Airshow News
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DAY 3 February 13, 2020 SINGAPORE PUBLICATIONS Airshow News « Dedicated followers of the daily flying display gathered at show central to witness the power and might of the military aircraft that took to the skies over the Singapore Airshow. While not as full of participants as past shows, the displays nevertheless managed to delight and please those who made the effort to attend. INTOSH c DAVID M DAVID Engines Defense dominates daily display Big fans are a Rolls- by David Donald Royce first › page 4 While major announcements have been capability that allows it to operate from Airbus A330 MRTT that is based at Changi. Training scarce, in terms of aircraft it is the defense short strips and from vessels at sea. The sizeable U.S. Department of Defense sector that has dominated the static display While it waits for the F-35, the RSAF contingent includes a C-17A airlifter from Chinook simulator at the 2020 Singapore Airshow, as well as relies on the F-15 and F-16 for tactical air- Hawaii, Air Force MQ-9A Reaper drone, and gets upgrade › page 7 thrilling crowds in the daily flying displays. power, both types being equipped to a very a Navy P-8A Poseidon. A rich abundance of the latest high-tech high standard, and on show to the public as Malaysia brought an A400M transport machinery is on show, including a noisy and part of the RSAF’s impressive presence. The and Sukhoi Su-30MKM multi-role fighter MRO impressive demonstration by the U.S. Air F-15’s power is also displayed to the maxi- to the show, the latter with a rarely seen Force’s Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor, the mum in an energetic flying routine. weapons fit with Russian-supplied missiles. Sanad expanding undisputed king of air dominance. China, too, showed off modern hardware While discussion focuses on the latest global reach › page 8 However, Singaporean eyes have mainly in the flying display, with the PLAAF’s Ba Yi fighter types, the two F-5TH Super Tigris been trained on the F-22’s stablemate, the team running through a demonstration of fighters from Thailand show that an old F-35B being presented by the U.S. Marine precision formation flying with the Chengdu airframe can still be relevant. The 40-year Defense Corps. The flying routine of the stealthy J-10 fighter, which entered service in 2006. old airframes recently had a major upgrade Malaysia issues fighter that Singapore has just ordered Aircraft in the static include a show debut with modern systems that should see them includes a demonstration of the hovering for Singapore’s latest military type, the through into the next decade. n White Paper › page 10 Where are your next pilots coming from? Right here. Pg-1_d3_v3.indd 2 2/12/20 3:12 PM Airbus signs MoU for Singapore UAM Airbus and the Civil Aviation Authority of UAM service. Both will cooperate on Singapore (CAAS) signed a memorandum development of the unmanned traffic of understanding (MoU) yesterday that aims management system that will be needed to “bring UAM [urban air mobility] services “to support the initial use-case.” They and platforms to reality in Singapore’s will also develop standards and safety urban environment, with the target to frameworks as well as “on fostering pub- enhance industry productivity and improve lic acceptance.” the country’s regional connectivity.” Earlier, Airbus and CAAS worked Under the MoU, Airbus will collab - together on the Skyways trials to prove the orate with the CAAS on an unmanned feasibility of unmanned aerial delivery sys- aircraft system to be used in an “initial” tems in dense urban environments. M.T. INTOSH c DAVID M DAVID The Shape of Things that Fly Side by side in the static park, the latest versions of Italian company Blackshape’s trainer air- Singapore gets Smart with craft, which have been flying since 2011. The Prime ISP (left) is an optionally-piloted surveillance aircraft that can also train ground operators. The Gabriel BK 160 (right) is a more powerful air- craft best suited for military pilot training. Blackshape’s partners in Asia are Hong Kong-based A330 auto air refueling Sky Media and its Singapore subsidiary Asia Security Technology. by Chris Pocock The Republic of Singapore Air Force more information to the receiver so that it (RSAF) is the launch customer for the can better position for refueling and opti- Airbus augments training Smart enhancements to the Airbus A330 mizes the rate of refueling. Once the sys- Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT), Air- tem is activated, the boom flight control bus announced here yesterday. This con- system becomes fully automated before with virtual reality tools sists of automatic air-to-air refueling (A3R) contact is made and refueling begins. and predictive maintenance. The RSAF has The air refueling operator seated in the by Kerry Lynch taken delivery of all six A330MRTTs that it cockpit simply monitors the operation. ordered; one is on display in the static park Airbus says that the A3R development Airbus is developing a virtual reality flight procedures where and when they want, at the Singapore Airshow. paves the way towards a fully autono- training tool designed to enable flexibil- said Airbus (Chalet CD23-35). “With this agreement, the RSAF leads mous refueling operation. ity in training. To be available later this While not here at the show—Maillard the evolution of the A330MRTT, helping The predictive maintenance upgrade year, the initial tool will be aimed at the noted the current circumstances surround- us to bring new hands-off capabilities to allows ground crews to detect and A320, said Remi Maillard, senior v-p of ing the coronavirus discouraged the display the benchmark of next-gen tanker oper- troubleshoot the root cause of a failure services for Airbus, with plans eventually of such interactive systems—Airbus hopes ations,” said Alberto Gutierrez, Airbus directly from the aircraft’s flight deck. It to expand to other aircraft types. The tool, to showcase the system at a later event. head of military aircraft. enables faster resolution of ground tasks involving a headset and hand controls, is The virtual reality tool is part of a holis- Airbus first demonstrated A3R in July while providing the means for maximiz- designed to complement flight simu- tic approach that Airbus is planning to help 2018, when the company’s A310 develop- ing the efficient use of spare parts. lator training, enabling pilots to repeat bolster a flow of future pilots. This includes ment tanker performed seven automated Airbus has now delivered 42 of the the development of a pilot cadet ab initio contacts with a Royal Australian Air Force 60 A330MRTTs on order. At a briefing training program. In 2019, the manufac- KC-30A (A330) MRTT. Now the RSAF will at the Singapore show yesterday, Johan turer opened its first ab initio training cen- take part in the ongoing development, Pelissier, Airbus head of Asia-Pacific, STORY INDEX ters. The initial two—in Mexico City and flight test, and certification program. Air- said that the company was talking to Additive manufacturing ......................................20 in France—are part of plans to develop 20 bus hopes to get that ticket in 2021. Indonesia about an MRTT order. Talks Airbus .............................................................2, 22 such facilities by 2025. These academies The A3R system reduces operator work- with India have dragged on, but Airbus ATR ....................................................................... 3 are designed to bring in new students up to load and increases the accuracy of contact says that the requirement is huge and BAMS ...................................................................18 the level of a pilot’s license. Candidates will with the receiver aircraft. It also provides well worth pursuing. n Bell .......................................................................7 receive ground school and flight training. Boeing ..................................................... 3, 6, 7, 16 The centers augment Airbus’s 18 training centers aimed at training pilots on its line of CAE ........................................................................7 aircraft. One of the largest is in Singapore, China carrier fleet ...............................................14 equipped with eight simulators for the A320 GAMI .....................................................................8 through the A380. Maillard emphasized a Indian Air Force ...................................................16 need to meet training needs in Asia-Pacific, Japan Airlines/Zipair ............................................. 4 where an estimated 220,000 pilots will be Jet Aviation ................................................... 18, 20 needed over the next 20 years. Korean Air ............................................................ 4 The focus on training is part of a multi- Malaysia Defence White Paper ...........................10 faceted effort for Airbus to build up its PPG Aerospace ...................................................14 services portfolio, with ambitions to be a Pratt & Whitney ..................................................22 $10 billion provider in services in the next Rolls-Royce ........................................................... 4 decade. The company’s services portfolio Royal Thai Air Force .........................................6, 9 brought in $3.5 billion in 2018. It is growing RTAF U-1 ............................................................... 3 in double-digit figures yearly as it builds Sanad ...................................................................8