Flight International - February 8, 2016 PDF

sweet sixteen goodbye jumbo?
inside dassault
lockheed sets Latest rate cut decision Chief executive Trappier
sights on f-16V sends 747-8 higher up tells us why balanced
FLIGHT
deal in bahrain endangered species list sales remain right for
Show report 16 as backlog dwindles 12 French champion 22
INTERNATIONAL
2-8 February 2016
COUNTRY SPECIAL
nation of
innovation
How Israel’s aerospace players look set
to convert more business opportunities
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FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL
VOLUME 189 NUMBER 5523 2-8 FEBRUARY 2016
NEWS
sweet sixteen goodbye jumbo? inside dassault
THIS WEEK
lockheed sets Latest rate cut decision Chief executive Trappier
sights on f-16V sends 747-8 higher up tells us why balanced
FLIGHT
deal in bahrain endangered species list sales remain right for
show report 16 as backlog dwindles 12 French champion 22
6 P&W warming to challenge as Neo engines fixed

INTERNATIONAL 7 Falcon 5X schedule suffers Snecma Silvercrest
setback.
2-8 February 2016
country special
nation of
innoVation
How Israel’s aerospace players look set
Viper on offer to Bahrain, but could face Atak
8 Boeing warns over drop in deliveries.
to convert more business opportunities
Medical evacuation Surion makes its first flight

10 Market weighs on Airbus Helicopters.
Israel Aerospace Industries
Arrano makes flight debut on H160 PT2

Strong sales underpin latest G650 rate increase.
ISSN 0 0 1 5 - 3 7 1 0
£3.60
NEWS FOCUS
12 747 strategy may be a ‘bridge’ too far
0 5
9 770015 371280
COVER IMAGE
FIN_020216_301.indd 1 28/01/2016 10:11
AIR TRANSPORT
This shot of a Boeing 767 13 ATR puts airlines at heart of sales push
undergoing passenger to 14 El Al tunes up C-Music for 787s.
freighter conversion by Russian industry begins widebody feasibility work.
Bedek engineers highlights Neo delay hits IndiGo fleet growth
our wide-ranging Israel 15 Rolls-Royce to offer more for lessors
country special P26
USAF
BAHRAIN AIR SHOW REPORT
16 Bahrain considers F-16V buy. Rafael offers Global Link to connect NATO aircraft P35
Three to contest for replacement of Flynas A320s
17 Debut of Tejas LCA launches Indian export effort COVER STORY
26 Desert storm Facing unique geopolitical
DEFENCE challenges, Israel’s air force and aerospace
18 USAF pleased with KC-46 trial. industry have naturally developed a powerful
Bell to combine V-280 wing and fuselage by April sense of self sufficiency and some niche
19 Dassault to take Indian deal by stages. capabilities. But the ever-changing global military
Danish Merlins for sea trials ahead of Lynx exit and economic landscape has thrown up some
BEHIND THE HEADLINES 20 Allies could adapt NH90 for SF duties. new threats and challenges – as well as some
Stephen Trimble was on the USAF conducts maiden test of AIM-9X on F-35A golden opportunities
road in Israel, to research our
INTERVIEW
country special (P26). His
visit included a chance to get 22 Dassault CEO Éric Trappier REGULARS
close to the indigenous Lavi 5 Comment
BUSINESS AVIATION
fighter – an iconic pinnacle of 40 Straight & Level
24 Innovation rings true for new Bell CEO
industrial achievement. The 42 Classified
project was controversially 25 XTI opens funding window.
GlobeAir expands Mustang fleet as profits soar. 44 Jobs
scrapped back in 1987
Textron Aviation brings Able into its MRO stable 47 Working Week
Indonesian Aerospace
AirTeamImages, Craig Hoyle/Flightglobal
NEXT WEEK SINGAPORE

Ahead of the Singapore air
show, our preview features
look at regional activities, like
Indonesia’s emerging N219
Danish Air Force begins shipborne trials of AW101 P19. DHL displays new 767-200 freighter at Bahrain P17
FLIGHT TRAINING
Search the Civil Simulator Census
www.flightglobal.com/civilsim
flightglobal.com 2-8 February 2016 | Flight International | 3

contents
IMAGE OF
THE WEEK
The Saudi Hawks aerobatic
display team was one of the
more colourful participants at
the Bahrain International
Airshow, staged from 21-23
January. Flightglobal’s Fleets
Analyzer database records
the Royal Saudi Air Force as
having 45 BAE Systems
Hawks, plus 22 on order in a
new Mk 165 configuration
View more great aviation shots

online and in our weekly tablet
Bahrain International Airshow

edition:
flightglobal.com/
flight-international
THE WEEK IN NUMBERS Question of the week
5.4%
Last week, we asked: What are the A380’s prospects on the
secondary market? You said:
Belfast City Airport
Year-on-year growth at George Best Belfast City airport took

52%
Limited
20%
Destined
2015 passenger numbers to a record of nearly 2.7m appeal if for the
price is Total desert
$5bn
right votes:
Lockheed Martin
3,417
The enterprise value to Lockheed Martin of a cash and
shares sale of its non-core information systems business 28%
Will sell
13,000
strongly
This week, we ask:
Is Boeing’s 777 production rate cut cause for concern?
Flightglobal dashboard ❑ Yes, will struggle with transition to 777X
❑ No, deep discounts will ensure a bridge
As of last week, the number of flights to, from and within ❑ Issue can be managed through reduced output
the USA cancelled since 22 January owing to the blizzard Vote at flightglobal.com
Flightglobal’s premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with
profiles, schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information flightglobal.com/dashboard
Download thethe
new Commercial Engines Directory
Download The Engine Directory.
Download latest Commercial Engines Report
now with enhanced
now with data and
further enhanced datain-depth market
and in-depth marketanalysis
analysis
flightglobal.com/ComEngDirectory
flightglobal.com/commengines
flightglobal.com/commengines13
CFM 2015 strip ad.indd 1 10/06/2015 13:06
4 | Flight International | 2-8 February 2016 flightglobal.com
Flight_CFM_25x180.indd 1 19/07/2012 17:51

COMMENT
Short Boeing?
An 11-month slide in the aerospace giant’s share price took another bad turn last week when
investors reacted to a weak 2016 profits forecast, but long-term prospects could be brighter
A landmark in Boeing’s illustrious, 99-year history

passed unnoticed last year, on 20 February, when
its shares traded at $158.31. In nearly a century of
achievement, Boeing’s market value had never been
higher. More ominously, that value was a distinct peak.
Boeing shares have since tumbled 26.3%, a poor
performance even by the standards of a difficult year
on the stock market; the benchmark S&P Index has lost
just 10.8%. Airbus Group has gained 4.9%.
Xinhua/REX/Shutterstock
Boeing’s stock performance included a one-day drop
of 9% last week, when it published its annual results.
Rather than being buoyed by better-than-expected per-
formance in a financially turbulent 2015, investors
appear to have been disappointed by a lower-than- That came down with a bump
expected outlook for 2016.
Share price can be a poor reflection of a company’s increased in value over the period between 2008 and
long-term value, as investors naturally price in short- 2013, despite so many high-profile slip-ups.
term expectations, especially when markets are as By contrast, the relatively smooth introduction of the
nervous as they are right now. Indeed, the stock mar- 787-9 and ahead-of-schedule progress on the 737 Max
ket’s reaction may not account well for Boeing’s sub- suggest the internal reforms are working, although
billion-dollar cost overruns on the US Air Force KC-46
Boeing’s commercial business tanker programme raise some doubts.
In the end, Boeing’s commercial business is still only
is only at the beginning of a at the beginning of a critical strategic transition that
five-year strategic transition will characterise the next five years. The 787 pro-
gramme is not yet profitable, and two major cash driv-
ers – the 737NG and 777-300ER – are entering a phase-
stantial upsides. Not least, the commercial orders back- out period, with their replacements still years away
log is seven years long, providing some insulation from from contributing positively to Boeing’s bottom line.
the kind of sharp, cyclical changes that have ravaged No matter what the stock market thinks today, the
the civil side of the business so many times in the past. key to Boeing’s long-term finances is its management of
Moreover, there are signs Boeing has successfully re- these product introductions. With the 737 Max family,
formed a broken product development system, only KC-46, 787-10 and 777-9 all entering service over the
recently characterised by the embarrassing delays and next five years, investors will have ample evidence by
breakdowns that dogged the 787-8 and 747-8 which to gauge the company’s true prospects. ■
programmes. Strangely, Boeing’s share price only
See This Week P8
Up and down Dassault

“Weworld
had the impression the crisis was over and the
was back to recovery.” The downturn in
Luckily, another type of upscale purchase is working
in Dassault’s favour. A government’s decision to invest
markets that as recently as 2014 were darlings of Das- in fourth-generation combat aircraft is as much about
sault, and its rivals in large-cabin business jets, surprised discretionary spending as pressing security needs. For
the French firm’s boss Éric Trappier, but it illustrates the years it seemed like the Rafale was destined to have
fragility of a sector that depends on discretionary spend- just one – domestic – customer. Now, deals with Egypt,
ing much more than, say, commercial aviation. Qatar and – the latest – India, have made the fighter a
Conspicuous displays of wealth have become serious player in the export arena.
unfashionable in Brazil and China, where the spotlight Dassault’s unusual business model – with the same
is on rooting out corruption. In Russia, the rouble’s factories and engineers building two very different
decline has pushed top-end imports beyond even some types of product for two very different markets – seems
Stay on top of the latest news
and analysis of the commerical globetrotting billionaires. Just a few dozen decisions to to be proving an investor-pleasing counterweight to the
aviation sector, by going to: defer or ditch purchases can have a marked effect on industry’s inevitable and often ruinous vicissitudes. ■
flightglobal.com/dashboard the orderbooks of a company like Dassault. See This Week P7, Interview P22

THIS WEEK
Get the latest key information on fleet
movements, purchases and retirements:
flightglobal.com/ascend
BRIEFING
A380S TO FORM PART OF IRAN AIR’S FUTURE FLEET
AIRLINE Iran Air has signed an acquisition agreement with Airbus
covering an extensive fleet modernisation, including 12 A380s and
16 A350-1000s. The plan also features 45 A330s, of which 18 are
the re-engined -900neo version. In addition to the 73 long-haul jets,
Iran Air is also intending to take 45 single-aisle aircraft including 24
A320neos. No engine selection has been disclosed, although the
A350s and A330neos are available only with Rolls-Royce power-
Sylvain Ramadier/Airbus
plants. The agreement follows the lifting of sanctions on the country
which had blocked fleet renewal.
F-35 AND SIKORSKY BOOST LOCKHEED PERFORMANCE

RESULTS Lockheed Martin’s net sales grew 1.2% to $46.1 billion in PW1100G engines on initial batch of Airbus jets were affected
2015, with $15.5 billion of that coming from its aeronautics business.
PROPULSION STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
P&W warming to
This was dominated by development and production of the Joint Strike
Fighter, but offset slightly by lower F-16 volume and reduced F-22 sus-
tainment work. Chief executive Marillyn Hewson says the company
challenge as Neo
ended the year “strategically and financially stronger” after the acqui-
sition of Sikorsky and a rise in procurement funds for the F-35 covering
an extra 11 aircraft in the 2016 fiscal year.
INQUIRY OPENS AFTER DANISH ATR HITS EDGE LIGHTS

SAFETY Investigators are probing an incident in which a Danish Air
Transport ATR 72 struck runway lights during its take-off roll at Karup.
engines are fixed
The aircraft had been departing on a domestic service, flight DX171, US manufacturer maintains guidance on 2016 shipments
to Copenhagen on 25 January. It happened in dark, foggy conditions, after overcoming cool-down problem on geared turbofans
with visibility down to just 400m, according to meteorological data.
However, the aircraft did not leave the runway, says the carrier.
ANTONOV LOSES IDENTITY FOLLOWING MERGER

P ratt & Whitney will begin
shipping a new PW1100G
geared turbofan with an
about 160 to 170 powerplants
expected for delivery to Airbus,
translating into 80 to 85 A320neo
RESTRUCTURE Ukraine has decided that Antonov will cease to be a improved cooling system to the shipments if spares are excluded.
separate legal entity following its merger with defence conglomerate Airbus A320neo programme in The cooling problem surfaced
Ukroboronprom. Citing a government directive to this effect, the February, says Gregory Hayes, in December, when Qatar
economic development ministry notes that three Antonov enterpris- chief executive of parent compa- Airways withdrew as launch

es were spun off and put under Ukroboronprom’s control in 2015. ny United Technologies. customer, transferring the first

Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko says Antonov will receive state The new version fixes a ther- delivery slot to Lufthansa.
orders under the defence procurement programme after its integra- mal problem on the PW1100G
tion with Ukroboronprom is completed. that delayed first delivery of the COOLING OFF
A320neo by a month and has At the time, UTC officials
ARIANE 5 NOTCHES UP 70TH SUCCESSFUL MISSION slowed the initial production described the problem as ther-

SPACEFLIGHT The Airbus Safran Launchers-built Ariane 5 heavy-lift ramp-up for the overall pro- mal. Modern engines require
rocket passed a milestone on 27 January with its 70th consecutive gramme in the first half of 2016. time after shutdown to cool off
successful flight, and 80th complete success in 84 launches, from P&W expects the new v ersion, before they can be restarted. But
Europe’s spaceport in French Guyana. The last Ariane 5 failure came with hardware and software the initial batch of PW1100Gs
in December 2002 with the total loss of Flight 14, 3min after lift-off. upgrades, will be available on
needed more time to cool down
Ariane 5 is a leading vehicle for telecommunications satellites, such aircraft scheduled for delivery at than Qatar Airways and other
as the Boeing-built Intelsat-29e that orbited last week. the end of the second quarter. customers were willing to accept.
The delay and slower ramp-up P&W had delivered five
AIRBUS LOOKS TO THE FUTURE WITH UK WING SITE have not changed P&W’s annual PW1100G engines to Airbus by
RESEARCH Airbus is to further develop its wing capabilities in the guidance, which projects deliver- the end of 2015. Only a small
UK with the creation of a development and testing centre at the ies of about 200 geared turbofan number of e ngines will need the
Filton site. The Wing Integration Centre will be a research and devel- engines in 2016, Hayes said on a retrofit package that reduces cool-
opment facility for large structures, the airframer says, and will open 27 January results call. down time, Hayes says.
in 2017. It is the focus of a £37 million ($53 million) investment That includes engine deliver- “We expect the new hardware
programme unveiled by UK chancellor George Osborne. The centre is ies for the Bombardier CSeries comes in our February build,” he
set to play a key role in Airbus’s broad ‘Wing of the Future’ scheme. It and A320neo. Bombardier has says. “We’ll get those out towards
links several initiatives focused on such aspects as fuel, landing- projected deliveries of between the end of the second quarter.
gear, and systems integration, to explore new technologies which will 15 and 20 CS100s and CS300s You’ll actually see the deliveries.
change the way wings are designed and manufactured. combined in 2016, requiring at We expect the impact on custom-
least 30 to 40 engines. That leaves ers to be very minimal.” ■

THIS WEEK
Boeing warns over
drop in deliveries
THIS WEEK P8
PROGRAMME MURDO MORRISON PARIS DISPLAY
Falcon 5X schedule suffers

BETH STEVENSON LONDON
Lockheed plans
second attempt
Snecma Silvercrest setback at F-35 UK show
Ongoing problems with developmental engine prompt Dassault to delay twinjet by two years
T wo years after Lockheed
Martin’s attempt to give its
D assault Aviation has

confirmed a two-year delay
and production freeze on its
F-35 an international debut was
scuppered by an engine fire, as
many as five Joint Strike Fighters
all-new Falcon 5X because of on- are due to visit the UK in July to
going problems with the Snecma appear at two major air shows.
Silvercrest engine. UK defence secretary Michael
The large-cabin, long-range Fallon says the fifth-generation
twinjet – which was rolled out in type will participate in the Royal
June 2015 – is not now expected International Air Tattoo and
to fly until 2017, with first deliv- Farnborough air show – the
eries in early 2020. same two events it was forced to
Dassault Aviation
After unveiling the 5X in 2013, miss in 2014 after severe flight
the French manufacturer had restrictions were imposed fol-
planned the jet’s maiden flight in lowing the incident involving an
the third quarter of last year, but Chief executive anticipates some “order erosion” due to hiatus A-model aircraft’s Pratt & Whit-
hitches with the Silvercrest en- ney F135 powerplant.
gine began to emerge, and powerplant was originally speci- parts, says the company, which Both conventional take-off
Dassault said late in 2015 it would fied on the new Cessna Citation now anticipates engine certifica- and landing F-35As from the US
announce a new testing and pro- Longitude, but was dropped in tion in the first half of 2018. Air Force and short take-off and
duction schedule early this year. favour of a Honeywell unit when Trappier says: “I am not a vertical landing B-variants from
Dassault has informed 5X the business jet’s design changed. happy man [about the delay], but the US Marine Corps are expect-
customers of the delay. Although Snecma says that more than in the end, if we have the right ed to participate in the flying
he will not reveal backlog details 500h of flight tests and 3,500h aircraft and the right engine, it is displays. At least one Royal Air
for the type, chief executive Éric more of ground tests have con- only two years.” Force F-35B is also expected to
Trappier says he expects “some firmed the Silvercrest’s “good op- Confirmation of the new sched- be in attendance.
order erosion” and says the erational performance”. Howev- ule comes after a tough 2015 for The UK has an initial require-
company will try to offer “other er, it adds that the tests have Dassault – 55 deliveries is its low- ment for 48 F-35Bs, and the
solutions” to buyers expecting an “showed the need to carry out est figure for 10 years. This com- Ministry of Defence announced
aircraft before 2020. additional developments in order pares with 66 Falcon shipments in its Strategic Defence and
The 5X is the launch platform to extend the engine’s operational in 2014 and 77 in 2013. Orders in Security Review late last year

for the Silvercrest and it is the life and optimise performance”. 2015 were 45 aircraft; 45 fewer that it is committed to a long-
first time Dassault has chosen a These developments include than the year before. ■ held plan to acquire a total of
French engine for a Falcon. The designing and producing new See Flight Interview P22 138 examples. ■
REQUIREMENT CRAIG HOYLE MANAMA
Viper on offer to Bahrain, but could face fresh Atak

B ell Helicopter is promoting
its AH-1Z Viper to the Royal
Bahraini Air Force, which late
so far is positive.” Referring to the
sales opportunity in Bahrain –
which prompted the company to
Bahrain International Airshow –
Clifton notes: “They are familiar
with Bell products, and we
ensure customer success.” This
would include personnel train-
ing, in-service support and parts.
last year requested information exhibit a simulator at the recent would create an entire system to Clifton describes the AH-1Z as
on the model as a potential re- the leading candidate, but adds:
placement for its 30 ageing AH-1 “They have their options open.”
Cobras. The nation has also shown inter-
“An LoR [letter of request] for est in the Turkish Aerospace
LoA [letter of acceptance] was Industries T129 Atak, which ap-
submitted last October,” confirms peared at the show in 2014.
Bell’s military business develop- Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer
Craig Hoyle/Flightglobal
ment manager Scott Clifton. database shows Bahrain as having

While this marks an early stage in 22 AH-1E/Fs, plus eight P-model
Washington’s Foreign Military trainers. It is unclear how many
Sales mechanism, he adds: “Eve- replacement aircraft it will seek. ■
rything from the US government Gulf state is seeking to replace aged fleet of 30 AH-1 Cobras See Show Report P16

THIS WEEK
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network and fleet information sign up at:
flightglobal.com/dashboard
FINANCIALS STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Boeing warns over

drop in deliveries
Share price tumbles after Muilenburg outlines short-term
impact on production of transition to 777X and 737 Max
AirTeamImages
A s Boeing embarks on a five-
year transition for two of its
most profitable product lines, the
with analysts and journalists,
company president and chief
executive Dennis Muilenburg

The US airframer is currently assembling 8.3 777s monthly
stock market again signaled deep also confirmed a 15% rate cut on Muilenburg later clarified the About 10 767s assembled in
discomfort over any sign of the 777 programme in 2017, as reason for the projected reduc- 2016 are ordered by the US Air
distress with the two re-engining sales teams struggle to keep the tion in deliveries in 2016 that Force, which is not accepting
projects at the heart of the com- production skyline filled as cus- seemed to catch the stock market delivery until they are converted
pany’s long-term growth strategy. tomers wait for the improved per- off guard, but his explanation into KC-46 tankers in 2017.
Boeing’s share price tumbled formance promised by the re-en- leaves even more questions about Around 12 more 737s will be as-
more than 10% in early trading – gined and re-winged 777-9 in the progrmame. sembled but not delivered in
later recovering slightly – imme- 2020. In Muilenburg’s description, 2016 due to the transition to the
diately after a fourth-quarter At the same time, Muilenburg the delivery rate is going down in re-engined 737 Max, Muilenburg
earnings report on 27 January also offered the carrot of a third 2016 – even though production says. Their numbers include the
that commercial deliveries could planned rate increase on the 737 rate remains roughly steady – first four off the line, which are
decline up to 3%, from 762 to line, raising the monthly rate by because of an industrial
dedicated to flight-testing.
740, in 2016. 35%, from 42 to 57 per month, in transition affecting the 767 and Several other 737 Max aircraft

In a morning teleconference 2019. 737 programmes. will be assembled in 2016 but not
delivered until the a ircraft gains
type certification in 2017,
OUTPUT Muilenburg says.
777 rate to fall to seven a month as Seattle battles to bridge “This really is a point of transi-
tion, particularly on the 737,” he
Boeing will cut 777 output by 15% to ings call. The 777 rate cut 777s per month during the transi- says. Boeing had not disclosed
seven per month in 2017 while 737 announced on 27 January comes as tion. Meanwhile, the 737 rate plans to reduce output on two
production will rise more than 10%, Boeing transitions to the more increase means production will dedicated 737NG assembly lines
from planned increases, to 57 per advanced 777X in 2020. At current ramp up by 35% over the next three in 2016. The 737 Max is being
month in 2019. rates of 8.3 per month, Boeing years. Boeing plans to increase the assembled on a line Boeing

The changes had been expected needed to bring in another 200 737 production rate by five aircraft opened in Renton, Washington,
since Boeing chief executive Dennis orders for the 777 over five years to per month to 47 in 2017, followed last year. By setting up that addi-
Muilenburg acknowledged down- bridge to the new variant. by another five per month to 52 in tional assembly line, Boeing offi-
ward pressure on 777 rates and Flightglobal’s Ascend consultancy 2018. Airbus plans to ramp-up cials had previously indicated
upward pressure on 737 output in has projected production rates will A320-family production to 60 per the output on other two 737NG
an October 2015 third-quarter earn- continue to decline to five to six month by mid-2019. ■ lines would not be affected. ■
TESTS GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
Medical evacuation Surion makes its first flight

K orea Aerospace Industries
(KAI) has conducted the first
flight of a KUH-1 Surion utility
hoist and a detachable auxiliary
fuel tank for long-rage missions.
The helicopter can carry six
helicopter optimised for medical patients and will be outfitted
evacuation missions, with the with medical equipment includ-
20min sortie taking place from ing patient monitors, a defibrilla-
the manufacturer’s Sachon tor, and a respirator.
production facility. KAI says that six of the more
Delivery of the 8.7t medevac than 40 Surions currently oper-
Surion to the South Korean army ated by the army carry emergen-
Korea Aerospace Industries
will take place in 2018. In 2014, cy m edical services kits, which

state news agency Yonhap lay the foundation for the dedi-
reported that the initial contract cated medevac variant. It will
is for eight examples. eventually field more than 200
Equipment includes a rescue examples of the helicopter. ■ South Korean army has ordered an initial eight of the variant

STRONGER TOGETHER
2016: the birth of Finmeccanica as One Company

AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi, Selex ES, OTO Melara, Wass: these are our roots, deep
and strong - the lifeblood of the new Finmeccanica.
Now we are One Company; an integrated entity - more robust and dynamic, with a single
voice to speak to the world.
One Company. Stronger together.
THIS WEEK
For more in-depth coverage of the
global rotorcraft sector, go online to
flightglobal.com/helicopters
financials dominic perry london
Market weighs on
Airbus Helicopters
Orders and deliveries fall in both military and civil sectors as
airframer is hit by cancellations and weaker offshore sector
Thierry Rostang/Airbus Helicopters

O rders and deliveries both de-
clined last year at Airbus Hel-
icopters as the rotorcraft market
There was better news for the
super-medium H175, which
gained 36 orders in 2015 – up
showed continued weakness in from eight in 2014 – including its
the civil and military sectors. first for a search and rescue vari- Manufacturer will open orderbook for medium twin later in 2016
Deliveries dropped by 16% to ant, with a seven-helicopter deal
395, from 471 in 2014. There were with Hong Kong’s Government programme
497 deliveries recorded in 2013.
Gross orders fell 4% to 383
Flying Service.
Sales for major programmes
Arrano makes flight debut on H160 PT2
units from 402 the previous year, were broadly flat, with the other Airbus Helicopters has flown the Chief executive Guillaume Faury
with 50 military cancellations – notable decline shown by the second prototype of its new medi- says the programme has benefited
predominantly Tiger attack heli- H155 family, which pulled in just um-class H160 rotorcraft – the first from investment in its facilities in
copters and NH90 transports for 13 orders, falling from 28 in 2014. to be equipped with the new 1,100- Marignane, notably the dynamic heli-
Germany – driving net order in- However, that may just be a rever- 1,300shp (820-969kW) Turbomeca copter zero test rig, which has
take down to 333. sion to the long-term trend, given Arrano engines that will power pro- “helped… faster development”.
However, the most alarming only 17 were sold in 2013. duction models. 2016 will be a busy 12 months
sales decline came in the heavy But the H155 gained a more Its initial flight-test article – which for the airframer as it pushes ahead
segment – comprising the H225 secure long-term future in 2015 uses the Pratt & Whitney Canada with the H160: it aims to begin tak-
and its military derivative – with the announcement it will PW210 powerplants now dropped ing orders for the 5.5-6t helicopter
where order intake plunged to form the basis of Korea Aerospace from the programme – had accumu- this year, as well as inaugurating “an
just two units, from 32 the year Industries’ new light civil/light lated 75h by the end of 2015 since all-new automated final assembly
before and 33 in 2013. armed helicopter programme. first taking to the skies in early June. line” in the second half.
That fall is indicative of the Airbus Helicopters says this will A third flying prototype of the Little detail has emerged on the
state of the offshore transportation be an “evolution” of the H155, medium twin, due to arrive this year, new assembly process, but it is
market, where plummeting oil with “several hundred units” to will be used for certification, before thought to represent a significant
prices have caused a huge reverse be produced for commercial and European Aviation Safety Agency change in the way the manufacturer
in a previously booming sector. military applications. ■ approval and service entry in 2018. puts together its helicopters. ■
business aviation kate sarsfield london
Strong sales underpin latest G650 rate increase

G ulfstream will raise output
on its G650/ER ultra-
long-range business jet line in

Gulfstream parent General
ynamics, indicated that G650/
D
ER production had been in-
Gulfstream’s other large-cabin
models fared less well in 2015,
prompting the airframer to cut
“We reduced the G550 produc-
tion rate, again, in line with de-
mand,” she says, adding that the
2016, as continued strong de- creased in the second-half of output on both the G550 and move is also part of Gulfstream’s
mand for the twinjets helped the 2015 and will rise again in 2016 G450. “We’ve been reducing the transition to its new large-cabin
airframer record a strong perfor- “to reflect current demand and G450 very incrementally for the pair, the G500 and G600, due to
mance last year. our sizeable [two-year] backlog”. last about seven or eight quarters enter service in 2018 and 2019.
Speaking on a full-year earn- That production rate “is clear- in line with a fall in demand and She stresses they will comple-
ings call on 27 January, Phebe ly sustainable for this year and what we predicted in demand,” ment, and not replace, the G450
Novakovic, chief executive of next,” she says. Novakovic says. and G550. ■
Keep track of the latest developments in

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www.flightglobal.com/connectivity
honeywell.indd 1 16/12/2015 15:02
news analysis
For the industry’s most trusted and timely
aircraft reporting and forecasting, visit
flightglobal.com/fleetsanalyzer
Boeing
Despite a number of airframe and propulsion improvements, sales have failed to match the airframer’s ambitions for its iconic jumbo jet
programme dominic perry london
747 strategy may be a ‘bridge’ too far

With production output set to drop to six aircraft per year from September, Boeing is pinning its hopes on cargo market
O n 21 January, Boeing dealt

another blow to the 747-8 pro-
gramme, announcing that from
fort for the jumbo either. Although
Boeing predicts an overall require-
ment over the next 20 years for
freighters (as opposed to conver-
sions) in the period to 2034. How-
ever, it is a segment that includes
operators love the nose door ca-
pability of the 747, the -8F is a
large aircraft to fill and more
September 2016 it will cut pro- 8,830 passenger widebodies, only specialist cargo types such as the cargo users are favouring the
duction from the current 1.3 air- 1% will be in the large widebody Antonov An-124, Ilyushin Il-94T, 777F. Plus the lower oil price
craft per month to 0.5 per month. category – a corner of the market and, problematically, the freighter helps the economics of -400Fs,
It is the fourth reduction in less shared with the Airbus A380. variant of the 777. Backlog for the which may continue for longer
than two years – output was al- latter currently stands at 42 air- before requiring replacement.”
ready scheduled to drop in “While the 747 is a craft, according to Boeing’s most In 2015, Ascend predicted that
March to one aircraft per month recent order and delivery data. only 57 more 747-8s would be
– and shows how far, and how
niche market, it’s an But freight is where Boeing be- delivered, with the programme
quickly, the 747’s star has fallen. important niche and lieves the jumbo’s future lies. Jus- ending in the early 2020s, “but
It is a sad end for an aircraft that, one that we think tifying its decision to further cut even this may now be optimis-
more than any other, came to output, chief executive Dennis tic”, says Seymour.
symbolise Boeing’s heyday. is sustainable” Muilenburg, speaking on a full-
Everything seemed so different Dennis muilenburg year results call, described the opportunity
five years ago, when the first -8 In- Chief executive, Boeing move as creating “a sustainable One future opportunity for
tercontinental test aircraft rolled rate position” for the line. Boeing – and perhaps a fitting

out of its Everett, Seattle hangar. This, he says, allows the 747 to end for the programme – is a
Emblazoned in a distinctive or- The Seattle airframer predicts a bridge to a replacement cycle in chance to replace the iconic
ange and white “sunrise” livery, total market for 540 large wide- the freighter market in around VC-25A fleet, which the US Air
Boeing’s theme for the day cele- body passenger aircraft over the 2019, where “about 45% of the Force operates as Air Force One
brating the 747 was “Incredible, next 20 years. The vast majority of current fleet will need to be re- to transport the president.
Again”. The airframer predicted a these, 300, are destined for the placed.” The USAF announced last
robust future for both the passen- Middle East, a region that has so Muilenburg says that some 240 January that the 747-8 will be the
ger and freighter variants, but far shown a clear preference for large freighter aircraft will be over platform that replaces the two
viewed from 2016, it seems the the 747’s European rival. 20 years old by that point and re- 747-200s now in service. A
paint scheme was more indicative In fact, large widebodies have quire renewal. “So the replace- contracting notice is expected to
of a sunset than a new dawn. seen their share of the twin-aisle ment need is real. And while the be released within a few weeks,
in-service fleet drop from 24% in 747 is a niche market, it’s an im- but the service has yet to clarify
backlog 1994 to 15% in 2015. Boeing pre- portant niche market and one that the timing and number of deliv-
The numbers speak for them- dicts this will fall to 5% by 2034. we think is sustainable,” he says. eries for the programme.
selves. Boeing currently has just “It seems to me that the 747’s Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer If that effort could be
seven 747-8 Freighters and 13 of days as a passenger aircraft are in- database shows a total of 234 old- accelerated, Morris takes the

the -8I passenger variant in its firm deed numbered, with the [in-de- er-model 747 freighters, including view that it could spell an early
order backlog – and that seems ar- velopment] 777-9 being the final combis, currently in operation, end for -8 production.
tificially high. The totals include piece in a picture which began the vast majority (217) the -400 “Boeing just needs to keep the
commitments for four 747-8s from with 777-300ER and A380,” says variant, with an average age of 16 line open long enough to build
defunct Russian passenger airline Rob Morris, head of consultancy years. The oldest 747 freighter still the Air Force One replacement
Transaero, and two from Nigeria’s at Flightglobal’s Ascend analysts. in service is a 38-year-old -200 op- and then it will close the pro-
Arik Air, which reportedly in- A longer-term future for the erated by Iran’s Caspian Airlines. gramme,” he says.
tends to switch to the 777. 747-8 could be in the cargo mar- Chris Seymour, head of market “I can’t see rate 0.5 being
Its latest market forecast for the ket. Boeing predicts a need for 650 analysis at Ascend, offers a more sustainable in the long, or even
2015-2034 period offers little com- large widebody production nuanced view. “Although certain medium, term.” ■

AIR TRANSPORT
El Al in 787 missile
defence talks
AIR TRANSPORT P14
airframer olivier bonnassies paris
ATR puts airlines at heart of strategy

Turboprop manufacturer looks to ease reliance on leasing sector in 2016 and introduce its products to new markets
A TR aims to lessen its depend-

ence on orders from lessors
as it concentrates on more direct
campaigns with airlines.
The joint-venture turboprop
maker won 76 new orders in
2015, plus 81 options. Seven air-
lines ordered a total of 11 ATR
42-600s and 52 ATR 72-600s,
while 13 ATR 72-600s were
ordered by undisclosed custom-
ers, five of them from a lessor,
Flight International understands.
Speaking at a media briefing in
Paris on 21 January, chief execu-
tive Patrick de C
astelbajac said he
was not surprised by the low
level of orders from the leasing
community last year.
Operating lessors had repre-
sented around 40% of ATR’s
order intake in 2014, accounting
for 65 of a record 160 commit-
ments, as well as 75 of 120
options. In 2013, they generated
ATR
66 orders for the turboprop Amakusa Airlines became one of ATR’s first Japanese customers, with lease deal for 42-600
manufacturer. In 2012, the figure
was 12, and in 2011 it was 44. “Today, the need is to get back competitive in 2015 to place new 2016, look to expand its customer
But de Castelbajac says he has to a level [that] everybody is more deliveries with customers. base outside of the traditionally
been wary of potential depend- comfortable with. When too “I believe we had the perfect strong markets of Europe, Brazil
ence on lessors since last year. many aircraft are on lease, it does storm: we had a low-fuel, high- and Southeast Asia as it targets a
“ATR oversold aircraft to not help anyone,” says de dollar environment with too total of 100 orders for the year.
lessors over the past few years. Castelbajac. “We could get back many deliveries from the leasing One of the manufacturer’s
We want to get back into direct to where we were a couple of community,” he says. priorities is Iran, where it be-

relationships with operators,” he years ago, with a reasonable per- “Then we saw aggressive lieves it could sell as many as 30
tells Flight International. centage of lessor-backed orders pricing driving lease rates down, aircraft. “Now the sanctions are
While lessors have helped and deliveries. When we get this but I am confident that, going lifted, we have opportunities
ATR to gain access to some under control, we can again forward, this situation will
there,” says de Castelbajac. “Iran
markets, the manufacturer is

resume our activity with lessors.” stabilise and come back to more is our next new market. It has [an]
hoping to d
evelop a more De Castelbajac concedes that comfortable levels.” 80 million population, and infra-
balanced orderbook. the leasing community was very Additionally, ATR will, in structure is there.
“There is a need for aircraft in
the Iranian market. We could
freight easily sell a total of 60 aircraft in
Cargoflex variant carries weight of expectations in Japan Iran over the years. Maybe half of
them could be sold this year,”
Toulouse-headquartered ATR plans have the high-speed train, but there version. Some regions and authori- says de Castelbajac.
further breakthroughs in Japan by is a need to link them,” ATR chief ties have been interested... but we ATR also plans to return
offering its Cargoflex combi-freighter executive Patrick de Castelbajac told have not had the Cargoflex version “strongly” to India, says de
in future campaigns. reporters in Paris. at the time.” Castelbajac, who predicts that the
Last year, the airframer sold eight Japanese carriers operate “age- ATR launched the Cargoflex vari- country’s air transport market
ATR 42-600 tuboprops to Japan ing fleets” too expensive for this ant in 2014 and secured a will increase tenfold by 2025.
Airlines, while another operator, type of operation, he says. “A third of seven-unit order from launch “In 10 years’ time, there will be
Amakusa Airlines, took delivery of routes in Japan are below 300nm customer PNG Air. The Papua New 600 million ticket fares sold on
its first under an operating lease [555km], and we believe we can Guinean carrier will carry 3t of cargo an annual basis,” he says. “Not
deal with Nordic Aviation Capital. grow our market share.” and 44 passengers, or a full load of all routes are below 400nm
“Japan is a place with many He adds: “We have not had dis- 72 passengers, needing a short [740km], but I am confident we
islands and isolated cities. They cussions yet about our Cargoflex time to reconfigure the cabin. ■ will grow again in this market.” ■

AIR TRANSPORT
airline aaron chong singapore
Hervé Goussé/Airbus
Neo delay hits IndiGo fleet growth
I ndian low-cost carrier IndiGo
is set to miss its target of
having an operational fleet of

Lufthansa on 20 January. To
mitigate the potential capacity

shortfall, IndiGo says it will
111 aircraft by the end of March. lease more used A320ceos, and
Airline president Aditya has signed short-term leases for
Ghosh says the shortfall is due to 22 examples, of which 17 have
the delay in receiving its first been received.
Pratt & Whitney PW1100G- Three more are scheduled for
powered Airbus A320neo, due delivery by 31 March, with the programme
for delivery on 30 December. final two set to arrive in the
Speaking on a quarterly earn- following quarter. The leases run China Airlines A350-900 blossoms
ings call, Ghosh said the carrier for a minimum of three years. Airbus has shown off progress on Taiwanese carrier China Airlines’
does not yet have “clear visibili- The operator leased 12 first of 14 A350-900s, following the installation of its vertical fin.
ty” over the delivery schedule aircraft from Singaporean budg- The aircraft, MSN49, is undergoing wing-fuselage mating and tail
for its 430 ordered A320neo- et carrier Tigerair in October last cone fitting on the final assembly line in Toulouse, before moving to
family aircraft. year, and recently took delivery structural completion, system ground testing and cabin fit. China
Airbus handed over the first of the second of three A320s Airlines is due to take delivery of the aircraft in the third quarter.
A320neo to launch customer from CIT Aerospace. ■
Development
david kaminski-morrow
london
Russian industry
begins widebody
feasibility work
R ussia’s United Aircraft has
approved a series of technical
feasibility projects linked to plans
to develop a new long-haul aircraft.
Its board has detailed a number
of contracts with specialist divi-
sions covering various aspects of
research for the joint Russian-
Boeing
Chinese scheme.
A firm order for three Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered -9s was placed by flag carrier in October They include a deal with
Ilyushin to analyse the develop-
safety stephen trimble tel aviv
ment of a widebody jet based on
El Al tunes up C-Music for 787s in-depth modernisation of the

Il-96-300. Tupolev has been

assigned a package
centred on
Israeli airline works with Boeing and Elbit Systems to fit anti-missile system on Dreamliners development of technical config-
urations of the undercarriage and
E l Al has begun discussions

with Boeing about installing
laser-based anti-missile systems
order, Elbit began supporting
technical discussions between
El Al and Boeing about how to
ing a 2002 incident in which an
Arkia 757 narrowly avoided being
shot down by two missiles on
fire suppression system.
The contract also includes
studies into the use of “more-elec-
on up to 15 on-order 787s, says install the C-Music pod on the departure from Mombasa, Kenya. tric aircraft” concepts.
supplier Elbit Systems. all-composite 787. The airlines agreed to install the United Aircraft has engaged
The Israeli flag carrier has been C-Music uses Elbit’s passive C-Music pods only after the Sukhoi to examine design options
installing Elbit’s C-Music system, airborne warning system to detect government approved a financial for the fuel system and to carry out
designed to detect and divert heat- missiles fired from the ground. It subsidy, which reimburses carriers assessment of performance and
seeking missiles, across its fleet then cues a directional infrared for the extra fuel cost caused by the landing characteristics.
since 2013. Last October, El Al countermeasure system to fire a drag and weight of the systems. It has also recruited structures
placed a firm order for three laser at the heat sensor on the Elbit says the measured drag specialist AeroKompozit to look
Rolls-Royce Trent 1000-powered munition, sending it off course. caused by the anti-missile into work connected with the
787-9s, with plans to buy and The Israeli government is subsi- systems is less than 1% of a
wing. Other agreements focus on
lease up to 12 more before 2023. dising the installation of C-Music clean fuselage on average. ■ avionics, as well as supplier se-
Shortly after confirming the on the country’s airliners follow- See Feature P26 lection procedures. ■

news focus
Bahrain 2016
SHOW REPORT P16
propulsion michael gubisch derby
Rolls-Royce to offer more for lessors

UK-based manufacturer is bowing to demands from leasing industry for a broader portfolio of engine support options
R olls-Royce launched its

TotalCare maintenance pro-

gramme for commercial operators
nearly 20 years ago. Since then,
the UK manufacturer has sold the
hour-based aftermarket services to
the vast majority of its customers,
and revenue from the scheme has
become a central pillar of its civil
aero engine business.
But market changes – in
particular, the growing signifi-

cance of lessors and a changing
fleet composition – have prompt-
Rolls-Royce
ed the UK-headquartered firm to
adjust its aftermarket strategy.
Airlines and lessors have High demand for the Airbus A350’s Trent XWB has put pressure on R-R’s maintenance network
demanded a broader range of

maintenance options as the from a manufacturer, carriers launched a new fixed-price over-
number of mature engines

“We don’t see that using second-hand aircraft tend to haul scheme – SelectCare. While
covered by the programme rises TotalCare was a buy in smaller batches. TotalCare was designed to maxim-
and aircraft transition to second reason why aircraft This, Goodson asserts, poses ise time on wing, cover operation-
operators. Meanwhile, the challenges in efficiently remarket- al risks, and provide operators
burgeoning backlog for Trent
were not moving” ing aircraft without extended with predictable costs, SelectCare
XWB engines – the sole power- simon goodson ground-time. But he insists primarily targets overhaul-cost
plant for the Airbus A350 – has Senior VP for lessors, Rolls-Royce R-R-powered aircraft “are mov-
stability over a certain period.
posed capacity challenges for the ing” into the second-hand market. The manufacturer plans to offer
manufacturer’s MRO network, Nevertheless, he says “we have Trent operators time-and-materi-
established with select partners. end of an engine’s run period. been misaligned for some time” als-based overhaul services, with
Goodson acknowledges there with the leasing sector. “Clearly,” a choice between authorised
leasing influence have been challenges in remarket- he adds, “we need to approach third-party facilities and shops at
R-R senior vice-president for ing aircraft that have reached the this market differently.” least part-owned by R-R.
lessors, Simon Goodson, admits end of their first lease term, but In future, there will be an
the manufacturer did not recog- rejects the suggestion this was due innovative services “increasing focus on independ-

nise, until recently, the leasing to the support contract. “We don’t Accordingly, the firm has ents” in the manufacturer’s
sector’s influence, while it sold see that TotalCare was a reason launched initiatives under the support network, says R-R MRO
long-term service agreements to why aircraft were not m oving,” he banner “LessorCare” – not a new services director Simon Smith.
airlines as part of aircraft sales. says. product or set of services today, Delta TechOps was revealed in
Some 90% of Trent-series Lessors and other members of but a “project” to develop “flexi- October 2015 as a partner for the
engines are enrolled under
the aircraft finance sector have ble and innovative services” in support of Trent XWB, 7000 –
TotalCare contracts, says R-R. reported difficulties finding oper- collaboration with leasing compa- which will power the A330neo –
While around 16% of the ators for used widebodies – nota- nies, it says. and older BR715 engines for the
in-service R-R engine fleet was
bly the A330 and Boeing 777 – In 2014, R-R introduced 717. Additional, similar c ontracts
owned by lessors in 2005, that with engines covered by TotalCare Flex, a range of hour- are to be unveiled this year, says
proportion has grown to one-third hour-based service agreements. based services dedicated to opera- Smith.
and is set to be half by around But R-R senior vice-president of tors of mature engines intending Goodson says a key objective is
2025. The manufacturer concedes customer strategy and marketing, to retire that equipment. Options to establish a network of o verhaul
TotalCare was primarily designed Richard Goodhead, insists this include employment of replace- shops that can conduct time-and-
with operators in mind. Services applies equally to aircraft
ment engines from a pool instead materials-based services to assure
and pricing were devised so powered by GE Aviation or Pratt & of shop visits, of used serviceable lessors and operators there will be
airlines could transfer risk to the Whitney engines. material, or of “shortbuild” over- choice in maintenance of second-
manufacturer; for instance, R-R One complicating factor when hauls to facilitate a limited hand equipment.
would provide spare engines to it comes to p lacing aircraft with number of flight cycles. R-R will probably “incentivise”
cover unscheduled shop visits. secondary operators has been a The scheme is not just aimed at use of its facilities, he indicates. Its
Meanwhile, carriers could growing volume of available, used reducing maintenance cost, but aftermarket services are “evolv-
count on agreed, regular mainte- aircraft, argues Goodson. While an also to “slowly release asset ing” as part of a “journey”, says
nance payments without uncer- aircraft’s initial operator is likely value”, says Goodhead. Goodhead, but “we have not ar-
tainty about overhaul costs at the to have o rdered an entire fleet In January, the manufacturer rived.” ■

SHOW For up-to-the-minute air transport news,
REPORT network and fleet information sign up at:

bahrain 2016
The fourth Bahrain International Airshow was staged at
Sakhir air base near Manama from 21-23 January,
attracting 135 companies to its exhibition hangar and
chalet row. Key attractions among the roughly 100 aircraft
on display included visiting airliners, VIP adaptations,
military types old and new, and an international debut for
the Hindustan Aeronautics-built Tejas light fighter. To better
establish its place in the global aerospace calendar,
organiser Farnborough International has announced a date
switch, with the next edition to run from 14-16 November
2018: one year after the Dubai air show. Show report and
photography by Craig Hoyle
fleet modernisation
Three to contest
for replacement
Bahrain considers F-16V buy
of Flynas A320s New-build fighters could join air force fleet as in-service examples receive major upgrade
S audi Arabian low-cost carrier

Flynas is to launch a three-
way contest to replace its fleet of
B ahrain is nearing a decision
on whether to modernise its
Lockheed Martin F-16s and ac-
rop Grumman’s scalable agile
beam radar. The progamme would
also add precision-guided weap-
fication and flight test in Bahrain
with Lockheed, and subsequent
examples would receive the en-
26 Airbus A320s with a new quire an additional batch in the ons, such as from Boeing’s joint hancements with the assistance
model to support ambitious advanced V-model configuration. direct attack munition series, and of the nation’s air force.
growth plans requiring up to 100 Increased operational demand Lockheed’s Sniper targeting pod. Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer
next-generation narrowbodies. due to its involvement in a coali- In parallel with the upgrade, database records the Royal Bah-
tion campaign against militants in the service could also acquire “17 raini Air Force’s inventory as in-
“The A320 is perfect Yemen means the Royal Bahraini or 18” new-build F-16Vs cluding 16 F-16Cs and four D-
Air Force is looking to boost capa- equipped with conformal fuel model trainers, after one was
for us at the moment, bilities, says Rick Groesch, region- tanks, Groesch says. destroyed in a non-fatal accident
but we are open to al vice-president, Middle East for Confirming that Bahrain has in Saudi Arabia last December.
the best deal going” Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. asked for pricing, availability and If concluded, the deal with
“They are thinking about up- schedule data about a potential Bahrain would enable Lockheed
Paul Byrne
Chief executive, Flynas grading their airplanes – we have Foreign Military Sales deal, he to extend production of the F-16
been in discussion for a while,” says: “In February we will start to beyond 2017. “We’re talking to
he tells Flight International. discuss the request with the US several other customers,” says
“The RFP [request for propos- Modernising Bahrain’s in-ser- government. Bahrain has seen the Groesch, who identifies Jordan as
als] process has started, and we vice fleet to the F-16V standard need to get this going, due to the having a near-term requirement to
expect some moves over the next would include the integration of operational tempo now.” modernise its inventory.
month or so,” chief executive Paul an active electronically scanned The lead aircraft involved in Two years ago, details emerged
Byrne tells Flight International. array sensor, identified as North- an upgrade would undergo modi- of a possible deal to supply the
“The three manufacturers are on United Arab Emirates with addi-
alert,” he adds, referring to Airbus, tional F-16s in an upgraded Block
Boeing and Bombardier. Candi- 60 configuration, along with a
date types are the A320neo, 737 modernisation activity for its cur-
Max and CSeries, respectively. rent examples. A deal has yet to be
“The A320 is perfect for us at signed, but Groesch says: “We’re
the moment,” says Byrne, “but we still talking to them about that.”
are open to the best deal going.” Separately, Bahrain has yet to
Flynas’s current aircraft are op- advance the planned replace-
erated under a six-year lease ment of its remaining 12 North-
agreement. “We have to cover the rop F-5E/Fs. With the Eurofighter
complete replacement of those, Typhoon considered a leading
and growth,” Byrne says. contender for the requirement,
Lockheed Martin
A decision from the Riyadh- campaign lead BAE Systems ex-

based airline is anticipated hibited a full-scale replica and
around the middle of this year. ■ Lockheed could supply up to 18 aircraft with conformal fuel tanks simulator at the show. ■

USAF pleased with bahrain 2016
KC-46 trial show report
DEFENCE P18
marketing
Debut of Tejas LCA launches Indian export effort

I ndia is ready to start seeking
export buyers for its Tejas light
combat aircraft (LCA), and sent
The aircraft flew from Bengaluru,
refuelling in Jamnagar and Oman
year. The latter will involve
building the Mk1A version of
the fighter, which introduces
two of the fighters overseas for numerous production and sys-
the first time to attend the show. tem enhancements over an ini-
Dr S Christopher, director tial batch of 20 jets. India plans
general of New Delhi’s Defence
to acquire 100 examples in the
Research and Development improved standard.
Organisation, notes that the Make “It is a parallel process be-
in India policy also extends to tween test and evaluation and
seeking international sales of its production,” says Aeronautical
equipment. “Our aim is to ensure Development Agency pro-
we have a quality product – not gramme director C D Balaji, who
just for indigenous requirements, good show for us,” says Christo- see an additional number of air- adds: “there is a significant
but also for export,” he says. pher, revealing that one nation in craft entering into [Indian air amount of maturity.”
The aircraft covered the the Middle East region has force] service,” says HAL chief Meanwhile, head of flight test
2,050nm (3,790km) from Bengal- requested information about the executive R Kaveri Renganathan. programme Air Vice-Marshal J
uru via refuelling stops in Jamna- Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL)- “We are currently ramping up Chalapati says work is under way
gar and Muscat, Oman. One Tejas built type. “We will have inter- production – any export order, to integrate a new advanced air-
took part in the daily flying dis- ested people coming to India in we would be ready to dovetail.” to-air missile.
play, with the deployment sup- April,” he adds. Seven units will be produced “There will be additional de-
ported by around 50 personnel. “The LCA has been produc- this year and eight in 2017, be- tails within the next couple of
“In terms of interest, this is a tionised, and this year we will fore doubling to 16 the following months,” he adds. ■
freighters
767-200s widen DHL’s local presence
DHL Aviation’s Middle East and Africa division displayed one of its newly-
acquired Boeing 767-200 freighters, as the logistics company responds
to increased demand. The widebodies join three 757-200s and a pair of
contracted Airbus A300s based in Bahrain. Two of the aircraft are being
introduced, “increasing flight frequencies to key markets such as Saudi
Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Pakistan”, DHL says.
Flightglobal’s Fleets Analyzer database records GE Aviation
CF6-engined A9C-DHJ as having been built in 1985. It was sourced via
lessor Air Transport Services Group, says Malcolm Macbeth, vice-presi-
dent of DHL Aviation Middle East and Africa. The other was acquired
from the company’s US operation.

DEFENCE
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DEVELOPMENT
Bell to combine
V-280 wing and
fuselage by April
B ell Helicopter will perform the
wing and fuselage mate of its
V-280 tiltrotor in April, with the
next-generation platform currently
23% complete and on target for
first flight in September 2017.
Vice-president of advanced
tiltrotor systems Vince Tobin says
the composite wing for the US
Army technology demonstrator is
almost fabricated, including the
electrical wiring and hydraulics.
The 11-member industry team is
US Air Force
also preparing the nacelles to
receive gearboxes and eventually
GE Aviation T64-419 engines. Pegasus tanker passed 725kg of fuel to fighter in first transfers, as Boeing sticks to delivery plan
The team aims to “turn rotors”
CONTRACTs james drew washington dc
on the Valor and verify its subas-
semblies in the first half of 2017.
“We’ll do the restrained ground
run. That will be April of 2017,
USAF pleased with KC-46 trial
and then the wheels will actually Centreline boom contacts made smoothly with F-16 in crucial January aerial refuelling test
break ground,” Tobin says.
“Our expectation is that we
would be able to enter the acquisi-
tion cycle at ‘Milestone B’ and go
T he US Air Force is optimistic
about awarding a first produc-
tion contract to Boeing for the
level review of low-rate initial
production by the US govern-
ment. If that is positive then two
Following the first flight of the
Pegasus on 25 September 2015
after several delays and cost over-
right into engineering and manu- developmental KC-46A, following contracts, for seven and 12 runs, the refuelling demonstra-
facturing development,” he says. a flight test in which the aircraft, are expected to be award- tions represent a major correction
“We would be ready to do that as 767- derived tanker transferred ed by mid-year. for the programme. Boeing and
soon as a few months after we fly.” 725kg (1,600lb) of fuel to a The 17.1m (56ft)-long boom the US government are still target-
Lockheed Martin F-16C. handled “like it was an extension ing an original schedule to have
“Our expectation is to During a 5h 45min sortie of my arm,” says Boeing KC-46 18 operational tankers delivered
conducted from Boeing Field in refuelling operator Rickey by August 2017.
enter the acquisition Seattle, Washington on 24 Kahler. USAF boom operator

cycle at ‘Milestone B’ January, the KC-46A Pegasus
Master Sgt Lindsay Moon agreement imminent
and go right completed several centreline describes the procedure from the If Boeing can keep up the momen-
boom contacts with the receiver platform’s air refuelling operator tum and complete the required
into development” on the F-16, before gaining clear- station as being “night and day” demonstrations, the company can
Vince Tobin ance to transfer fuel, in what was when compared with the USAF’s expect its first production contract
Vice-president, advanced tiltrotor its most significant trial to date. KC-135 Stratotanker – the last of “shortly” after concluding the
systems, Bell Helicopter
“This aerial refuelling marks the which was delivered by Boeing activity, the air force says.
first of many, and represents years in 1965. The F-16 refuelling comes five
The V-280 and Sikorsky-Boe- of hard work beginning to pay years after Boeing received its
ing’s SB-1 Defiant rigid coaxial-ro- dividends,” says Brig Gen Duke more receivers KC-46A development contract.
tor compound helicopter will be Richardson, air force programme The F-16 refuelling completes Four aircraft are now assembled
demonstrated for the army’s Future executive officer for tankers. the “light-fast” receiver require- – two configured as 767-2Cs and
Vertical Lift programme. This
“We have a lot of work yet to ment. Next is the Fairchild two fully-configured as tankers.
might not be in the army’s fiscal do, but this is an exciting time for Republic A-10 attack aircraft
Boeing says its third and fourth
year 2017 budget, but Bell hopes the airmen who are preparing to (light-slow) and Boeing C-17 test assets will fly for the first
funding will follow in 2018-2019. fly, maintain and support the transport (heavy). A subsequent time later this year.
“Sooner is better,” Tobin says. KC-46 Pegasus for decades to series will demonstrate centre- Boeing expects a production
“We’re in the philosophy of ‘build come,” adds Col Christopher line drogue and wing aerial refu- run of 179 tankers to begin
it and they will come’. If we build it Coombs, air force KC-46 system elling pod functionality using a replacing decades-old KC-135s

and they don’t come, the opportu- programme manager. Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and and KC-10s, before competing for
nity to get companies to feel com- The event marks the first in a AV-8B Harrier II. The KC-46 will follow-on requirements, known
fortable about doing this again in series of aerial refuelling demon- also receive fuel itself, from a as KC-Y and KC-Z, in 2024 and
the future will be diminished.” ■ strations meant to support a top- McDonnell Douglas KC-10. 2036, respectively. ■

DEFENCE
Allies could adapt
NH90 for SF duties
DEFENCE P20
Requirements murdo morrison paris
Dassault to take Indian deal by stages

Rafales to be supplied in ‘flyaway’ condition – pending financial closure, after Paris and New Delhi set terms for first order
D assault says it will “go step

by step” to securing further
Rafale orders from India, after
[Indian] government has decid-
ed to go faster, with 36 to fly
away,” says Trappier.
prime minister Narendra Modi Dassault does not have
signed an agreement on 25 “concerns” about the ability of
January with his French counter- potential industrial partners to
part to purchase 36 of the type. participate in the Rafale
During a state visit by presi- programme, but he says “it will
dent François Hollande, the take time for India to reach that
French and Indian governments competence”. Also, “their indus-
signed an intergovernmental try is very busy [with other mili-
agreement which “paves the tary projects]”, he notes.
way” for the conclusion of a “If they order more we will
Katsuhiko Tokunaga/Dassault Aviation

contract. Dassault says it is work- have to create more jobs in India.”
ing with Paris to finalise it within Concluding a sale to India
four weeks. would mark the third export
Talking to Flight International contract for the Rafale in little

on 20 January, Dassault Aviation over a year, after deals with Egypt
chief executive Éric Trappier said and Qatar, each for 24 aircraft.
the company would work with Initial deal covers the acquisition of 36 multi-role fighters Trappier is also confident of
India to add to the order. securing business from Canada,
Four years ago, New Delhi set to go ahead, although finan- the formal involvement of Indian whose new government has
selected the Rafale for its $20 bil- cial issues “must be resolved as industry in their production. threatened to pull out of its
lion, 126-aircraft medium multi- soon as possible”, a joint govern- This is believed to have been a commitment to the Lockheed
role combat aircraft requirement, ment statement says. stumbling block to securing a Martin F-35.
but cancelled the programme Under the agreement, Dassault larger initial deal. “Canada is interesting,” says
last August, after announcing it will supply French-built aircraft “We worked to get [an order Trappier. “We are waiting for them
was likely to only place an order in “flyaway” condition, although for] 126, but it took time as we to launch a competition and we
for 36 fighters. Trappier acknowledges that sell- had to license HAL [Hindustan will be a solid candidate.” ■
The latter acquisition is now ing further examples will require Aeronautics]. It looks like the See Flight Interview P22
fleets dominic perry london
Danish Merlins ready for sea trials ahead of Lynx exit

I n mid-March, the Royal Danish
Air Force will begin shipborne
qualification trials of its
duties for conversion to the new
type. “It will take at least one
year before the Seahawk starts
for assault missions. Flightglobal’s
Fleets Analyzer database lists
Denmark as operating 13 of the
year. These will be followed by
two each in 2017 and 2018. No
torpedoes have been specified for
AgustaWestland AW101 rotor-
producing anything of value for 15.6t helicopters. the helicopters, but Ulrich notes:
craft. In order to address a poten- us,” says Ulrich. The service’s first three “In a couple of years, when we are
tial capability gap in the service’s Although integration of the new Seahawks will be delivered in
integrated with the Seahawk, I’m
helicopter fleet, the effort will see a type has been carefully planned, May, with two more later this sure we will look at weapons.” ■
Merlin from 722 Sqn operating there is little room for error. “We
from a Royal Danish Navy frigate, have a potential capability gap in
says Col Steen Ulrich, commander 2016/17 that can be closed partly
of the air force’s helicopter wing. by deploying Merlin on ships,” he
Qualification of the Merlin to said, on the sidelines of the IQPC
operate from ships will help miti- International Military Helicopter
gate the effects of a possible conference in London.
manpower shortage caused by the “We also have some very expen-
approaching delivery of the first of sive navy platforms and a relative-
nine Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawks, ly expensive Merlin – not trying to
which will replace the air force’s get full capability out of those
Westland Lynx 90s for anti- investments would be a mistake,”
AirTeamImages
submarine warfare missions. he says. Once qualified, the

Ahead of their arrival, Lynx crews AW101s could be used for human-
will be withdrawn from frontline itarian assistance or troop transport Nation’s air force currently operates 13 of the 15.6t rotorcraft

DEFENCE
For more in-depth coverage of the
global rotorcraft sector, go online to
flightglobal.com/helicopters
ROTORCRAFT dominic perry london
Allies could adapt

NH90 for SF duties
French army in discussion with Australia about potential
collaborative development and funding of future variant
A ustralia and France are inves- these will be transferred to the air
Commonwealth of Australia
tigating a joint requirement force later this decade, potential-
for a special forces variant of the ly leaving a capability gap.
NH Industries NH90. Canberra, meanwhile, relies
With only a small pool of heli- on a fleet of ageing Sikorsky
copters requiring modification, S-70As to support its special
Canberra could convert some of its eventual 47 of the transport
France would look to share the operations units.
financial commitment, says Maj Australia will eventually field a technical specification for any to 20 NH90s to be used for medi-
Gen Olivier de la Motte, com- fleet of 47 troop transport-variant replacement, with requirements cal evacuation missions.
mander, French army aviation. NH90s, while the French army likely to include a central trap- First floated in late 2014, the
“We are speaking about a will have a 74-strong inventory. door for fast roping, a rear door idea is “on the table”, and
common version at the moment France has made no decision gun and changes to the commu- Germany is talking with other

with Australia,” he said on the on whether to replace its depart- nications suite. nations about “who is willing to
sidelines of the IQPC ing H225Ms, but is keen to “Our special forces would like participate”, says Maj Gen
International Military Helicopter ensure “we have the same
the NH90, but want them to a cer- Thomas Marlow, commander of
conference in London. number of airframes for each
tain specification,” the source says. its army’s rapid forces division.
French army aviation operates command”, says an army source. Separately, Germany is “It is a process that will need a
eight Airbus Helicopters H225M Its special forces are in the continuing to promote the crea- couple of years before we come to
Caracals for the mission, but early stages of drawing up the tion of a multinational pool of up a solid decision,” he adds. ■
MUNITIONS james drew washington dc
USAF conducts maiden test of AIM-9X on F-35A

T he US Air Force has for the
first time test fired a Raytheon
AIM-9X infrared-guided missile
F-35 to carry two AIM-9X
issiles on its wings and four
m
AIM-120s internally.
January, Raytheon will begin
exploring new weapons under

the small advanced capability
highly lethal, small size and weight
ordnance with advanced airframe
design and synergistic control
from a Lockheed Martin F-35A. Meanwhile, under a $14 mil- missile (SACM) programme. capabilities for air dominance,

Flight sciences aircraft AF-1, lion contract awarded on 20 “SACM will support affordable, enabling high air-to-air load-out,” a
assigned to the 461st Flight Test USAF contract notice says.
Squadron at Edwards AFB, The service is also planning a
California, fired the short-range second, miniature self-defence
weapon at an altitude of 6,000ft munition (MSDM) project, which
on 12 January, the service says. would give its fighters the ability
The AIM-9X is expected to be to target incoming missiles.
introduced across the F-35 fleet “The MSDM will support
with the Block 3F software stand- miniaturised weapon capabilities
US Air Force/Lockheed Martin
ard in 2017. Earlier Block 2B and for air superiority by enabling

3i aircraft will carry Raytheon’s close-in platform self-defence and
medium-range AIM-120C missile penetration into contested anti-
and a basic complement of GPS- access/area denial environments
and laser-guided bombs. with little to no impact to payload
Lockheed has designed the Weapon was fired during a flight from Edwards AFB on 12 January capacity,” the air force says. ■
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FLIGHT INTERVIEW
STRATEGY MURDO MORRISON PARIS
Dassault sees its

fortunes fluctuate
as Falcons falter
French airframer’s chief executive Eric Trappier has enjoyed
triumphs and experienced disappointments over past year
A ny chief executive has to take

the rough with the smooth,
and for Dassault Aviation’s Éric
the ups and downs of running a
company with a foot in the civil
and military camps. “We have
Trappier, the past 12 months synergies between the two sides
have provided plenty of both. of the business, so we are calm if
The company’s once-turbo- one is going slow,” he says. “It is
charged Falcon business has seen bad when both are going badly,
its lowest deliveries in a decade but that is not the case today.”
on the back of slumps in markets
such as Brazil, China and Russia, UPWARD TRAJECTORY
which had been driving demand The downturn in business jet ing of the Chinese economy, to a Cloud – will confirm Falcon pro-
for its top-end corporate jets. sales came as a shock to Trappier corruption clampdown in Brazil duction plans for 2016 when it
A few days ago the airframer who, after almost 30 years with – put a brake on growth in “coun- announces its annual results in
also confirmed a two-year delay Dassault in a variety of roles, re- tries where we had big hopes to March. The target is believed to be
to its all-new 5X programme, placed the retiring Charles Edel- boost ourselves”. They have, says around 60 aircraft. “We increased
with the wide-fuselage twinjet stenne in 2013. Falcon had been Trappier, offset a modest recovery our output in 2014 and now we
now not due to enter service until on an upward trajectory since an are stabilising,” says Trappier.
2020. The hiatus – uncomfortable orderbook slump after the 2008 “We had a very good
for a company that prides itself crisis, with the world’s new su- RELIABLE PRODUCT
on sticking to schedules – is a re- per-rich acquiring a taste for the
year in 2014, with 90 He describes the 5X delay as “the
sult of technical hitches with the brands offered by the French Falcon orders. We had bad news of 2015 for us” and a
development of the Snecma manufacturer and big-jet rivals the impression that bigger headache than the fall in
Silvercrest engine for which the Bombardier and Gulfstream. business jet orders, because of the
5X is launch platform. “We had a very good year in the crisis was over anticipation around the new type.
Defence is a happier story. The 2014, with 90 orders. We had the and we had recovery” The 5X, unveiled in 2013 and ex-
French firm’s military unit – lan- impression that the crisis was pected to fly last year, will now
guid since the spending boom of over,” says Trappier. However, not take to the air until 2017, be-
the mid-2000s – secured its first last year saw orders dip and Das- fore a two-year flight-test pro-
export deals for the Rafale fighter, sault cut production to 55 aircraft in the mature markets of Europe gramme to certification. Produc-
with a trio of agreements with – it had been ramped up to 66 and North America where firms tion, meanwhile, has been frozen.
Egypt, Qatar and now, after years units in 2014. “Maybe we were a are beginning to invest again in It was the first time Dassault
of deliberations, India. The deals bit too optimistic. There are still private executive transport. had selected its fellow French
have given a boost to a product parts of the world that face some Dassault – with final assembly company Snecma to power a Fal-
line perilously dependent on a sort of a crisis,” he concedes. facilities in Bordeaux and its con, and Trappier admits helping
single domestic customer. A series of events – from sanc- headquarters and design centre in to launch a new engine pro-
For Trappier, this is all part of tions against Russia to the slow- the smart Paris suburb of Saint- gramme carried risks. Problems
with the powerplant began to
emerge early last year but it has
only been in the last few weeks
that the scale of the work Snecma
must do has become evident.
However, despite expecting
some “order erosion” as custom-
ers who need an aircraft in 2018
or 2019 look elsewhere, Trappier
remains sanguine and believes
Snecma will eventually produce
a high-performance and reliable
product. “I am not a happy man,
BillyPix
but the 5X remains a fantastic air-

The 5X was unveiled in 2013 but hitches with its Snecma powerplant will delay first flight until 2017 craft. In the end, if we have the

eric Trappier
Innovation rings true
for new Bell CEO
BUSINESS AVIATION P24
sales throughout the 2000s. He UCAV potentially operating The recent reduction in Airbus
Trappier is confident that
was instrumental in selling Mi- alongside the Rafale from the Group’s share in the company –
his company’s broad base
rage 2000-9 fighters to the United 2030s. “It will be useful for air its original 46% stake was a lega-
will secure its stability
Arab Emirates in 1998 and, with forces to have a mix,” he says. cy of a French government part-
the latest Rafale export deals, is A separate declaration of intent nationalisation in the early 1980s
seeing the fruits of much of his la- last year between France, Germa- – has meant around 16% of
bours, including securing the ini- ny and Italy will see Dassault shares in Dassault Aviation are
tial Indian selection in 2012. work with Finmeccanica and Air- now floated, with the Dassault
Dassault delivered the first bus Defence & Space on a medi- family retaining around 56%.
three of 24 Rafales to Egypt last um-altitude, long-endurance un- Trappier says new investors are
year and three more will follow in manned air vehicle in a bid to give behind the company’s strategy.
the coming days. Qatar will re- these European countries a home-
ceive the first of its 24 fighters in grown alternative to the General economies of scale
2018. Trappier now has high Atomics Aeronautical Systems “They like us because we are
hopes of a deal with Canada – Ot- MQ-9 Reaper. However, contracts high-tech and also because we are
tawa is on the lookout for a new have yet to be issued. 50/50 defence and civil – exactly
fighter after its newly-elected Lib- Dassault has also been laying the same as Thales [the French
eral party indicated in the election foundations for a future range of avionics group in which Dassault
campaign it was no longer com- Falcons, likely to be based on the has a 25% shareholding],” he
SIPA/REX/Shutterstock
mitted to the F-35. 1.98m (6.5ft) high and 2.58m-wide says. “This is a big advantage. In-
“The feeling [in Canada] is that 5X cabin, the broadest on the mar- vestors know it will be at least sta-
the F-35 is expensive and the ket and its first all-new aircraft ble and, beyond that, they have
country does not need it. We are the possibility of making a lot of
right aircraft and the right engine, waiting for them to launch a com- “Investors like money. Our profitability in the
it is only two years,” he says. petition and, when they do, we long term has been good.”
As for the rest of the business jet will be a solid candidate,” he says.
Dassault Aviation Despite pressures on business
portfolio, the outlook is better. The “No other aircraft offers what the because we are aviation, Dassault has no plans to
6,450nm (12,000km)-range 8X – a Rafale can. It is combat proven high-tech and also move production from France.
stretch and longer-range develop- and can protect the country, but Although Falcon completions are
ment of the decade-old 7X, which also operate around the world, ei- because we are 50/50 carried out in Little Rock, Arkan-
it may replace – flew in 2015, and ther in coalition or on its own. defence and civil” sas, military and business jet pro-
Dassault anticipates starting deliv- That flexibility has been proven.” duction takes place at shared,
eries later this year. The compa- specialised plants in France. The
ny’s mid-range workhorses – the unmanned studies since the 7X. “The width of the fu- requirement to retain military
900LX trijet and 2000LXS and Although the Rafale lost out to selage will be the size of our new- production in France creates syn-
2000S twinjets – continue to sell the Saab Gripen in Brazil, there generation aircraft,” says Trappier. ergies and economies of scale for
well, particularly in the USA. are plenty of other potential cus- Dassault, which celebrates its the Falcon business, he says.
The latest Rafale deal for 36 tomers, says Trappier. “Like all centenary this year, remains very Managing two disparate busi-
French-built aircraft – confirmed countries operating the Mirage much a family enterprise. Its nesses – with their own cycles – is
during a state visit to India by 2000, the UAE is a candidate,” he founder Marcel Bloch – he not easy, but Trappier says Das-
French president Francois Hol- says. Likewise Belgium – one of changed his name after the Sec- sault is “proud of being flexible”
lande on 25 January, although a the few Lockheed Martin F-16 ond World War – led the compa- with the ability to move engineer-
price has still to be settled – is the customers not to opt for the F-35 ny until passing the reins to his ing and production resources be-
culmination of a long-running – is a possibility, with Dassault’s son Serge during the 1980s. Trap- tween the two parts of the compa-
negotiation that four years ago 53% stake in local aerostructures pier is only the second non-fami- ny. “Our aim is to be flexible and
saw New Delhi choose the fighter firm Sabca an added advantage. ly member to lead Dassault Avia- adapt production to keep prices
for a 126-aircraft requirement to Dassault has been looking be- tion since Serge Dassault handed steady,” he says. “Discounting is
replace the Mikoyan MiG-21. yond the Rafale with a number of over to Edelstenne in 2000. always bad for the market.” ■
It seems unlikely India will unmanned studies. The longest
order further Rafales without an running has been the pan-Euro-
agreement in place to involve do- pean, but Dassault-led, stealthy
mestic manufacturers, but Trappi- Neuron unmanned combat air
er says Dassault will engage with vehicle [UCAV] project, where a
the French government to secure demonstrator has now made
an industrial deal. “We worked to more than 100 flights and fired a
get [the order for] 126, but it took weapon in a range in Sweden.
time as we had to license HAL Under the 2010 Lancaster
[Hindustan Aeronautics],” says House bilateral co-operation trea-
ECPAD/SIPA/REX/Shtterstock
Trappier, who adds Dassault will ty between the UK and France,

“go step to step to a licence”. Dassault and BAE Systems will
Trappier has spent most of his take forward lessons from Neuron
career with the airframer on the and the latter’s Taranis study
military side, serving as executive under the Future Combat Air Sys-
vice-president for foreign combat tem programme. Trappier sees a The Rafale fighter will now be exported to Egypt, Qatar and India

BUSINESS AVIATION
Keep up with the latest news and read
in-depth analysis from the business
aviation sector: flightglobal.com/bizav
rotorcraft stephen trimble washington dc
Innovation rings true for new Bell CEO

Newly promoted boss Mitch Snyder promises to continue strategy of product development in order to boost safety levels
I n his first remarks to the press,

Bell Helicopter’s new chief ex-
ecutive Mitch Snyder says he
“So when I’m saying we’re
looking at some ‘cleans’ [clean-
sheet designs], that’s out in the
plans to ramp up investment in a future,” he says.
new wave of innovative products The key driver of Bell’s
to enter the market over the next approach to innovation is

five to 15 years. improving safety levels, Snyder

“I really want to spend more says. The introduction of fly-by-
money now innovating on some wire controls on the 525 is an
technology types,” Snyder said on example of the safety-oriented

Bell Helicopter
21 January. “It could be either a technology strategy, he adds.
Oil and gas market could have an impact on 525
new airplane, new clean-sheet, or Snyder succeeds John Garrison
an upgrade or refresh with brand – who departed in October to
new innovation as we’ve talked become chief executive of indus- military tiltrotor – are also in ad- “We’ve not seen any movement
before to existing products.” trial equipment manufacturer vanced development. [in the market] at this point yet,”
Though the company has no Terex – in the midst of an innova- The 505 had been expected to Snyder says.
timeframe for the next wave of tive streak at Bell. achieve certification in “early” “In two to three years we’ll
new helicopters, Snyder set a Three products launched in the 2016, but Snyder now describes have the product ready when oil
window of five to 15 years for the last five years – the super-medium the timeframe as sometime this and gas does come back.”
investments to come to fruition. 525, light-single 505 and V-280 year. Certification testing has pro- In broad terms, Snyder intends
ceeded according to plan, he adds, to continue the strategy that he
and the manufacturer is “working helped develop under the former
delivery dominic perry london with the regulatory authorities to leadership team. Garrison joined
First of 200 407GXPs for Air Methods get that done”. the company in 2009 and quickly
Snyder brushes aside concerns moved to rescue the company’s
Bell Helicopter has delivered the est iteration of the 2.3t helicopter about the financial impact of the commercial division which, prior
first of 200 re-engined 407GXP light gains an uprated 813shp (606kW) downturn in the oil and gas to his arrival, had lost its position
singles to launch customer Air Rolls-Royce M250 engine, which market. He notes that the 525,
as the industry’s largest civil heli-
Methods. Configured for emergency contributes to a payload increase of which is aimed squarely at copter supplier.
medical services (EMS) missions, 22.5kg (50lb). It also features the offshore operators, has 75 letters Bell still trails its European
Englewood, Colorado-based Air Garmin G1000H avionics suite. of intent from a broad range of rivals, but has now rebalanced its
Methods will receive the remainder The latest in a series of incremen- market segments, but declines to portfolio of military and commer-
over 10 years. tal upgrades, Bell launched the break out how many are from cial helicopters with a host of up-
Derived from the 407GX, the lat- 407GXP in March 2015. ■ outside oil and gas. graded or clean-sheet models. ■
financiaLS kate sarsfield london
Air ambulance demand drives FAI to record profits

S oaring demand for air ambu-
lance operations helped Ger-
man business aircraft services pro-
vider FAI rent-a-jet to record profit
levels last year. The Nuremberg
company – one of Europe’s largest
business aircraft operators – saw
revenues climb by nearly 9%, to
€80 million ($87 million). Air am-
FAI rent-a-jet
bulance services accounted for

€41.7 million – up from €30.4 mil-
lion in the p revious 12 months, Nuremberg-based operator boasts a nine-strong fleet of Bombardier Learjet 60 business aircraft
due to a 37% increase in activity.
Revenues from its special mis- to €22 million, compared with light twin, FAI is the second larg- Germany’s Axtmann Holding
sion services operation, which €17.8 million in 2014. est business aircraft operator in took full ownership of FAI last
FAI runs for undisclosed non-gov- With a fleet of 20 Bombardier Germany. It also boasts the year, after the exit of cash-
ernmental organisations world- jets, spanning the long-range world’s largest inventory of Learjet strapped Greek partner MIG Avia-
wide, climbed 24% during 2015 Global Express to the Learjet 35 60s, operating nine of the type. tion Holdings. ■

BUSINESS AVIATION
Desert Storm
ISRAEL REPORT P26
investment kate sarsfield london acquisition
XTI opens funding window Textron Aviation

brings Able into
Start-up to convert expressions of interest into shares after regulator gives green light
its MRO stable
U S start-up XTI Aircraft has
opened a 30-day window for
investors seeking a stake in its T extron Aviation has beefed
up its global aftermarket
TriFan 600 vertical take-off and support offering with the acqui-
landing (VTOL) business aircraft. sition of Able Engineering &
The move follows approval on Component Services – based in
21 January by the US Securities Mesa, Arizona – along with its
and Exchange Commission, al- sister company Able Aero-
lowing the Denver firm to space.
convert crowdfunding pledges
The 34-year-old company
on website startengine.com into provides
repair, overhaul,
XTI Aircraft
shares. “XTI began crowdfund- exchange and replacement of

ing on 25 August and have had Planned TriFan 600 would be sector’s first VTOL business aircraft components for a host of fixed-
an overwhelming response to and rotary-wing aircraft,
the programme,” says the com- ered, often at a huge cost to their Johnson, who held the same posi- including models from Textron
pany’s executive vice-chairman financial backers, he adds. These tion at Cessna; and Dennis Olcott, Aviation’s sister company, Bell
Jeff Pino. include the VisionAire V antage formerly of Adam Aircraft. Helicopter. While the acquisi-
“We have received over 2,000 and Safire Aircraft SA-26. The company’s founder is tion does not offer component
expressions of interest totaling “New aircraft projects simply David Brody, who has heavily support for Textron’s Cessna,
around $20 million, which we don’t have the appeal with tradi- invested in start-ups marketing
Beechcraft and Hawker business
hope to convert in share purchas- tional investors that they once ducted fan technology for military and general aviation aircraft fam-
es during a one-month window had,” says Pino, citing certifica- and commercial aircraft, and has ilies, the airframer says it is “ex-
ending 21 February,” he says. tion issues, management inexperi- bankrolled the TriFan 600’s devel- ploring o pportunities to ex-
The funding approach has been ence and lack of product opment so far. pand” to include such products.
a “revelation”, says Pino. It has differentiation as problems. XTI’s “The conceptual design phase Scott Ernest, president and
provided investment for a start-up approach with its ducted-fan- is complete and we are ready to chief executive of Wichita,
for whom traditional financing equipped design is different, he move onto the preliminary de- Kansas-headquartered Textron
routes – such as banks, private says. “The TriFan 600 is revolu- sign, for which we will need tens Aviation, describes the Able
equity and high-net-worth indi-
tionary: the fixed-wing d esign has of millions of dollars,” says Pino. purchase as “a natural fit” for
viduals – are difficult to access. the speed, range and comfort of a Given the overall costs, it will turn the company and its customers.
“Business aircraft developers business jet with the ability to take to traditional sources of finance. “This acquisition aligns with
have had a rough ride,” he says, off and land like a helicopter.” XTI aims to roll out the first our strategy to enhance [mainte-
explaining the reluctance of lend- Its management team includes prototype in three years, with nance, repair and overhaul] ca-
ers to finance new ventures. Many aerospace veterans: Pino, a former certification to take an additional pabilities and broaden our ser-
planned programmes have found- president of Sikorsky; Charles four years. ■ vice offerings,” he says. ■
charter kate sarsfield london
GlobeAir expands Mustang fleet as profits soar

G lobeAir, Europe’s largest
operator of Cessna Citation
Mustangs, plans to expand its
GlobeAir recorded a 20%
increase in charter sales for the
year to 31 December 2015,
($19 million) and €2.3 million,
respectively, it says. Revenue
flights soared from 5,100 in 2014
and chief executive of the eight-
year-old company, attributes
GlobeAir’s strong performance to
fleet by nearly 50% in 2016, on resulting in both record turnover to 6,000 last year. growing demand for “small-cab-
the back of record profits during and profit of €17.5 million Bernhard Fragner, founder in aircraft”, from international
the previous 12 months and a travellers downsizing to the
rebound in the charter market Mustang from more expensive,
for small business aircraft. larger cabin business jets.
Six Mustangs will be added to “We are making strong pro-
the lineup this year, lifting gress in our ambition to deliver a
GlobeAir’s fleet to 20 aircraft.
smarter, faster way to travel in
The expanded fleet will bring Europe,” says Fragner. “As cus-
the Austrian venture a step tomer interest in an affordable
closer to its long-held ambition air charter solution is increasing,
of establishing a low-cost, our mission is to become the
GlobeAir
point-to-point, pan-European air reference point for on-demand,

taxi service. Operator will add six examples of Cessna entry-level jet in 2016 short-haul flights.” ■

ISRAEL
special REPORT
desert storm
Facing unique geopolitical challenges, Israel’s air force Contents
28 F-35 Tel Aviv’s stealth signature
and aerospace industry have naturally developed a 29 IAI Aerospace champion’s challenge
powerful sense of self sufficiency and some niche 31 UAVs Heavy hitters line up new ideas
capabilities. But the changing global military and 32 Thunder B BlueBird’s big small system
33 Freighters Bedek converts its chances
economic landscape has thrown up some new threats 35 Communications To Link or not to Link
and challenges – and some golden opportunities. 36 Missiles Rafael joins the long game
Special report by Stephen Trimble and Arie Egozi 37 Electronic warfare Target on exports

ISRAEL
special REPORT
Alexi Rosenfeld/IDF, IAI, USAF, IAI
Israeli industry is busy in defence, upgrading F-16s (main) and developing new capabilities for domestic use and export sales in
unmanned systems (left) and advanced electronics, while pursuing civil projects like passenger-to-freighter conversions (right)

ISRAEL
special REPORT
FIGHTERS will be consolidated at regional hubs in
F-35 Adir to Europe and the Pacific. For Israel, however,

that strategy always seemed in conflict with
the air force’s insistence on as much freedom
lift air force as possible from foreign suppliers.

In recent years, since the first contract for
the purchase of the F-35 was signed, the IAF
As the Israeli service gets ready has decided only subsystems of the F-35 may
for delivery of its first stealth be sent for maintenance and repair in special
fighter later this year, industry centres abroad. “We have made it clear the
maintenance of the aircraft, including depot
is also gearing up for a new era level, will be done in our bases”, a s enior of-
STEPHEN TRIMBLE TEL AVIV ficer tells Flight International. He adds, even
subsystems will be sent to other countries
T he Israeli air force (IAF) has accelerated its

preparations for the delivery of the first
Lockheed Martin F-35I Adir at the end of the
only if “there is a technical reason”.
The preparations for the deployment of the
F-35 include the establishment of a combined
year. The “Golden Eagle” squadron at simulator centre at the Nevatim base. “Part of
Pic credit
Nevatim air base is working to be ready for the the simulation centre already operates and we
stealth fighter, that in Israel is considered one plan to complete it by the end of the year,” the
of the main elements of the edge the service officer says.
wants to have in any future war.
Maj Ehud is the F-35 squadron project training begins
manager in charge of the preparations. He Israeli pilots have begun training on the F-35
says the deployment of the F-35 in the IAF is at bases in the USA. These will be the first to
no less than a revolution. “With its capabili- fly the aircraft in Israel and will instruct oth-
ties, it redefines the term multi-role aircraft,” ers as more aircraft are delivered.
Ehud says. When the IAF decided to purchase the
“We know even before the first aircraft F-35, it made clear the preferred configuration
lands in this base that it’s a force multiplier. will include an Israel-developed electronic
Two F-35s will do the work of larger forma- warfare system, replacing the BAE Systems
tions, sometimes of different types. Its capa- ASQ-239 Barracuda. This request was not
bilities to locate targets and perform the best accepted by Washington, but there are indica-
attack under different conditions are no less tions that after the stealth fighter arrives in
than an operational revolution.” Israel, “add-on” subsystems will be installed
In a slightly different way, the F-35 also to give it the needed “special edge” based on
revolutionises how frontline fighters are the vast operational experience of the IAF in
maintained. In the US joint programme the Middle East.
office’s concept, overseas maintenance work The Israeli F-35s will also carry a unique
communication system in the cockpit. The

additional box will allow the type to integrate
with Israel’s recently-deployed airborne net-
work, which Rafael calls Ravnet-300 on the
export market. Though in some ways compa-
rable to the NATO-standard Link 16 system,
Ravnet-300 operates significantly faster and
allows more applications.
Last December, a contract for the purchase
of another 14 F-35s for the IAF was signed in
Washington. The air force and the defence
ministry had wanted to purchase 31, but
strong opposition in the Israeli cabinet limit-
ed the number in the new $2.82 billion deal.
Instead, the new c ontract includes options for
an additional 17 examples. In 2010, Israel had
already signed a deal to purchase 19 of the
fighters.
Defence ministry sources say efforts will
continue to purchase the additional number
of the stealth aircraft that match the opera-
Lockheed Martin
tional needs of the IAF.

The original plan was to deploy 75 F-35Is,
Israeli pilots have been training in F-35s at US air bases replacing an ageing fleet of Lockheed F-16A/

ISRAEL
special REPORT
STRATEGY
IAI: Weiss
IAI’s Lahav division is set
to produce 811 pairs of
F-35 wings over 10 years
knows best
The head of Israel’s state-owned
aerospace champion is pushing
hard to restructure the company,
in face of changing world market
ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
F or Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), 2016

sees the company at a major crossroads. In
short, Israel’s largest aerospace company has
been generating impressive turnover at home
and abroad, but profits aren’t keeping up with
sales growth.
The state-owned company is in the midst
of an across-the-board effort to adapt itself to
major changes in its markets. Driving the
corporate overhaul is president and chief

executive Joseph Weiss, who has met with
some success. However, when it came to
laying off 1,500 employees, the company hit a
brick wall.
Talks are ongoing with a very strong work-
ers union and tension is high. But, Weiss ex-
pects the union will understand what he be-
lieves needs to happen for the company to
compete in a market that has become very
complicated. “I really believe that we will
reach an agreement in spite of the big gap that
exists now,” he says.

IAI has been a super power in the un-
manned air vehicle business, with sales in 50
countries and more than 1.6 million flight
hours accumulated by aircraft in use by for-
Bs. Recent political dynamics could bolster eign countries and the Israeli air force. The
the air force’s plans to buy more. Last year, the
“We know even before the company’s UAVs are combat-proven, too, but
Obama administration accepted terms on a first aircraft lands in this base Weiss admits: “This is not enough and I know
nuclear deal with Iran over the objections of that it’s a force multiplier” that we need to keep our innovative edge.”
the Israeli government. In return, Tel Aviv
maj ehud
expects to receive a “compensation package” F-35 squadron project manager, preparations, IAF paramilitary missions
from the US government. Indications suggest He reveals an effort is being made to develop
such a package will increase the number of UAVs for paramilitary missions.
F-35Is sold to Israel, perhaps nearing the air rising to a production rate of four per month “This effort involves many regulatory prob-
force’s original procurement plan. by the end of the year. lems and we are busy trying to overcome
The Lahav division of IAI has in the past these problems,” he says.
local benefits manufactured wings for the F-16 and the US While IAI is mainly known for its defence
In addition to the communications and main- Air Force’s Northrop T-38C Talon trainers, as systems, its civil activity has been a major
tenance deals, Israeli industry also stands to well as major assemblies for other aircraft and source of income. This came mainly from its
benefit from the F-35I acquisition. As part of customers. Bedek passenger-to-freighter conversion unit
the industrial co-operation agreements Israel has not joined the F-35 multinational and from its production of Gulfstream G280
included in the two contracts signed so far, programme as a full partner, but has been try- and G150 executive jets, which are shipped to
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) is supplying ing to get manufacturing contracts as part of Gulfstream for completion in the USA.
wings for the F-35A, and a joint venture that the industrial co-operation agreement that is Both have been affected by the economic
includes Elbit Systems is providing the part of every deal of this nature. downturn that began in 2008. The civil divi-
special pilot helmet. If more contracts are signed, the Israeli de- sion also has benefited from an infusion of
IAI’s highly automated wing manufactur- fence ministry plans to increase the v
olume of technology, courtesy of its role supplying
ing line is scheduled to produce more than parts and systems for the F-35 that will be composite parts to the Boeing 787 and Gulf-
811 pairs of F-35 wings over the next decade, manufactured in Israel. ■ stream’s revamp of the G280. ❯❯

ISRAEL
special REPORT
❯❯ Weiss says a first step was to leverage Be-

dek’s capabilities through a co-ordinated ef-
fort led by a new civil group. “This group is
working to use the synergies between the
different divisions of the company that are
focused on the civil market. The joint efforts
have begun to fill Bedek’s hangars with
Boeing 767s, 737s and 747s, and at the same
time we are introducing very advanced auto-
mation to allow us to better compete in this
market.” Weiss thinks low fuel prices will
bring more conversion contracts from existing
and new clients.
And, he reveals that parallel to the effort to
win more conversion work, the company is
“seriously looking” at new civil products:
“That includes a possible co-operation in the
field of regional jets. We can be a major part-
ner in any such programme because of our
proven capabilities.”

Beyond regionals, Weiss want to exploit
Joseph Weiss: “IAI can
IAI capabilities in the light business jet
compete with anybody on
market. With a partner, the company has

robust advanced technology”
already completed the initial design of a small
executive jet that will offer low-cost travel
over ranges of up to 1,500 miles. The concept, has only recently formed a foreign subsidiary, embraced the export market; Boeing, for ex-
he says, promises low operating costs and though he declines to identify the country. ample, has set itself a target of doubling its
capacity for six passengers. In addition to all the internal problems and export sales, to 25% of its revenues.
a downturn in the civil market, IAI is being Now, IAI finds itself competing with US
STATE-OWNED undercut by growing foreign competition. companies on almost every tender. “This is a
Despite several calls to privatise, IAI remains However, he stresses, IAI can compete with
a state-owned company and, as such, has less any other supplier worldwide when it comes “The US administration – at
flexibility when it comes to co-operating with to robust advanced technology.
foreign companies and forming subsidiaries Another factor that has an effect on the its highest levels – promotes
in other countries. “It’s not only the long way financial results of IAI is growing competition US defence exports”
that we have to go through, to create foreign from American companies, which since the joseph weiss
co-operation, but some laws put us in an financial crisis and Afghan war drawdown President and chief executive, IAI
impossible spot,” Weiss says. have been operating under historically unu-
He gives as an example the law enabling sual domestic budget conditions. As Weiss
private Israeli companies to get different observes, it was not very many years ago that change in the market and it was caused main-
bonuses for export activities: “We are exclud- US companies turned overseas only to com- ly by the cuts in the US budgets and the re-
ed from this category. We are now trying to pete on big tenders. sulting new policy to allow technology trans-
convince our lawmakers to fix this anomaly.” But as US defence spending has ebbed fer to foreign countries. We now find
He reveals, in spite of the difficulties, IAI since 2010, local defence contractors have American companies almost in every market.
And this effort has even a g reater impact as
the US administration – in its highest levels –
acts as a promoter of US defence and aero-
space exporters.
“The Israeli government helps from time to
time, but this is nothing compared to the
American joint effort.”
Weiss says he will not be surprised if, in
future, IAI also faces competition from Iran.
“After the lifting of sanctions, all the signs
are that Tehran is going in this direction,”
Weiss adds.
The coming months are crucial for IAI’s
capability to recover from a “trap” of very low
profits that do not reflect the company’s
turnover.
Only larger profits, after the restructuring
Production of Gulfstream G280 and
programme, will enable the company to
G150 airframes for completion in the
implement the plans aimed at staying at the
Gulfstream
USA is a major IAI revenue source

forefront of defence and civil aviation. ■

ISRAEL
special REPORT
programmes
Unmanned
crossroads
IAI and Elbit Systems may have
ceded ground to US rivals, but the
pair are sharpening their pencils
for a fresh look at UAV capability
STEPHEN TRIMBLE TEL AVIV
T he first public flight of the Israel

Aerospace Industries (IAI) Heron TP

Elbit Systems
unmanned air vehicle happened almost nine
Hermes 900 upgrades will give the Israeli air force a new set of classified features
years ago. The maiden flight of the Elbit
Systems Hermes 900 occurred nearly seven
years ago. Yet since 2009, neither of Israel’s also now the market in between, such as [ver- in search of partners for converting rotorcraft
largest UAV makers have released a new tical take-off and landing aircraft] like the into UAVs.
design for a large clean-sheet model on the V-22” tiltrotor, says Shaul Shahar, executive “But the OEMs said, ‘I know how to do it
export market, appearing to end a two-decade vice-president and general manager of the myself’,” he says.
stretch of aggressive and largely successful company’s military aircraft group. Even so, IAI is developing closer links to
innovation at the platform level. helicopter manufacturers such as Bell. Last
As IAI and Elbit have concentrated on cargo opportunity year, IAI signed a risk-sharing deal with Bell
derivatives and upgrades, US companies have “We are looking mainly in some other aspects to supply engine nacelles for the V-280 Valor,
developed and released a host of new capa- of the market,” Shahar adds. “Let’s say for a third-generation tiltrotor in development for
bilities. New US entries have included cargo, where you can say up to now there is a the US Army’s joint multi-role technology
unmanned combat air vehicles such as the hole in the market.” Shahar specifically cites demonstration programme.
Northrop Grumman X-47B and the General the example of the Lockheed Martin/Kaman IAI’s development activity has not been
Atomics Aeronautical Systems Avenger, and K-Max, an unmanned version of a heavy-lift stagnant in the UAV field since the 2007
rotorcraft such as the Northrop/Bell helicopter used by the US Marine Corps in service introduction of the Heron TP’s domes-
Helicopter MQ-8C. Afghanistan to autonomously deliver cargo to tic version – known by the Israeli air force as
Despite the recent pause, there are signs IAI troops at remote bases. the Eitan – but it has been redirected.
is ready to go back to the drawing board with But Shahar acknowledges the difficulty in The shift in focus is partly explained by the
ideas for new platforms with new capabili- developing rotary-wing platforms. “Fixed- diverse portfolio of large platforms developed
ties. “We are thinking now about what will be wing is easier,” he says. Nevertheless, IAI by IAI and Elbit for export users, which range
the next step, like fixed-wings, helicopter, approached major helicopter manufacturers from the the 550kg (1,210lb)-class Hermes ❯❯
Stagnant defence spending since

IAI’s 2007 launch of the Heron TP
Eitan has prompted a shift of focus

ISRAEL
special REPORT
Sharar says. IAI has also been fielding new

derivatives, such as a “Super Heron”

equipped with a heavy fuel engine. “Maybe in
the future we will come with another differ-
ent version” of the Heron, he says.
hermes upgrade
Likewise, Elbit is upgrading the Hermes 900
with classified new capabilities for the Israeli
air force, according to a recent report in the
Jerusalem Post.
Eli Dotan, Elbit’s senior director for UAS
programmes, describes Hermes 900 upgrades
as an “ongoing process”. Elbit launched the

programme without a customer, investing
Kfir fighter is good for one
tens of millions of dollars in development
last export deal before IAI
after sensing a role for a 1,200kg-class UAV
wraps up the programme
that can carry at least two payloads and satel-
lite communications equipment.
❯❯ 450 to the 4,650kg-class Heron TP, a spec- internal outlook is less optimistic. Even the The Hermes 900 is largely a scaled-up
trum covering all the major fixed-wing seg- US Air Force has chosen not to immediately version of the all-composite Hermes 450, with
ments in the market. But the shift to upgrades replace the General Atomics Aeronautical a similar cigar-shaped fuselage. Elbit inherit-
and derivatives is also the result of what Sha- Systems MQ-9 Reaper, but to develop the ed the Hermes 450 design two decades ago,
har calls “stagnant” defence spending in Isra- Block 5 upgrade with more power, endurance after acquiring UAV pioneer Silver Arrow.
el and key global markets. Though popular and reliability improvements. IAI has taken a Having sold the Hermes 900 to 10 custom-
market forecasts project significant growth in similar approach with the Heron TP. ers and making the Hermes 450 a ubiquitous
the UAV market over the next decade, IAI’s “We are looking at a Heron TP Block 2,” platform around the world, Elbit appears
innovations arie egozi tel aviv

compact Thunder B looks to make big noise in competitive market
The Israeli unmanned air vehicle electronic systems and a muffler the ThunderB is a perfect solution payloads, and others. The company
industry is characterised by two that reduces noise to a minimum. for customers seeking a platform says the ThunderB enables the
major players – IAI and Elbit “The capabilities of the Thunder for mission flexibility, cost effective- incorporation of dual payload capa-
Systems – that manufacture mainly B could be found until now only in ness, high performance and reliabil- bility, approaching the operational
large systems with big price tags larger, much more expensive ity. The UAV is operated by a two- or envelope offered by larger systems.
and by smaller companies develop- systems with a maximum take-off three-man crew using the system’s Nadir says the Thunder B’s 18
ing smaller systems. But this weight of above 180kg,” says automatic launch by pneumatic redundant systems also give it a
breakdown is not enough to survive BlueBird chief executive Ronen launcher, and point recovery in the record mean time between losses
in a very competitive market. Nadir. field by parachute, protected by an (MTBL). “We are talking about an
Innovation is the keyword, and at airbag. The ThunderB supports a MTBL of 2,000 flights and when
this point, one company – BlueBird long endurance wide range of payloads, including your UAV carries a payload with a
– is standing out. The company says, with its long Controp T-STAMP (three-axis gyro- price tag of $50,000, this is a
The firm has been manufactur- endurance, extended control range stabilised payload, with a cooled crucial factor.”
ing the successful SpyLite mini UAV (up to 150km), advanced fuel-inject- thermal imager, CCD and laser
in use in Israel and in a great ed engine, smart and redundant pointer), BlueBird’s proprietary high reliability
number of countries. avionics and variety of payloads, RGB, NIR and IR photogrammetric The landing system – comprised of
The company realised that to a parachute and large airbag – is
compete, it needed a new design A dual payload system lets also designed to protect the pay-
unique in performance and price. Thunder B match the capa- load carried in the nose of the UAV
Based on the successful aerody- bility of larger systems “our recovery system reduces the g
namic design and power pack of on the payload to around 15g while
the SpyLite, that brought its endur- it can withstand 30g,” adds Nadir.
ance to 4h, BlueBird recently The Thunder B’s design, accord-
unveiled its Thunder B, a tactical ing to Nadir, includes other features
UAV with exceptional capabilities. aimed at maintaining the system’s
With a similar fuselage and wing high reliability. “In addition to the
design, the larger Thunder B has a communication link used to send
28kg (61lb) maximum take-off the data from the payloads to the
weight and 24h endurance. ground, we added a special link for
The Thunder B is powered by a use in emergency, when the primary
two-stroke 2.5hp core, W4 fuel mission is to bring the systems
BlueBird
injection engine enhanced with safely to the ground,” he adds. ■

ISRAEL
special REPORT
c ontent with its lineup of large UAVs. “Right freighters five Boeing 767 conversion lines fully occu-
now we are quite happy with the set that we
have, with some additions from time to time,”
Dotan says, adding: “But we are always
Turnaround pied and sold out for two to three years. The
company has announced it will be launching
or studying four new narrowbody conversion
checking ourselves if we missed something.”
Israel’s military aircraft industry is also
active in the manned fighter market. But the
in fortunes programmes, including what could become
Bedek’s first use of Airbus feedstock, and one
widebody programme. Moreover, Bedek is
country’s competitiveness has faced recent A seemingly moribund cargo even predicting demand for the Boeing
setbacks from a combination of unexpected aircraft market has sparked back 747-400 converted freighter potentially lead-
political changes and increasing competition into life and conversion specialist ing to new orders in the very near future.
from US manufacturers. Only two years ago, Moshe Haimovich, director of marketing and
it appeared Argentina had agreed to replace Bedek is reaping the benefits business development of Bedek, notes the
an ageing fighter squadron with refurbished STEPHEN TRIMBLE TEL AVIV 747-400 converted freighter was only recently
considered a “dead horse” by the industry.
“Right now we are quite
happy with the set that we O nly a year ago it was still possible to spec-
ulate on the demise of the freighter
aircraft market, one of the key strengths of
“The 747-400 is not dead yet,” Haimovich
says. “And we hope – we are certainly more
confident – that we will surprise and might
have, with some additions” Israel’s commercial aerospace industry. have some announcement in the near future
eli dotan In early 2015, the air cargo market seemed for this dead horse, which is not dead at all.”
Senior director for UAS programmes, Elbit Systems forever mired in a recession that began seven Nor is Bedek. IAI started with the establish-
years earlier, broken only by a couple of short- ment in 1953 of Bedek, with 70 employees
lived recoveries. Moreover, steadily climbing who worked amidst sand dunes around what
IAI Kfirs, upgraded with Elta active electroni- production rates of passenger aircraft by was then Lod airport, later renamed Ben
cally scanned array radars and Rafael Airbus and Boeing were flooding the market Gurion International. Bedek’s founder,

missiles. But the contract was not signed be- with belly freight capacity, turning Emirates American-born Al Schwimmer, had a broad
fore Argentina’s ruling FPV party lost an elec- Airlines, for example, into a major freighter. vision for a full-service aerospace company,
tion last October. The new government’s But something happened by mid-2015 to but in the early years it was focused on over-
views on the Kfir contract have not yet been reverse the course of the market and propel hauling aircraft operated mainly by the Israeli
expressed. IAI also faces rival bids to supply Bedek Aviation Group – the maintenance, air force and El Al.
fighters to Argentina, from Spain and China. repair and overhaul (MRO) and conversion
“So now we need to wait, but we are still arm of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) – into going strong
looking at it,” Shahar says. “It will be, you can a state of rapid expansion across all the major Some 63 years later, Bedek is still going strong
say, the last major deal we will do with the market segments for aircraft conversion. as a pillar of the commercial activities that
Kfir. If it’s not Argentina, we will look for After managing only a trickle of conversion comprise nearly one-fourth of IAI’s revenue. It
another one to be the last major deal.” projects in 2013 and 2014, Bedek now has is also a key part of the company’s commer- ❯❯
The Lahav division of IAI’s other major
opportunity involves extending the lives of
the world’s combat aircraft. Last March, the
company won a strategic deal to replace the
wings on the USAF’s Northrop T-38C Talon
fleet. The initial contract is limited to “tens”
of aircraft, but IAI hopes the deal will rise to
hundreds as the service waits for the T-X
competition to settle upon a replacement to
the T-38.
Meanwhile, the company has also targeted
a worldwide upgrade market for Lockheed
F-16s, especially structural upgrades that
extend the life of the fleet from a baseline of
6,000h to as many as 10,000. But competition
from the US prime contractors is b ecoming
fierce. Until recently, Lockheed had seldom
expressed interest in the F-16 u pgrade mar-
ket, but now it fights for every tender. The size
of the F-16 upgrade market has also drawn
interest from Boeing and BAE Systems, plus
other major US companies.
The Lahav division has build-to-print
contracts with Lockheed to build the wings
for the F-16, so the company knows the

aircraft well. It can also draw on IAI’s six op-
erating divisions to provide the expertise for
roughly “95% [of] all the things we need to do
to upgrade a jet”, Shahar says. ■ A revival of the freighter market has played to conversion specialist Bedek’s strengths

ISRAEL
special REPORT
❯❯ cial growth strategy, as IAI seeks to tap a faced a problem with availability. The natural c onversion is expected to be approved later
greater share of the thriving commercial aero- replacement for the passenger-carrying this year.
space business. 767-300ER is the 787-8, so that p rogramme’s “Following the 737-700 we are under an
Expanding the company’s MRO business is 3.5-year delay during the development phase, evaluation stage of the 737-800,” Haimovich
a key part of the strategy. Bedeck is offering to and mishaps during the p roduction ramp-up, says. “For the 737-800, again we have discus-
partner with foreign companies, especially in caused unexpected problems for Bedek. sions with potential launching customers.
Southeast Asia, to provide the company’s Later, “Boeing succeeded to be up to “We completed a technical feasibility study
decades-long expertise in repair work. The speed with deliveries of 787, and suddenly and we didn’t launch formally yet the
joint venture announced on 12 January we saw a lot of 767-300ERs available in the programme, but it’s most likely going to

between Bedek and Hubei Province-based
market,” Haimovich says. “And when there happen in the near future.”
Lingyun Science and Technology Group is an are aircraft available in the market, there are For at least six years, Bedek has also
example of how the strategy is being also people for whom it is their business – considered
launching a conversion
executed. The joint venture opened with a either as lessors or airlines – to acquire air- programme for the Airbus A320 and A321. In
focus on providing maintenance services for craft and convert them for their own use. 2010, Flight International reported that Bedek
commercial aircraft and cargo conversions. Suddenly we faced a situation where we was exploring a partnership with Airbus and
But the agreement also lays “the groundwork had a lot of enquiries.” a Russian company to launch a programme.
for additional business”, IAI says. With the 767-300ER programme ramping
up, Bedek could return to a long backlog of “We are doing a market study
very aggressive potential development projects. For years, it
“We are very aggressive these days looking for has discussed the opportunity of launching a
to see if we want to enter the
new product development, partnership, joint passenger-to-freighter conversion programme A320/321 programme”
ventures and teaming,” Haimovich says. for used Boeing 737NGs. moshe haimovich
The growth strategy is led by the newly- Potential rivals, such as Pemco, AAI and Director, marketing and business development, Bedek
surging cargo conversions business. The Boeing, have discussed similar programmes,
company has performed more than 200 cargo with AAI formally launching a 737-800 con-
conversions in the last 20 years across all version programme last year with lessor That venture never materialised, but Bedek
three major market segments – narrowbody, GECAS. Pemco and Boeing’s conversion pro- continued to study the option. Meanwhile,
medium widebody and very large aircraft. grammes remain in the pre-launch phase. new competitors entered the frame, with
New products in development bracket the Boeing already has secured an agreement California-based PacAvi teaming up with

small and large ends of the market, but the with China Postal A irlines for 10 converted China’s Gameco to launch a programme to
majority of the company’s activity today is in 737-800s, pending a programme launch by convert the A320 and A321. Later, EFW, ST
the middle of the market. the airframer. Aerospace and Airbus announced a similar
Bedek has delivered 60 767-200ER Last May, Bedek formally launched a programme at last year’s Paris air show.
converted freighters, virtually cornering the conversion programme for the 737-700 with a Meanwhile, Bedek is also reconsidering the
market over the last decade. But IAI’s attempt launch order from an undisclosed customer. Airbus narrowbody conversion market,
to introduce a 767-300ER freighter three years The number of aircraft involved in the trans- Haimovich confirms.
ago struggled to gain momentum. A market action was not announced, but Haimovich
downturn at the time helped dampen allows the order involves “more than two”. A feasibility study
demand for the new product. But Bedek also supplemental type certification for the “We have not acquired an aircraft,” he says.
“But we are doing a feasibility study and
market study to conclude if we want to enter
the A320/321 cargo conversion programme.”
The A321 is viewed as a potential 757
freighter replacement, with the capacity to
hold 13.5 pallets, versus 15. Although
Haimovich views North America remaining
as a Boeing-oriented freighter market, the
Airbus aircraft have the potential for appeal-
ing to a growing customer base in the Far East.
Finally, the company is continuing to
develop a conversion programme for the 777-
300ER, an attempt to challenge the airframer’s
dominance with a factory-built freighter ver-
sion of the 777-200LR. Three years ago IAI
acquired a 777 to learn more about the air-
craft, as Boeing declined to license Bedek to
perform the conversion.
“We needed the fuselage and the wings to
do the calculations for our study,” Haimovich
says. “We even did the finite element models

because at this stage we don’t have any
license agreement with Boeing on the aircraft.
“We’re performing our conversion by
747-400 conversions, long seen as a ‘dead horse’, look very much alive to Bedek reverse-engineering.” ■

ISRAEL
special REPORT
communications
Opening
up the Link
Israeli military aircraft share
data at speeds that shame NATO
standards, but Rafael has a plan
for global communication
STEPHEN TRIMBLE HAIFA
B eing a small country with a relatively

small air force that usually abstains from
coalition-level air campaigns can be an isolat-
ing experience, sometimes in a helpful way.
Consider the example of tactical airborne
networking. A decade of bold promises and
an even more ambitious programme launched
by NATO member countries have delivered
hardly any improvements on the 30-year-old
Link 16 network, rendering US and European
fighter cockpits dependent on 1980s-style
data transfer speeds in an age of ubiquitous
wideband connectivity.
In Israel, however, the story is much differ-
ent. Aided by a focused set of integration
requirements and unencumbered by coali-
tion-level interoperability challenges, the
Israeli air force operates with an indigenous
airborne tactical networking system
conceived 15 years ago.
The developer, Rafael Advanced Defense
Systems, now wants to offer a newer and
more powerful airborne networking system
on the export market, to serve in a vastly more
complex environment for aircraft integration
and interoperability.
This Global Link system – UHF and
L-Band radios plus a power amplifier and
application computer – has been integrated
and demonstrated on a military helicopter
flown by an undisclosed South American
government, says Yaron Bul, a director of
business development and sales for Rafael air
US Air Force
and command, control, communication and

computers and intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance (C4ISR) systems. NATO aircraft, like these US and Turkish fighters, talk via the aged Link 16 system
broadband speeds The helicopter demonstration offers a vivid Rafael’s integration task. Success on the ex-
The demonstration saw a helicopter transmit glimpse of the system’s potential. It offers port stage depends on integrating the system
live video to a ground terminal more than transmission speeds several orders of magni- into the non-Israeli cockpit avionics of an air-
60nm (111km) away, using a rate of transmit tude beyond the capabilities of Link 16, craft. To achieve that, it needs the co-opera-
of 1-2MB/s and of receipt of 10MB/s. The reaching the promise of such failed western tion and investment of an aircraft integrator,
pilot can receive such large data files while programmes as the Joint Tactical Radio such as Saab or the Eurofighter consortium.
able to transmit voice or data messages to the System (JTRS), which the US Department of Obtaining such support is complicated, Bul
ground with broadband data speeds, Bul says. Defense cancelled several years ago amidst acknowledges. First, Rafael is not licensed to
With the integrated computer, Global Link performance shortfalls and cost overruns. connect Global Link to even simple NATO-
can host new applications, similar to the way But Bul acknowledges it is limited. The standard networks, such as the Have Quick
an iPhone can add “apps”. One example is a aircraft – perhaps like Ecuador’s Hindustan system. To maintain interoperability with
mid-air collision warning system, using the Aeronautics Dhruv helicopter fleet – uses an NATO, the aircraft manufacturer would have
datalink network to alert pilots to danger. Israeli-made avionics suite, which simplifies to select a local company that could partner ❯❯

ISRAEL
special REPORT
armaments STEPHEN TRIMBLE HAIFA

Where long-range missiles are the fashion, derby is in the running
Waiting so long for Rafael to
respond to a new fashion in missile
technology seemed surprising only
because the state-owned Israeli
weapons and sensor house is most
often the industry’s trendsetter.
But Rafael has been curiously
slow to respond to a clear trend in
the air-to-air missile community. In
the past decade, the most antici-
pated new missiles – the Chinese
PL-12, MBDA Meteor, Raytheon
AIM-120D and Vympel RVV-AE-PD
– have all shared a similar trait. As
advanced sensors push the detec-
tion range of missile firing platforms
ever farther, missile manufacturers
have responded with new weapons
with ranges beyond 54nm (100km),
or twice that of the Rafael medium-
range, radar-guided Derby weapon.
With its 54nm range, Rafael’s Python 5 missile suits the needs of a small country like Israel
Rafael
Despite evidence of a develop-
ment programme extending back to
2004, confirmation of a so-called in development with Raytheon for I-Derby variant replaces the IAI travel- In both cases, the purpose of the
“Python 6” programme with 54nm use in Israel’s David’s Sling air ling wave tube-based seeker with a integrated sensor and fusing system
range emerged only recently and defence system. Rafael-developed solid-state trans- was the same. A derivative such as
under a different name. The Python 6 “was a concept. mitter and receiver. the I-Derby-ER needs to create
Right now, we’ve decided to go in a For the extended-range version, space within the fixed volume of the
new project different way with I-Derby-ER,” says Rafael has also added a dual-pulse missile’s airframe, and combining
Rafael finally announced the exist- Yossi Horowitz, Rafael marketing solid rocket motor. By firing a two components into one is a
ence of the I-Derby-ER missile at the director and deputy general secondary pulse of energy as the perfect solution.
Paris air show in June 2015, shortly manager of the air superiority missile nears the target, a dual-
after acknowledging a new long- systems division. pulse motor can extend the flight export customers
range missile was in the works at To double the range of the base- time of a missile compared with that How the Israeli air force and Rafael’s
Aero India in February that year. line Derby missile, Rafael needed to of a single-pulse motor, which must export customers will use the mis-
This improved and extended- make significant changes. The keep more solid propellant stored in sile is a different question. Though
range Derby missile represents a Derby itself was developed as a reserve for the terminal sequence. expected to be integrated on Israel’s
sharp philosophical split within straightforward extension of the Room for the dual-pulse motor in fighter fleet, the ultra-long-range
Rafael from only six years ago, when infrared-guided Python 4, originally the I-Derby-ER is created by the addi- I-Derby-ER seems an odd fit for a
executives openly discussed basing equipped with a radar seeker devel- tion of another innovation. Instead country its size Israel. In that sense,
the long-range Python 6 on the oped jointly by Rafael and Israel of using a seeker and a separate Rafael’s apparent tardiness in creat-
Stunner, a surface-to-air missile now Aerospace Industries (IAI). The fuse to arm the warhead, the new ing a 54nm-range m issile may be
Israeli product combines the two excused. Horowitz, for his part, ac-
The I-Derby-ER’s existence components into an integrated knowledges the c ontradiction of a
was acknowledged in 2015 sensor and fusing system. small country de-veloping an extend-
Such a system has been pursued ed-range m issile for air defence.
outside Israel for several years. In “Personally, I’m confused about
2008, the US Air Force Research intercepting targets beyond 100km
Laboratory commissioned contrac- from the launch aircraft. What is
tors to develop such technology 100km? In Israel, it means you are
under the seeker integrated target launching [a missile] against some-
endgame, or SITES programme. one out of your country. Who knows
If the technology worked, it was what is going on? Who can detect
intended for the USAF’s now-can- the target? Unless you know it’s a
celled next generation m issile tanker or an [electronic warfare] air-
programme, which was then seeking craft, what is the mission?” Horowitz
to replace both Raytheon’s AIM-120 asks.
AMRAAM and AGM-88 high-speed “But it is a fashion. And you must
anti-radiation missile with a single know some of the [capabilities] of
Rafael
weapon. missiles is a fashion.” ■

ISRAEL
special REPORT
❯❯ with Rafael to integrate a NATO-standard Usually such integration tasks involve chang- diversification
waveform into Global Link, Bul says.
Second, the integration of Global Link itself
into the cockpit is not a trivial task. Indeed,
ing the OFP, but Bul insists that is not neces-
sary. A middleware layer is also needed to
complete the interface between the data link
Lavi demise
the complexity of integrating JTRS into multi-
ple aircraft types operated by numerous air
forces is one reason the programme failed. But
and the display computer, he says.
Ravnet-300 deployment
was a boon
Bul says Rafael has developed a way to Rafael bases the credibility for its claims on Electronic warfare suites are just
simplify and reduce the cost of integrating a what has already been achieved with the some of the products in Elbit’s
new avionics capability into a cockpit. Ravnet-300 system, which is now deployed broad portfolio already available
By any measure, that’s a bold claim. Inte- by the Israeli air force (IAF).
grating a major subsystem into the avionics “The IAF in 2000 was going to procure four for sale in overseas markets
suite of a military cockpit means altering the more squadrons of [Lockheed Martin] F- STEPHeN TRIMBLE TEL AVIV
operational flight programme (OFP), the soft- 16Is,” Bul recalls. “There was a need for a
ware-based operating system that serves as
the brains of the aircraft. The integration
process is so complicated manufacturers

new radio, because the old radio designed by
Rafael was too old, too expensive. So they
made a c ompetition between the companies
I n a Tel Aviv conference room, Shlomo Livne
reaches into a paper shopping bag embla-
zoned with the logo of a local chocolate shop
usually prefer to lump several major changes and we came back with an innovative con- and he pulls out, alas not sweets, but a black
together into a “block” update, with costs cept. We had just made a study of networks in electronic box.
generally in the hundreds of millions, to
the late 1990s. Rafael was doing a comprehen- Outwardly, the box looks like it could be
billions, of dollars. sive study about networking and we told one of any number of electromagnetic spec-
them: ‘Why not do a networking radio?’ trum-battling line replacement units (LRUs)
“We can give you voice and “In the same spectrum of UHF b etween produced by Elisra, the $400 million
225Mhz to 400Mhz, instead of having only electronic warfare (EW) house of private Is-
data and networking and voice, we can give you voice and data and raeli aerospace and electronics contractor
relay and everything else” networking and relay and everything else,” Elbit Systems. Livne is the vice-president and
yaron bul Bul continues. “So they bought the idea.” general manager of Elisra’s airborne division.
Director, business development and sales, Rafael Ravnet is an oddly unique capability But “this one is very, very unique,” says
enjoyed by the Israeli air force. In an age of Livne, explaining he pulled this box off a
smartphones and wifi, most fighter cockpits nearby production line that morning to
But Israeli companies are well-known for are capable of sending only the most minimal include it in his presentation.
finding innovative shortcuts around the mili- data transmissions. The capabilities built into this box repre-
tary avionics integration bottleneck. Not “A lot of things were developed n icely in sent a broad shift in Elbit’s product strategy,
surprisingly, Rafael proposes a way to stream- aviation. But communications is behind part- from highly specialised, standalone LRUs that
line the integration process for Global Link. ly because [of] this JTRS fiasco and partly perform a specific function to single units
As Bul describes it, the trick is to avoid a because aircraft integrators are a pain in the integrating multiple functions while consoli-
change that requires an update to the OFP. For neck. They are making every integration of a dating and processing the data to make an
transmissions of data and video, all that is system on an aircraft unbelievably difficult intuitive interface for the operator.
required is to connect Global Link with a new and every application you want to develop,
computer running on Internet Protocol-based you have to develop the entire avionics block. enhanced sensors
databus. That computer communicates di- This was becoming a mess, and people can- The transition goes beyond Livne’s field of
rectly with the aircraft’s display computer. not progress nicely with new applications.” ■ electronic warfare. It is also evident in Elbit’s
latest moves in the airborne reconnaissance
market. Elbit not only develops a new
generation of enhanced sensors spanning

multiple bands of the electromagnetic spec-
trum, but also a software-based processing
core that processes and analyses all the data,
supplying information to operators in a
simple, intuitive format.
Elbit is not alone in the aerospace industry
in pursuing such technology, but in several
areas it believes it has stolen a lead on bigger
rivals in Europe and the USA. The company’s
background has served this purpose well. The
demise of the Lavi fighter project in the
mid-1980s forced Israeli companies to refocus ❯❯
“I believe this unit will be part

of the competition in the
Global Link is not
licensed to connect to
United States also”
US Air Force
NATO-standard networks shlomo livne

VP and general manager, airborne division, Elisra

ISRAEL
special REPORT
❯❯ on electronics and unmanned air vehi- decades. It was once enough for a military
Elisra is confident its
cles. As a result, Elbit developed an unusually helicopter or fixed-wing transport to carry
compact package will be
broad portfolio of products and capabilities in little more than a radar warning receiver.
a competitive offer in US
several areas of the military avionics business. As electromagnetic threats intensify, so has
EW upgrade competitions
The goal now is to repackage all of those stan- the aircraft onboard suite of survivability
dalone boxes into an integrated system. equipment. In addition to the radar warning
The opportunity on the export market is receiver, the typical military aircraft also now
vast. A particular target for Elisra is the US de- carries multiple sensors such as ultraviolet or
fence market. The US Army has expressed infrared-based missile warning systems,
signal receivers, communications jammers,
“You need to have a very laser countermeasures and chaff and flare
dispensers. Each sensor is connected by a
precise geographic location wiring harness to a processor, not unlike the
of the target” All-in-Small SPS-65 V5.5.
neri zin The difference is, the All-in-Small acts as a
Vice-president, electro-optical systems, Elbit Systems central processor. Each of the sensors and
countermeasure units are able to connect to a
single unit rather than multiple boxes. By
interest in simplifying the increasing connecting all of the sensors and counter-
complexity of the aircraft survivability equip- measures in the same system, Elisra’s All-In-
ment loaded onto thousands of helicopters. Small consolidates the processing.
“I believe – that’s my vision – but I believe “We saw what are the trends in the market
that this unit, this [electronic warfare] suite and asked what do we have to do to satisfy the
more or less in the next five or six years, will market and the customer?” Livne says. “So
be part of the competition in the United States we decided to develop it ourselves.”
also,” Livne says.
The company is already gaining momen- unidentified customers
tum on exports, having proven the technology Elisra makes all of the components of an
in the Israeli air force fleet. As both a highly aircraft survivability suite with one excep-
sophisticated and relatively small branch, the tion: the chaff and flare dispenser. But Elisra
Israeli air arm offers an ideal laboratory for has developed interfaces to connect seven dif-
introducing innovative changes. ferent dispensers made by other companies to
“It’s very difficult for the US Air Force to the All-In-Small box. The combined system,
change this standard because they are talking using an Elisra-made suite, is already
about 3,000 platforms,” says Livne. installed for unidentified customers on heli-
Technically, the name of the unit Livne copters and fixed-wing transports. It has also
pulled out of the shopping bag is the SPS-65 been selected as the survivability system for
V5.5, but Elbit’s characteristically savvy the Embraer KC-390 tanker-transport.
marketers give it the catchier brand name
To realize Livne’s goal of market share in
“All-in-Small”. Electronic warfare has grown the USA, the system must also be adaptable.
steadily more complicated over the last two Connecting the All-in-Small unit to Elisra-
made systems seems simpler than integrating

with sensors and countermeasures made by
other companies, such as Northrop Grumman
and BAE Systems.
But Livne insists such integration is possi-
ble and relatively simple. The All-In-Small is
designed to be modular and to use an open
architecture. It is not necessary to connect all
the survivability systems on board the aircraft
to the All-In-Small box. Elisra’s software is
designed to “learn” the coding of another

company’s system, rather than adapt the
system on board the aircraft to it, Livne says.
“If you are going to add boxes it’s an issue.
US Navy
If you’re going to reduce boxes it’s much,

The All-in-Small aircraft unit is pitched at helicopters such as the CH-46 Sea Knight much easier,” he says. “Why? Because in each

ISRAEL
special REPORT
US Air Force
trate sensors on detecting the movements and stand the full picture in both the electro-
“To add boxes is an issue. If signals of battalion-sized units. The focus is optical and the SIGINT, then you need a very
you’re going to reduce boxes, now on tracking individual militants moving precise signature on this guy.”
it’s much, much easier” through dense crowds of civilians. As a result, Elbit has been developing prod-
ucts to help military operators integrate multi-
shlomo livne
VP and general manager, airborne division, Elisra precise signature ple sensors from multiple platforms onto a
“You need to have a very precise geographic common geospatial (GIS) grid.
location of the target. Because you want to “You need to take all information from
aircraft there is the previous EW system. So I cross different sensors on a single target,” says different platforms and different sensors,” Zin
can put it in one box. Usually it’s much Neri Zin, vice-president of electro-optical says. “And you need to put it on a single GIS
smaller than the existing one. So I can put an systems for Elbit. “But it has to be very
grid. You need to do it fast. You need to do it
adaptor, a very small adaptor, for one applica- precise. If this person is holding a cell phone seamlessly.
tion, and an adaptor for another one.” and you want to intercept it with a [signals “The operator does not have a lot of time to
Airborne reconnaissance has undergone a intelligence/SIGINT] system, the other guy understand. The interface needs to be some-
similar transformation as that seen in elec- standing 5m away from him also is holding a thing that is obvious – a full picture, on time
tronic warfare. It was once enough to concen- cell phone. And you want to cross it to under- and very precise.” ■
flightglobal.com 2-8 February 2016| Flight International | 39

STRAIGHT&LEVEL
From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com

So much more
REX/Shutterstock
Zeppelins led raid
in Singapore A Zeppelin raid by six or
Visitors to February’s Singapore seven airships took place last
air show can look forward to an night over the
impressive static display. But Eastern, North-
we’re a bit confused by the Eastern, and
classification system on the Midland Counties.
organiser’s website. A number of bombs were
While the humble Twin Otter dropped, but up to the present
and King Air get their own no considerable damage has
categories: “twin turboprop” been reported. A further
and “utility turboprop”, statement will be issued as
respectively; the Airbus A380, soon as practicable.
A350 and the Boeing 787,
together with ATR, are lumped The fall of Tobruk
with the Boeing C-17, Lockheed Tobruk has fallen, as
Martin C-130J and Airbus expected. With its capture the
A400M under “transports”. best harbour on
Well, yes, technically… the Libyan coast
Meanwhile, the Bombardier east of Benghazi
CSeries and Sukhoi Superjet are A headline from the New Zealand Herald got some of our is in British
listed as “business jets” more seasoned scribblers rather misty-eyed: Singapore hands. Another large section
alongside Dassault Falcons, Airlines confirms Wellington-Canberra flights. We reckon of Marshal Graziani’s Army
Cessna Citations, Bombardier the venerable Vickers type would take more self-loading has been lost to the cause of
Challengers and Gulfstreams. cargo, but the pioneering English Electric jet bomber Fascismo.
Again, yes, technically... but (above) might be rather tastier across the Tasman.
we’re not sure that’s how they Recon type crash
are going to be marketed there. First known crash of a
spectrum activity against UTI confidence or concern, Lockheed SR-71 – the USAF’s
causing bacteria, components to respectively. For some reason new Mach 3
Moose talk enhance stability as well as a D-OWN, D-OOM and D-EATH reconnaisance
One of our favourite pastimes on wipe textile to serve as the didn’t prove too popular. aircraft – since
a slow news day is dipping into technology platform.” the type became
Transport Canada’s daily safety = Wet wipes for soldiers. operational at Beale AFB,
bulletin to find such gems as Silencing Akbar Calif, occurred last week 80
“airport authority arrived and Conspiracy theorists would miles east of Las Vegas, New
advised that the eagles were Good omens? have delighted in a recent Mexico, on a test flight from
eating a freshly-killed gull”, and In a week when Britons’ top incident involving the Edwards AFB. One of the two
“the otter was chased off the flying superstitions were occasionally outspoken Akbar crewmen was killed; the other
airport property”. revealed – the four most popular Al Baker during the same escaped with minor injuries.
Coming soon: more tall tales being touching the aircraft Bahrain show.
of moose on the loose, raccoons before take-off, taking a good The softly-spoken Qatar Libyan L-100 row
on the runway and beavers in charm on board, refusing to sit Airways chief executive had Belgian authorities have
the Beaver. in certain seat numbers, and barely begun to talk in an airline grounded a Libyan Lockheed
saying prayers or carrying a panel discussion (without the L-100-1 transport
religious charm, aoccording to aid of a microphone) when a at Ostend, after
Yuckspeak #721 sunshine.co.uk – we reckon piercing fire alarm sounded. “I the US
“The technology should be these aircraft registrations, knew that they would try to government
comprised of a solution-based snapped at the Bahrain air show, silence me,” quipped Al Baker, claimed work on the Hercules
foundation that includes an would be sure to instil white- who battled on despite the broke its trade sanctions. The
agent that exhibits narrow- knuckle travellers with plenty of disruption, which lasted for development could have
several minutes. implications for the safety of
Once peace had returned to Belgian nationals in the
the room, the Lufthansa Middle East.
executive seated next to him
took his first question – about 100-year archive
Craig Hoyle/Flightglobal
the carrier’s views on Every issue of Flight

competition from growing from 1909 onwards
Middle Eastern airlines. “Now I can be viewed online at
realise why I am here – I am the flightglobal.com/archive
We know which one we’re flying on punchbag,” he deadpanned.

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working week
WORK EXPERIENCE daniel deng
Picture books to packing pandas

As manager of flight operations at the FedEx Asia Pacific hub in Guangzhou, Daniel Deng is living his dream of
applying his learning and is happy in his work, even when he is faced with having to plan for exceptional events
What got you started in the otice, I have to co-ordinate and

n
aviation industry? negotiate with authorities to ob-
There were only a few entertain- tain a slot or approval for non-
ment options when I was a teen- scheduled flights to cover the
ager. Reading was one of my operations at some other APAC
hobbies. After school, I spent ramps to ensure our service quali-
most of my time in the library or ty, and that customers get packag-
in bookstores. One day I read a es on time. The process is a strug-
chapter about airplanes in an gle, but I feel a true sense of
encyclopedia. It described vari- accomplishment after we manage
ous aircraft with short stories and an exception.
nice pictures. The stories fuelled Is it rewarding?
my imagination about how they I’m thrilled FedEx not only focus-
would fly. I thought it would be es on business development, but
terrific if I could take a flight or also pays attention to public
even operate an aircraft. My curi- services. We have successfully
osity drove me to go to the Civil helped the government transport
Aviation College, where I majored pandas from China to the USA,
in air traffic management. France, Scotland and Canada. We
FedEx
My aviation career began in also sponsored the transport of 60
1984, after I graduated. I started An encyclopaedia chapter about aeroplanes ignited a passion for flight showjumping horses between
as an airport tower controller and Shanghai and Belgium for the
for more than 20 years, I worked tions in Zhuhai helped enrich How large is your team? 2014 Global Champions Tour.
for almost all the air traffic my knowledge of the aviation in- I have 15 people, mainly divided Besides the co-operation among
control units, including dustry. into two groups. The ramp tower internal groups – for example
approach control, area control What led to FedEx? controller group is in charge of local ramp operations, finance,
centre, air traffic management Since 2008, I have been a member aircraft movement and deals with legal and sales – I’m the point of
and training departments around of the IATA Asia/Pacific North ATMB. With another administra- contact to liaise with CAAC for
Shenyang, Shanghai, Zhuhai and Asia Regional Co-ordinating tor, we work on ATC projects and flight schedules and approvals. I
Guangzhou. group, whose role is to improve the contracts with airport authori- always learn and better under-
I continued my education and aviation safety, security and ties. The flight operations admin- stand the FedEx mission through
gained all the Civil Aviation operation efficiency. That year, I istrator group handles crew projects like these. It makes me
Administration of China (CAAC) joined FedEx and got my US Fed- members’ flight services and the feel satisfied with what I’m doing
licenses and had the privilege of eral Aviation Administration air- office daily administration. every day. n
participating in many air traffic craft dispatch license. Based at Is it as much fun as you Looking for a job in aerospace?
control (ATC) projects, such as the FedEx Asia Pacific (APAC) expected? Check out our listings online at
the South China routing pro- hub at Guangzhou, I’m manager I’m lucky I can apply my learning flightglobal.com/jobs
gramme and the mid-south air of flight operations. I’m responsi- to practical work and have a
traffic management bureau re- ble for air operations in APAC chance to make my dream come If you would like to feature in
duced vertical separation mini- and maintaining safety and effi- true, while doing a job I really Working Week, or you know
mum design, which were critical ciency, especially for flights con- love. It’s inevitable to come across someone who does, email your
to my career development. nected to the FedEx APAC hub. I challenges. The most difficult pitch to kate.sarsfield@
In addition, my time as a su- handle 250 flights every week at challenge is handling exceptions. flightglobal.com
pervisor for helicopter opera- more than 20 APAC airports. Sometimes with very short
Flight to the future: our forecast for

IN ASSOCIATION WITH long-haul air travel in the 2030s
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