June 21, 2007

France, Germany To Cooperate on Helos

By Stephen Pope

France and Germany’s militaries signed an accord to study future helicopter capabilities that could be available by 2020. The countries are interested in developing a transport helicopter larger than the NH90 medium twin. 
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Engine for A400M transport lags in tests

By Thierry Dubois

It seems there is no slack left in the Europrop TP400-D6 turboprop engine program for the Airbus A400M military transport. Here during a press briefing yesterday, Snecma engineering senior vice-president Jacques Renvier and Europrop International program and operations director Jacques Desclaux acknowledged the current 400 hours of ground tests are way behind the planned 1,000 or so hours but insi more

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IndiGo to represent Hawker Beechcraft

By Ian Sheppard

Hawker Beechcraft has appointed India’s InterGlobe Enterprises, owner of low-cost carrier IndiGo, to be its sales and servicing agent in India effective July 1.

On Tuesday Rahul Bhatia, InterGlobe’s group managing director, and Brad Hatt, Hawker Beechcraft president of commercial aircraft, signed a sales representative agreement and an authorized service center agreement at the show, i more

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Same class, different market

By Thierry Dubois

Eurocopter CEO Lutz Bertling made it clear at a press conference here in Paris that there will be no synergy between the Korean Helicopter Program (KHP) and the EC 175. Although these two programs share the same class–seven metric tons (5,400 pounds)–and the same timing–first flight in mid 2009–they are completely different, he asserted.

“They might have some parts in common but the EC more

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Antonov 148 seeks EASA approval

By Thierry Dubois

The first deliveries of the Antonov An-148 are imminent, general designer Dmytro Kiva said on Tuesday during a press conference here at the Paris Air Show. The first eight examples of the 85-seater will go to Kazakh Scat airlines.

According to Kiva, the aircraft meets European requirements for commercial passenger jets so Antonov intends to have it EASA certified. The regional jet alrea more

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Heron TP UAV goes public for the first time

By David Donald

Dominating IAI’s exhibit area here at Le Bourget is the Heron TP, a turboprop-powered medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) UAV. It is the first public showing of this craft, whose 85-foot wingspan nearly rivals that of an ATR 72 airliner, which is five times heavier. Heron TP is the latest and largest of a long line of UAVs developed by IAI’s Malat Division.

It is displayed next to th more

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Pilots tell of global adventures

By Ian Sheppard

The pilots who recently flew a Bell 407 around the world via the North and South Poles were at the show yesterday to retell how they accomplished the feat. Jennifer Murray, an artist whose pilot husband got her interested in flying at age 55, and Colin Bodill, a career helicopter pilot (currently freelance), arrived back in Fort Worth, Texas, on May 23, after 171 days traveling 32,206 miles over 2 more

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EngineAlliance anxious to power Airbus A350XWB

By Julian Moxon

The GE Aviation /Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance, which builds the GP7200 powering the Airbus A380 flying at the show, is ready to offer a powerplant solution for the A350XWB, if Airbus and GE fail to reach agreement.

“We’re standing by and waiting for a conclusion,” said Engine Alliance president Bruce Hughes. “We’d have to work a few hurdles, but if we can get round those and prov more

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Maybe it should be first class plus?

By Ian Goold

For travellers with deep pockets or generous expenses allowances–or simply an interest in how the other half lives–Indian carrier Jet Airways is showing off here the first-class interior of a Boeing 777-300ER, with which it plies the Mumbai (Bombay)-London route. The cabin is outfitted with eight exclusive “suites,” each occupying more than 25 square feet of useable floor space that can be separat more

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Diamond Twin Star adds MPP family

By Brian Walters

Derived from the Dimond DA42 Twin Star widely used by flying schools, the DA42 MPP is developing into a family of aircraft that are capable of carrying all manner of sensors. That accounts for the rather strange shapes on the nose or beneath the fuselage that accommodate devices that tailor the MPP for specific tasks.

The example that has a rather unusual radome on the nose is intended more

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