AE December 2019 ROSPACE HAVE SPACE SUIT – WILL TRAVEL CENTURY SERIES FIGHTERS REBORN BRITISH AIRWAYS – THE NEXT 100 YEARS www.aerosociety.com December 2019 V olume 46 Number 12 FILLING IN THE GAP OCEANIC ADS-B – THE FIRST RESULTS Royal A eronautical Society NATS Volume 46 Number 12 Suddenly I see Multirole life December 2019 How Aireon’s savers space-based A pioneering 14 ADS-B B is concept for multirole tracking aircraft 36 humanitarian drones flying across the in Africa. Atlantic. Contents Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK [email protected] Comment Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and social media feedback. analysis and comment. 58 The Last Word Airbus shows its stealth hand 10 Antenna Keith Hayward on the Howard Wheeldon reviews implications to the UK of Only a decade previously, it might have seemed that Germany was falling the prospects and future role the sale of Cobham to US of NATO. investors. behind in the stealth race. The UK, with experience in the Replica stealth demonstrator of the late 1990s and a partner on F-35, was developing its Taranis low-observable UCAV. Over in France, Dassault’s nEUROn was forging a similar path in testing a stealth platform. In Germany the Features only visible UCAV project at that time was the EADS Barracuda – which Pacific Spaceflight seemed by some to offer a lower stealth capability than its rivals. Today, 28 much has changed. Expensive strike UCAVs have now evolved into the need for cheaper ‘attritable’ loyal wingman or remote carriers that will act British Airways as force multipliers for crewed fighters. It is therefore no accident that 18 Germany (via AirbusDS) has chosen now to go public with a stealth project (see p 4) which it has been quietly working on over the past decade. Much like BAE Systems’ Replica, LOUT is a valuable showcase of German national capabilities in this extremely sensitive and critical area for the British Airways – the next Have spacesuit – will travel 100 years Franco/German/Spanish FCAS. With potential tricky negotiations about As humans increasingly With new aircraft and national workshare, Germany (and Airbus) have just turned over their cards work, live and play in orbit revamped interiors, BA looks – the emerging market for ahead to its next centenary. with an extremely strong hand as to their true capabilities. space suits. 22 A new era of training 32 Making money out The upcoming January edition of AEROSPACE at Gatwick of air Eagle-eyed readers may spot a few small changes in the next edition of CAE opens a new flight Analysing the economics of AEROSPACE – updating the look and content of the magazine to keep it simulation training centre in air taxi services. Crawley. fresh, relevant and exciting for this fast-changing world. I would like to pay USAF personal tribute to Howard Wheeldon, with his final ‘Antenna’ column in Russian MoD this month’s issue, for his incisive insight over the years. Look out for the 24 tweaks in the New Year! Tim Robinson, Editor-in-Chief 38 [email protected] Hypersonic weapons come of age 21st Century Boyd’s The new high-speed arms Can the USAF develop NEWS IN BRIEF race. fighters faster? Editor-in-Chief Editorial Office 2020 AEROSPACE subscription Tim Robinson Royal Aeronautical Society rates: Non-members, £180 +44 (0)20 7670 4353 No.4 Hamilton Place Please send your order to: [email protected] London W1J 7BQ, UK Wayne J Davis, RAeS, No.4 Hamilton +44 (0)20 7670 4300 Deputy Editor Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK. [email protected] 41 Afterburner Bill Read +44 (0)20 7670 4354 +44 (0)20 7670 4351 www.aerosociety.com [email protected] [email protected] AEROSPACE is published by the Royal Any member not requiring a print 42 Message from our President Aeronautical Society (RAeS). version of this magazine, please Production Manager Message from our Chief Executive contact: [email protected] 43 Wayne J Davis Chief Executive +44 (0)20 7670 4354 Sir Brian Burridge CBE FRAeS USA: Periodical postage paid at 44 Book Reviews [email protected] Advertising Champlain New York and additional 48 Library Additions Online +44 (0)20 7670 4346 offices. Publications Co-ordinator [email protected] 50 100 years of transatlantic Chris Male Postmaster: Send address changes Additional features and content are to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, flying +44 (0)20 7670 4352 Unless specifically attributed, no available to view online on Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. [email protected] material in AEROSPACE shall be taken 52 Diary www.aerosociety.com/aerospaceinsight to represent the opinion of the RAeS. Including: Publications Executive ISSN 2052-451X 56 Elections Annabel Hallam Reproduction of material used in this Century of transatlantic flying, Secret LOUT +44 (0)20 7670 4361 publication is not permitted without the stealth demonstrator, Commercial Red Air in the [email protected] written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. 21st Century, UK Counter-Unmanned Aircraft strategy, In the November issue of Book Review Editor Printed by Buxton Press Limited, AEROSPACE, The new hypersonics arms Brian Riddle Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire [email protected] SK17 6AE, UK race, The economics of air taxis, New Distributed by Royal Mail era of flight training at Gatwick. Front cover: Air traffic across the North Atlantic. (NATS) @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com DECEMBER 2019 13 Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT Diamonds are forever The 12m wingspan vehicle features a flat diamond-shaped planform, with low RCS intakes on the top surface. The diamond UCAV with a cockpit shape was whittled down from around 11 configurations that included B-2-esquese LOUT is unpiloted but features a notional flying wings. cockpit canopy to test various transparencies. Particular attention has been made to make the canopy non-reflective to radar waves. A key objective of LOUT has been its modular approach to allow different sub-components to be tested. W DEFENCE LOUT of the Black In early November, Airbus Defence and Space revealed a diamond-shaped classified stealth demonstrator which the company has been developing for the past decade as a national German R&D project. The LOUT (Low Observable UAV Testbed), seen here in an anechoic test chamber in Manching, was designed as a holistic ground-based very low observable demonstrator to investigate the latest in stealth technology − particularly against emerging threats like low-frequency ‘counter-stealth’ radars. It is also optimised for low observability in IR, visual and acoustic bandwidths − as well as investigating emissions control for sensors and datalinks. Research from LOUT is expected to find its way into the pan-European FCAS combat aircraft project, as well as flow back into Eurofighter upgrades. 4 AEROSPACE / DECEMBER 2019 LOUT specifications Wingspan 12m Weight 4tonnes Smooth operator Speed Subsonic The demonstrator also features conformal embedded antennas – again with the emphasis on integrating these apertures closely into the outer skin of the aircraft to ensure no edges that could impact RCS. As well as conformal antennas and reducing gaps between openings, LOUT also includes surface wave attenuation and ‘further coatings’ to treat locally significant effects – stealth coatings which the company refused to elaborate further on. Shielded exhaust The exhaust for the engine(s) exits through a flat, wide nozzle on the top of the aircraft and is shielded from the ground and sides. Airbus has also paid special attention to lowering the IR signature and cooling – noting how modern IR systems make jet engine exhausts stand out. Another technology that has been investigated is engine thrust vectoring control. Can you see me now? The multi-disciplinary approach to LOUT also extended to giving the vehicle (or operators) self-awareness of its own stealth signature. @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com DECEMBER 2019 5 Radome First news from DEFENCE Dubai Air Show First RAF P-8 Poseidon handed over Crown CopyrightCrown Emirates has confirmed and increased a previous commitment from 30 to 50 Airbus A350-900s but removed 40 A330neos from its orginal order. Additionally, Emirates said it was converting and confirming an order for 40 787-10s to 30 787-9s. It has also shaved 24 aircraft from its 777X order, leaving it with 126 airframes still on order. The UAE Air Force has announced plans to purchase two additional Saab Globaleye AEW aircraft and three additional Airbus A330MRTT tankers. It will also acquire 24 locally-developed Calidus B-250 light attack turboprops. Kazakhstan low-cost carrier FlyArystan, a spin-off of Air Astana, has signed a letter-of-intent (LoI) for 30 On 29 October, Boeing delivered the first P-8A Poseidon MRA1 maritime patrol aircraft Boeing 737 MAX 8s. to the RAF to begin crew training at US Naval Air Station, Jacksonville, Florida. Adapted Air Arabia signed an order for 120 Airbus from the 737NG, nine P-8s are scheduled for delivery to the RAF by November 2021, A320neo family aircraft. with the fleet to be based at RAF Lossiemouth. AEROSPACE AIR TRANSPORT Bombardier sells off aerostructures Airlines extend 737 MAX and MRO arm to Spirit grounding to March US carriers Southwest MAXs on order and had Airlines and American 34 delivered when the Airlines have removed the aircraft was grounded, grounded Boeing 737 had axed the MAX from its MAX airliner from their schedules until February. future flight schedules Meanwhile, Boeing until at least the first week revealed that it was of March 2020 − almost a ‘possible’ deliveries to Bombardier full year after the second customers could resume Bombardier has announced the sale of its aerostructures business to Spirit of two fatal crashes this month, with the jet AeroSystems for $500m.