The Airbus A380, which began revenue services more than five years ago, has had its fair share of praise and problems. But a perceptible drop in sales over the past three years has the manufacturer hoping that the program is simply ahead of its time, and that the shift away from the very large long-haul aircraft is not structural.
David P. Storch, chairman/CEO of the AAR Corp., has been appointed to the board of directors of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum.
BAE Systems is carrying out the first trial installations of electronically scanned (E-Scan) radar onto the Eurofighter Typhoon. The company is modifying its test-and-trials aircraft, IPA5, based at Warton, to support the E-scan radar development program. The company says these trials will be held in conjunction with Euroradar, which is developing the Captor-E radar for the Eurofighter consortium nations. A separate U.K. development program, called Bright Adder, is also underway. First flight of the modified aircraft is expected at year-end.
The commercial aircraft industry is on a run as the Paris air show is underway this week. Demand for fuel-efficient transports has pushed the combined backlogs of Boeing and Airbus to more than 9,000 aircraft, a record. Last year alone, those companies increased collective sales by more than $20 billion. And deliveries are likely to hit a new high this year as Boeing and Airbus strive to meet surging demand from high-growth markets, particularly the Asia-Pacific area.
Aerospace companies in Europe are touting the operational experience of the Eurofighter, Gripen and Rafale since the 49th International Paris Air Show in 2011, seeking to secure exports in emerging markets that could sustain production despite declining government spending, and a potential end to manufacturing lines this decade.
Hooray for private jets (AW&ST June 3, p. 20). Although I will probably never be able to own one, I fully support an industry that creates Gulfstream 5s and Falcon 900Xs. Many things come to mind when describing wretched excess, but aircraft is not one of them. Toronto, Ontario
The business aviation industry is approaching the fifth year of its recession—the failure of Lehman Brothers on Sept. 15, 2008, is cited by many as its unhappy birthday. That half-decade of woe has been marked by massive layoffs, collapsed aircraft values, slowed or halted production lines, political caterwauling and corporate bankruptcies. And yet the stalwarts of its community not only hold out hope for the segment's revival and growth, but are betting heavily on it.
Nick Leontidis (see photo) has become group president for civil simulation products, training and services of Montreal-based CAE. He succeeds Jeff Roberts, who is leaving the company. Leontidis was executive vice president-strategy and business development.
China Eastern Airlines and Qantas Airways are selling a one-third stake in Jetstar Hong Kong to a local company to reinforce their application for an air operator's certificate for the proposed budget carrier. Conglomerate Shun Tak Holdings says it will pay $66 million for the share in Jetstar Hong Kong. The investment means that the airline will have partial Hong Kong ownership, although it will still fall short of the usual global industry requirement that local investors hold 51%.
Although it creates a monopoly for certain advanced propulsion systems, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said June 10 it will not challenge GenCorp's acquisition of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne for about $550 million. Approval was given “primarily because the Department of Defense wishes to see the transaction go forward for national security reasons,” the FTC said.
Pete Buresh has become Cape Town-based vice president-international aircraft sales for Africa for the Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. He was sales director for Africa.
Canada's acquisitions of search-and-rescue (SAR) aircraft and naval helicopters have been dogged by delays, but the country's defense minister appears confident that progress is impending.
The U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) has authorized a $343.3 million direct loan to Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat) to finance the purchase of two Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) communications satellites, plus launch services. SS/L is building AsiaSat 6, a C-band satellite, and AsiaSat 8, a mixed Ku/Ka-band satellite, under a contract announced in November 2011. The launches, to be carried out by SpaceX, are planned for the first half of 2014. To date in fiscal 2013, the Ex-Im Bank has authorized $891 million in support of U.S.
As a reader of Aviation Week since the mid 1960s, I find the quality of writing and your adaptable format are a real pluses. Stay the course. Pauma Valley, Calif.
U.S. Army Gen. (ret.) Ann E. Dunwoody (see photo) has been named to the board of directors of New York-based L-3 Communications. She was head of the Army Materiel Command and had been a strategic planner for the Army chief of staff and executive officer to the director of the Defense Logistics Agency.
With flight-testing of the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-powered Airbus A350-900 getting underway, and rig tests of a scaled compressor for General Electric's GE9X about to begin for Boeing's upcoming 777X, the scene is set for an epic new chapter in the ongoing battle of the big fans.
Satvendar “Sam” Singh has been appointed Singapore-based chief commercial officer for AJW Aviation. He has worked for Mubadala Aerospace MRO Network/SR Technics Switzerland, Singapore Airlines Engineering Co. and Execujet Aviation Group.
While the Paris static line will be dominated by major U.S. and European companies and their big-ticket programs, indoor exhibits and a good deal of discussion will revolve around the increasing globalization of the industry. While the big four—Europe and the U.S., and Brazil and Canada on the regional side—continue to fend off competition in the commercial world, the defense market may be more fluid.
In the latest in a string of high-profile defense-industry corruption cases, a European official is charged with trying to pay bribes to prevent his company, Rheinmetall Air Defense (RAD), from landing on India's blacklist, where it was placed after a previous alleged instance of corruption.
