The Farnborough International Airshow (July 9-15, 2012) is shaping up to be not just bigger than the 2010 event but also better, according to exhibitions and events director Amanda Stainer, “with exciting new features that will captivate [attendees’] imaginations.” Exhibit areas are already 95 percent sold out, she said. Contributing to the excitement surrounding this year’s airshow are preparations
for the 2012 London Olympic Games (July 27 to August 12). Yesterday at the Singapore Airshow, Yang Xiangang, vice general manager of the Zhuhai Airshow, signed an agreement to exhibit at the Farnborough Airshow with Shaun Ormrod, chief executive of Farnborough International. A big change this year for Farnborough exhibitors is that they will be able to pack
Lufthansa Technik adds new Asian MRO business by Neelam Mathews Weak airline profits are increasing pricing pressure on the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market. That’s a big challenge–but by no means the only one–facing MRO providers in 2012, the Year of the Dragon, according to Lufthansa Technik chairman August Henningsen. “We’re happy we’re in a growth market, not a shrinking one,” he told a press conference in Singapore yesterday. LHT has a not insignificant 60-customer presence in the Asian market, and this week the German group has been confirming more new business. Yesterday, SriLankan Airlines signed a five-year component supply contract through which LHT will support its Airbus A320 fleet. Spare parts will be supplied to the airline’s home base at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, which will also house the main stocks of components needed for responding to aircraft-onthe-ground (AOG) situations. Repair and pooling of components will be done at LHT’s headquarters in Hamburg. But customer support staff are based
in Bangalore, India, which is in the same time zone as Sri Lanka. Also announced this week is an extension of LHT’s Total Component Support agreement with South Korea’s Asiana Airlines. This covers the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft. A new customer, Bangkokbased Nok Air, also signed up for major maintenance packages (excluding line maintenance), for its Boeing 737NG fleet. In addition, reported Henningsen, Air Macau has extended its component service contracts, while Japan Air Lines has signed a TCS contract covering soonto-be-delivered Boeing 787s. LHT recently opened its third widebody hangar in Manila, which can host an A380 for C-checks and modifications. The company recently opened a pool-storage facility in Singapore for components to be operated by Lufthansa Technik Logistik Services (LTLS) to handle storage of routine, AOG and dangerous goods shipments. LTLS has been chosen by Chinese carrier Shenzhen Airlines as its transportation-management
partner for services such as routine, AOG and dangerous goods transport for the airline’s growing fleet. Its present fleet comprises more than 105 medium-haul aircraft, and this number will increase to 180 by the end of 2012. Indonesia holds major potential given its recent large orders. “We are talking to them to bring in our expertise [but] this is a moving target,” said Henningsen. Challenges over how to gain productivity from new technology are prompting LHT to look at new tools for inspection and carbon fiber structures. Closer to home, there is a concern with OEMs competing for third-party providers’ business. “They [OEMs] should concentrate on their business…the MRO industry is more over-served than underserved,” said Henningsen. o
‘Laser Maverick’ ideal for difficult targets by David Donald Over two decades have passed since the laser-guided version of Raytheon’s AGM-65 missile left production but, due to emerging requirements, the “laser Maverick” is back. Recent operational experience has shown a need to hit targets that not only are fast, but also are maneuvering. That class of target is not found just on land, it is increasingly at sea as both pirates and small boat swarms threaten vessels. The ability to hit these fast, maneuvering targets in a high-traffic environment with great accuracy is becoming crucial. The longerterm answer for the U.S. lies in the JAGM missile program, but in the interim the U.S. military is turning again to the AGM-65E laser Maverick, which was originally procured for the Marine Corps in the mid-1980s. Revisiting this weapon began by bringing it up to date through the replacement of a few obsolete parts, and by fixing some previous issues. For instance, the original AGM-65E would fly long if the laser lock was lost, but the current weapon will now fly broadly toward the target area. A rigorous developmental/operational testing phase ensued, during which 15 of the new-generation missiles were fired at a variety of targets from the A-10, F-16, F/A-18 and AV-8. Some of the targets were traveling at more than 70 mph. Conducted in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force’s Seek Eagle office, successful development and operational trials led to a production contract being awarded to Raytheon late last year for an initial batch of 256 missiles, mostly for the Air Force but with a few for the Navy. The Air Force version is
designated AGM-65L, while the Navy missile is the AGM-65E2, the latter differing only in having a safe-arm switch to satisfy strict munition requirements for shipboard carriage. The first delivery is due in the fourth quarter of this year. With the laser Maverick back in production Raytheon sees a good opportunity to export
Raytheon tests gRiffin weapon Raytheon has just conducted a successful trial of its Griffin B forward-launch small precision weapon. The test demonstrated the weapon’s capability to defend a forward operating base (FOB). The Griffin was fired from a fixed Wedge launcher against target coordinates more than 2.5 miles away provided by sensors mounted on a tethered aerostat, of the type that are typically raised to protect Army FOBs. The Griffin A aft-launch version is in service with the U.S. Marine Corps C-130 Harvest Hawk aircraft and the Air Force’s MC-130W Dragon Spear. –D.D.
the weapon, which is available through both direct commercial and foreign military sales channels. Versions of the missile are widely used around the world, and users of earlier versions could upgrade their weapons through the integration of the new guidance section to existing motor/warhead sections. This would provide current laser capability at greatly reduced cost compared with procuring a new weapon type. o
Cae plans tRaining CenteR in bRunei Principals behind a new CAE multipurpose training center in Rimba, Brunei Darussalam, gather to sign a MOU Wednesday at the Singapore Airshow. The center will provide flight training solutions for the oil and gas, emergency and defense markets.
20 Singapore Airshow News • February 16, 2012 • www.ainonline.com
DAVID McINTOSH
Farnborough organizers vow bigger, better show
DAVID McINTOSH
Farnborough chief Shaun Ormrod, left, and Yang Xiangang of the Zhuhai show, reach agreement.
up their exhibits and depart on the last trade day, Friday July 13. This will save exhibitors time and money and also potential wear-and-tear from non-trade visitors on the public days. “We decided to trial it this time,” said Stainer, who confirmed to AIN that the public would be excluded from the exhibition halls over the weekend days (July 14-15). The move will allow exhibitors to focus on their trade visitors and business-to-business opportunities. The 13th is also “Futures Day,” where about 10,000 youth are invited to learn about aerospace and career opportunities. For the trade visitor, a full conference program is available on July 10 and 11, and there are also two days of meet-your-buyer events for suppliers and customers to get together. The conference program has four tracks: defense, security, aerospace and civil aeronautics. Each sector has its own events planned, for example the air power zone will feature UK Ministry of Defence personnel explaining how to do business with the agency. –M.T.