July 18, 2008

Mitsubishi MRJ90 to fly in 2011

By Paul Lowe

Mitsubishi will fly its new 86- to 96-passenger MRJ90 for the first time in 2011, the Japanese industrial giant said here. Development of a smaller version, designed to seat between 70 and 80, lags by roughly one year.

Making its first international airshow appearance as Mitsubishi Aircraft–the new division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries established specifically to market the new reg more

---

Nimrod MRA.4 not in service till 2010

By Chris Pocock

After a year in which the BAE Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft has received unprecedented negative publicity in the UK, it’s hardly surprising that BAE Systems and the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) are not showing the new MRA.4 version here at Farnborough. Four years after it first flew, the Nimrod MRA.4 has still not made a public debut.

The negative publicity centered on the aging MR more

---

Northrop Grumman and Boeing evaluate their KC-X chances

By Chris Pocock

Northrop Grumman rates its chances of clinching the KC-X contract as only 50 percent, if the US Congress intervenes in the decision. Paul Meyer, who heads the company’s bid team, told Aviation International News of his confidence that the Pentagon would select the KC-45 again second time round. But he fears that protectionist sentiment could overturn the verdict.

Meanwhile, Boeing vi more

---

Through the gates of The Portal

By David Donald

A year ago The Portal opened its doors. The facility, located at QinetiQ’s Cody Technology Park site on the north side of Farnborough airfield, is an advanced experimentation and analysis suite. Established by Boeing in partnership with QinetiQ, The Portal draws on advanced simulation techniques, virtual operations and the insertion of live operations to run complex scenarios to aid a variety of more

---

Emirates: “no downturn whatsoever”

By Ian Goold

Speaking on the sidelines about FlyDubai’s order announcement for 50 Boeing 737-800s on Monday, Emirates Airline deputy chairman Maurice Flanagan made it clear that his airline hasn’t suffered from the business woes about which other airlines are complaining. “There has been no downturn whatsoever,” said Flanagan here at Farnborough. “We have exceeded our revenue forecast. It is an excit more

---

Sikorsky announces S-92 sale

By Paul Lowe

Sikorsky announced this week that it has sold two S-92 helicopters to the International Handling Co. (IHC). The contract includes the option to purchase four additional S-92 helicopters configured for offshore oil missions.

Delivery of the first aircraft is expected to take place in 2010. IHC, an Azerbaijan-based operator, plans to expand its service to the growing offshore oil industr more

---

Honeywell signs Airbus, Thales and Boeing deals

By Stephen Pope

Airbus has inked a contract with Honeywell to upgrade the wingtip navigation lights on the A320 family with light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Intended to last 40 times longer than standard halogen lighting, the LEDs will be added to the production line starting next March. Honeywell’s LED wingtip bulbs last about 20,000 hours each, compared with 500 hours for a halogen bulb. The $80 million more

---

Eurocopter UK to grow four-fold by 2013

By Thierry Dubois

Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling issued a prediction here this week that Eurocopter’s market share in 2008 will stay above 50 percent. “The only market that is suffering a bit is the corporate/VIP one in the U.S.,” he said. The company expects turnover to grow by 6 to 8 percent over last year’s e4.17 billion ($6.5 billion). It expects the number of deliveries to approach 550. Bertling also sai more

---

Rotax-powered Ellipse goes 200 knots

By Brian Walters

Dwarfed by other aircraft in the static display area, the LH-10 Ellipse is only 17 feet long and has a wingspan of just over 26 feet. But what it lacks in size it makes up for with performance. Powered by a single 100-hp Rotax 921 ULS, the Ellipse can cruise at 200 knots and cover France from coast to coast without refueling. It burns avgas 98 at the rate of 5.28 gph, which is a great deal less th more

---

Alteon expands training offerings to meet demand

By Bernard Fitzsimons

Boeing subsidiary Alteon is responding to the global need for training by expanding and refining its service offering. The company estimates the aviation industry will need at least 36,000 new pilots and 480,000 maintenance personnel over the next 20 years to meet forecast fleet growth.

Alteon president Sherry Carbary said here yesterday that the company now has around 100 simulators in more

---