AIN Paris Airshow News 06 20 13

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Thursday 6.20.13

Airshow News

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Records tumble in order blitz

by Charles Alcock The 2013 Paris Air Show is on track to be the one of the highest-value air shows ever in terms of new business announcements.

A brief analysis by AIN showed that by the end of yesterday sales on the civil side alone had already topped $165 billion. This total covered airliners, helicopters, business aircraft and engines, but excluded any associated service contracts. It included many

uplifted This year’s Paris show has not disappointed those with optimism for a resumption of commerce. Signs point to a prosperous return to Le Bourget two years from now.

A400M

PHOTOS: MARK WAGNER

787

Su-35S

Rafale

Airbus sips A350-flavor champagne Airbus notched up firm orders for a further 55 examples of its now-flying A350 XWB airliner yesterday here in Paris, with Air France-KLM and Singapore Airlines signing major deals. The European airframer now has 668 firm orders for the A350.

And, for good measure, Airbus also managed yesterday to close a major fleet-upgrade MoU

GA Flying

E-warfare

Engines

Vendor Visits

Single Engine IFR Success French authorities have finally awarded certification for single-engine IFR passenger flights (in the TBM 850) in instrument meteorological conditions in Europe, although such flights must begin and end in France for now. Page 6

Elettronica Expands EW

GE’s New Ceramics Plant

Visitors View Thales Demos

Italian avionics group Elettronica is demonstrating the Virgilius integrated electronic warfare (EW) architecture system, new directional infrared countermeasures for Manpads and self-protection suite for SAR helicopters. Page 12

GE Aviation is building a new factory in North Carolina to mass-produce ceramic matrix composite materials that will be introduced for the inner and outer combustion liner and turbine airfoils for the GE9X turbofan. Page 14

Thales has opened two facilities near Paris where visitors can view innovative technologies for air defense data gathering and dissemination. Paris Air Show visitors can get a taste at Thales’s pavilion outside Hall 2. Page 18

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AINonline.com Don’t miss expanded coverage of all the news at the Paris Air Show.

Airbus, its logo and the product names are registered trademarks.

With the A380, the sky is yours. The A380 is designed to maximize airline revenues. By scheduling the A380 on constrained slots and high yield routes, airlines will experience a significant uplift of passengers to really take advantage of high yield traffic. That means higher market share, maximized slot profitability and higher revenues.

Own the sky

Fighter market updates

halls a poppin’ Plenty to see and do, and a plethora of visitors to Paris 2013.

DAVID McINTOSH

OMG! Unmanned Gripen

Records tumble in order blitz uContinued from page 1

as-yet unconfirmed options and commitments, but AIN did exclude any previously announced business (where the customer identity had not been confirmed).

Arch rivals Boeing and Airbus were neck-and-neck in the deal-making Olympics, with around $55 billion worth of contracts when, late yesterday afternoon, Singapore Airlines confirmed a $14.2 billion contract for 30 A350-900s plus options for 20 more.

For Boeing, one of the biggest-ticket items was provisional orders for its new 787-10 widebody, which was officially launched here on Tuesday. Officially, this does not yet have a price tag but some have valued the launch commitments at almost $30 billion.

The biggest deals of the day came from the engine sector with CFM International taking its show total to just above

Airbus sipping A350 champagne uContinued from page 1

with Sri Lankan Airlines.

The Air France-KLM Group signed for 25 firm and 25 optioned Airbus A350900s, marking the first time a joint order has been placed by the group. Singapore Airlines, meanwhile, firmed up an order for 30 A350-1000s, with 20 options that can be converted to firm orders for either the -900 or -1000 model. Being the third order placed by the airline for XWBs, it takes its firm orders for Airbus’s new widebody to 70.

$15 billion, with orders from Ryanair, TUI and the CIT leasing group. Rolls-Royce won $1.1 billion in turbofan sales for Air France-KLM A350s, plus another $800 million from a Sri Lankan Airlines deal. International Aero Engines has done almost $1 billion of business this week.

Among regional airliner makers, Embraer has topped the rankings, largely thanks to provisional business for its just launched E-Jets E2 family. This took projected spending for its portfolio during show week to $18.7 billion.

ATR, which yesterday sold 20 ATR72-600s to leasing group HGI, announced almost $2.6 billion in new business, including a firm order for 35 ATRs from Nordic Aviation Capital.

Bombardier has also had a profitable time in the French capital, but largely on the business aircraft side where it logged just over $1.8 billion in new sales. AgustaWestland had a string of new helicopter sales, valued by AIN at roughly $430 million. o Sri Lankan’s MoU is for complete replacement of its fleet of A330-200s and A340200s with A330-300s and A350900s. John Leahy, Airbus chief operating officer-customers, said the deal would be firmed up “within a month.” In the $2.6 billion sale, Sri Lankan will purchase six Airbus A330-300s and four A350-900s directly from Airbus and will lease a further three A350s. Deliveries of the A330s will begin in October 2014 and of the A350s in 2017. The A340s would, said Sri Lankan CEO Kapila Chandrasena, be returned to the lessor as the new aircraft arrived. –I.S. and J.M.

Saab CEO Håkan Buskhe revealed this week that the company is considering an Optional Manned Gripen (OMG).

Buskhe recognizes that many “dull and dangerous” missions could be performed better by an unmanned aircraft and that OMGs could perhaps operate in a formation under the control of piloted aircraft.

Saab (Chalet A278, Static D146) head of aeronautics Lennart Sindahl said development would begin with basic altitude hold and waypoint navigation before increasing in complexity to the point where an unmanned Gripen could operate tactically with reference to a manned lead aircraft.

Someday it might even undertake complex beyond-visualrange maneuvers, he said.

New Eurofighter MD

The new managing director of Eurofighter said here yesterday that that the company must become leaner, more flexible and take decisions faster. CEO Alberto Gutierrez arrived 10 days ago from Spain, where he was head of operations at Airbus Military.

This week’s news from the partner countries concerns the Meteor missile. On May 31, Germany became the last of the four to sign a production contract with MBDA, and Eurofighter signed a Meteor integration contract with the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (Netma) here at the Paris show. The partner air forces will go operational with the top-of-the-range airair missile in 2016-17, according to Gutierrez.

The new boss said that Eurofighter (Chalet A262, Static D126) hopes to capture 25 percent of nearly 1,000 combat aircraft that are projected to be bought in the next

u Go to AINonline.com for full story.

00 4 Paris ParisAirshow AirshowNews News• •June June20, 18,2013 2013• •www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com

decade. The current sales campaigns are in Korea (40 to 60 aircraft, best and final offers submitted), Kuwait, Qatar and Malaysia.

JSF “Much Improved”

U.S. government procurement officials issued a “much improved” report on the state of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter program last week.

The Pentagon’s under secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics Frank Kendell said he was cautiously optimistic about increasing the production rate, although the flight test program was still only 40 percent complete.

The focus is now on sustainment, Kendall said. “We’re attacking the life cycle costs and looking hard at bringing in competition,” he added.

In yesterday’s F-35 briefing here, Lockheed Martin v-p of program integration Steve O’Bryan said that the test program is now on schedule, following the revisions three years ago to what he admitted was previously “an over-optimistic plan.” –C.P. & D.D. u

Go to AINonline.com for full story.

Ryanair upS Boeing’s luck Boeing and Ryanair reached terms on the U.S. manufacturer’s largest ever firm aircraft order from a European airline yesterday.

The deal, worth $15.6 billion at current list prices, calls for delivery over five years of 175 new Boeing 737-800s starting in September 2014. The order stands to raise Ryanair’s fleet count to more than 400 by the summer of 2018 from about 300 today.

–G.P.

u

Go to AINonline.com

for full story.

CIT ORDERS 30 BOEING 737 MAX 8S CIT Aerospace placed a firm order for 30 Boeing 737 Max 8s here yesterday. The order, worth some $3 billion at list prices, calls for delivery to CIT’s lessees in 2019 and 2020.

Appearing with Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Ray Conner, CIT Transportation Finance president Jeffrey Knittel expressed interest in placing orders for more airplanes, including the 787-10, the launch of which Boeing announced here at the Paris Air Show. –G.P.

Paris

Airshow News

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Argentina’s Pampa III won’t include UK parts

The current in-service version of the IA-63 is the Pampa II, which introduced a partial avionics update. The new Pampa III features a completely new avionics suite provided by Elbit.

by David Donald

Third Generation

Pampa III represents the third generation of the trainer. Designed with the help of Dornier, the original aircraft entered service in 1988, and 18 were built for the Fuerza Aérea Argentina (Argentine air force). The type was also proposed (in conjunction with Vought) as the Pampa 2000 for the U.S. Jpats competition. In 2004-05 12 were given a partial avionics overhaul to become Pampa IIs and were joined by six similar new-build aircraft.

As a first step to a third generation of Pampa, Fadea re-engined the aircraft with a Honeywell TFE731-40-2N engine (replacing the original TFE731-2-2N) to create the Pampa II-40. The “Dash 40” engine will also power new-production Pampa III machines.

This program got under way in October 2012 with the initial aim of producing 40 new aircraft for the FAA. Following on from that, Fadea is hopeful of selling another 60 or so aircraft and signed a deal with Grob to market the Pampa III jointly as part of an integrated training system with the Grob G 120TP. As well as the new engine and ejection seat, the Pampa III has an all-new avionics system provided by Elbit. It has three large-screen displays and is integrated with a helmetmounted display. The system allows data-linked training.

Fadea now has the first of an initial batch of 18 Pampa IIIs in production and is scheduled to roll out the first aircraft in October. First flight is expected in December, leading to certification by Argentina’s military approval authority in May next year. The factory will deliver at a rate of one per month.

Light Attack Version

With development of the IA-63 Pampa III trainer version complete, Fadea and its partners are working on a light attack/weapons trainer version, designated IA-63GT. The final 22 aircraft of the FAA’s order will be in the armed configuration. A first IA-63GT should be built next year, and all deliveries are scheduled for completion by 2017.

In terms of international cooperation, Fadea is a partner in the Embraer KC-390 military transport and a major participant in the yet-to-be-named Unasur I regional basic trainer program that brings together a number of South American countries. The consortium is currently evaluating powerplant options for this project, which aims to produce a prototype by the end of next year. Final assembly will be conducted by Fadea, and it will be initially certified in Argentina.

Pampa III and Unasur I illustrate Fadea’s desire to grow in capability through technology transfer and international collaboration. The company’s management has high ambitions: referring back to two indigenous fighter projects from the 1940s and 1950s, Argañaraz remarked, “One day we would love to have an aircraft called Pulquí III.” o

6 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

Single-engine IFR okayed for Europe, within limits

by Julian Moxon Today, Daher-Socata is celebrating the French DGAC’s award of certification for singleengine passenger flight in the TBM 850 in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) in Europe. Full EASA IMC certification for single-engine passenger operations remains the goal, but for now TBM 850 operators can at least fly in IMC conditions anywhere in Europe, as long as the trip begins and ends in France, with the same passengers on the return leg.

The TBM 850 at the show is a special-missions variant, which has been fitted with a fully retractable electric turret

Voldirect SAS Flies TBM 850s Rennes, France-based TBM 850 operator Voldirect SAS has received an Air Operator’s Certificate allowing it to fly passengers on commercial flights under the new public passenger mode announced by the European Commission. A joint statement from aircraft manufacturer Daher-Socata and Voldirect said, “The high reliability of the TBM 850’s Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 turboprop powerplant… made possible this evolution of the regulations to allow the use of single-engine pressurized aircraft for public transport of passengers in instrument meteorological conditions.” –J.M.

located under the rear fuselage, which can house high-definition, fully digital multi-sensors for security and defense needs.

It also features a Thales I-Master synthetic aperture radar and ground moving-target indicator. The aircraft can also be used for passenger transport, light cargo and medical evacuation.

Daher-Socata has already sold 40 multi-mission versions of the TBM family to government and private operators.

“With this new combination of the high-performance sensors, the TBM 850 MMA offers a highly affordable, cost-effective airborne multi-mission platform for both security and governmental operators,” said

Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of Daher-Socata’s airplane division.

Leading Part

A new film about the Patrouille de France has been released at the show and claims to portray the aerobatic team “as they have never been seen before.” The film’s producer and directors, Eric Magnan and Francoise-Olivier Robin, have captured exceptional moments in the Patrouille’s display thanks to the use of a specially-configured TBM 850, which flies fast enough to keep up with the Patrouille’s Alphajets. Daher-Socata formed a partnership last year with the Patrouille de France and collaborated on development of the film, which celebrates the Patrouille’s 60th anniversary and is narrated by French TV personality Michel Drucker. A preview of the film will be shown on the Breitling stand (Static A166) at 4 p.m., Friday June 21. The film is available as a DVD on sale at the show, too. o

DAVID McINTOSH

After many years of performing MRO and modernization, Argentina’s historic military aircraft factory at Córdoba is back in business building new aircraft.

Now known as Fábrica Argentina de Aviones “Brigadier San Martin” or Fadea for short, the factory has put the IA-63 jet trainer back in production in a new-generation version, which is known as Pampa III. The factory has amassed an impressive roster of international partners for the project, but there is no place for any UK supplier.

“We are not going to use any British-made components. It’s impossible,” said Raúl Alberto Argañaraz, speaking to AIN here at the show. “We have to remember we are civil servants of the government. Our policy is to defend and secure our national interests. We are always looking for the best alternatives to give us [technological] autonomy.”

One element of the current Pampa that thus needs replacement is the original MartinBaker Mk 10 ejection seat.

Fadea has turned to Zvezda to provide the seats for the new IA-63 variant. Argañaraz noted that the Russian company has offered good technology transfer terms, whereas none would be available from Martin-Baker.

However, he conceded that, “If some customer prefers the Martin-Baker seat then we will offer it…if Martin-Baker are willing to work with us, of course.”

Daher-Socata is showcasing the multi-mission (MMA) version of the TBM 850 here in Paris (Static O62). A retractable sensor pod is mounted on the aft fuselage.

SUKHOI SUPERJET 100

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Certified by the European Aviation Safety Agency and combining state-of-the-art avionics, lower emissions, reduced operating costs and excellent reliability, the Sukhoi Superjet 100 has now been ordered by Interjet, our first western customer. It’s where the world’s going.

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Elbit shows wide diversity in its products on display

An-70 spools up again The new short takeoff and landing Antonov An-70 military transporter will soon complete joint state testing, according to Dmytro Kiva, Antonov president and general designer and academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The An-70’s noise certification has been issued, he added.

The An-70 is a four-engine freighter with contra-rotating propellers, optimized for operations from unpaved runways from 600 to 700 meters in length while hauling a cargo payload of up to 20 tons more than 1,600 nm.

Kiva compares the An-70 to the Airbus Military A400M, “with the only difference being in the tail.” Typical An-70 loads include 300 fully equipped troops or 206 ill and/or wounded personnel. The An-70’s high-lift coefficient wing allows it to fly extremely slowly, around 54 knots, which aids in the air-dropping of cargo and paratroops “with less scatter than any counterpart flying at [86 to 108 knots] to enjoy a pinpoint accuracy touchdown,” according to the company.

–N.M.

Saab’s low-cost sea scout Embraer on the march

by David Donald Saab is promoting its 340MSA Maritime Patrol Aircraft solution here at the Paris show (Static D146)–it is available for around the cost of a King Air while offering greater capacity and mission flexibility, according to Saab.

Using an airliner as a platform brings with it a level of reliability that is required for intensive use and, while the 340 airframes are second-hand, the Saab factory refurbishes them to an asnew standard. The company offers at least the industry-standard 12-month warranty on the aircraft and, providing they are used according to the manuals, Saab says the aircraft can serve for at least 30 more years.

“The aircraft will not be the limiting factor,” Rickard Hjelmberg, v-p of marketing and sales for maritime surveillance, told AIN. “You will change the mission equipment many times before

you need to change the aircraft.”

In its baseline maritime surveillance configuration, as seen here on the company demonstrator aircraft in the static park, the 340MSA has a single operator station, but there is plenty of room for additional consoles or equipment. The cabin could also be configured with medical stations for medevac duties, or even with VIP seating areas.

Saab has devised a capable mission system based on primary sensors, including the Telephonics 1700B radar and a Flir HD electro-optical/infrared sensor in a retractable turret. The aircraft also has an Automatic Identification System (AIS) transponder for plotting vessels, and an automatic direction-finder that scans regular distress beacon frequencies. The direction-finder can also quickly calculate the survivor’s position through triangulation. o

MARK WAGNER

In baseline configuration the 340MSA’s mission system can easily be manned by one operator.

8 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

A new firm order for seven E190 airliners from Venezuela’s Conviasa led Embraer’s commercial activity here Tuesday. The deal involved a conversion of options from an order placed in July 2012 and raised Conviasa’s firm order count to 13 E190s. It still holds options for another seven.

Embraer (Chalet B387, Static E188, Static I) also identified Japan Airlines as the customer for an order for four more E170s.

With that deal, JAL has now placed firm orders for 15 E170s.

Other Embraer-related news involved Air Costa of Vijayawada, India, which has acquired three E-Jets for launch of its scheduled regional airline service in India. Air Costa has arranged delivery of two E170s via ECC Leasing, Embraer’s whollyowned subsidiary. The new carrier has also bought a single new E190 from Embraer. That firm order already appeared in Embraer’s backlog as business from an undisclosed customer.

Finally, a new commercial airline in Europe, Air Lituanica of Vilnius, Lithuania, has acquired two Embraer E-Jets. The carrier plans to launch scheduled service on June 30 with one E170 leased from a third party. In July, Air Lituanica also plans to add an E175 leased from ECC Leasing. –N.M.

Plenty of new and unique equipment is on display in and outside the Elbit Systems pavilion (Chalet A198), according to the Israeli company’s new president and CEO Butzi Machlis.

This includes the SPS-65-V5 selfprotection system for the Hermes 900 and other UAVs; a wide-area full motion video sensor for the same drone; unattended ground sensors; and a ‘mini’ version for helicopters of Music, the Elbit DIRCM system that protects airliners from ground-launched missiles. Meanwhile, the company’s U.S. subsidiary is showing a new version of the JHMCS helmet for combat aircraft pilots in Hall 3 E111.

The Hermes 900 standing outside the pavilion displays a range of advanced sensors, including the Gabbiano multi-mode radar from Selex ES; Elbit’s own Emerald AES-210 ESM system; Skyfix Comint receiver and SkyJam communication jammer; and Advanced Multi-Sensor Payload System. This is a highly stabilized electro-optical payload for long-range, stand-off

missions, packaged with its own inertial and GPS navigation.

The new full motion video sensor is named Skyeye and offers coverage of 100 sq km.

Inside the pavilion, there is Elbit’s vision for a new-generation cockpit for large aircraft.

CockpitNG has one large central display that is fully integrated with helmet-mounted and head-up displays. Another display suite shows Elbit’s solution for C-130 upgrades, again integrating head-up, head-down or helmet-mounted displays.

The Music system is well represented. In addition to the new Mini-Music, the podded ‘C’ version is hung from the pavilion ceiling. It is flying on a Boeing 737 and a KC-135 and can be fitted or removed in 30 minutes. The ‘J’ version for large aircraft, which consists of the sensors and lasers distributed around the aircraft, is also on display. Other aircraft that are flying with protection from Music include AgustaWestland AW101s, Alenia C-27Js, Lockheed Martin C-130Js and the forthcoming Embraer KC-390. o

A Kamov test crew thrills Le Bourget crowds with the Ka-52’s maneuverability.

MARK WAGNER

DAVID McINTOSH

by Chris Pocock

maritime duty is next up for Ka-52 Turning heads at Le Bourget whenever it takes to the skies is Kamov’s Ka-52 helicopter. Its co-axial rotor blades and comprehensive weapons suite mark it out from the herd and, amazingly for a helicopter, it even has ejection seats. With the Ka-52 now in Russian army service and being touted for export, the design bureau is busy working on a maritime version for the Russian navy.

Kamov has championed the co-axial layout for many years, arguing that it increases agility and performance (particularly vertical climb) while making the helicopter safer by removing any torque problems and, as a consequence, any need for a tailrotor.

Today’s Ka-52 is the latest iteration of a line of Kamov combat helicopters that reaches back to the single-seat Ka-50 that made an appearance at the Paris Air Show in 1993.

–D.D.

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news clips z Business Expanding at Aero Sekur Survival systems specialist Aero Sekur (Hall 1 F24) is highlighting major new contracts for the company’s floatation and external liferaft systems. The company is also opening a new repair and overhaul joint venture and it has increased its international presence and appointed a new COO, Marco Borghesi.

Business expansion includes the newly-formed joint venture HRD Aero Sekur for the repair and overhaul of commercial aircraft escape slides, slide rafts, liferafts, fire extinguishers and onboard oxygen systems. A recent order for emergency flotation and external liferaft systems for the AgustaWestland 189 will include the benefit of reduced costs for the equipment.

Aero Sekur recently opened an office in São Paulo, Brazil with plans drawn to develop a manufacturing facility for aerospace and defense products.

z ITT Exelis to Provide Aireon ADS-B Data ITT Exelis has been awarded a $42 million contract from the Aireon venture to provide automatic dependent surveillancebroadcast (ADS-B) data processing and distribution for its satellite-based air traffic surveillance system. Aireon, a joint venture of Iridium Communications and Nav Canada, will provide aircraft position reports to subscribing air navigation service providers (ANSPs) using hosted ADS-B payloads on the Iridium Next constellation of satellites. ITT Exelis (here at Chalet C4) will design and build the data processing and distribution platform and will operate and maintain the system for 15 years from first launch. “We are truly excited to become a core partner in building Aireon’s revolutionary air traffic management capability,” said Pamela Drew, president of Exelis Information Systems. “Our commercial business model, which delivers ground-based air traffic surveillance as a service to the FAA, serves as the foundation for Aireon’s innovative delivery method to ANSPs and airlines worldwide.”

z V-22 Osprey Prospects List Revealed At a briefing here Monday, the Pentagon’s V-22 Osprey program manager presented a long list of countries that had shown some interest in acquiring the Bell-Boeing tiltrotor.

Marine Corps Col. Greg Masiello cautioned that only Israel had firmed up a contract and that his office’s contact with some of the others was still in the early stages. Nevertheless, the list is interesting and worth repeating: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Libya, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, U.A.E. and the UK. The big news in the V-22 program is last week’s award of another multi-year buy: 99 more aircraft worth $6.5 billion over five years. The program office said the deal would save U.S. taxpayers nearly $1 billion, compared with contracting annually. “It’s a good vote of confidence. This contract takes us close to the original program of record total for the V-22,” noted Boeing Defense and Security vice-president of business development Chris Raymond here last Sunday.

z Thales Wins Romanian Navy Order Thales has been chosen by Romanian helicopter manufacturer IAR Brasov to supply the TMS 2000 sonobuoy to equip IAR-330 Puma helicopters operated by the Romanian navy. The TMS 2000 offers a rapidly deployable anti-submarine warfare (ASW) capability. The operational performance of sonobuoys has improved over recent years, making them an increasingly serious threat to any submarine seeking to avoid detection. The advantage of the TMS 2000 processors is that installation requires only minor modifications to the aircraft.

Sonobuoys are released over the sea by a fixed- or rotary-wing aircraft and send acoustic data to the processor via a VHF link to a receiver that processes data in real time. “The processors will give the Romanian navy a decisive ASW capability to detect submarines in the Black Sea, in particular as part of NATO missions,” according to Thales.

12 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

Elettronica expanding self-protection offerings

by Charles Alcock Italian avionics group Elettronica is demonstrating the Virgilius integrated electronic warfare (EW) architecture system at its Paris Air Show exhibit (Hall 1 E294), as well as the ELT/572 directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system for protecting against man-portable air defense (Manpad) weapons. It has also unveiled its latest self-protection suite for combat search-andrescue helicopters.

The company is highlighting the combination of receiving and transmitting modules in one antenna, which Elettronica president Enzo Benigni explained has meant faster receive/transmit multiplexing to allow both traditional and new electronic countermeasures to be implemented for various EW purposes.

According to the Rome-based group, its EW solutions include the Dass Pod self-protection system for the Eurofighter Typhoon and the ELT/568 ALQ-703 escort support jammer. Other airborne platforms protected by Elettronica include Dassault’s Mirage 2000 fighter, the NH90 helicopter and Lockheed Martin’s C27J transport.

Virgilius is a multi-platform system for protecting fixed-wing and rotorcraft, offering advanced signal processing capability.

Meanwhile the ELT/572 DIRCM

package uses fiber laser technology to enhance the effectiveness of the infrared countermeasures, as well as improving reliability and efficiency. According to Elettronica, the system also overcomes the traditional weakness of previous DIRCM suites by reducing installation constraints and maintenance issues. It also allows for the use of a small, dynamic turret that can move quickly and accurately concentrate the laser beam on the seekers of incoming missile threats using sophisticated algorithms.

The latest ALQ-703 is a podbased version of the ELT/568 family of jammers. The jammer offers fast emitter interception, real-time identification and dedicated electronic countermeasures and electronic attack features. The small, lightweight pod is designed to be fitted near the center of the aircraft to provide 360-degree coverage. It is self-cooled, self-powered and fully automated and can also interact with the rest of the platform’s self-protection suite.

Among the new platform opportunities Elettronica intends to pursue for its EW systems is the new Piaggio P.1HH HammerHead UAV unveiled here at the Paris Air Show. Despite some short-term impact from military budget cuts, Benigni said that opportunities

Sea Spear tests successful MBDA Missile Systems (Chalet B165) says it has carried out the first surface-tosurface salvo engagement of multiple fast-attack vessels with its Brimstone Sea Spear missile, equipped with a millimetricwave radar seeker.

On May 29 at the West Freugh test range in Scotland, the company launched three Brimstone missiles from a surface platform in rapid salvo against a simulated attack formation of five representative fast in-shore attack craft (FIAC), including four moored and one moving remotely-powered vessel. The three missiles acquired and engaged their respective targets at a range-constrained distance of between four and five kilometers.

MBDA UK is proposing Brimstone Sea Spear as a surface attack missile for deployment against FIACs and other

small surface threats in all weather environments. The salvo test “was our opportunity to say and show that [Brimstone] is a discriminate weapon,” said MBDA’s Frank Morgan, who provided a program update on Monday at Le Bourget.

On April 6, the company conducted a test launch against a single static vessel with a missile containing a telemetry unit to transmit data instead of a warhead. The missile scored a direct hit on the vessel’s control cabin, causing the target craft to sink.

Elettronica president and CEO Enzo Benigni has sought to increase research and development spending in a bid to keep the Italian firm ahead in the EW sector.

The electronic warfare self-protection equipment on display from Elettronica includes the ELT/572 directional infrared countermeasures turret.

in the area of self-protection are “looking up” for companies like his that have a technological edge.

Elettronica is also now moving into the fields of cyber warfare protection systems with solutions for cyber immunity and EW attack. o The April and May tests were a continuation of the June 2012 anti-FIAC trial conducted from a British Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 using a dual-mode Brimstone with millimetric wave and semi-active laser seeker.

MBDA executives said the program is currently focused on developing the Brimstone Sea Spear missile for deployment from a surface-based platform, however, it can be applied to airborne and other platforms. It offers a force protection weapon that can engage fast-attacking craft outside the range of medium-caliber naval guns. –B.C.

A Brimstone Sea Spear missile launches from a surface test platform.

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GE will build a ceramics plant to support GE9X technology GE Aviation has started building components and is “on track” with its GE9X engine development to meet Boeing’s objective of improving fuel burn by 10 percent on the new 777X widebody.

On Monday at the Paris Air Show, GE Aviation (Chalet B107, Hall 2A C52) announced that it will build a factory in Asheville, North Carolina, to mass produce ceramic matrix composite (CMC) materials, one of the technologies it will introduce in the inner and outer combustion liner and turbine airfoil components of the new engine to help it reach Boeing’s goal. “We’re going to make a significant investment in bringing these [materials] along,” said Bill Millhaem, GE general manager of GE90 and GE9X programs.

GE has built the first compressor for the GE9X at its Evendale, Ohio, facility and will ship the part to a GE Oil & Gas facility in Massa, Italy, for testing in July. Plans call for finalizing the engine design in 2015 and developing the first test engine the following year. GE will flight-test the engine on

a Boeing 747 testbed and aims to certify it in 2018.

Millhaem described various technology efforts the company is making to improve upon the fuel consumption of the GE90-115B engine that powers the 777-300ER. He said 500 engineers are working on a technology program that is expected to be a $2 billion overall investment.

“When Boeing came to us, they challenged us to get 10 percent better fuel burn than the -300ER has today,” Millhaem said. “So we reached deep into the GE toolkit to find technologies that would allow us to go 5 percent better on fuel burn beyond the GEnx [powering the Boeing 787] and any other widebody engines currently being developed.”

According to GE Aviation president and CEO David Joyce, the new ceramic matrix composite liners will account for one-fourth of this 10-percent efficiency gain. This is because the liners do not need any “parasitic” bleed air for cooling, he told AIN. The material, which is also about one-third

14 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

MARK WAGNER

by Bill Carey

GE Aviation president and CEO David Joyce, left, announced that the engine maker will build a factory in North Carolina to produce ceramic matrix components. Dan Forest, N.C. lieutenant governor, shared the news.

lighter than current metals used for liners, also allows for tighter blade clearances, resulting in a lower pressure loss.

The GE9X will have fourth-generation composite fan blades, Millhaem said. “This fan blade will incorporate a new, lighter weight, higher strength material that will allow us to make the blade thinner, wider-chord, more swept and incorporate new advanced 3-D

aerodynamics, which will allow us to go from 22 fan blades on today’s engine down to 16 fan blades on the GE9X, taking out weight and improving the performance of the engine.”

The GE9X will also use the composite front fan case from the GEnx engine, saving more than 700 pounds per aircraft compared to using an aluminum fan case he said. o

Farnborough Airshow site to get £25 million makeover

A two-phase upgrade to the Farnborough International Airshow site will see, first, a permanent chalet row, followed by a permanent exhibit hall. Phase 1 should be completed in time for next year’s show.

Phase 2 is scheduled for completion in time for the 2016 event.

by Chad Trautvetter The Farnborough International Airshow facilities will soon see almost £25 million in upgrades that Gerald Howarth, a UK Member of Parliament, said are a “real step-change forward that demonstrates a commitment to having the premier venue for airshows.” Announced yesterday here in Paris, the facilities upgrade will be done in two phases–the first of which includes building a permanent Chalet Row A and the latter of which involves erecting a permanent Hall 1.

According to Shaun Ormrod, CEO of show organizer Farnborough International (at the Paris Air Show in Hall 2b F146), the £2.5 million Phase 1 project, to be completed before next year’s airshow, will result in more–and roomier–chalets that are easier and less expensive to outfit for exhibitors. The permanent chalets will also have new utility infrastructure (power, water, sewer, Internet and so on) and will come with dedicated parking spaces, he added. All of the new chalets will have flat-roof structures that will improve the line-ofsight for the Row B chalets.

Ormrod said the £22 million, 18-month second phase will commence immediately after the conclusion of next year’s show, so that the new 25,000sq-m Hall 1 will be in place in time for Farnborough 2016.

This next hall will be “mixed use,” he said, meaning it will house exhibitors, conference rooms and seminars.

More upgrades to the Farnborough Airshow site are possible, but nothing beyond these two phases has been definitely planned, Ormrod said.

“We expect the new chalets to spark debate about Chalet Row B upgrades at the show next year,” he told AIN. “We’re happy to have that conversation.”

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Also, Farnborough International announced yesterday that it will introduce a general aviation park at next year’s airshow. The GA park will “showcase the latest in private and recreational flying and hopes to attract all the leading aircraft and helicopter manufacturers and distributors in this category.” GA park exhibitors can participate during the

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www.ainonline.com • June 20, 2013 • Paris Airshow News 15

IAI turns to its core tech to create total solutions

Thales AESA Radar Readies for Rafale

With president and CEO Joseph Weiss completing his first year in office, IAI has a relatively new cadre of top management executives, but remains focused on the development of new systems and technologies to face future challenges. A key element of the company’s strategy for sustained growth and development is cooperation with its customers, with governments and with other companies, both at home and overseas.

During the last year IAI (Chalet A206, Static B37 & B40) has maintained its performance. “We have enjoyed considerable success in several high-profile programs,” reported Weiss to AIN

One year into his tenure as head of the company, IAI’s Joseph Weiss has his hands on a wide range of initiatives.

just before the Paris Air Show, “which include successful first fly-out of our Arrow 3 exo-atmospheric interceptor, the launch of a new communication satellite program and certification of [the Gulfstream] G280 executive jet. On the business front, earlier this year we had a very successful issue of bonds through the Tel Aviv stock exchange.”

Range of Technologies

Here at Paris, IAI is showcasing many of its innovative product lines in the form of total solutions. The company has a range of technologies and products, in space, air, land and sea, as well as in defense, homeland security and commercial aviation. Highlighted systems include the Arrow ATBM, Awacs mission aircraft and the Green Pine national defense radar, as well as an array of advanced sensors, command and control systems and advanced network solutions.

“IAI’s total solutions combine our leading sensors, platforms,

C4I and weapons to offer new game-changing capabilities,” explained Weiss. “We are leveraging breakthrough achievements in high performance staring-sensors and networks to offer unprecedented performance in persistent intelligence and fire for area dominance. Our total dominance solution enables us to cover very large areas, detecting and tracking hundreds of targets in real time. It allows us to respond immediately and close the loop with precision weapons very effectively, at very high rates and with minimal collateral damage.”

Two-sided Challenges

IAI operates in both commercial and defense markets, and challenges are faced in both.

“The commercial aviation market is still suffering from the most recent global economic slowdown; it seems to be recovering very slowly,” said Weiss. “Our defense business is where I see our main emerging challenges.

Although we have done well in recent years, we are now looking at defense budget cuts in the USA and Europe. For IAI this means that we’ll be meeting more competitors in our foreign markets.

On the other hand, in our target markets we see a trend of rising barriers for foreign procurement, such as high offset demands and regulated preference for local industries. Overall, I believe the changing business landscape will also create new opportunities.

We have good reason to be optimistic about our future.”

One area where IAI has been active is in unmanned aerial vehicles, and in more than 30 years of operation IAI UAVs have racked up more than one million flight hours. The company offers a wide range of UAVs, from small vertical takeoff vehicles to the five-ton Heron TP. Although the smaller end of the market is important, Weiss foresees that IAI’s main UAV business will continue to be in the larger systems.

Another key segment for IAI is radar, in which the company’s Elta group is a world-leader.

“Radar-based systems are and will remain key in addressing basic operational needs for highaccuracy, long-range, day/night and all-weather ISR [intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance],” said Weiss. “Radar technology is also at the core of our integrated

16 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

DAVID McINTOSH

by David Donald

On display in the Thales pavilion, the AESA (active electronically scanned array) version of the RBE2 radar will soon become the first of its kind to go operational in Europe. The first French air force Rafale squadron to convert to the new fighter will receive four AESA-equipped aircraft in October. The first production radar was delivered last October and is completing operational testing at Mont de Marsan airbase.

Bruno Carrara, director of the Rafale program for Thales (Hall Concorde 51), told AIN that the Rafale’s air-to-air detection range is proving to be 50 percent greater than before, and the AESA also brings significant benefits to search-and-rescue mapping and in power management.

Existing Rafales are equipped with mechanically-scanned RBE2s, which can easily be replaced by the new version. However, the French have only ordered 60 AESA radars to date, to equip the Tranche 4 aircraft that Dassault is now delivering.

–C.P.

solutions for air, ground, naval and space IMINT [imagery intelligence], surveillance and reconnaissance, target acquisition, early warning and fire control systems.” The technology also allows IAI to offer sophisticated special-mission aircraft for AEW, Sigint and SAR/GMTI ground mapping missions.

IAI’s radar and system expertise, combined with its experience in modifying aircraft, allows it to provide highly capable platforms for the maritime patrol mission, which Weiss notes is increasingly important as threats proliferate.

As well as offering turn-key modification programs of fixed-wing aircraft, IAI is also offering the Heron UAV as a maritime patrol platform. According to Weiss, the Heron “has been in operational use by Israeli and foreign customers for over a decade.”

This maritime UAV uses a variety of IAI-made sensors, including long-range radar and observation systems, and Sigint intelligence-gathering systems. “IAI’s tight integration enables simultaneous use of the different sensors to achieve unmatched operational performance, including the discovery, identification and tracking of hundreds of targets, accurately and persistently, over a very large area,” added Weiss.

Although the company is focusing on defense systems at Paris, its commercial aviation capabilities are not being overlooked. The company is displaying the TaxiBot, an unmanned aircraft tug that tows aircraft robotically to allow them to taxi without operating their engines, in turn saving fuel, engine damage and pollution. This system will start operation at Frankfurt airport later this year. o

New stabilized payload is IAI’s ISR flagship As well as being a well-known ELK-7065 3D HF compact manufacturer of UAVs and pro- three-dimensional HF directionvider of special-mission aircraft finder. High-frequency commuconversions, Israel Aerospace nications have proliferated in Industries (IAI, Chalet A206, recent years as a means of providStatic B37 & B40) produces a wide ing long-range communications range of sensors and payloads that without the need for expensive are employed in the ISR (intel- satellite systems. Accordingly, ligence, surveillance, reconnais- the intelligence community has sance) role. A selection is being also become increasingly interpresented here at Paris, with a ested in pinpointing HF communications sources and listening number of new systems on show.

Among the debutantes is a true in, but current systems employ high-definition stabilized payload large antennas that are impracknown as the M-19 HD. Imple- tical for mounting on smaller mented as a single line-replace- platforms. The IAI system and its boomerang-shaped able unit, the M-19 HD is antennas is compact the flagship of IAI’s stabienough for carriage by lized payload options and UAVs and has recently is intended for a varibeen trialed on ety of applications a Heron 1 comacross a range of pany testbed. e nv i ro n m e n ta l Another ISR conditions. It can development be integrated with being highfixed- and rotarylighted at the wing aircraft, Paris Air Show UAVs, aerostats is the integraand vessels. The tion of an electronic multi-spectral payintelligence capabilload can be configured M-19 HD sensor pod ity to the company’s according to customer requirements with up to seven sen- ELM-2060 synthetic aperture sors. Options include: high-defi- radar pod. Increasing miniaturnition day or infrared cameras in ization of components in the zoom or spotter modes, laser des- existing pod has provided suffiignator, rangefinder, pointer, laser cient space for the addition of illuminator in near-IR, short-wave Elint sensors, which are based on infrared camera and electron-mul- those of the proven ELK-8385 tiplied charged coupled device interferometric ESM/Elint syscamera. The payload is 22.6 inches tem. The company has designated wide and 27.3 inches high. Weight the new dual-use pod as ELIis between 75 and 85 kilograms, 2060E and says it is capable of SAR/GMTI radar imagery with depending on configuration.

Another new system is the overlaid Elint information. –D.D.

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by Chris Pocock Thales has many things to show to visitors at its enclosure and pavilion outside Hall 2 at the Paris Air Show. But potential customers can also benefit from two new demonstration facilities that the company has built around Paris. At Genne­villiers, a Customer Innovation Centre (CIC) opened last ­February

communications when the former goes out of range.

In one of the smaller rooms, Valery Rousset was demonstrating the company’s C4ISR capabilities. He is the marketing director for C4ISR and said that Thales is one of only a handful of companies that can provide state-of-the art presentation Thales has introduced two new innovation centers where customers can sample the company’s products.

to show technology and systems from across the company.

The previous month, an Operations Centre was opened by the Thales Air Defense business at Rungis. Both are housed in new buildings, with Gennevilliers having replaced the company‘s old site at Colombiers.

“I believe that we have created something quite unique at Genne­ villiers,” said Xavier Lagrenade, vice-president of the CIC. “Here we are interfacing and dialoguing with our customers, understanding their needs and explaining our solutions,” he said during a pre-Paris Air Show media tour. “And sometimes we co-construct solutions on our collaborative workstations.”

The CIC can accommodate three or four delegations at a time. It consists of a large central area with big screens where high-level presentations are made and two smaller rooms where specialized equipment and solutions can be explored.

A local data center houses all the content, which is distributed via a cloud IT architecture.

During the tour, the big screens were showing Thales’s range of theater communications equipment, including new modems and smartphones, and a system that automatically switches users from line-of-sight radios to satellite

of intelligence data that has been merged from many sources. He showed a virtual fly-through of the Panshir Valley in Afghanistan, in which every pixel was geo-referenced. The line-of-sight between each point can be computed and merged with electromagnetic data, so that predictions of radio coverage can be made.

This is from NATO’s Joint Centre in Kabul; the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is one of Thales’s main customers.

Rousset also showed Geomaker, which presents analysts and commanders with a Recognized Environmental Picture (REP) after it has digested various data and layered it for greater understanding. A typical web portal of intelligence on Somalia was also shown.

“Our added value here is that we can add the tactics, techniques and procedures [TTP] in a secure manner,” said Rousset.

In another demo, full-motion video taken by a UAV was shown. It had been indexed to accurate satellite imagery of the same terrain via metadata, so that the UAV’s flightpath could be visually depicted.

“We are still only scratching the surface of digitized operations. The added value of Thales is filtering and managing the data,” Rousset said. In the Thales

18 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

Test pilots review elements of the flight plan before a test hop in the Airbus A350 XWB. The teams of suppliers that contributed to the program are closely watching the trials.

A350 XWB supplier teams join first flight celebrations

by David Donald The successful first flight of the Airbus A350 XWB in Toulouse last Friday was a major milestone in the program and one to be celebrated by the manufacturer and its major suppliers. Rolls-Royce (Chalet B89), in particular, was pleased to see its Trent XWB engines power the aircraft from Runway 32L at Blagnac airfield for its four-hour five-minute maiden flight.

Such a complex program as the A350 XWB brings together a large team of suppliers that have worked together to create the new airliner. Thales (Chalet B253, Hall Concorde 51) supplies no fewer than 1,529 items in the aircraft, including the inflight entertainment and cabin lighting systems.

MARK WAGNER

Thales demo centers bring products to light

pavilion here, he is showing a tile of rich data on Libya that has been created from unclassified Spot satellite imagery.

At Rungis, Thales shows turnkey air defense solutions that can protect mobile forces; a specific location such as an airbase or a city; or a whole country. “In the Operations Centre, we work with customers in a structured process we have named Idea: identify their needs; design solutions; experiment with the customer; and assess the result,” said Laurent Duport, marketing and strategy director, Thales Advanced Weapons Systems.

“This is a battle lab, not a showroom,” added Philippe Dusautor, vice-president of the same Thales business sector. “Very few companies can offer C4I systems plus radars plus weapons plus communications equipment as we can.

We’ve spent millions of Euros and amassed years of experience. It’s difficult to explain the added value of weapons coordination, but we can do that here,” he added.

One of the tools available in the center can compute the ground coverage and detection range of air defense radars for regions and even entire countries, for any given threat’s altitude, taking account of terrain masking, radio connectivity and other factors. Duport said that some potential customers are interested in buying the center itself, without any hardware, to use as a training tool for their air defense operators and commanders. o

solitary reflection About the only way to stem the tide of visitors to the Paris Air Show is for a monsoon-like downpour to clear the tarmac of humanity. This brave soul didn’t allow the extreme weather to keep him under wraps.

More importantly, it is the provider of the aircraft’s integrated modular avionics, air data and inertial reference units and the interactive control and display system through which the pilots communicate with the aircraft.

The display system comprises six 15-inch screens and a headup display.

Rockwell Collins (Chalet B19, Hall 2b D108) also provides a large number of items in the A350 XWB, including avionics and communications. The company was selected to provide the information management system that monitors the health of aircraft systems to support maintenance and that hosts electronic flight bag data. Rockwell Collins also provides the system that manages voice and data communications within the aircraft and with the ground. The company also supplies several landing and navigation aids and other components.

Honeywell (Chalet B67) is providing the flight management system and the environment surveillance system that integrates eight safety units into just two boxes. Honeywell is also responsible for the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit, which provides the high-pressure bleed air for pneumatic energy. Cabin pressure control, supplemental cooling, ventilation and air-conditioning are also Honeywell responsibilities.

Of course, there are many other suppliers, all of which contributed to the first flight success.

Liebherr-Aerospace (Chalet B277, Hall 2a AB275), for instance, builds the nose landing gear and slat/flap actuation components. The main undercarriage is from MessierBugatti-Dowty (Safran Group, Hall 2a A232), as are the braking and steering systems. o

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Gulfstream not only set a slew of speed records with the two business jets flown to Paris, but the company has also opened a sales and design office in London’s Mayfair.

Bizjet duo sets records, arriving here in style

by Julian Moxon Gulfstream (Chalet A144) is claiming three new city-pair records for the G650 demonstrator flown to the Paris Air Show, and three records for the super-midsize G280 that is also on Gulfstream’s static display (Static N). These record flights await official confirmation by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA). The company also announced that it has opened a new sales and design center in London.

The new design center

supplements Gulfstream’s existing centers at its Savannah, Georgia headquarters and at its Dallas, Texas facility. Located in London’s Mayfair district, the center is Gulfstream’s first outside the U.S. and makes it more convenient for international customers to interact with Gulfstream sales and design staff.

Veritable Luxury

The London center’s 5,500foot showroom is stocked with

samples of leather, veneer, fabric and carpet selections. Customer offices and a conference room are also available. Gulfstream regional senior vice president Trevor Esling heads up the London office and is responsible for international sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Because of London’s stature as one of the world’s financial and cultural capitals,” said Scott Neal, Gulfstream senior vice president of sales and marketing, “many of our customers and potential customers worldwide have business interests there and visit frequently or have a residence in the area.”

The demonstrator G650 entered service in January and has already visited 75 cities in 27 countries, flying a total of 334

hours and 142,000 nm. The most significant record was achieved when the aircraft landed at Le Bourget on Saturday morning with three crew and five passengers after a 3,899 nm flight from Savannah, Georgia. Flying at an average speed of Mach 0.90, the G650 completed the trip in 7 hr, 12 min, an hour less than the previous record flight, held for 25 years by a GIV. “This record demonstrates the G650’s tremendous speed and range,” said Gulfstream sales and marketing vice-president Scott Neal. “But it also says a lot for the capabilities of the GIV, which was ahead of its time in terms of technology and innovation.”

In May, the G650 flew from the Cote d’Azur airport in Nice to São Paulo in 11 hr, 10 min.

Three passengers and four crew were on board for the 5,527-nm flight, which reached an altitude of 47,000 feet. “This is a very important city-pair for our customers in South America who travel regularly to Europe,” said Neal. Three weeks earlier, the G650 had accomplished the 4,940-nm Las Vegas-Madrid leg in 9 hr, 14 min, averaging Mach 0.9.

Meanwhile, a Gulfstream G280 super-midsized business jet set its own city-pair record after flying 3,538 nm from Bedford, Mass., to Poland’s Bydgoszcz airport on June 9. In May it set two other such records after flying from Newark Airport in New Jersey to Geneva for the EBACE show. o

Turbomeca powers new Bell single

airship floated as cargo platform Worldwide Aeros’s Aeroscraft cargo-carrying airship could change the way transport logistics have traditionally been done with airplanes, trains, ships, trucks and other vehicles. According to Worldwide Aeros (Hall 6 B30) CEO and chief engineer Igor Pasternak, two versions of the Aeroscraft will be available, one offering a 66-ton payload and a larger version with a 250-ton payload. The U.S Department of Defense (DoD) has invested more than $60 million in the Aeroscraft airship over the past seven years. The company will build an initial fleet of 24 airships.

–N.M. AIN_SA14_124x78_FAP.pdf 1 6/13/2013 6:50:03 PM

Among a crush of onlookers at the Paris Air Show on Monday, Turbomeca and Bell unveiled the Arrius 2R turboshaft, which is destined to power the new Bell “short, light single” (SLS) helicopter. Olivier Andries (left), Turbomeca chairman and CEO, said, “We are incredibly excited to be working with Bell Helicopter. Our teams have been working together for some time now on this project.”

The Arrius, which provides power in the 450- to 550-shp class, will be controlled by dual Fadecs and will meet ICAO Stage 4 noise targets.

John Garrison, president and CEO of Bell Helicopter, said the performance goals for the SLS helicopter include a speed of 125 knots, a range from 360 to 420 nautical miles, a useful load of 1,500 pounds and a ceiling Turbomeca’s Arrius 2R turboshaft will power Bell’s in-development “short, light single” or SLS helicopter.

Turbomeca president and CEO Olivier Andries, left, shakes hands with Bell Helicopter president and CEO John Garrison at the unveiling.

20 Paris Airshow News • June 20, 2013 • www.ainonline.com

of 11,000 feet. Bell plans to fly the SLS next year and certify it as soon as possible thereafter. The company also expects to formally name the new helicopter at Heli-Expo 2014.

Turbomeca has delivered 3,000 Arrius engines and the fleet has accumulated more than 6 million flight hours. The Arrius 2R engine will have a 3,000-hour TBO. o

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MARK WAGNER

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