When turnaround specialist Robert S. “Steve” Miller was appointed CEO of Hawker Beechcraft in February, he waved off rumors that the struggling manufacturer of business jets, turboprops and military trainers would be sold to a Chinese entity. “There is no plan in my kit bag here to sell this company or any of its pieces,” he told Aviation Week. Three months later, Hawker filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The MB-339 was developed as a follow-on to Aermacchi's MB-326, with the first prototype flying in 1976. The single engine is either a Rolls-Royce Viper Mk 632-43 (4,000-lb.-thrust) or Mk 680 (4,400-lb.-thrust) turbojet. After more than 220 aircraft were built for flight training and light attack, production ended in 2004 with the MB-339CD variant, which serves as a lead-in trainer for Tornado and Typhoon fighter pilots in the Italian air force. It has also proven to be a popular aerobatic aircraft.
The A400M is a four-turboprop heavy military transport aircraft currently under development. Seven European nations are participating in the program: Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Spain, Turkey, and the U.K. The seven partner nations intend to acquire a total of 170 A400Ms. Malaysia joined the development effort in 2005, and will acquire four A400Ms. First flight occurred in December 2009, with deliveries to begin in the second quarter of 2013. Five test aircraft had been built through 2011, with 199 aircraft forecast to be built in the 2012-21 timeframe.
In 1991, two years after the U.S. withdrew from the Grumman/Chengdu Super 7 effort, Chengdu began the FC-1 lightweight fighter program. Pakistan (where the aircraft is known as the JF-17) and China signed an agreement in 1998 for joint development and production. The first prototype flew in 2003, and first delivery occurred in 2007. The single-seat aircraft is powered by a single Klimov RD-93 afterburning turbofan (18,300-lb.-thrust), with a two-seat variant also planned.
The EC120 is a single-turbine light helicopter primarily used in the military arena for flight training. Power is supplied by a Turbomeca Arrius 2F turboshaft engine rated at 504 shp. Through 2011, 701 civil/military EC120s had been produced, with another 27 for military applications expected from 2012 through 2021.
The HH/UH-60 (also S-70) Black Hawk series is a family of twin-turbine, medium-lift military transport and utility helicopters. Past models have included the UH-60A, powered by two GE T700-700 turboshafts, and the UH-60L, with two T700-701C engines. The latest version is the UH-60M, powered by two 2,215-shp T700-701D turboshafts. The UH-60 family also includes the new S-70i international model, assembled at Sikorsky subsidiary PZL-Mielec in Poland. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries produces the Black Hawk under license in Japan.
Thomas Anderson, president of Transact International, has received honors from coalition supporters at the NATO base in Kandahar, Afghanistan, for providing a series of mission-critical air charters into the region.
The UH-72A Lakota is a twin-turboshaft light utility helicopter based on the Eurocopter EC145 civil helicopter. The UH-72A is powered by two Turbomeca Arriel 1E2 turboshafts rated at 770 shp each. The selection of the EC145 for the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter program, to meet a requirement for 345 UH-72As, was EADS North America's first major win as a prime contractor for the U.S. military. Deliveries began in late 2006, with some 201 units produced through 2011. An additional 148 helicopters are forecast for production from 2012 through 2021.
USAF Maj. Gen. (ret.) John Folkerts has been appointed to lead Tampa, Fla.-based Battelle's business with the U.S. Defense Department's Special Operations Forces. Folkerts's 34-year military career included a tour as vice commander of the USAF Special Operations Command.
The E-767 was developed as a follow-on to the 707-based E-3 Airborne Warning and Control System. The E-767 is powered by two GE CF6-80C2 turbofans rated at 61,500-lb.-thrust, and has a crew of two plus 19 AWACS mission specialists. System suppliers include Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin. Only four E-767s have been produced, and all are in service with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. Boeing also developed a tanker/transport version of the 767, the KC-767, which has been sold to Italy and Japan.
In 1995, Beech was selected to provide the T-6 tandem-seat trainer (based on the Pilatus PC-9) for the U.S. Air Force/Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Trainer System (JPATS) program. The T-6 is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68 turboprop. The Air Force and Navy plan to acquire 782 T-6s; more than 513 have been delivered. The T-6 also is in service with Canada, Greece, Israel, Iraq, Mexican and Morocco. A light attack derivative, the AT-6, is in development.
The TH-28 is a single-turbine militarized training version of Enstrom's commercial Model 480. The helicopter is configured with three seats for two student pilots and an instructor. After competing unsuccessfully in the U.S. Army's New Training Helicopter program, Enstrom decided to continue to develop both a military trainer and a civil variant. The civil Model 480 remains in production, with occasional military sales. An estimated 173 480s are forecast to be produced in the 2012-21 period.
The Huey family of single- and twin-engine utility helicopters from Bell has been produced in a wide variety of models since its launch in 1958. The latest twin GE T700-401C-powered UH-1Y Venom variant for the U.S. Marine Corps is the only dedicated military model in production, alongside the commercial Model 412. Some 108 UH-1Y helicopters are forecast for production from 2012 through 2021.
Boeing's KC-46A refueler program continues to move forward with the commencement of boom assembly in Seattle last week. The assembly was originally slated for Boeing's Wichita facility (where previous boom work was handled) until the company announced plans early this year to close the plant. The design is based on the KC-10 boom but incorporates fly-by-wire technology and allows for a wider envelope than its predecessor.
Twin-engine, multirole military helicopter that has been produced in a variety of models for anti-submarine warfare (ASW), attack, utility and transport roles. The Super Lynx 300 is powered by a pair of LHTEC CTS800 turboshafts rated 1,384 at shp each. The upgraded AW159 Lynx Wildcat for the British military features a new airframe, digital communications, CTS800-4N engines rated at 1,361 shp each, and a new glass cockpit. First flight of the AW159 variant was in November 2009. Through 2011, 516 Lynx helicopters had been built since the prototype first flew in 1971.
A three-engine, medium-lift, multirole helicopter, the AW101 (formerly known as the EH101) has been produced in naval, military utility and commercial/VVIP versions. The helicopter has been fitted with either General Electric CT7-8E or Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 turboshafts. Through 2011, 170 AW101s were produced. Approximately 66 more are forecast to be built in the 2012-21 period.
Family of single- and twin-engine attack helicopters. Bell has delivered over 2,300 AH-1s and Fuji of Japan produced about 90 under license. The latest AH-1Z Viper is an improved version of the earlier AH-1W Super Cobra. Powered by two GE T700-401 turboshaft engines rated at 1,723 shp each, the AH-1Z features a four-blade composite main rotor, uprated transmission, digital avionics and a new targeting system. The U.S. Marine Corps plans to take delivery of 189 AH-1Zs, including 152 new-build helicopters and 37 converted AH-1Ws.
The PC-9 tandem-seat military flight trainer was produced by Pilatus and also assembled under license by Hawker de Havilland Ltd. Developed as a follow-on to the PC-7, the PC-9 prototype first flew in May 1984, followed by initial deliveries in 1986. The last production model was the PC-9M, which was introduced in 1997. The PC-9M is powered by a single 1,150-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-62 turboprop. Approximately 280 aircraft were built through 2006, when the last PC-9 was produced.
Chris Smith (see photo) has been named vice president and managing director of Chicago-based Boeing's defense business in Saudi Arabia. He was director of strategic alliances for the airframer's Global Services & Support business.
While NASA and industry are continuing to push toward a 2015 deadline set by Congress for integrating UAVs into civilian airspace (i.e., National Air Space, or NAS), the FAA is weighing concerns about the potential to compromise safety. NASA is considering a prize challenge to accelerate the integration of unmanned aircraft into the FAA's NextGen airspace system. Two competitions of increasing complexity would be run in late 2013 and 2014, with a combined prize purse of $1.5 million.
The A330 MRTT is a military tanker/transport version of the Airbus A330 airliner. The twin-engine MRTT is powered by either General Electric CF6-80E1 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700 turbofans. The aircraft entered service in 2011 with Australia as the boom-equipped KC-30A and with the U.K. as the hose-and-drogue-equipped Voyager. Through 2011, 20 green A330s were produced for eventual conversion to the MRTT configuration; an additional 12 are forecast to be built in the 2012-21 period.
The Korean Helicopter Program (KHP) is a South Korean effort to develop a military utility/transport helicopter in the 8-metric-ton class. The new rotorcraft is dubbed the Korean Utility Helicopter (KUH). The KUH, which is also known as the Surion, is slated to replace Bell UH-1Hs and McDonnell Douglas 500MDs in the South Korean army fleet. The helicopter is powered by a pair of General Electric/Samsung Techwin T700-701K turboshaft engines. Four new-build Surion prototypes have been produced.
