AEROSPACE 2017 August 44 Number 8 Volume Society Royal Aeronautical August 2017 AFRICAN AIRLINES BETTER BRIEFINGS FOR PILOTS ISRAEL’S MISSILE DEFENCE SYSTEM www.aerosociety.com MAGNETIC ATTRACTION? DAVID LEARMOUNT ASKS, WHY ARE WE NOT USING TRUE NORTH? On demand, cost effective dedicated payload delivery to any orbit Skyrocketing innovation. We’re in the midst of a new space race. Around the world, demand for innovative satellite applications is surging, creating an enormous appetite for small payload launch capabilities. Even the most modern small vertical launch systems still demand dedicated, remote and costly fixed infrastructure. Only horizontal launch systems and spaceports can offer the global small payload launch capacity necessary to meet current demand and fuel future growth. follow us Volume 44 Number 8 August 2017 North by North Why does Taxi to LEO please aviation continue Six years after the last 14 to navigate by Space Shuttle mission, Magnetic North 38 the US counts down rather than True to regaining its human North? spacefl ight access. Contents Boeing Defense Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: The Editor, AEROSPACE, No.4 Hamilton Place, London W1J 7BQ, UK [email protected] Comment Regulars 4 Radome 12 Transmission The latest aviation and Your letters, emails, tweets aeronautical intelligence, and feedback. analysis and comment. 58 The Last Word Smothering the infant king 10 Antenna Keith Hayward looks at Howard Wheeldon the increasing competition considers Boeing’s claims between private and Some 40 years ago, the then civil airliner giants of Boeing, McDonnell of unfair competition from government space Douglas and Lockheed laughed at the idea of a European ‘Airbus’ widebody Bombardier’s CSeries. enterprise. ever competing with them. Today, however, it is a different story with the big airline duopoly consisting of Airbus and Boeing – bitter rivals but both keen to Features Xevi V Xevi see off new entrants on their turf, such as Embraer and Bombardier. Yet two Israeli Defence Force things, perhaps, might strike an external observer as slightly peculiar in Boeing opening a new front against the CSeries. The fi rst is that the current CSeries is aimed at the smaller single-aisle market segment (103-133 seat). The trend for airlines to upgauge and demand larger narrowbodies strongly suggests that Bombardier’s struggling CSeries poses no immediate direct threat to Chicago or Toulouse. The best-selling A321neo can be confi gured with 235 28 seats, while the recently launched MAX 10 can seat 230. Second, there is 18 a larger and bigger threat to Airbus and Boeing looming, that both seem Africa’s airline travails remarkably reticent to complain about – that of China. Unlike the CSeries, the Shielding Israel Why Africa’s carriers still COMAC C919 with 156-168 seats overlaps Airbus and Boeing’s bestselling An analysis of Israel’s three- struggle as successful tier anti ballistic missile business ventures. models. Yet, so far, there has been no effort to strangle the young heir in the defence system. crib. Conversely, it could be argued that Airbus and Boeing have actually been assisting the development of a giant civil aerospace rival with a A320 FAL 22 Briefi ng better and 737 completion centre the latest in transfers of skills, technology and How current pilot briefi ng knowledge that may one day come back to haunt them. It therefore is ironic procedures could be that action has been started against a rival airliner that is unlikely to match the improved. powerhouse of European and US aerospace commercial industry – yet the USAF real long-term threat to the civil airliner duopoly is quietly ignored for now… 26 Tim Robinson, Editor-in-Chief 32 [email protected] 2017 Paris Air Show report Romania’s Notorious MiGs A full report of the highlights A visit to Aerostar’s MRO at this year’s Le Bourget NEWS IN BRIEF facility in Romania. show. Editor-in-Chief AEROSPACE is published by the Royal 2017 AEROSPACE subscription Tim Robinson Aeronautical Society (RAeS). rates: Non-members, £160 +44 (0)20 7670 4353 Chief Executive Please send your order to: [email protected] Simon C Luxmoore Chris Male, RAeS, No4 Hamilton Place, Deputy Editor Advertising London W1J 7BQ, UK. 41 Bill Read Simon Levy +44 (0)20 7670 4352 Afterburner +44 (0)20 7670 4351 +44 (0)20 7670 4346 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Any member not requiring a print Publications Manager Unless specifi cally attributed, no version of this magazine, please 42 Message from our President Chris Male contact: [email protected] material in AEROSPACE shall be taken 43 Message from our +44 (0)20 7670 4352 to represent the opinion of the RAeS. USA: Periodical postage paid at [email protected] Chief Executive Reproduction of material used in this Champlain New York and additional Production Editor offi ces. Online publication is not permitted without the 44 Book Reviews Wayne J Davis written consent of the Editor-in-Chief. Postmaster: Send address changes Additional features and content +44 (0)20 7670 4354 to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, 47 Library Additions [email protected] Printed by Buxton Press Limited, are available to view online on Palace Road, Buxton, Derbyshire Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA. 48 IT FLIES USA www.media.aerosociety.com/ Book Review Editor SK17 6AE, UK aerospace-insight Brian Riddle 50 Corporate Partners ISSN 2052-451X Including: Do Avgeeks dream of electric Editorial Offi ce Distributed by Royal Mail 52 Diary fl eets?, Escort Spitfi res, ATM for UAVs, Plane Royal Aeronautical Society Speaking with AM Greg Bagwell, Five daily No.4 Hamilton Place 54 RAeS Golf Day blogs from 2017 Paris Air Show, Airbus London W1J 7BQ, UK 55 YPN in the spotlight A400M photo contest, Interview with +44 (0)20 7670 4300 [email protected] 56 RAeS elections Nigel Whitehead of BAE Systems, www.aerosociety.com Going Dutch with CAE. @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com AUGUST 2017 13 Radome INTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT Specifi cations Length 12m Wingspan 15.2m MTOW 6,070kg Powerplant 280kW (cruise) Seats 9 An aeroplane called Alice PAX (9+2) Designed for two pilots and up to nine Cruise altitude 10,000ft passengers the Alice would have a cruising Cruise speed 240kt speed of 240kt and a range of 1,000km. Range + reserve 600 miles Batteries Li-lon 980kWh Sub-scale demonstrator Eviation plans to de-risk the technology for Alice with an electric-powered sub-scale UAV demonstrator called Orca. As well as doing fl ight testing for Alice, Eviation revealed that the Orca, equipped with a sensor payload, will also be mapping underground water pipelines from November this year for Israeli water services company, Mekorot. Orca was selected for this project thanks to its high-speed of 150kt. 4 AEROSPACE / AUGUST 2017 Distributed propulsion Designed as a business and commuter aircraft, Alice is powered by a single main pusher propeller at the tail and two pusher propellers at the wingtips, reducing drag and creating redundancy. Battery power Some 65% of the aircraft’s weight is taken up by high energy density batteries which combines lithium-ion for high power needs and aluminium-air system for maximum range. “Structurally, it is a battery,” says CEO, Omer Bar-Yohay. Eviation W GENERAL AVIATION Alice in electroland Revealed at this year's Paris Air Show was Alice – an all-electric business and commuter aircraft being developed by Israeli start-up company Eviation Aircraft, which has been working on the concept for the past two years. The aircraft uses an unconventional layout with rear mounted and wing-tip electric motors. Carrying 6-9 people, Alice is aimed at revolutionising the business aviation and small commuter market, opening up new niches in affordable point-to-point travel with an operating cost goal of under $200 per fl ight hour. Eviation CEO Omer Bar- Yohay says a fi rst fl ight of Alice is planned for 2018, with certifi cation aimed at 2020. The company is now seeking some $50m in funding to bring the aircraft to market. @aerosociety i Find us on LinkedIn f Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com AUGUST 2017 5 Radome AEROSPACE SPACEFLIGHT Triple boost to UK aerospace R&D Cranfi China’s Long March 5 Cranfi eld University has announced that it is to build a eld University fails on second launch new £65m Digital Aviation Research and Technology Centre (DARTeC). The Centre will conduct research A Chinese Long March 5 after its fi rst launch in into areas such as the integration of UAVs into two-stage heavy lift rocket November, the payload civilian airspace, increasing the effi ciency of airports failed to reach orbit on 2 for this mission was the July after lifting off from Shijian-18 experimental through technological advances, creating safe, secure the Wenchang Launch communications satellite. shared airspace through secure data communication Complex LC101 on Hainan Approved for development infrastructures and increasing the reliability and availability Island in the southern in 2004, the Long March of aircraft through self-sensing, self-aware technologies. province of Hainan. The 5 rocket can insert 25t Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has announced plans to build a new engine testing facility cause of the failure has payloads into LEO and 14t at Derby. The new facility will be able to test various engines, including the Trent XWB, as not been disclosed but into GTO. The failure raises well as offering extra capacity for future powerplant programmes. The facility is part of a reports suggest that it may doubts over the schedule £150m investment into new infrastructure.