Based in London, Tony covers European defense programs. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2012, Tony was at Shephard Media Group where he was deputy editor for Rotorhub and Defence Helicopter magazines. Tony has covered avionics, unmanned vehicles, the supply chain and cyberwarfare.
The U.K. Airports Commission says each of the bidders underestimated project costs, which is particularly important for the two proposals at Heathrow, where per-passenger charges are among the highest for major international airports in the U.K. and Europe.
Customer deferrals, trade sanctions and a deteriorating economic outlook have forced Rolls to accelerate a planned restructuring, which will mainly affect its U.K. civil aero-engine workforce, even though many of the issues are afflicting the company’s Land & Sea division, which produces nuclear energy and power systems.
LONDON—The U.K. defense ministry is mulling the addition of a bifilar rotorhead system to some of its remaining Westland Sea King helicopters to reduce the effects of vibration on the airframes. Details of the project were revealed by officials at the annual Sea King Symposium, held in Halifax, Canada, in mid-September but have only come to light in recent days.
