Latest News

First Prototypes of U.S. Marine Corps CH-53K To Fly Soon
June 17, 2013, 3:20 AM
2013
Sikorsky delivered the ground test vehicle (GTV) of the new CH-53K to the Naval Air Systems Command flight-test team late last year. The prototype is being used for powered ground checks of the helicopter’s dynamic systems.

The first four flying versions of the U.S. Marine Corps’ next generation CH-53K helicopter were advancing through assembly at Sikorsky Aircraft’s West Palm Beach, Florida, facility earlier this year. “We’re well beyond the paper side of the aircraft. We’re building this thing,” Marine Col. Robert Pridgen, H-53 program manager, told reporters at the Navy League conference in April.

Compressor Performance Key To PWC’s New Turboprop
June 17, 2013, 3:15 AM
2013
The NGRT features an eight-blade propeller, a new compressor and a Talon combustor borrowed from larger Pratt & Whitney models.

Despite some vacillation by ATR and Bombardier, who are still studying the form their respective 90-seat regional airliners might take, development of Pratt & Whitney Canada’s new turboprop engine continues on a “critical path” to an expected launch next year, according to Richard Dussault, company vice president of marketing.

EADS Develops Counter-Stealth Technology, With Spin-Off For ATC
June 17, 2013, 3:10 AM
2013
A single passive radar system detecting reflections from FM, DAB and DVB-T transmissions can be carried in one mobile van, including displays and operator seating. The mast retracts to stow above and behind the vehicle, and all other external parts can be stowed inside when the vehicle is on the move.

When Serbia shot down U.S. Air Force F-117 during the Kosovo war in 1999, skeptics of stealth claimed vindication. However, that success was due to a combination of poor mission planning, smart air-defense operators exploiting both radar and ELINT sensors, some vulnerability in the first-generation platform–and pure luck. Low-observable technology has moved on, and the F-22, F-35 and the latest UCAVs are stealthier than the F-117.

New AgustaWestland Boss Bullish Despite Challenges
June 17, 2013, 3:05 AM
2013
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Daniele Romiti, AgustaWestland’s new CEO, says the company needs to adopt a new mindset if it is to improve its capabilities. He summarized the call to action in a motto: “Think Customer,” which he said is embedded in the Anglo-Italian OEM’s “StepChange” program.

General Electric Takes On The Turboprop Market
June 17, 2013, 3:00 AM
2013
Although air flows through the H80 from the rear to the front, with the two exhausts located just behind the propeller, it is a compact straight-flow design with no complex flow-reversal sections.

General Electric is ranked as one of the world’s leading aero engine manufacturers, with a $20 billion business powering airliners, fighters and many other types of aircraft around the world, plus servicing and systems provision. Currently just $400 million of that annual business comes from the Business and General Aircraft (BGA) division, but the company has plans to dramatically expand in that sector, and in so doing is taking on the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 family that currently dominates the marketplace.

Beechcraft Offers ISR Baron
June 17, 2013, 3:00 AM
2013
Beechcraft has applied its experience from special-mission King Airs to the smaller Baron family.

Beechcraft has a long history of providing special-mission platforms for military intelligence and security programs, reaching back to the late 1950s. Today this business remains highly important to the company, based largely on the King Air family that has become a popular choice of platforms for special-mission duties. Now the company is broadening its portfolio by offering the smaller and cheaper Baron G58 as an ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) platform, and has already delivered the first example to a customer.

Adjacent Markets Help Aerospace and Defense Companies Hedge Against Defense Uncertainties
June 17, 2013, 2:55 AM
2013
This chart explains Finmeccanica’s strategy to offer its expertise for earth monitoring and climate change; natural resources management; energy management, sustainable mobility; and healthcare and education.

If you look closely at the exhibits of the major aerospace and defense companies here this week, you will likely notice some unexpected capabilities on display. With their traditional defense businesses threatened by declining budgets, many of these companies are exploring “adjacent markets.”

This trend started with offers in the security and IT realms. But now they are extending to other areas, such as energy, environment and climate; food and water security; and natural disaster protection and response.

Raytheon’s Stars Rolls Out to Largest U.S. Tracons
June 17, 2013, 2:50 AM
2013
The Raytheon deployable radar approach control (D-RAPCON) system is a modular ATC system that can be transported by four C-130s.

The Raytheon standard terminal automation replacement system (Stars) began continuous operations in early May at the Dallas-Fort Worth terminal radar approach control (Tracon) facility, the first of 11 large Tracons in the U.S. to manage air traffic continuously using the new ATC automation system.

UK Creates Aerospace Technology Institute
June 17, 2013, 2:45 AM
2013

The UK government and key aerospace companies have formed a joint venture to invest more than £2 billion (approximately $3 billion) over the next seven years in a move designed to keep the country’s aerospace sector globally competitive, and to increase its market share. Under the Aerospace Growth Partnership (AGP), the government’s £1 billion investment will be matched by industry and will see the creation of a new Aerospace Technology Institute.

India Procurement Policy Too Slow
June 17, 2013, 2:40 AM
2013
Sikorsky S-92 cabins are now being manufactured in India under a joint venture with Tata Advanced Systems. The facility recently increased production to four units per month.

As vendors await the announcement of belated contracts, India continues to grapple with its ever-changing defense procurement policy, with the latest–DPP 2013–announced and effective from June 1. The focus of DPP 2013 is on buying Indian defense products, even though these can fill only a fraction of the country’s requirements.

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