The twin-engine turboprop aircraft family initially was known as the Dash 8 series. The Q100, the original model, made its first flight in June 1983; first deliveries followed in October 1984. The Q100 carried 37-39 passengers and was equipped with 2,150-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PW120/121 engines. In 2009, production of the 37-39-passenger Q200 (with 2,150-shp. PW123C/D engines) and the 50-56-seat Q300 (with 2,500-shp PW123Bs) ended. Currently, the 65-70-seat Q400 (with 6,000-shp. PW150As) is in production.
Italy and Israel have agreed to build a hyperspectral remote-sensing satellite system that will be one of the first operational systems of its kind in space.
The Indian government is poised to exercise an option to double the size of its fleet of C-130J tactical transports while recognizing that its operational requirement will require an even larger force. With delivery of the first of six Lockheed Martin C-130J-30s due to begin soon, the prospect of additional buys is strengthening. “We definitely need more than six airplanes,” says an Indian air force officer.
Upcoming spending decisions will be instrumental in dictating the level of operational risk the U.K. will face as the Royal Air Force reshapes and downsizes its combat air arm.
David A. Fulghum (Washington), Robert Wall (London)
Chinese advisers are believed to be working with Afghan Taliban groups who are now in combat with NATO forces, prompting concerns that China might become the conduit for shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, improved communications and additional small arms to the fundamentalist Muslim fighters.
The 228NG (Next Generation) is an update to Dornier’s original Do 228 launched by RUAG Aerospace in 2007. The aircraft uses upgraded 776-shp. TPE331-10 engines, along with other improvements over the original, including a new glass cockpit, avionics by Rockwell Collins, five-blade MT propeller and aerodynamic changes to the wing to boost short-field performance. Delivery of the first Do 228NG is expected in September 2010, with 73 aircraft forecast for production over the 2010-19 period.
The first parts for the Indian navy’s initial Boeing P-8I maritime reconnaissance and antisubmarine-warfare aircraft have entered manufacturing at SpiritAerosystems in Wichita, Kan. The first part, cut on Dec. 6, is a bonded aluminum panel that later will be installed on the fuselage’s upper lobe to support an antenna. Boeing plans to deliver eight P-8Is to India.
The twin-engine, 107-129-passenger narrowbody jetliner made its initial flight in January 2002. In May 2003, the European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) certified the aircraft with CFM56 engines, U.S. FAA certification followed in June, and deliveries began in July. Through 2009, Airbus produced 72 A318s, which are powered by two 21,600-23,800-lb.-thrust turbofan engines—either the Pratt & Whitney PW6000 or the CFM International CFM56-5B. Primary competition includes the Embraer 190 and 195 and the Bombardier CSeries.
Amy Butler (Los Angeles AFB and Beverly Hills, Calif.)
A dramatic increase in funding pressure on the Pentagon could finally compel the military space community to buy satellites in bulk, securing 5-35% savings on various programs, according to senior U.S. Air Force officials.
In developing the 525-passenger A380, Airbus chose to leap past Boeing’s 747 in capacity class. The A380 is powered by four turbofan engines rated at 70,000-76,500 lb. thrust each, and can be outfitted with either the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 or GE/Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance GP7200. Airbus currently produces only a commercial version of the A380, delaying development of a freighter until at least 2014. Boeing is marketing the 747-8 to indirectly compete with the A380, but no direct challenger exists in the 500-plus-seat market.
Geysers erupt from the cracks at the south pole of Saturn’s frozen moon Enceladus in this view collected by the nuclear-powered Cassini probe as it hurtled by on Aug. 13, with the planet’s layered atmospheric limb visible beyond its night side in the background. During the same pass, Cassini scientists used the nuclear-powered spacecraft’s composite infrared spectrometer and high-resolution imaging camera to obtain new maps of the polar cracks, which were dubbed the Tiger Stripes after their discovery by Cassini in 2005.
Bombardier plans to commence CRJ1000 deliveries on Dec. 14. The handover is taking place almost a year late owing to problems during flight trials, but Bombardier hopes the start now will strengthen its last-quarter earnings.
Mitsubishi formally launched the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) family in March 2008. Two basic models are planned: the 70-80-passenger MRJ70 and the 86-96-passenger MRJ90, both using a pair of Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofans. Extended-range and long-range versions of each basic model are also envisioned. First flight is scheduled for 2012; Japanese certification is slated to be obtained in 2013, and FAA certification concurrently with deliveries in 2014.
TAG Aviation of Zurich is partnering with China First Mandarin Group to form a company that will provide business aircraft management, maintenance and charter services in China.
A twin-turbofan-powered, narrowbody commercial passenger transport, the Chinese-built C919 is designed to compete in narrowbody airliner sales against Airbus and Boeing. The program is being driven by the Chinese government, which wants an indigenous capability to produce airliners competitive with those built by Western manufacturers. Variants include the baseline C919-200 seating up to 168 passengers; the -100, a 130-seat model that will compete against the Airbus A319; and the -300, a larger 190-seater designed to compete with Airbus’s A321 and Boeing’s 737-800/900.
Delta Air Lines Capt. (ret.) R.C. Bauer (Fleming Island, Fla.)
The recent articles on the Delta Air Lines/Northwest Airlines merger were well written (AW&ST Nov. 15, p. 70). Indeed, Delta has a history of successful mergers over a 50-year period. However, there is a factual error.
Tony Tyler has been recommended to become director-general and CEO of the International Air Transport Association , succeeding Giovanni Bisignani, who will step down next year. Tyler is CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways.
France is forging ahead with the optical component of Europe’s next-generation imaging intelligence satellite network, even though final agreement on cooperation in the six-nation undertaking, including a common ground network, has not yet been reached.
. . . why the crew of the Qantas Airways A380 elected to fly the airplane for about 105 min. after the uncontained failure of the No. 2 engine shortly after takeoff on Nov. 4 (AW&ST Nov. 15, pp. 28 and 33; Nov. 29, p. 32). A representative letter: As a retired FAA aircraft certification flight-test engineer, I know there are several performance and structural issues associated with overweight landings.
Honda Aircraft is set to make the first flight this month of the first test article of the seven-passenger business jet it expects to deliver from its Greensboro, N.C., factory in 2012. The initial flight using the “conforming” aircraft—a prototype was flown in 2004—will include the jointly developed GE Honda HF120 powerplants manufactured in nearby Burlington, N.C.
The ERJ 135/140/145 is a family of twin-engine, 37-50-seat regional jets. The initial model was the 50-seat ERJ 145, which first flew in August 1995; deliveries began in late 1996. The next model was the 37-seat ERJ 135, which made its initial flight in July 1998; deliveries began in July 1999. The 44-passenger ERJ 140 first flew in June 2000, with initial deliveries in July 2001. A longer-range version, called the ERJ 145XR, has also been developed. All models use the Rolls-Royce AE3007A engine.
Airbus and TAM Airlines of Brazil have teamed to help establish a bio-kerosene processing plant to produce as much as 20% of the airline’s annual fuel requirement by 2013.
A prototype of the four-engine, intercontinental, widebody transport flew in October 1991, and deliveries began in January 1993. The A340-200 and -300 were certificated by the European JAA in December 1992 and the FAA in February 1993; both are powered by four 31,200-34,000-lb.-thrust CFM International CFM56-5C4 turbofan engines. The two newer models—the longer-range A340-500 and the stretched A340-600—are powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 500s. Typical seating for the -200, -300, -500 and -600 is 262, 295, 313 and 380 passengers, respectively.
