction “We thinkthesecond quarter isthelinchpinfor how With USairlinesaddingcapacityaheadofthe Other thana$318millioncharge against the Boeing reported a$561 millionloss inthefirst quar- Manufacturing Boeing

Already rocked by the grounding of its re-engined narrowbody before Covid struck, Boeing is battling to get multiple programmes back on track – but is airframer falling behind its European rival? Recovery mode But in April Boeing disclosed a new China’s hesitancy to lift the ground- 737 Max issue, involving an electri- ing is viewed by analysts as fallout cal grounding of the standby power from the US-China trade conflict. control unit on recently-produced Calhoun stresses that Chinese cus- jets. One aerospace safety expert de- tomers are central to Boeing’s ability scribes the issue as relatively minor – to meet 737 Max production and de- something that, if not for heightened livery goals, noting that one-quarter of scrutiny following two crashes, would the aerospace industry’s growth in the not have led airlines to park jets. next decade will come from China. However, Boeing recommended “We’re also monitoring the glob- that airlines pull from service the al trade environment, in particular roughly 100 affected aircraft. US-China relations, given the impor- Boeing “paused deliveries” while it tance of the Chinese market to our addressed the issue, reducing 737 Max near-term delivery profile as well as shipments in April to just four aircraft. future orders, which influence future Then on 12 May the US regulator production rates,” he says. approved Boeing’s fixes for the elec- Smith adds that China’s Max

trical problem, allowing the airframer Boeing approval will “affect our 737 delivery to begin rolling out repairs. Chief executive David Calhoun says plan”, and that demand from Chinese Calhoun stresses that regulators airframer has made ‘real progress’ airlines will “affect our future produc- in 165 countries have approved Max tion rates”. flights, and airlines globally have returned rough- Boeing’s goal is, by year end, to have delivered ly one-third of their Max fleets to active service. roughly half of the 450 Max jets it stockpiled dur- Additionally, regulators recently approved the 737 ing the grounding period. The “majority” of the rest Max 8-200, a higher-density variant of the typically should follow in 2022. 178-seat Max 8, for which Ryanair is launch customer. Meanwhile, it plans to increase 737 production One country, however, has so far glaringly refused from a current unspecified “low rate” to 31 jets to clear the re-engined type to resume operations: monthly in “early 2022”. China, which was also the first to ground the Max Spingarn reads Calhoun’s comments as implying after its second crash in 2019. that Boeing can meet short-term Max delivery goals “We now assume that the remaining non-US r eg- even without Chinese customers, by transferring ulatory approvals will occur this year, with approval those operators’ delivery slots. But its ability to main- in China most likely now in the second half,” Calhoun tain that momentum could become more difficult says, without elaborating. over time if US-China relations do not improve.

June 2021 Flight International 51 Boeing says the delayed 777-9 is on track for delivery in ‘late 2023’ Boeing

“A prolonged recertification delay in China could The delivery pause exacerbated Boeing’s unde- weaken the Max’s recovery,” says a BofA report. livered-aircraft problem. The company had started “We’ve got to reinstate our trade relationship in stockpiling the widebodies earlier in the pandemic, aerospace with China,” Calhoun says. “It’s important when demand for new long-haul jets soured. that we get our fair share… of that market, which his- At the end of April, Boeing was sitting on about torically has always been at 50%.” 100 undelivered 787s, of which it expects to deliver Boeing will “engage with leaders in both countries to the “majority” this year, Smith says. urge a productive dialogue, reiterating the mutual eco- BofA, however, predicts that the inventory of “ex- nomic benefits of a strong and prosperous aerospace cess” 787s will not be cleared until 2025, and antici- industry”, he says. “It’s time for us to just point out the pates that monthly output will be trimmed to four. economic implications of trade with China in the aero- Meanwhile, Boeing says the delayed 777-9 remains space industry and commercial aviation specifically.” on track for first delivery in “late 2023”. The company Calhoun concedes that Boeing “can’t make up for disclosed that revised goal in February, when it de- the production gap” created by the 737 Max’s trou- layed the 777X programme by a year, citing the need bles. So, he aims to “split that market”. to tweak design aspects due to certification issues. “I’m not going to try to regain that ground,” he says. “I’m simply going to try to hold our own with respect Rigorous testing to what I think is our rightful share going forward.” “We’re working closely with global regulators on Boeing also faces the urgent need to straighten out all aspects of development, including our rigorous the 787 programme, which has been beset by a “skin test programme,” Calhoun says. “Our team remains flatness” at the aft section of jets, where fuselage focused on executing this comprehensive series of sections meet. The company says this did not meet tests to demonstrate the safety and the reliability of specifications that include tolerances equivalent to the airplane’s design.” the width of a human hair. Emirates, an initial 777-9 customer, had expected To address the issue, 787 deliveries were halted to receive its first example in June 2020 – but the between October 2020 and March. By late April, nine airline’s president, Tim Clark, says deliveries could aircraft had been handed to customers, Calhoun says. slip to between late 2023 and 2025. He describes “These fit and finish issues with respect to the joins the 777X programme as in a “state of disarray”, due in our fuselages were just nagging problems, difficult to heightened regulatory scrutiny in the wake of the problems,” he says. “We applied real engineering tal- 737 Max disasters. ent and expertise to that – new process controls, new Analysts note that the delay comes at a somewhat lines of communication with our supply side – so that convenient time, as most airlines do not need more we’re not surprised by that stuff anymore.” widebody jets in the pandemic-affected market. In the first quarter, Boeing reached its goal of reduc- Customers are likely “willing to wait”, says Spin- ing 787 production to five jets per month (down from garn. “I think the 777X will have a renaissance in a a high of 14) and stopped building Dreamliners in Ev- year or two or three, when the market is back,” he erett, Washington. The company now makes the type adds. “Then you are going to see a wave of orders only at its North Charleston facility in South Carolina. for big widebodies.”

52 Flight International June 2021 Manufacturing Boeing

Boeing also faces leadership uncertainly, not with its Airbus has also acted to strengthen its A220 chief executive, but rather its financial head. The com- programme, embarking on a cost-cutting effort and pany disclosed on 20 April that Smith, who also heads opening a second production line for the type, in “enterprise operations”, will retire effective 9 July. Mobile, Alabama. In announcing his departure, Boeing upped its The A220’s capabilities, including its roughly mandatory chief executive retirement age from 65 to 3,400nm range, have caught the attention of major 70, signaling that 64-year-old Calhoun will, for now, Boeing customers. Delta Air Lines, for instance, is re- remain in the corner office. placing ageing 717s and McDonnell Douglas MD-80s “We’re not searching for a new strategic direction,” with the twinjet. Calhoun says of Smith’s departure. “We will engage in “The 220 is an aircraft that is going to become a comprehensive and thoughtful search process for a more dangerous to Boeing,” Merluzeau says. “That’s world-class executive.” a big problem.” Smith has worked at Boeing for over 30 years. He Boeing competes against the 110-130-seat A220 became chief financial officer in 2011 and was interim with its 737 Max 7, which carries 140 passengers and chief executive between Dennis Muilenburg’s depar- has a 3,850nm range, and has won notable compe- ture and Calhoun’s arrival in January 2020. titions. Southwest Airlines ordered 100 in March, but that win reflects economies the carrier achieves by Leadership plans operating only a single aircraft type, analysts say. Analysts had viewed Smith as a contender to be Boe- Compared on operating economics, the clean- ing’s next leader, and his departure raises questions sheet A220 edges out the 737 Max, they say. about the company’s leadership plans. Some analysts “Boeing doesn’t have a competitor aircraft” to the have suggested that more changes may be needed to A220, Merluzeau says. help move beyond its past and ongoing troubles. Aside from Airbus, Boeing faces competitive But as Boeing works to fix problems with current threats from Chinese aerospace companies, most programmes, it must also address its future – in other notably Comac, with its roughly 160-passenger, words, figure out how to counter Airbus and gain back 2,200-3,000nm-range C919. That programme share lost to the European airframer amid the 737 Max grounding. That means developing a new aircraft. Analysts have waited several years for details about “It’s time for us to that next jet, while Boeing has stalled, never actually committing. Prior to the Max crisis, the company had point out the economic seemed close to launching its New Mid-market Air- plane, a concept envisioned as having about 270 seats implications of trade with and a range of 4,000-5,000nm (7,400-9,300km). Then, in April 2020, Boeing pulled out of a China in the aerospace planned $4.2 billion acquisition of 80% of Embraer’s commercial aircraft division: a deal that would have industry” given it a line-up of E-Jets to compete against the Airbus A220. David Calhoun Chief executive, Boeing In the meantime, Airbus has made strides. In 2019 it launched its own version of a mid-market aircraft: the 4,700nm-range A321XLR, which is expected to enter remains in development, but analysts expect that, in service in 2023. the coming decade, China will become a competitive Merluzeau suspects Boeing is working to blunt the commercial aircraft producer. A321XLR’s edge by squeezing more performance So, when will Boeing launch its next aircraft? And from its in-development, 3,300nm range 737 Max 10. what will it be? It plans to deliver the first example of its largest Max Calhoun provided some insight during the April variant in 2023. earnings call, but few details. He says Boeing’s next airliner is likely to derive cost efficiencies through im- provements in engineering and production, including The airframer has reduced 787 the potential use of composite manufacturing. production to five jets per month That marks a change from past aircraft pro- grammes, which historically have benefited from engines delivering a 15-20% improvement in fuel efficiency.owever, H “I don’t believe the next genera- tion of engine can deliver that kind of performance,” Calhoun says. Generally, analysts suspect Boeing will launch a new aircraft – likely a 737 replacement known as the Future Single Aisle (FSA) – in the next few years, with service entry in the early 2030s. If that is indeed the plan then Boeing should say so, analysts say. “If Boeing doesn’t start developing the FSA programme soon, it could be really hard for the company to recover market share from the continu- ously weakening position that we expect it to have by ◗ United Airlines United the mid-2020s,” says BofA’s report.

June 2021 Flight International 53 He may be less combative than his unpredictable predecessor in the White House, but it is unclear if the new US president will back away from aggressively promoting defence exports

Biden time

Garrett Reim Los Angeles weapons, say analysts. New aerospace products, including everything from bombs, in-flight refuelling tankers and stealth aircraft, are increasingly valued eet the new boss, same as the old boss. That based on their network effect – their utility as part of is more or less the conclusion of analysts a larger ecosystem of connected platforms. Who can watching the first few months of US Presi- be trusted to join this military-of-things network is a dent Joe Biden’s arms export decisions and difficult question to answer. Mpolicy statements. In the short term, the Trump administration’s two Several precedents established during the term biggest decisions – the approval of expanded sales of former president Donald Trump are likely to stand. of large, armed unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and And, export policies that stretch back to president the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter – look likely Barack Obama will also probably continue. to go forward. To be sure, Biden has indicated he plans to depart from previous policies in a few areas. The administra- Permission granted tion is likely to be warier of selling offensive weapons That is good news for the United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, a country which is entangled in a (UAE), which received approval in January from the brutal civil war in neighbouring Yemen. And, he is Trump administration for a $23 billion arms sales more likely to lean on allies and arms control agree- package that included 50 Lockheed Martin F-35As ments to make decisions, say analysts. and 18 examples of the General Atomics Aeronautical How much weight Biden explicitly places on the Systems MQ-9B UAV. The deal also included air-to-air economic considerations for arms exports is not as and air-to-surface munitions. clear. The production run of several older aircraft The Biden administration acknowledged in April types have been extended in the past via Foreign that it would probably allow the sale of the F-35A Military Sales (FMS) deals. and MQ-9B to the UAE, marking the first time that an As US modernisation programmes crowd out the authoritarian state had been granted permission to Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) appetite for some buy either of the aircraft. older models, will international sales keep those air- The sale of large UAVs, such as the MQ-9B, had craft in production for years to come? prior to the Trump administration been subject to a Last, the administration is also likely to face tricky strong presumption of denial from the US Depart- new issues selling digitally-connected aircraft and ment of State under the Missile Technology Control

54 Flight International June 2021 approved inlast days oftheTrump administration Potential value ofarmspackage for United Arab Emirates $23bn ty programme atthe Center for International Policy. tion, says BillHartung, director ofthearmsandsecuri- likely to bereversed intotal by theBiden administra- the restrictions, the new MTCR policydoesnotlook manufacturers were seizingmarket share becauseof which hadlongcomplained thatIsraeli andChinese then the18examples for theUAE. sale offour MQ-9Bs to Taiwan last November and the way for theDepartmentofState to approve the imum speedbelow 430kt (800km/h).That cleared strong presumption ofdenialfor UAVs withamax- changed USpolicyregarding theMTCR, removing a NATO membersFrance andtheUK. the saleofaircraft to onlycloseUSallies,suchas untarily enforced by 35memberstates. That limited Regime (MTCR), anexport control agreement vol- A salesboomfor manufacturer General Atomics, However, in in However, July 2020, theTrump administration says Hartung.“But,Ithinkitmay becaseby case.” might they bewillingto offer such technology to?” to dothat,itdoesopenthequestion of:whoelse stealth fighter. to theUAE isthestart ofexpanded salesofthe precedent, itisnotyet clearwhethertheF-35 sale Trump hasalready madewillprobably stand.” moment, it’s goingto betheTrump policy–anddeals but thatwould bealengthy process. Ithinkfor the be separate from theMTCR,” hesays. “That may be, about somerestrictions ondrone exports, that would incoming administration would notgrant itadirect bombs to SaudiArabia, owing to concerns that the Eastern country, possibly Paveway precision-guided of anoffensive weapon system to anunnamedMiddle deals willproceed duringBiden’s presidency. administration, itdoesnotappearthat allformer competitions inFinlandandSwitzerland. be seen.Meanwhile, theF-35A isbeingevaluated in granted permission to obtainthetyperemains to Whether either ofthosetwo autocracies would be consider theaircraft ifitbecameanoption,headds. Qatar hasrequested theF-35 andSaudiArabia may Combat question “However, they w they “However, “That’s a very controversial deal.Ifthey are willing While new policies toward theMTCR may marka In January, Raytheon dropped theanticipated sale Despite somepolicysimilaritieswiththeTrump ant to have talksamongallies Qatar andSaudiArabia have shown June 2021 interest inacquiring stealthy F-35 Defence Flight International Exports 55

US Air Force US Air Force 56 Cold War-era aircraft continued to beextended, as to break outintheMiddleEast any timesoon.” mince hiswords. ons salesto Middle Eastern countries, Hayes didnot munitions salewas asignofdecliningfuture weap- ary earningscallifthecancellation oftheoffensive in sales.When asked by astock analyst intheJanu- administration before we bookany ofthese.” sure we have gotalignmentwith[theDoD] andthe as opposedthrough direct foreign sales,to make says Hayes. “We willtryanddothesethrough [FMS], weapons, however. siles, UAVs andaircraft. down incoming tacticalballistic missiles, cruisemis- in January. The Patriot system isdesignedto shoot in thecompany’s 2020 fourth quarter earningscall difficult,” said Greg Hayes, Raytheon’s chief executive, licences. Butoffensive weapons [are] alittlebitmore defensive systems, we have noissues withgetting their salespitch. that new policy, defence manufacturers are adjusting sale ofdefensive weapons, say analysts. Inlightof civilian casualties. of acivilwar, astheattacks allegedlyhave caused strikes inneighbouring Yemen, whichisinthemidst cratic lawmakers have beencriticalofRiyadh’s air- aided by reinterpretation ofMTCR treaty Sales ofGeneral Atomics’ MQ-9Bhave been commercial salesexport licence. BidenandDemo- Flight International Under theTrump administration, production of “No, no, no,” hesaid.“Look, peace isnotgoing What’s more, Raytheon doesnotseeaslowdown “As we goforward, we willwork withthe[DoD],” Raytheon hasnotgiven uponthesaleofoffensive “If you thinkaboutPatriot andsomeoftheother The Bidenadministration islikely to emphasisethe June 2021 Eagle II, toEagle II, replace someofitsageingF-15C/Ds. the USAF in2020 to buyitsown version, theF-15EX Those improvementsputer”. were enoughto convince what Boeingcalls“theworld’s fastest mission com- (AESA) radar, anelectronic warfare (EW)suite and digital cockpit, anactive electronically scannedarray ture 36examples oftheF-15QA for Qatar. received a $6.2billioncontract in2017 to manufac- than a60-year production run.UnderTrump, Boeing testing in1972, andnow lookspoisedto have more was first delivered to theUSAirForce (USAF) for with new computing andnetworking capabilities. manufacturers found ing new “commoditised” aircraft, including theMQ-9 the SuperHornetbeingoffered for that contest. also lookingfor 57 aircraft carrier-basedfighters, with the F-21for thesameprogramme. The Indiannavy is Super Hornet.Lockheed isoffering itsF-16V, renamed Boeing ispitching theF-15EX, aswell asitsF/A-18E/F “Japan SuperInterceptor” standard. disagreements for upgrading thefighters to thenew ton were still tryingto iron outcosts andscheduling Heavy Industries. AsofApril, Tokyo andWashing- originally manufactured under licence by Mitsubishi valued at upto $4.5billionto upgrade 98F-15Js, of State approved anFMSpackage for Japanin2019 such asJapanlookingto upgrade. The Department Those new capabilitieshave long-timeF-15 operators Package deal That jetcomes withfly-by-wire flightcontrols, a One example ofthat trend istheBoeingF-15, which More generally, theUSAF islookingto seeif offer- For anIndianairforce requirement for 110fighters, ways to to ways modernise oldproducts Defence Exports

and F-16, will speed up sales by reducing back-and- could keep production running at a rate of 18 helicop- forth negotiations. For example, in August 2020, ters annually until at least 2025 with a partial reliance Lockheed was granted permission by the service to on export sales. sell a base model version of the F-16 Block 70/72. In April, the UK reportedly agreed to a $2 billion That aircraft would come with a standardised price purchase of 14 Chinooks to replace the Royal Air and set of features, including avionics, mission sys- Force’s oldest in-service examples. Also in April, tems, an AESA radar, EW suite, automatic ground Australia agreed to buy four F-model examples collision avoidance system and engine, and other of the tandem-rotor helicopter. common components. One area in which the Biden administration may set In the coming years, if US DoD spending begins to precedent is on the sale of networked weapons and sag on particular aircraft there might be an incentive aircraft. As part of the Pentagon’s Joint All-Domain for the Biden administration to push FMS business Command and Control initiative, US manufacturers to maintain US jobs. That appeared to be the case are trying to develop aircraft and weapons that are when budget sequestration in 2013 crimped Penta- highly networked and have open-systems architec- gon spending and the Obama administration was tures that allow for the plug-and-play of upgrades. incentivised to approve the sale of the F-15SA to Connectivity may actually bring more countries Saudi Arabia, says Greg Sanders, deputy director of into the FMS ecosystem, say analysts. “If you have the Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group at the Center countries that are buying a fair number of high-end for Strategic and International Studies. systems, it makes sense to have systems that work “One way of trying to balance that pressure had together,” says Sanders. been to look for export markets, where appropriate, Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE might to allow US industry to have some of the economies be less inclined to consider buying aircraft and of scale or other benefits that they might lose out on weapons from China or Russia, as it would under- by reduced demand from DoD,” he says. mine their fleets’ effectiveness, he notes. That might The US Army has sought to backfill production of make European aerospace manufacturers, which have the Boeing CH-47 Chinook in Philadelphia, Pennsyl- interoperability with US systems via NATO standards, vania, with FMS orders, as it starts to spend money the alternative arms dealers of choice. Nonetheless, on other priorities, including development of Future states such as Egypt and India, which have histori- Vertical Lift rotorcraft. In 2020, the service said it cally purchased mixed fleets of aircraft as a means of

Boeing has enjoyed steady international orders for Chinook, including from India 98

Number of F-15Js due to undergo modernisation via Tokyo’s $4.5bn ‘Japan Super Interceptor’ project

diplomatically balancing competing foreign interests, may still be resistant to the network sales pitch. Networking aircraft and weapons with platforms controlled by other nations would also come with risks, however, including cyber security concerns. A preview of this problem is seen in the USA’s deci- sion to refuse delivery of the F-35 to Turkey. Ankara

Boeing bought and received the Russian-built Almaz-Antey S-400 air-defence missile battery in 2019, despite Raytheon backed out of weapons sale protests from Washington that it is technically in- to a Middle Eastern country in January compatible with the F-35. Another concern was the possibility that Russia could use a cyber-backdoor in Turkish S-400s to observe vulnerabilities in F-35s flying nearby. Ultimately, the nation’s decision to buy the S-400 caused Washington to eject the country from the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme. That sort of incompatibility problem is likely to surface again in future FMS agreements. The Biden administration will have to carefully judge the politi- cal alignment and trustworthiness of arms recipients. “The more things are networked, the larger the attack surface is for cyber operations,” Sanders says. Buyers will have to also weigh risks, he says. “De- fence technology security, I think, is going to contin- ue to be a high point of emphasis for any high-tech-

Raytheon nology buyers.” Z

June 2021 Flight International 57 Crown Copyright 58 Flying high E Craig Hoyle within aso-called combat cloud environment. and new-generation air-launchedweapons, operating each aimsto develop supportingunmannedassets sired outcomes. Inadditionto delivering anew fi jects, whichappearto have similarconstructs andde- tion involved in theseseeminglylargely parallel pro- is scheduledto start later thisyear. tion from 2035. Concept andassessment-phase work and Sweden as partners,aimingfor service introduc- while, theUKisleadingTempest eff Generation Fighter (NGF)for useby 2040. Mean- System (FCAS) activity, whichshoulddeliver aNew the demonstrator phaseoftheirFuture Combat Air bat aircraft programmes, eachinvolving three nations. remain intact,there will betwo future European com- demand for their current off targets for itscurrent trioofproducts projects, butthere are lucrative near-term sales its next generation ofcombat aircraft viatwo rival Europe’s industry may beembarkingondesigning Flight International Opinion isvery muchdividedregarding theduplica- France, Germany andSpainare poisedto enter If partnershipmodelsforged since late last decade existing triooffi platforms, thecompanies behindEurope’s developing so-calledsixth-generation ven asthey beginthejourney towards London June 2021 ghters are enjoying asurge in erings. ort, withItaly ghter, about thelack ofhigh-value work for thenation’s role ofthe primecontractor [on theNGF]”,hesaid. mean “itbecomes diffi solely to satisfy nationalworkshare requirements Defence &Space. Once implemented, changesmade 50:50 splitbetween theFrench company and Airbus diluting whathadoriginallybeenenvisioned asa of includingSpanishfi Eric Trappier voiced concern over theconsequences and capableto connect to each other,” hesaid. two systems as interoperable, integrated, standardised operational perspective, then we shouldmake those which would bethebest optionfor everybody from an Eurofi with nationshaving diverged to develop boththe pointed to thenon-recurring cost penaltyassociated force chiefofstaff online AirPower conference last December, Italianair single project canbepursued. eff a new-generation European combat aircraft to be At thesame time, German unionscomplained Speaking earlierthisyear, Dassault chiefexecutive “If we won’t beableto merge inasingleprogramme, Speaking duringtheRoyal Aeronautical Society’s Exponents are fi ective, andcompetitive ontheexport stage, onlya ghter andDassault Rafale. Lieutenant General Alberto Rossi rmly oftheview that inorder for cult for Dassault to play the rms within theFCAS eff ort, Defence Fighters

Dassault Rafale operators

Country Active On order Egypt 24 30 France (air force) 102 38 France (navy) 41 2 Greece 18* India 18 18 Qatar 23 13 Total 208 101* Note: *Includes 12 ex-French air force examples

Eurofi ghter Typhoon operators

Country Active On order Austria 15 Germany 134 38 Italy 92 Kuwait 28 Oman 12 Qatar 24 Saudi Arabia 72 Spain 70 UK 119 Total 514 90

Saab Gripen operators

Country Active On order Brazil 36 Czech Republic 14 Hungary 14 South Africa 26 Sweden 96 60 Thailand 11 Total 161 96 Qatar operates Dassault’s Rafale and Source: Cirium fl eets data ordered the Eurofi ghter Typhoon in 2017 industry, and that a planned lone demonstrator for As such, a single, unifi ed project seems unlikely to the design will be French-built. be capable of sustaining current activity levels at Air- MTU Aero Engines and Safran recently came to bus, BAE Systems, Dassault, Leonardo and Saab. an agreement to include ITP Aero as part of their Asked during MBDA’s annual results briefi ng in late propulsion partnership for the NGF, with what Safran March whether the guided weapons specialist would chief executive Olivier Andries described as “no com- prefer to be supporting a single eff ort, chief executive promises at all”. Eric Beranger told FlightGlobal: “Yes, it would be easi- Having secured a recent funding boost from the UK er. There are two programmes. Some people like it and government, the Tempest programme is advancing some people don’t like it. We are supporting our cus- well and has received strong backing from Italy and tomers on both sides – we are simply doing our job.” Sweden, at both a government and industrial level. Caution regarding a future merger is also urged by some due to the complexity of the four-nation International partnerships Eurofi ghter construct, industrial ineffi ciency of the The UK’s new Defence and Security Industrial NH Industries NH90 transport helicopter project and Strategy document underscores the importance of complicated joint requirements which caused prob- sustaining a domiciled combat air capability, while lems on Airbus’s A400M airlifter. The diffi culty and also embracing international partnerships over tra- consequences of building in compromises to suit all ditional exports. On Tempest, London is also “ex- players are also evident when viewing Lockheed Mar- ploring important co-operative opportunities with tin’s long-term struggle to control costs and support Japan”, it notes. systems for the F-35. Ultimately, the defence industry champions and Arguably, competition is also a good thing. governments of each nation involved in the current In late April, all three current types were for- two eff orts are determined to retain the skills and mally pitched to Finland, as Helsinki received best jobs associated with fi ghter manufacturing: all six and fi nal off ers for its HX requirement. The Rafale, have fi nal assembly lines, and such security of supply Eurofi ghter Typhoon or Saab Gripen E could be seems likely to remain a prerequisite. victorious later this year, if they can overcome

June 2021 Flight International 59 60 rofighter consortium could yet secure a repeat order of active electronically scannedarray radars –theEu- Kuwait andQatar –allofwhichincludetheprovision also took 12,viaa contract finalisedinDecember 2012. Arabia signeda72-aircraft dealwiththeUK.Oman 2007 agreement. InSeptember thesameyear, Saudi Austria, whichacquired 15Tranche 1examples viaa UK, theTyphoon’s international success beganwith (208) andGripen(161). leads theway, at514aircraft, trailed by theRafale Gripen (96)andTyphoon (90). backlogs: withtheRafale (101)narrowly leadingthe are evenly matched interms oftheircurrent order fleet size to 54:second onlyto theFrench airforce. for another30 examples, inastep whichwill boost its operating standard during2025. ment aircraft, withtheseto bedelivered intheF3R the course ofthisyear. Paris alsoordered 12replace- French airforce’s inventory and transferred during 18 Rafales, includingadozen to bedrawn from the date, thanksto apairofexport successes. its Tranche 1production examples. Project Quadrigabuyof38Eurofighters to replace home, Germany last November approved afollow-on Kuwait’s April2016 dealfor 28Typhoons. Closerto the 24-aircraft buyfollowing hotontheheelsof deal was signedwithQatarinDecember 2017, with The four-nation Eurofighter consortium’s last export Export successes holm to field60single-seatexamples. followed Sweden inordering thetype, withStock- signed inOctober 2014.The LatinAmerican nation the Gripen–aBrazilian dealfor 36E/Fmodels–was given thatitsmost recent international success with selection decisionsinthetwo European nations? top-level capability. partners willonlyparticipate ifthey candemonstrate models touted for bothFCAS andTempest, where appear to beatoddswiththeso-called“best athlete” defence industrial capabilities.Suchrequirements will helpHelsinkiandBernto develop theirdomestic establish theirown maintenance capabilities. assembly ofparttheirnew fleetin-country, andto do so, bothhave requested theoptionto perform final pendently supporttheiraircraft inatimeofcrisis.To the nations’central requirements to beableto inde- nuity priorto thearrival ofsixth-generation models. able income stream andsupportingproduction conti- around 100new combat aircraft, representing avalu- force, withaselectiondecisionexpected by mid-year. also are pursuinganopportunitywiththeSwiss air Super Hornet/EA-18G Growler. Defence competition from theF-35A andBoeingF/A-18E/F Flight International Beyond itscurrent production deals for Germany, Developed for partnersGermany, Italy, Spainandthe But interms ofcurrent active fleets,Eurofighter Cirium fleetsdatashows thatthethree contenders Then, inAprilEgypt announced afollow-on order In January, Greece confirmed anacquisition of Dassault, meanwhile, hashadaspectacular2021 to Arguably, Saabisthemost inneedofavictory, So, whichbidderwillbenefit most from thepending Additionally, direct andindirect offsetprogrammes Also ofnote intheFinnishandSwiss contests are Combined, therequirements are likely to total Four ofthesecontenders –excluding theGripen– Fighters June 2021 sixth-generation plansfail to take offasplanned. enhanced capabilities –even iftheirmore ambitious means Europe willbenefitfrom theintroduction of solid investment intheGripen,Rafale andTyphoon nations like CanadaandIndia, itisclearthatcontinued and Switzerland, alongwithfurther opportunitiesin 6000-derived GlobalEye surveillance aircraft. offer: 64Gripen Es,plustwo Bombardier Global contest to have disclosedthecontents ofitsfinal ing andfinalassembly capabilities. Embraer, includingtheestablishment ofmanufactur- technology transfer activitywithin-country partner es. Aspartofthedeal,Saabisconducting amajor contest, iswidelyexpected to acquire furtherbatch- Fs following theDecember 2013outcome ofitsF-X2 evaluation, aheadofservice entrylater thisdecade. transferred to theBrazilian andSwedish airforces for tion GripenE,thefirst examples ofwhichhave been to offer it for export customers. its last example ofthemodelin2015, Saab continues Africa, Sweden andThailand. Despite having delivered the airforces oftheCzech Republic, Hungary, South production tranche. between 2027 and2030, aspartofaplannedfifth for theFrench militaryare scheduledto beadded for therest ofthisdecade, andfurtherexamples started late last year. for amore modest 36inSeptember 2016. Deliveries unit mediummulti-role combat aircraft need,signed Doha to take 36. breath, itaddedQatarjust three monthslater, with when Egypt signedfor 24. After barely pausingfor Paris atlast brokered afirst saleinFebruary 2015, Rafale following itsdomestic introduction in2001, being pursuedfor theFCAS andTempest projects. ogies to thetype. These could includesomeelements ment programme whichwilladdfurthernew technol- and potentially yet more for Berlin. from Spain,whichislookingat takinganew batch, evaluation ofitsGripenE Brazil hasbegunin-country Whatever theoutcome ofthecontests inFinland Unusually, Saabisthe onlybidderintheFinnish Brazil, whichordered itslocally-designated F-39E/ But greater prospects exist withthenew-genera- The C/Dversion ofSaab’s Gripenistoday inusewith Recent salessuccesses willsafeguard production India, whichhadpicked thetypefor itsill-fated 126- Having longfailed to attract anexport buyer for the Talks are alsocontinuing over along-term enhance- ◗

Brazilian air force

Airbus Helicopters 62 A maero inRomania. RoRCraft –apartnershipbetween INCAS andRo- framer’s site inDonauworth, Germany, from supplier the mid-April arrival of themainfuselageatair- engineer for Racer atAirbus Helicopters. becomes “concrete”, says Brice Makinadjian,chief to buildfor allthoseinvolved asthedemonstrator than progress, asenseofexcitement isfinallystarting But after ayear whenfrustrations were more evident Exciting times health crisis. high-speed flighthasalsostalled amidthewider into thebeginningofsecond halfof2022. start, andthe Racer’s maidensortiehasbeenpushed – timelineshave slipped:finalassembly isnearinga of theCleanSky activity’s multinationalframework dispersed supplychain–thatcomplexity isaresult is further on,albeitmuchless thanhoped. aged by thecoronavirus pandemic,andtheproject during whichtheaerospace industry hasbeenrav- aircraft oncourse for afirst flightinlate 2021. Clean Sky 2programme, settingtheexperimental Dominic Perry performance andemissions targets programme, theRacer hasambitious Part-funded viatheEU’s CleanSky 2 Flight International This senseofrenewed optimismwas triggered by A separate project to develop rotor bladesfor Faced withCovid-19 disruptionto itsunusually Fast forward by more than12months,aperiod – ademonstrator itisbuildingundertheEU’s er –orRapidandCost-Effective Rotorcraft was gearingupfor finalassembly oftheRac- round thistimelast year, AirbusHelicopters London June 2021 was absent whiletheRacer remained as adigital starting to seethisbaby growing”. That animation across theprogramme partners,“becausewe are turing launchedonallcomponents. jor partshadbeenbuiltby early April,withmanufac- Airbus Helicopters’ mainsite inMarignane, France. in mid-year. Helicopter EnginesAneto-1X powerplants are due and landinggear. Meanwhile, theRacer’s two Safran section, fuelsystem, box wings, electrical harnesses to receive majorcomponents includingthetail facilities. By July, themanufacturer isexpecting suppliers gear upto shippartsto Airbus Helicopters’ shipped to Donauworth. motorsport specialists –whichhadalready been applicationsby FastCan, aconsortium ofGerman the canopy –speciallydesignedfor high-speed slipped onthebackofCovid-19 delays for supplychain Revised first flightdate for Racer after previous 2021 goal 2022 There is,he says, “a very positive dynamic” Makinadjian estimates that around 50%ofthema- Final assembly oftheRacer willtake place at Elsewhere inEurope, itisasimilar story as The structure was subsequentlymated with Rotorcraft Racer

While the Covid-19 pandemic has unavoidably frustrated Europe’s ambition to fly a high-speed compound rotorcraft this year, the innovative platform is finally starting to take shape Back in the Racer rendering – “it was not really concrete”, says Makin- demonstrator from 2010, the Racer is built from adjian, “but now we have it and people are starting the ground up. to get excited”. Makinadjian is reluctant to specify the design’s Released images of the individual structures do not maximum take-off weight – it is somewhere in the really encapsulate the ambition or complexity of the 7-8t range – but he reveals that the cabin is around eventual compound rotorcraft. Once complete, the the same size as that of the company’s eight- to Racer will feature V-shaped box-wings for additional 10-passenger H145 light-twin. While the design is lift, with twin pusher propellers mounted at the apex. “scalable within some limitations” – 25 passengers That architecture necessitates the use of flexible would require more engines, he notes – it nonetheless driveshafts running from the main gearbox, down the has “potential to grow”. upper wing to a pair of lateral gearboxes. “There is some margin, some room to improve in While it builds on research conducted with Air- one direction or another, larger or smaller,” he says. bus Helicopters’ (then Eurocopter) X3 compound While Makinadjian is keen not to use the Covid-19 crisis as an excuse for all the Racer’s travails – even before the pandemic hit, first flight had slipped from Main fuselage was mated with canopy an initial 2020 target – it is clear that numerous coro- section at Donauworth site in April navirus-related issues have weighed on the project.

Inevitable setbacks These have ranged from multiple cases of Covid in the fuselage assembly hangar – requiring staff to quarantine and a week-long closure each time – to small suppliers struggling with factory shutdowns be- fore social distancing measures could be implement- ed, which, he says, “caused some delays to deliveries to our Romanian partners”. Other small suppliers went out of business, necessitating alternatives to be brought on board. And a plan for Airbus Helicopters’ prototyping staff to assist the Romanian team in the country was delayed by travel restrictions. Despite these multiple setbacks, Makinadjian sees light at the end of the tunnel. “I think we have been able to mitigate most of the risk and topics we have faced

Airbus Helicopters Airbus Helicopters and we now have the fuselage in house,” he says.

June 2021 Flight International 63 Rotorcraft Racer

There is better news too on the development of the gearbox, which had long been an item of concern, where delays have been “partially recovered”. The first castings were made on 16 April, followed shortly after by machining of the gears by partner Avio Aero. Two gearboxes will be shipped to Marignane during the first quarter of 2022: one for ground testing and the other for installation in the Racer. “And so it will be at that moment we will be able to finalise the complete assembly of the aircraft,” he says. Before the Racer’s first ground run the gearbox will have to be successfully validated, however, to pro- X3 veteran will be at controls for debut duce “results that allow us to turn the rotor”. But in a departure from previous development Airbus Helicopters has selected Herve Jammayrac programmes, the airframer will not employ its whirl as the pilot for the debut flight of the Racer tower for ground-test activities. This, explains Mak- demonstrator in the second half of next year – an inadjian, is because the Racer uses the main rotor act that will see him reprise his role on the then- blades from the H175 super-medium-twin, rather than Eurocopter X3 more than a decade ago. developmental high-speed ones. The H175 blades – Jammayrac was at the controls when the one of the few repurposed components used on the experimental X3 compound rotorcraft took to the air for the first time in Marignane, France, in September 2010. A precursor to the Racer, the innovative X3 accumulated 140 flight hours by the time of its retirement from use shortly after it had claimed 220kt two unofficial helicopter speed records in June 2013. These were related to the aircraft achieving 255kt (470km/h) in level flight, and 263kt during a Despite the absence of bespoke blades, Airbus Helicopters descent.

is confident that the Racer will reach its target speed Airbus Helicopters

Racer – are a known quantity on which “the risks are months, we can reach the high speed [target],” he already mitigated”. However, he admits that they are says. And, even if modifications to the helicopter are “not the best design ever for high speed”. required, these will add only another six months to Despite the absence of the bespoke blades, Mak- the timeline, he believes. inadjian is confident that the Racer will still reach its Following an initial year of development testing, the target speed of 220kt (407km/h), although constant Racer will then transition to being used as a mission monitoring will take place “to ensure we are still in demonstrator – essentially proving its viability for a the domain where we have no risk for the blade and number of roles, including search and rescue, emer- mechanical components”. gency medical services and VIP transport. Around 200h of test flights are proposed, with the Evaluation of the “Ecomode” on the Aneto engines team intending to advance relatively quickly towards – the ability to idle one of the two powerplants during the Racer’s goal. “This is really clear for us. If we cruise as a fuel-saving measure – will take place only don’t face any unplanned behaviour, I think within six during the second phase of testing. Aside from the simple goal of flying faster, the Clean Sky 2 programme also requires that the Racer cut by 20% carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and noise emissions. To address the last of those targets, the Racer’s up- per and lower box wings and tail are fitted with flaps. While these will not be primary control surfaces, they can be used to “tune” the aircraft’s attitude, allowing “some adaptations of the trajectories to lower the noise”, says Makinadjian. The Racer’s unique configuration provides a “higher degree of freedom” to tweak speed, attitude and po- sition during approach and take-off, allowing higher rates of climb and descent than in a conventional hel- icopter. “Theoretically, this brings some good results [on noise],” he says. Part of the ethos underpinning the Racer is to ensure that the pilot of a conventional helicopter will be able to transition rapidly on to the new design. So far, around 20-30 pilots have flown the Racer in Airbus Helicopters Airbus Helicopters the simulator – and have “confirmed it was really Fuselage was constructed by RoRCraft easy to switch between a conventional helicopter venture between INCAS and Romaero and this formula”. Z

64 Flight International June 2021

As commercial engine MRO providers await the recovery in demand that should come with rising traffic levels, leading players are still unsure quite how deep the pandemic’s business impact will be Needing support Mark Pilling London been rolling along steadily pre-pandemic, driven by a decade of strong traffic growth. The big two airframers had been striving for a greater chunk of this market via n aviation’s engineering, maintenance and after- their burgeoning services businesses, either for aircraft market world, there is only one currency that really lifetime maintenance and parts support or with digital matters – aircraft utilisation. services and products aimed at operational efficiency. The pandemic has shown how frail the aviation For years, the major engine makers had relentlessly Iecosystem is when that revenue is shut off. Aircraft in sought a dominant slice of the services market for the air equal dollars flowing into flight-hour plans for their home-built models. engine OEMs and others, demand for airframe checks The biggest were getting bigger. On 23 March and engine shop visits, and a relatively predictable 2020, Lufthansa Technik (LHT) chairman Johannes demand for new, repaired and used spares. Bussmann was reporting bumper results with record That demand and predictability has collapsed along revenue and earnings. At that time, he knew the crisis with traffic levels. In its wake lies a sorry aftermarket was going to be bad – just not how bad. sector reeling from its revenue source evaporating. “The full extent will hit us with a delay, which means “Right now, airlines are not spending a dollar on a forecast is currently not possible, but first impacts MRO,” said Dick Forsberg, a leading aviation finance are massive,” Bussmann said. expert and consultant to PwC Ireland, during a recent Cirium webinar. After the initial shock of the pandemic’s impact on aviation, airlines “went into survival mode, working out rapidly how to keep afloat”, explains David Stewart, a partner in Oliver Wyman’s specialist airline MRO consultancy. A Raytheon Technologies financial filing of its 2020 results, explaining the impact of the crisis on subsidiary Pratt & Whitney, summed up what all carriers have been asking for: “Airlines have shifted to cash-conservation behaviours such as deferring engine maintenance due to lower flight hours and air- craft utilisation, requesting extended payment terms, deferring delivery of new aircraft and spare engines and requesting discounts on engine maintenance.” As the new year of 2020 dawned, such tactics were

unimaginable. The aviation aftermarket industry had AJW Group Parts providers have been frustrated by stalled supply deals

66 Flight International June 2021 in flying-hour receipts. ment “catch-ups”, asaresult ofaforecast reduction including a£974 million impactfrom service agree- company recorded one-timecharges of£1.3 billion, tax loss of£2.9billion($4billion)for theyear. The were down by 57% in2020, contributing to apre- financial filings. visits andrelated spare partsales”,according to US of $3.8billion,dueto asignificantreduction inshop “primarily reflects lower commercial aftermarket sales decrease of$4.1 billionin2020 compared with2019 in 2020 fell by 20%,to $16.8billion.The organic sales clear intheirgrim2020 numbers.P&W’s overall sales – and ifitwillcome backatall.” them, theissue ishow rapidly willflyingcome back global industry consultant andappraisal firm.“For shattered, says Phil Seymour, chairmanofIBA,the based onflyinghours,thebusiness modelhasbeen For theengineOEMsandotherswithservicing deals Grim numbers with pre-pandemic projections. Forecast 2021-2031 according to its than $60 billion over 2020 and2021 combined, market to suffer a reduction indemandofmore expects theglobalcommercial airtransport MRO been witnessed across thesector. Oliver Wyman biggest airlineMROmadea€383millionloss. 43%, to €3.7 billion($4.4billion),andtheindustry’s Bussmann was reporting arevenue drop in2020 of Rolls-Royce reported that large engineflying hours The hugefinancialimpactontheengineOEMsis Similar incredible revenue falls andlosses have A year later, atLHT’s 2021 results presentation, Global FleetandMROMarket . This isafall of33%compared of thecontract hasnotreally happened.” but airlinessay, ‘we are notflyingyet’, sotheinking 200 dealsinplay atpresent, from Peruto Pakistan, cialist AJW, sumsupthefrustration for many. “Ihave side, chiefexecutive at globalpartsandrepair spe- to ‘buildbackbetter’,” says Stewart. enough money to survive but withrestricted ability “The industry hasbeeninakindofstasis, with turers soughtto plugtheirrevenue shortfalls. es, withprice risesof6-7% last year asthemanufac- given airlinesany relief, according to industry sourc- like buthave littlecontrol over. The pandemichasnot escalation –ayearly ritualthatairlines naturally dis- changed istheannualOEMreplacement partsprice the significantuncertainty around demand.” minimum-flight-hour guarantees incontracts, given to medium-term. They willwant to stay lenge theflight-hourcontract concept intheshort- MROs Covid-19: Fleetoutlookandimpactonlessors and Slattery saidduringaninvestor update inMarch. delayed spending,” GEAviation chiefexecutive John tion accelerates, we expect to capture muchofthat the impactofCovid. Astravel recovers andutilisa- confident they canmake upthelost ground. 2020 annualreporting. long-term service agreements”, itexplained inits of $1.1 billionto theestimated profitability inits Restart activityisintense, andChristopher White- The priorityisfor aviation to restart –butwhen? One market feature thatisthoughtnotto have There will,however, bedislocations. Initsreport, “The services backlogin2020 was resilient, despite But asflyingreturns, theengineOEMsremain GE Aviation recorded “netunfavourable changes , globalconsultancy ICFsays: “Airlines willchal- carriers bringtheiraircraft backinto service OEMs are keen to make upfor lost timeas June 2021 Flight International Engines away from from away MRO 67

MTU Aero Engines Niklas Prescher/Shutterstock 68 MRO programmes atMTUAero Engines. ing,” says MartinFriis-Petersen, seniorvice-president the crisis–it’s allaboutavoiding unnecessary spend- engaged withourcustomer baseasapartnerthrough whatever ittakes to win. “We have beeneven more services, militaryorcargo business,” says Whiteside. of peopleinourbusiness thatdon’thave contracted clients to weather thestorm. “There willbeaculling ily onitsdiversified portfolio inadditionto airline revenue base, buthasrestructured andlentheav- $500 million,hasdippedto 65%ofitspre-pandemic believes Stewart. tain markets orgeographies comes understrain,” disruption ofsupplyasthesupplierbaseincer- some MROplayers willeitherfail ordownsize. that hasstalled, there willbesurpluscapacityand tor? The most obvious impactisthat for anindustry ios andstrategic moves likely to beseeninthesec- equity, a sovereign wealth fundorpension fund MRO would beanattractive prospect for private raise capital.Asaleofa30-40% stake inan airline disposalsoftheirMROassets asamechanism to why dowe want theinfrastructure?”, says Stewart. “Boardrooms willonce againbe asking thequestion: in-house MROentities,to amore variable cost base. The goalisto move from highfixed costs, suchas es for years, andthistrend may accelerate again. flexible terms. Higher-risk carrierswillnotalways beoffered such engines –powerplants withlife leftontheclock. on shopvisitsandhelpto useso-called“green time” willing to entertain flexible payment terms, discounts at globalpartsand repair specialist AJW Pandemic-driven fall inrevenue recorded 35% Engines MRO revenues nosedived in2020 asmany aircraft went into storage Flight International Those thatsurvive willbekeener thanever to do AJW, whichcarriesaheftypartsinventory worth “Airlines may face somechallengesinterms of It may beattractive for someto lookatpartial Airlines have beenoutsourcing theirMROservic- Strong, credit-worthy airlines have found suppliers So, whatnext? Andwhatare therecovery scenar- MRO June 2021 or viaacquisitions ofspecialist service providers. such asdataservices, around predictive maintenance, tal-intensive services andto higher-margin activities ness willremain, thetrend could be Yann Cambier, aviation principalat ICF. ever becauseeveryone isfightingfor survival,” says the services business iseven more competitive than and return to asteady state. Andthere isthefact that ger issues for now. to temper aftermarket ambitionsasthey digest big- retains operational control. seeking asecure income stream, whiletheairline Airline Business This articleappeared first in oursister publication, some business modelshave changedfor good. changes just yet, but theunderlyingfeeling isthat tered andbruisedbutfundamentallyunaltered. terns could seetheaftermarket arena emerge bat- trafficrecovery. Asnapbackto previous growth pat- is entirely dependentonthepace andshapeofthe life services, asset managementandUSM. est, hesays, particularlyinplayers thatdealinend-of- long-term growth prospects.” There isplentyofinter- that are lookingfor agooddealinmarket that has suppliers withweak cashpositions”. supply “ICFexpects thatinvestors may buysome consolidation. Cambiersays thatwith excess MRO environment isripefor mergers, acquisitions and be anactive player where we seevalue.” alised, butitwillcome,” says Friis-Petersen. “We will retirements expected from mid-2020 hasnot materi- time engines,andin-housepartsrepair. “The wave of offering used serviceable material (USM)andgreen- panies specialisinginpartsrepair. manufacturer, shouldbewell placed, aswell ascom- they are cheaperthanthoseboughtfrom theoriginal of non-OEMspare parts,whichairlinescanfavour as across thewholeservices ecosystem. Manufacturers ahead hasramifications for supplyanddemand outs andavailability ofgreen enginesfor someyears The expected increase inretirements, aircraft part- Alternative spares While thedesire to capture more aftermarket busi- “There isaneedto refocus onthecore business For AirbusandBoeing,there may bearequirement Analysts are cautiousaboutpredicting wholesale How theaftermarket develops inthecoming years Stewart agrees: “There are private equityinvestors A disrupted industry bringsopportunities,andthe MTU works insomeoftheseareas, inadditionto away from from away capi- Z engine race The great manufacturers say they are upto the challenge suite ofpropulsion technologies iscritical.The big emissions inthecoming decades, anentirely new For aviation to achieve zero or near-zero carbon June 2021 Engines Flight International Technology GTF ‘benchmark $10 billion on its $10 billiononits P&W hasspent architecture’ 69

Pratt & Whitney Airbus 70 70 T the enginegame hasnotchanged, themselves accordingly. “Essentially the “green recovery”. ronmental progress: whatsomedub connected withaccelerating envi- stimulus packages are inexorably orities. Government bailoutsand industry more clarityonitspri- can beimagined.” cost-constrained environment that be delivered inperhapsthemost has changedistheneedfor itto 12 months;theonlythingthat is very muchunchangedby theevents ofthelast acknowledges thechallenge:“OurR&Dstrategy Andy Geer, chiefengineer, UltraFan atRolls-Royce, a hatchet to research anddevelopment budgets. swamped by thepandemic-induced crisis. at theworst momentfinancially, withbalance sheets developing thenext generation ofengineshasarrived of dollars,thisistheirday job. However, thetaskof solutions, adisciplinethatconstantly absorbsmillions and anintoxicating mixture ofallthem. and hydrogen aviation fuels,hybrid, electric, fuelcells, encompassing next-generation turbines,sustainable Mark Pilling wing bodydesignsuchasAirbusconcept Liquid hydrogen fuelrequires a blended Flight International The manufacturers are aligning Perversely, thecrisiscould offer Nobody, h For theenginemakers researching araft oftechnical The ingredients inthiscocktail are bewildering, becomes more extraordinary by theday. desperate to prove itcandecarbonise and fuelsthatare goingto propel anindustry he cocktail ofpossible enginetechnologies London owever, June 2021 has beentempted to take R-R’s UltraFan shouldbeinservice around 2030 Guillaume Faury, Airbus chiefexecutive, offered clar- research andtechnologies atSafran Aircraft Engines. another 15%,explains Jerome Bonini,vice-president CFM56, whileitssuccessor, theLeap, hasdelivered national brought ina20%improvement withthe efficiency gains forairlinersto bring lowercosts. previous generation, bringingdouble-digit fuelburn the target was obvious: abetter turbofan thanthe unaltered drive for better performance. Intheolddays, nology for MTUAero Engines. Weber, seniorvice-president, engineeringandtech- continue to intensively pursueourgoals,” says Stefan ongoing publicdiscussions, whichare drivingusto changed, butrather hasbeenconfirmed by the of advanced technologies atGEAviation. changed,” believes ArjanHegeman,general manager going to beadopted becausetheindustry hasreally but itisthespeedwithwhichthesetechnologies are But whenwillthenext step-change be required? And they are goodatit.For example, CFMInter- Central to thesegoalsistheall-consuming and “In thepast 12months,ourstrategy hasnot

Rolls-Royce bus is pushing hydrogen fuel insomeform. Air- jet willfeature hydrogen enthusiastic thatafuture technology, hesaid. to seven years to mature the industry aleadtimeoffive place in2027-2028, giving formal launch would take aircraft “makes sense”.A date for anext-generation a 2035 entry-into-service control webinar, saying that ity inMarch duringaEuro- Faury hasalsobeen Engines Technology

because it offers the most significant impact on introduction of these fuels and technologies “will all carbon emissions reduction. base off that architecture”, he adds. So, what will the next-generation engine be? “The first pillar of our strategy is to define and build Hydrogen is firmly in the sights of all manufacturers; an ultra-efficient engine architecture,” says Bonini. but whether the fuel is Jet A-1, sustainable aviation Safran is working on different architectures – for fuel (SAF) or hydrogen, the turbine engine is the example, the work it has conducted into open rotor starting point in each case. design, in preparation for the aircraft configuration “What is obvious is that, for the foreseeable future, the airframers will chose. there will be no alternative to the aero gas-turbine Like P&W with the GTF, CFM joint venture partners – in further optimised form – as a propulsion system GE and Safran have a modern-generation powerplant for large commercial aircraft,” says Weber. – in their case the Leap – as a baseline propulsive “We have spent $10 billion on a technology that system architecture. was moving in a direction we knew we had to go,” Alongside this work there says Geoff Hunt, senior vice-president engineering is heavy investment in light- and technology at Pratt & Whitney, describing the US weight, high-performance manufacturer’s bet on its geared turbofan (GTF). “We materials as well as sophisti- have established what I think is a benchmark archi- cated cooling technologies, tecture that provides the flexibility to adjust as the as the trend towards higher industry looks towards climate change alignment.” engine pressures and tem- As a matter of course, P&W expects to be able to peratures continues. “All continue the trend of annual fuel efficiency improve- these new technologies will ments of 1% on average as programmes mature. work their way into the en- “Continuing to improve on the GTF architecture is gine,” says Hegeman. very much the near-term drive and that is consistent The conviction that a with the long-term strategy if you are going into SAF next-generation turbine is an or hydrogen fuel or hybrid-electric,” says Hunt. The essential pillar for “decarbon- ising aviation” is the reason

R-R remains committed to Engines MTU Aero its UltraFan programme, says Focus at MTU is still on Geer. “We plan to have that performance, says Weber engine available around the turn of the decade and as it is a scaleable technology, it is suitable for both narrowbody and widebody new aircraft programmes,” he adds. For its part, “MTU is currently concentrating on the WET [Water-Enhanced Turbofan] engine,” says We- ber. This employs a heat exchanger to use the energy from the engine’s exhaust gas stream to generate additional power.

Efficiency drive Whatever mix of architecture, materials or fuel is in the cocktail, the engine technologists interviewed by FlightGlobal all agree the target in efficiency terms for the next-generation engine is 20% and more. “This generation needs to provide a major step change in efficiency to, firstly, reduce emissions by simply burning less fuel and, secondly, to ena- ble alternative fuels spanning from SAF to electric to hydrogen by providing longer range through its increased efficiency and, as such, overcoming some One of Safran’s projects of the disadvantages of alternative fuels in supply is an open rotor design

Eric Drouin/Safran Eric Drouin/Safran constraints and/or associated weight increases [bat- teries] or airframe drag increases from large storage needs [hydrogen],” Hegeman says. “What is obvious is The use of liquid hydrogen fuel, for example, will re- quire an aircraft shape and size like the Airbus ZEROe that, for the foreseeable blended wing body design, because hydrogen takes up about four times the volume of jet fuel. future, there will be no Another clear strategic pillar to achieve decarboni- sation is to develop engines that run 100% on low-car- alternative to the aero bon fuels, such as SAF and synthetic fuels, or liquid hydrogen, which would be zero-carbon, says Bonini. gas-turbine” Boeing agrees. It has set a target of 2030 for all its commercial aircraft to be certified to fly on 100% Stefan Weber Senior vice-president, engineering SAF. Today, the maximum is a 50:50 Jet A-1/SAF mix. and technology, MTU Aero Engines There is work on fuel standards and the technical

June 2021 Flight International 71 changes needed to run turbines at 100% SAF, but referring to hydrogen produced using renewable it is not a tough nut to crack and 2030 or probably power generation. earlier is achievable. The view is that liquid hydrogen will be an attrac- The prospect of burning liquid hydrogen in aero tive longer-term option, with advances in current engines is more captivating. The fi rst thing the engine turbine technology and the use of SAF both provid- makers point out is that hydrogen is not new to them. ing near-term benefi ts. P&W ran a hydrogen engine in the 1950s, while GE ran “An ultra-effi cient engine is still the key to the future one in the 1960s. Russian scientists fl ew a modifi ed – whatever fuel you burn,” says Bonini. Embedding Tupolev Tu-154 using hydrogen fuel in the late 1980s. electrical systems in such engines to create a hybrid “We understand the challenges and the opportu- confi guration will deliver further levels of effi ciency and nities of hydrogen. From an engine manufacturer’s represents the third strategic pillar of decarbonisation. perspective, we do not see we are the long pole in The target is to make hybrid variants of current the tent to get into a hydrogen solution at the aircraft models, such as P&W’s GTF family and CFM’s Leap, level,” says Hunt. where electrical power is generated to help provide “Burning hydrogen inside an engine is not the issue; or save energy in the engine. The aim of this work, getting the hydrogen into the right conditions to be used is the challenge,” explains Bonini. In February, Safran announced the Hyperion study, where it will “Burning hydrogen inside work with space launch vehicle maker Ariane Group and Airbus on turbines that burn liquid hydrogen. an engine is not the issue; Yes, the combustor will be diff erent, as is the con- trol system – but the biggest challenge is not how the getting the hydrogen into fuel is burnt, it is upstream and integrating it into the aircraft design, says Hegeman. the right conditions to be Questions on storing the bulky hydrogen in the air- frame and the infrastructure needed to deliver it to an used is the challenge” aircraft are harder to answer. “The bigger challenge, similar to SAF, is the need to scale it up. And the Jerome Bonini Vice-president research and technologies, need will be for green hydrogen,” explains Hegeman, Safran Aircraft Engines

Why Honeywell is an eager disruptor

To help describe where it plays in the hybrid engine The next step on its roadmap is a recently space, Honeywell has a nifty slide with nine boxes on announced plan to mate a 1MW Honeywell generator it that explains the thrust source (turbine, electric, or with its HGT1700 APU, which is found on Airbus both) and power source (fuel, battery, or both). A350s, to create a turbogenerator. A demonstration The important part for the US aerospace unit will run this year with a view to a product manufacturing giant is that it can tailor a solution that could power air taxis, cargo UAVs and small in seven of the nine hybrid architectures to address hybrid-electric aircraft. product opportunities in civil and defence markets, “We feel like in many ways we are uniquely suited from commercial airliner auxiliary power units in this space, because we have so much domain (APUs) to helicopter engines and in unmanned air expertise,” says Marinick. Part of its DNA is being a vehicles (UAVs). partner with the engine OEMs on a host of airframes, “It’s our view we need to be prepared for and the “opportunity for [further] partnerships is conventional and disruptive solutions,” says David strong”, he believes. Marinick, president of engine and power systems at There will undoubtedly be new players to this Honeywell. “We are working on improvements to market that will take on the established order, but conventional architecture, such as greater effi ciency Marinick is unfazed. “The combination of both and better fuel burn for our APUs, including the might ultimately win the day with the best of both ability of our turbomachinery to run on sustainable worlds,” he says. aviation fuels [SAFs].” “We maintain a very strong interest in hydrogen, But with every passing quarter, “more of our both as a fuel cell and as a fuel source,” he adds. investment is moving toward the disruptive side”, Honeywell brought some “compelling technology” says Marinick. A growing element of this into the company last October, with the disruption is the development of electric, acquisition of US hydrogen hybrid-electric and hydrogen fuel cell system fi rm Ballard propulsion technology. Unmanned Systems, which This is familiar territory for manufactures engines for Honeywell, says Marinick, for UAV applications. “integrating gas turbines with generators and gearboxes is Honeywell is designing something we have been doing powerplants for air taxis, cargo for decades. We feel we are in UAVs and hybrid-electric aircraft our core here.” Honeywell

72 Flight International June 2021 Engines Technology

says Weber, is “the most complete electrifi cation of the drive train possible in order to be as emission-free as possible in fl ight”. Many believe the concerted hybrid research eff orts in play will yield benefi ts in the short- to mid-term. “A hybrid-electric variant of GTF is certainly some- thing that we are studying,” says Hunt. Although P&W did last year slow Project 804, an eff ort to develop a hybrid-electric engine for a regional aircraft, starting with a De Havilland Canada Dash 8-100, this work has a “lot of merit” and is ongoing, he says. However, a fl ight demonstration planned for 2022 will slip. At P&W, there is a benefi t having sister Raytheon Technologies company Collins Aerospace in the fam- ily. “We work extremely closely with Collins, which has very strong capability in the electrical systems area,” says Hunt. GE has been working on a basket of hybrid research eff orts for more than a decade, including a project in 2016 where 1MW of electrical power was siphoned off from a military F110 engine while also generating thrust. This much electrical energy could power a small, six- to 10-seat aircraft. The years of foundational work spent on such GE Aviation GE has invested heavily in research gives GE confi dence it will have the answers. future powerplant development “We are running all of these systems towards a fl ight of a full hybrid propulsion system,” says Hegeman. “We are very far along that journey, with a ground demonstration of a fully built-up engine and fl ight With their existing positions on the A320 and demonstration of a twin aircraft planned within a 737, CFM and P&W appear well placed, while R-R couple of years.” is relying on its UltraFan to force its way into the The hybrid technolo- reckoning. “This is a new generation of gas turbine, gies under development with the capability to grow and adapt to become will have applications in an entire engine family, designed for service around turbines powering jet- the turn of the decade, off ering a 25% effi ciency liners in the 100-plus improvement compared with our fi rst generation of seat class, and there are Trent engine,” says Geer. dozens of smaller aircraft being touted for cargo, Multiple technologies regional airline, and urban As Bonini explains, a new class of low-carbon engine air mobility opportuni- will bring millions of dollars and years of research ties. F urther down the to fruition: “This is a great challenge, a huge eff ort, size class there are many which is why we need the construction of other tech- working on all-electric nologies, including SAF, hydrogen and hybridisation, engine applications. to achieve the decarbonisation goals we have.”

Safran Safran Another technology Hegeman agrees. “I don’t think there is one single Low-carbon engines represent with promise, which MTU solution that is going to work. All these diff erent years of research, says Bonini advocates for the longer technologies are going to be necessary across the term, is the conversion of whole spectrum of commercial aircraft,” he says. hydrogen into electricity with the help of fuel cells. It is With its open rotor technology, Safran claims studying this technology with the DLR German Aero- it has already demonstrated a 15% fuel effi ciency space Center. “These technologies could go into series gain compared with the Leap. Moving away from a production even before 2040,” believes Weber. nacelle, as an open rotor does, is one of the options Ultimately, all the engine makers say they will airframers will be considering as they deliberate respond with a powerplant when asked. “There isn’t aircraft confi gurations. any user knocking on our door today. When they do, Perhaps an open rotor design is one of the answers. we are going to have a product,” says Hegeman. Perhaps not. Today, it is impossible to judge which Today, the product opportunities appear to centre technologies, in which order, or in what blend, will on a new narrowbody to succeed the Airbus A320 fl ourish. The manufacturers are obliged to spend and Boeing 737 Max families, while Boeing chief big across a variety of bets, uncertain as ever if their executive David Calhoun has hinted that it might still strategy will be the one that ultimately succeeds. develop an aircraft with around 270 seats. The fl ag has truly dropped on this urgent tech- Airbus has been the most progressive and aggres- nology race to discover a new low- or zero-carbon sive, clearly signalling a desire to speed up moves to aviation engine nirvana. Without doubt, it is a contest low or zero-emissions aircraft, while Boeing has com- the engine manufacturers are relishing. Their tradition mitted to its 2030 target for using 100% SAF on all its says they almost always come up with the answer. commercial aircraft. They are convinced they will this time too. Z

June 2021 Flight International 73 From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com

Living fast When mounting an attempt on an aeronautic speed record, there are, as you might expect, pages of regulations to be adhered to, set by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Rolls-Royce is currently working towards a bid for the title of fastest all-electric aircraft under its ACCEL programme. Speaking during a recent Royal Aeronautical Society online lecture (while also carrying a very small baby in a papoose, in a wonderful display of multi-tasking), project director Matheu Parr described the decades- old regulations as “incredible”. But among the rules governing the course to be flown, and at what altitude, is a rather important stipulation: for an attempt to be deemed successful, the test pilot must remain alive for 30min after landing. Bad news, then, for R-R’s man at the controls, Phil O’Dell. “We have taken this as meaning that when Phil lands having broken the record, we can put him in a little coned-off area and we can drink champagne and he has to wait for 30 minutes before we can let him Soviet Union’s Tu-16 jet-powered long-range strike aircraft

out,” says Parr. “Just in case he falls over or something.” Martin Leber/Shutterstock

Hoping for a speed record… and to die another day How PR works London’s Gatwick airport has just introduced a controversial charge for motorists dropping off passengers, insisting that the “new revenue stream” will “help the airport preserve jobs and recover from the

significant effects of the Gatwick Airport Covid-19 pandemic”. Either way, you pay Difficult to argue with that, but we are pretty sure that when the scheme was

Rolls-Royce mooted originally, it was because of the business’s

From the archive

1921 Pictures 100for the press 1946 American dream?75 Mr. Cobham flew his ’bus across to Aldergrove Many weeks have now elapsed since it was first Aerodrome, where at 1 o’clock a member of The reported that an American attempt was to be made Times was taken aboard, together with a cargo of on wresting from Great Britain the world’s speed photographic plates exposed during the opening record of 606 m.p.h. One should not be very surprised of Parliament procession, and a start was made at this, and the delay is readily explained by two for home. Flying close behind was a second D.H.9. simple facts: the American newspaperman’s tendency piloted by Mr. Hatchet, with Pathe films on board. to confuse possibility with accomplished fact, and The two kept company, passing over Barrow, Preston, the difficulties inherent in the record attempt itself. Wigan, Birmingham, until, near Rugby, Hatchet’s Do not let us forget that in this country we made the machine ran out of petrol, and he had to land in a self-same mistake. The news that an attempt was to ploughed field. On missing his aerial companion, be made leaked out long before the machines were Cobham returned and landed alongside in the same ready. As for the American chances, our English field. The Pathe films were transferred to the other correspondent in the United States, in his “American D.H. and she was pushed to an adjoining field, which Newsletter” this week, does not appear unduly was better for getting off from than ploughed land. worried. Indeed, there is no reason why he should be.

74 Flight International June 2021 Straight & Level

Russian Cold War warriors on display

More than 40 grizzled Cold War veterans and other decommissioned aircraft are on their way to museums across Russia, courtesy of state conglomerate Rostec. They include the RAC MiG-29K, Myasishchev VM-T Atlant airlifter, and Tupolev Tu-16 strategic bomber. The VM-T is possibly most famous for carrying the Buran prototype spaceplane on its back, while the Tu-16 was the communist superpower’s first jet- powered long-range strike aircraft. The MiG-29K was developed in the last days of the Soviet Union as a carrier-based supersonic fighter. The USSR may be long gone and largely unlamented, but many Russians remain proud of their country’s military aerospace achievements that helped contain what was seen as the great NATO threat in the decades following the Second World War.

“commitment to sustainable transport by reducing unnecessary car journeys”. Bahrain drain Given the new justification, we presume therefore that, once the airport returns to full post-pandemic You know aviation has a sustainability image problem operation and profitability, the dropping off charge will when a Formula 1 driver objects to the flying display at be… er… dropped. a Grand Prix as “a waste of fuel”. Apparently Sebastian Watch this (parking) space. Vettel saw the Gulf Air Boeing 787 during its validation flight ahead of the Bahrain GP and complained, so the flag carrier conducted the flight with sustainable fuel. Launch, then dinner

From a press release about Servair’s contract to Yuckspeak develop meals for the European Space Agency: what do you call a cosmic adventurer with a taste for fine Austin-Bergstrom International airport is launching a food? A gastronaut. new “online wayfinding tool”. We think it means a map.

1971 The enemy within50 1996 Low-cost savings25 I found Mr L. F. E. Coomb’s article “Know Your The launch of no-frills, low-fare airlines has reduced Enemy” very interesting. He has, however, once the cost of flying for US travellers by $6 billion again worked on an assumption that has bedevilled so far, says a new study by the US Department the transport pattern of this country for over a of Transportation. In cities where low-cost US century, simply this: not everyone lives in London, carriers operate, the average cost of a one-way and nor do they necessarily wish to travel to London. ticket has dropped by $54, or $70 if a city serves as I submit that this preoccupation of Londoners on all a major airline hub. Competition has led established national matters with their own area is one of the US long-haul carriers to lower their fares, and the biggest hindrances to the economic development availability of cheap tickets has encouraged more of this country as a whole. There are, after all, more people to fly. The study shows that low-fare carriers of us living away from London than in that city and now compete in markets which account for almost its environs. The easier it is to travel between major 40% of domestic travellers, and they are rapidly cities without going through London, the better it expanding their operations. Most growth in recent will be for all concerned, and this applies particularly years has been in markets where lower fares have to the air transport scene. stimulated demand.

June 2021 Flight International 75 Cranfield Aerospace Solutions AirTeamImages Eastern AirLinesfieldedA300from 1977 Boeing facing European rivalry isnotnew: 76 76 surrounding theairport,Iwas only to acircle of50miles requesting information relevant briefing information but,despite website to obtainmy pre-flight airport insouthernEngland. for my shortflightsfrom my local completely irrelevant information I remember similarinstances of pilot acouple ofyears ago, but chord withme. International and NOTAM overload ( Your articleoninformation NOTAM overload Flight International I always always I I stopped flyingasaprivate used theNATS AIS , May 2021) struck a June 2021 Flight Flight via email Paul Baker nothing haschanged. fit for purposeanditappearsthat actually needed. or two pieces ofinformation thatI minutes for meto filter outtheone operation ittook agoodfew foreign locations. as Afghanistan, Ukraine andother hazardous airspace inplaces such Scottish FIRandalsodetailsof (FIR) aswell, together withthe London flightinformation region covering otherpartsofthe invariably provided withNOTAMs The system thenwas clearlynot Even atmy modest level of The hydrogen fuel-powered Islander might benefitfrom anotherwing in flyingtraining for onesimple many women are unwilling to invest particularly theflightdeck, Iexpect is well known. into certain trades andprofessions 2021) withinterest. dream’ ( I read theletter ‘An impossible Family first Prestwick, SouthAyrshire, Scotland Steve Gilchrist replacement for theAntonov An-2. TVS-2DTS, amodernbiplane the Russians are developing the were to become abiplane. on theimpactIslanderifit someone whoknows to educate us end upasa‘Bislander’? “iterative process” –maybe itcould willbean generation Islander” the development ofagreen “next- the tankswing-shaped? adding these, thenwhy notmake for thefuelismaindriver for storage tanksundereachwing. Islander withlarge hydrogen issue hadanillustration ofan takes new direction’ intheMay The interesting article‘Fresson Winging it In thecaseofaviation, The difficultyin recruiting women Don’t laughatthesuggestion: It would beinteresting for Britten-Norman expects that If increased storage volume Flight International , April , April Letters

Healthy competition Whatever the unstated – and unwise – source for W D Barbut’s suggestion that Boeing “had once been promised that it would be the only airframe manufacturer for civil aircraft in the western world” (Flight International, May 2021), there is no sudden or recent cause for “quiet rage that Boeing not only has a competitor now, but one that is even assembling some of its aircraft within the USA”. Why the “now”? Competition from Airbus has been around for nearly 50 years – for part, at least, of which time Boeing has been playing catch-up to the Europeans’ technological lead. The correspondent also points out that there is established Airbus final assembly in the USA, a provision that nicely overcomes any innate tendency that the Americans (rather like the French) may have to resist anything “not made here”. Who now remembers (or even noticed) the irony of former president Trump’s “America first” speech (“our goal as a nation must be to rely less on imports and more on products made right here in the USA”) at the roll-out of the Boeing 787-10 – a design comprising major sub-assemblies manufactured in half a dozen or more other countries? As Flight International asked more than 30 years ago: “What’s American for ‘Fait a l’Etranger’?”. It is also worth remembering that the A300 – the world’s first twin-aisle, twin-jet airliner – entered service with US carrier Eastern Air Lines in 1977. So European competition is not a recent phenomenon and did not end “suddenly” – or simultaneously – with the Vickers Super VC10 and BAC One-Eleven: production of the latter ceased in the early 1980s, more than 10 years after that of its larger sibling. Nor has the UK given up aircraft manufacture: Airbus is the country’s largest commercial aerospace activity.

Ian Goold Cranleigh, Surrey, UK

reason – within around five years has fully committed to the changes of graduation, they will be looking Wasted and sustainability that will be to start a family. An occupation required here. involving nights away on a regular opportunity Dealing with individual EU basis will be difficult to reconcile member states seems an expensive unless she has a very co-operative Your very interesting article retrograde step, with all the husband and grandparents. with Sir Stephen Hillier (Flight mountains of implied duplicated Short-haul flying would make life International, May 2021) about the bureaucracy that involves, when easier, but the rewards in pilotage UK Civil Aviation Authority raises the European Union Aviation Safety are in long-haul, heavy jet flying. some important questions. Agency still lives – albeit with the I can see why other occupations Recognising essential quality and UK (the best of the bunch?) now would be more attractive. safety issues – as well as the ability on the outside. to embrace future innovations – all Dudley Newiss costs money, and one has to ask Roger Allingham-Mills Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, UK whether or not the UK government Burbage, Leicestershire, UK Rich Higgins/Shutterstock

Is the UK Civil Aviation Authority duplicating effort outside the EU?

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78 Flight International June 2021

For materials engineer Luciana Selmi Marques, resilience is not only a characteristic of aircraft construction, but a key behavioural trait that has helped guide her career at Brazilian manufacturer The right material for Embraer

Pilar Wolfsteller Las Vegas “I was very curious about mechanics. I loved physics and I was really good at maths,” she says. hen Luciana Selmi Marques’s husband, When she was 10, her father started a company a private pilot, takes off in his small making prosthetics. That was when Selmi Marques felt plane, she is a willing passenger. She has inspired to experiment wtih making things herself, an considered taking lessons herself, but for interest that led to a materials engineering major at Wthe moment is more interested in the materials that Brazil’s Federal University of Sao Carlos. help them get airborne. “Materials engineering was a comprehensive course, An engineer for Embraer at its headquarters in Sao and you can choose a lot of paths after that,” she says. Jose dos Campos, Selmi Marques has blazed a career Later, at ITA, Selmi Marques gained a degree in at a global aerospace leader that is also one of Brazil’s Aeronautical and Mechanics Engineering – a field most prestigious companies. She is currently head of that involved studying the physics and chemistry of advanced materials and structures technologies for aerospace materials. the airframer. After initial training through the Embraer Her route into the company’s management ranks programme, she spent four years working as an opened thanks to Embraer’s Engineering Specialization engineer focused on loads and fatigue. Following Programme, which launched in 2001 and serves as a that, she joined the airframer’s Composite Research primary gateway for its engineers. She was a member and Development group, where she studied infusion, of its inaugural class. thermoplastic and fastened joint technologies. “I had always thought Embraer was out of reach for She led a complex composite demonstrator project, me,” Selmi Marques says. “This programme was my from design to final structural tests. way into this great company.” Now, her job spans Embraer’s aircraft programmes. She researches composites, metallic and other new Master’s degree materials, and develops processes to make them. “We The course targets young university graduates and focus on the technology and making them mature [to combines a professional master’s degree from Brazil’s use on future aircraft].” Aeronautics Institute of Technology (ITA) with a While the pandemic has fundamentally changed the curriculum designed to prepare engineers to work in way she and her team work, it has made research and multidisciplinary units at Embraer. learning more egalitarian, she says. About 1,600 people have completed the highly- For example, in the past, she would have to decide selective programme in its 20-year existence, with which employees could attend a particular technical more than 1,000 students applying annually for a few symposium, congress or workshop because it was dozen slots. Two decades later, 43-year-old Selmi Marques leads a team of 27 Embraer engineers across three “In my job it’s not about countries. One-third are women. Selmi Marques became interested in engineering early, when she and her older brother joined their the gender, it’s about father in tinkering around the house. Her brother repaired electronics and electrical issues, while a young having the skills to do Luciana learned how to become handy in almost everything else that needed fixing. the job well”

82 Flight International June 2021 Women in aviation Embraer Embraer

Selmi Marques emphasises agile thinking cost-preventative to send them all. But with video Resilience, she says, is the ability of a material to meetings and webinars now the norm, more engineers absorb energy when deformed and release that energy can participate in educational opportunities. upon unloading. It is a critical physical trait in building In addition, members of her team who are not aircraft, but also one she says correctly describes her physically located in Sao Jose dos Campos – she journey as a woman in the aerospace industry. manages personnel in Brazil, Ireland and Portugal – “Resilience in behaviour is the opposite of anxiety,” now have equal virtual access to their boss. she says. “If you are resilient you can be more sensible Her personal goal is to make sure her team’s to what is happening around you, you are more aware. collective knowledge and talent are stretched to solve And you can grab the opportunities, think in a way so the company’s engineering challenges. that you can be more fl exible.” “My passion is about people. So, if I can add value A rigid course of action – in life, careers or in by bringing people into the right roles so that we can perfecting a certain aviation technology for Embraer – maximise their skills, and solve the technical questions is rarely the best or most eff ective. also, then I am happy,” she says. “It depends on the challenge you’re facing. You may Selmi Marques preaches this kind of agile thinking need more sensibility, or collaboration, or perhaps more to colleagues and staff . It mirrors well the engineering assertiveness,” she says. “In my job it’s not about the work her group has been tasked with. gender, it’s about having the skills to do the job well.” ◗

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June 2021 Flight International 83