31 March-6 April 2020 I flightglobal.

com

CRISIS

End of
the road?
Airlines fight to survive
as world stops flying

Widebody wait Ford focus

Coronavirus prompts Boeing US Navy looks beyond its
assembly work suspension 7 greatest supercarrier 20
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Administrator allows more time
for potential Piaggio buyout P19
BEHIND THE HEADLINES
For our special report on
naval aviation, Garrett
Reim reviews US Navy
procurements (P20), and
provides an update on the
progress of the service’s
newest supercarrier, the
Gerald R Ford (pictured).
And Lewis Harper
assesses IATA’s stark
warning of an imminent
“apocalypse” facing
virus-hit airlines (P8)
US Navy
REGULARS
5 Comment
31 Straight & Level
33 Classified
34 Jobs
35 Working Week
nload the new
Download theCommercial Engines
2019 Commercial
Engines Report
wnload The Engine Directory.
with enhanced
now dataenhanced
with updated and in-depth market
data and
htglobal.com/ComEngDirectory
ÀLJKWJOREDOFRPFRPPHQJLQHV
KWJOREDOFRPFRPPHQJLQHV
flightglobal.com
CONTENTS
Volume 197 Number 5729
31 MARCH-6 APRIL 2020
Piaggio Aerospace
NEWS COVER STORY
31 March-6 April 2020 I flightglobal.com
8 IATA issues airline
‘apocalypse’ warning End of
CRISIS
THIS WEEK the road?
Association says the
Airlines fight to survive
6 A320 overbooking will ‘dampen’ crisis as world stops flying
7 Factories closed as coronavirus bites entire global aviation
industry could be
9 USMC sets course for transformation with
‘shuttered’ by a
Pacific intent liquidity crisis unless
governments take
AirTeamImages
AIR TRANSPORT
10 Spirit AeroSystems lifted by prospects of new urgent action £3.90 Widebody wait Ford focus
1 3
Coronavirus prompts Boeing US Navy looks beyond its
assembly work suspension 7 greatest supercarrier 20
Prestwick facility
9 770015 371310
11 Emissions scheme timetable in doubt following
coronavirus outbreak. FEATURES
Autothrottle factor in Belavia 737’s long landing
12 Heathrow readies for surge in air cargo. 20 Last post?
Rates spike on belly-hold capacity crunch For the US Navy, carrier aviation has been the
13 Iran Air Fokker suffered recurring fault. strategic backbone of global power projection since
Uncontained failure spurs V2500 disk checks the Second World War. But while jet aircraft and
nuclear power have created a class of warships with
DEFENCE unprecedented range, endurance and firepower,
14 Gray Wolf trials drive swarming vision. 21st Century drone and missile technologies are
Tu-22M modernisation gathers pace transforming tactics and altering the battle space.
15 HAL prepares to ramp up Tejas output. With China also investing heavily, is the supercarrier
US Navy’s next-generation jamming pod sailing through a new era – or into its sunset?
powers through initial tests
16 USAF to refine jet training approach
BUSINESS AVIATION
18 BEA first to win UK SET-IMC approval.
SkyCourier completes initial ground tests
JetKat/Shutterstock
19 Pandemic leads to extension of deadline for
Piaggio bids.
AMAC ready to refurbish BBJ 747-8.
Lilium secures more cash from investor group Moscow pushes ahead with Tu-22M upgrades P14
Directory
analysis
in-depth market analysis
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 3
CONTENTS

Image of
the week
This specially liveried Japan
Airlines Boeing 787-8
transported the Olympic
Torch to the nation’s
Matsushima air base from
Athens, Greece, on 20
March. Its arrival turned out
to be extremely early, with
the International Olympic
Committee four days later
postponing the games until
2021 as a result of the

Rodrigo Reyes Marin/ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock

coronavirus crisis

View more great aviation

shots online and in our
weekly tablet edition:

flightglobal.com/
flight-international

The week in numbers NEXT WEEK TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT

30%
Our Training & Development Guide looks at the long-term
recruitment implications of a looming coronavirus-driven
downturn. Plus, February’s orders and deliveries reviewed
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$250m Cirium Dashboard

Cash injection by Sir Richard Branson into Virgin Group

businesses, including airlines, in response to coronavirus

2m
Face masks delivered to Toulouse from Tianjin, China, via
Airbus
Skyborne Air Academy

Airbus A330-800; an A400M moved some on to Madrid

Stay up to date with the latest news and analysis from the global aviation and aerospace sector: flightglobal.com/news

CAE is readdressing the gender

imbalance in aviation.
6HHKRZDWȵLJKWJOREDOFRP&$(*HQGHUΖPEDODQFH5HSRUW

4 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020 flightglobal.com


Waved off
(Non) Semper fi
Expeditionary demands have honed the US Marine Corps into a unique force
with enviable equipment – but its Pacific pivot means much could change
fter spending billions of dollars over
A decades to develop custom-made air-
craft, the US Marine Corps (USMC) intends
get rid of a large portion of its bespoke fleet.
The service says it is not optimised to fight
a war in the Western Pacific with China, and
believes it must drastically reshape itself to
beat Beijing in a missile shooting contest.
It is, to paraphrase one of the Marine
Corps’ most famous leaders, General O P
Smith, not a retreat, they are simply attacking
in a different direction.
The pivot comes after the USMC dragged
the US Congress, as well as the nation’s air
force and navy, into overly ambitious aircraft
development projects, notably the Lockheed
Martin F-35B: the short take-off and vertical
landing (STOVL) variant of the stealth fighter.
Other Marine Corps-led programmes include
the Bell Boeing MV-22 tiltrotor and the Sikor-
sky CH-53K King Stallion heavy-lift helicopter.
All three aircraft have experienced major
schedule and budget overruns, and required
much work to bring them back on track.
While historically the smallest branch in the
US military, the service has the biggest appetite
– but often bites off more than it can chew.
For example, the Joint Strike Fighter pro-
gramme in many ways was built around the
USMC’s insistence that it needed a STOVL
fighter to replace the Boeing AV-8B Harrier IIs
on its amphibious assault ships. It was decid-
ed to prioritise the B-model variant, because
the technical challenges were greater than
those for the more conventional A and C vari-
flightglobal.com
US Navy
ants for the air force and navy, respectively.
The F-35 became a jack of all trades, but
master of none, and compromises to merge the
three variants still plague the aircraft. Many in
the US Air Force wish the service had instead
kept buying Lockheed’s F-22 Raptor.
The MV-22 and CH-53K have fared little
better and, unlike the F-35, have scored little
in the way of export success.
The F-35 became a jack of all
trades, but master of none,
and compromises still plague
the aircraft
Of course, the capabilities offered by all
the aircraft are second to none. But as in all
walks of life, bespoke solutions are more
costly than those available off the shelf.
With that in mind, the USMC should be
applauded for abandoning bad concepts and
an insistence on expensive solutions.
If truck-mounted anti-ship missiles,
unmanned air vehicles and defensive laser
weapons are a pragmatic and cheap way to
beat Beijing, then “oo-rah!”
But in future, Congress and the Depart-
ment of Defense should ask more searching
questions before signing up for the Corps’
next big idea. ■
See This Week P9
COMMENT
Staying afloat
t is a mark of how quickly the global
I coronavirus crisis has escalated that
when IATA describes the airline sector as
being in an “apocalypse now” scenario,
no-one is accusing the industry associa-
tion of hyperbole.
The stark reality is that unless govern-
ments step in – as some are, mercifully,
starting to – the next two to three months
will see many temporary fleet groundings
become permanent.
While the imperative for intervention
seems obvious to those who follow the
industry closely, there are plenty of
people asking why airlines might deserve
“special” treatment.
Such scrutiny is understandable, given
how many lives and livelihoods are at
stake in every walk of life.
But these are not normal times, and the
arguments created by such scrutiny in-
variably head down a rabbit hole of incon-
clusive value judgements regarding
which sectors deserve help the most.
Given the grave situation worldwide,
time does not afford us that luxury.
The fact is that airlines are, like busi-
nesses in many other sectors, performing
critical functions as part of an endless
chain of economic and social benefits.
When it comes to government aid, they
should therefore be treated as such.
The struggle to maintain a functioning,
global airline industry will be worth it be-
cause of the myriad benefits the sector
brings to wider society.
Certainly, there are pressing questions
that, during normal times, the industry
needs better answers for, particularly
around sustainability.
But for now, one thing is for sure: when
the time comes for a recovery to begin, a
government that has let its airline indus-
try wither and die is a government that
will regret having far fewer economic and
social levers to pull. ■
See This Week P8
Anna Shirokova/Shutterstock
Lifeline for airlines
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 5
THIS WEEK

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AEROSPACE AND COVID-19

A320 overbooking
WEBINAR Aired as we went to press on 26 March,
FlightGlobal’s first in a new series of regular webinars asks –
Covid-19: What hope for aviation and aerospace? Chaired by
will ‘dampen’ crisis
head of strategic content Murdo Morrison and featuring Airbus chief executive says size and quality of backlog will
CTAIRA’s Chris Tarry, Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group and be ‘cushion’ for deliveries and mitigate effect of pandemic
FlightGlobal’s Max Kingsley-Jones, the discussion is available
on demand via flightglobal.com irbus believes its policy of been dealing with an oversupply

BELL, SIKORSKY FACE FARA FLY-OFF

A overbooking orders will
give it a degree of flexibility to
ROTORCRAFT The US Army has selected Bell and Sikorsky manage the impact of the coro-
for its Future Attack and Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) fly-off navirus crisis on its production
contest, rejecting further offers from Boeing, Karem Aircraft and delivery processes.
and an AVX Aircraft/L3Harris team. A winner will be selected However, the airframer is eval-
by late 2023, with the Bell 360 Invictus and Sikorsky Raider X in uating potential impact of the
contention. Key performance requirements include a cruise pandemic on production, par-
speed of at least 180kt (333km/h). ticularly for twin-aisle aircraft,
and acknowledges that it might
FARNBOROUGH, RIAT SHOWS AXED have to store jets as tightening re-
CANCELLATIONS Organisers of the UK’s Farnborough air strictions obstruct deliveries.
show and Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) on 20 March Chief executive Guillaume
announced their cancellation due to restrictions imposed Faury says the single-aisle back-
during the coronavirus pandemic. RIAT will return for its 50th log – over 6,200 A320-family jets
anniversary event in July 2021, with the next edition of the – includes a “significant level” of
Farnborough show scheduled for the same month the overbooking that is “providing a
following year. cushion for deliveries”.
While Airbus is not detailing
FAA ISSUES DREAMLINER DIRECTIVE its “recipe” for overbooking in
SAFETY US regulators have issued an airworthiness terms of the proportion across
directive to address a computer glitch that could lead to any particular time period, Faury
incorrect flight data being displayed in Boeing 787 cockpits. points out that the A320neo’s
Applying to all three variants, the Federal Aviation entry into service was managed
Administration’s order responds to a report that the type’s through the policy.
common core system can develop data monitoring problems He says deliberate overbooking
after being continuously powered for 51 days. “A permanent has previously enabled Airbus to
fix will be issued in the coming months,” the airframer says. “dampen the effect” on deliveries
during a number of different oc-
LONDON CITY AIRPORT SHUTTERED currences, including crises within
SUSPENSION London City airport will be closed to all the industry – although none as
flights until the end of April, having suspended operations on deep as the coronavirus situation.
25 March due to the coronavirus crisis. “We think this is the As airlines revisit capital ex-
responsible thing to do for the safety and well-being of our penditure plans, the quality and
staff, passengers and everyone associated with the airport,” it size of the backlog will serve as a
says. Cirium schedules data lists 10 airlines as operating from “shock-absorber”, he says.
the site, the biggest of which is British Airways. However, Faury says that the
widebody market had already
situation during 2018-2019.
He adds that the actions in the
air transport industry over the
coronavirus outbreak were “very
likely” to result in further over-
supply, and the airframer will
have to “take decisions” based on
customer discussions.
Faury would not be drawn on
the overall effect on Airbus deliv-
eries this year, or the extent to
which production might have to
be trimmed.
“We’re not trying to deny the
obvious,” he says, adding that
“there will be a lot of consequenc-
es”, but states that the company
needs time to assess and adapt –
part of the reason for its unveiling
of a new €15 billion ($16.5 billion)
credit package to boost liquidity.
He says the increasingly tight
restrictions on travel have put a
“lot of additional difficulties” on
the delivery effort, and that while
the company had “managed to
keep a certain flow”, the airfram-
er was looking at the possibility
of storing completed aircraft.
Meanwhile, production at
wing sites in Filton and Broug-
ton in the UK, plus its high-lift
facility in Bremen, Germany,
will be reduced for three weeks,
Airbus says, based on a review
of stock levels. However, the air-
framer stresses that the plants
will remain open. ■

6 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020 flightglobal.com


MANUFACTURING JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON
Factories closed as coronavirus bites
Suppliers feel the pinch after Boeing announces two-week production halt, while Bombardier suspends non-core work
s passenger demand col-
A lapsed through March, air-
lines throughout the globe effec-
tively shuttered their operations,
leaving vast fleets of aircraft idle.
But aside from a brief pause at
Airbus’s French and Spanish
final assembly lines – mimicking
an earlier halt at its Chinese plant
– aerospace manufacturers had
been largely untouched by the
coronavirus crisis.
That all changed on 23 March,
when Boeing announced that 48h
later it would begin a two-week
suspension of activities in Wash-
ington state’s Puget Sound region,
including its assembly lines in
Renton and Everett.
The move came one day after a
Boeing employee at Everett died
from the coronavirus, with
around 30 people infected at op-
erations in the region. An em-
ployee at the company’s North
Charleston, South Carolina 787
site, which continues to operate,
has also tested positive, accord-
ing to reports.
“Boeing announced a tempo-
rary suspension of production
operations at its Puget Sound-ar-
ea facilities in light of the state of
emergency in Washington state
and the company’s continuous
assessment of the accelerating
spread of the coronavirus in the
region,” the airframer says.
“These actions are being taken
to ensure the well-being of
employees, their families and the
local community, and will
include an orderly shutdown
consistent with the requirements
of its customers.”
“This necessary step protects
our employees and the commu-
nities where they work and
live,” adds Boeing chief execu-
tive David Calhoun.
Once the suspension is lifted,
Boeing says it will take “an or-
derly approach to restarting
production with a focus on
safety, quality and meeting cus-
tomer commitments”.
Boeing has instructed suppli-
flightglobal.com
IATA issues airline
‘apocalypse’
warning
Cover Story P8
Final assembly pause affects airframer’s Renton and Everett plants
ers to stop shipments to the
Seattle-region production sites
over the period.
“Since almost all of our Puget
Sound-area employees will not be
at our facilities for the next two
weeks, we have instructed suppli-
ers to halt shipments to the site
during that time,” Boeing says.
TEAM WORK
“We are co-ordinating with our
suppliers on the safest and most
efficient way to manage the flow
of parts during and after the
pause in production,” it adds.
Boeing’s move has sent
ripples throughout the supply
chain: Spirit AeroSystems says it
will halt much of its work for the
airframer and Triumph Group is
planning to lay off several hun-
dred employees.
Spirit’s suspension of Boeing
work affects plants in Wichita,
Kansas and in Tulsa and
McAlester, both in Oklahoma,
running for 14 days from 25
March until 8 April.
Spirit will continue to pay em-
ployees during the two-week pe-
riod and “continue to support 787
work” for Boeing’s facility in
North Charleston.
“When production does
resume on our Boeing
programmes, we will align our
THIS WEEK
Aviation unit would lay off 10% of
its US workforce and, for 90 days,
furlough half its MRO workers.
A package of support for the
aerospace industry is making its
way through the US Congress;
Boeing had asked for $60 billion
for itself and 17,000 suppliers.
However, Calhoun told Fox
Business that Federal aid should
not be contingent upon the
government taking equity in US
companies, adding that the
manufacturer remains financial-
VDB Photo/Shutterstock
ly sound despite the impact of
the coronavirus crisis.
Separately, Bombardier is to
halt work at most of its operations
in Canada, plus its aerostructures
unit in Belfast, Northern Ireland,
costs and workforce to the new to comply with government re-
level of production set by Boeing. strictions designed to limit the
This could potentially include spread of the coronavirus.
additional workforce actions,”
Wichita-based Spirit warns. WIDER IMPACT
In 2019, 79% of Spirit’s revenue Mandates from the provinces of
came from Boeing-related work, Quebec and Ontario call for the
according to financial filings. month-long suspension of non-
Triumph says it will lay off 250 essential services and are
full-time salaried staff and 250 designed to combat the spread of
contractors in an effort to “con- the disease. The halt began at
serve cash and maintain long- 23:59 local time on 24 March,
term competitiveness”. Bombardier says, and will end
The company will also furlough on 26 April.
“certain salaried employees” for In addition, the Belfast subsid-
two weeks and has suspended pay iary will suspend operations for
increases and cut senior execu- four weeks until 20 April in re-
tives’ salaries by 10%. sponse to the pandemic.
“Given Boeing’s plans to close Bombardier chairman Pierre
their Washington state factories Beaudoin says it has also cut all
for 14 days, Triumph will evaluate discretionary spending and is
the need to furlough employees at “continuing the work on closing
a subset of Triumph plants where the previously announced trans-
capacity is largely dedicated to actions, and is pursuing addition-
Boeing commercial aircraft pro- al measures to enhance liquidity.”
grammes,” it adds. “Although the The company is attempting to
situation remains fluid, all facto- complete multiple deals to sell as-
ries remain operational.” sets to pay down its debt: France’s
Italy’s Leonardo, meanwhile, Alstom was in the process of buy-
will continue to build central ing its rail division, Mitsubishi
fuselage barrels and horizontal Heavy Industries the CRJ pro-
stabilisers for the 787 at its re- gramme, while the aerostructures
spective Grottaglie and Foggia units in Belfast and Morocco are
plants, shipping the structures to to be acquired by Spirit. ■
Boeing in North Charleston. Additional reporting by
Prior to Boeing’s announce- Dominic Perry and Kate
ment, General Electric said its GE Sarsfield in London
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 7
COVER STORY
OPERATIONS LEWIS HARPER LONDON
IATA issues airline ‘apocalypse’ warning
Association says entire global industry could be ‘shuttered’ by a liquidity crisis unless governments take urgent action
hen IATA outlined its latest
W estimates for the impact of
the coronavirus outbreak on the
airline industry on 24 March, the
urgency of the situation was front
and centre of its messaging.
In the industry association’s
view, this is not the time for
quibbling over minor details and
nuance – either governments step
in to help airlines through this
crisis, or the whole sector risks
being “shuttered”.
It points out that markets with
severe restrictions on air travel
currently cover 98% of global
passenger revenues. Therefore, in
a situation where “the typical air-
line had two months of cash at
the start of this year”, this is a
crisis scenario.
“Airlines are fighting for sur-
vival in every corner of the
world,” says IATA director gen-
eral Alexandre de Juniac. “Travel
restrictions and evaporating
demand mean that there is
almost no passenger business.
For airlines, it’s apocalypse now.
And there is a small and shrink-
ing window for governments to
provide a lifeline of financial
support to prevent a liquidity cri-
sis from shuttering the industry.”
Beyond this initial period of
need, however, IATA also high-
lights a vital detail regarding this
pandemic: unlike other out-
breaks in recent history, it is
likely to cause a global recession.
For many airlines, the passing
of the coronavirus – and there is
clearly no guarantee of when this
will happen – might herald the
beginning of a new crisis as
economic conditions worsen.
SLOW RECOVERY
For IATA’s chief economist, Brian
Pearce, this means the industry
could experience something
more akin to a “U-shaped” recov-
ery than the “V-shaped” one seen
after the SARS outbreak in 2002-
2003, for example.
Pearce explains that in previ-
ous pandemics, “we’ve seen the
8 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
Body estimates coronavirus outbreak will lower 2020 revenues from passenger operations by $252 billion
worst point three months after
the crisis and then three to four
months after that a return to
pre-crisis levels”. The difference
with the current outbreak is that
“we have never seen a pandemic
coincide with the deep global
recession that is now expected.
That will delay recovery, so it
will be a much more gradual
upward slope”.
The global nature of the
current pandemic means that
there will not be a coherent re-
covery, either, further exacerbat-
ing the negative impacts.
Individual countries and regions
will come back online at different
rates and at different times,
reducing the chance of a quick,
global bounce-back.
Indeed, IATA points to data
from Oxford Economics suggest-
ing that global GDP growth could
be negative in 2020 – a situation
last seen in 2009 amid the global
economic crash.
IATA’s latest modelling on the
impact of the coronavirus is there-
fore based on a 65% year-on-year
fall in global airline capacity in
the second quarter of 2020. Eu-
rope is worst hit, with operations
all but grounded, while North
America and Asia-Pacific would
each see 50% reductions.
The situation does begin to
improve from that point under
IATA’s current outlook, but
Pearce is clear that “the recession
will delay the recovery”.
Under its current assumptions,
IATA expects global capacity to be
down by around 33% in the third
quarter and 10% in the fourth.
At the same time, yields are
expected to be lower year on year,
with IATA noting that reducing
ticket prices – a well-worn tactic
that normally works to stimulate
demand in most scenarios – is
not attracting passengers back to
air travel.
“We have never seen
a pandemic coincide
with the deep global
recession that is now
expected”
Brian Pearce
Chief economist, IATA
Overall, IATA estimates that
the coronavirus outbreak will
lower airline revenues from pass-
enger operations by $252 billion
in 2020 – more than double its
earlier worst-case-scenario esti-
mate of $113 billion.
That equates to a 44% fall in
passenger revenues from 2019
and is driven by a 38%
reduction in global traffic, meas-
ured in revenue passenger
Martin Sylvest/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
kilometres year on year, and
falling yields.
“We need governments to act
fast with financial relief,” says de
Juniac. Otherwise, he warns, “al-
most half” of airlines will “die”
in the coming weeks.
CHINA GROWTH
On a more positive note, the
industry association highlights
analysis suggesting that 2021
could see a strong economic
recovery amid fiscal and central
bank stimulus. It also cites the
beginnings of a recovery in
China’s domestic airline market.
“We are seeing some signs of a
turning point in the Chinese
domestic market,” says Pearce.
“The March numbers are show-
ing an improvement. We’re
certainly getting those reports
from the market.”
Airlines in China had been dis-
counting seats by up to 25% year
on year in February, but “that’s
stabilising” in March, Pearce
notes. Indeed, IATA’s figures indi-
cate that passenger yields on
Chinese domestic flights booked
in the first two weeks of March
are up slightly year on year.
IATA also notes that load
factors on Chinese domestic ser-
vices have been around the 60%
mark. But, for now, “we’re faced
with an extraordinarily sharp
downturn”, Pearce says. ■
flightglobal.com

REVIEW GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
USMC sets course
for transformation
with Pacific intent
Service sets out revised priorities, as 10-year plan pivots
focus to countering threat from stronger Chinese military
he US Marine Corps (USMC)
T believes it needs to be leaner
and meaner to defeat China in a
hypothetical future war in the
Pacific region.
Over the next 10 years, the ser-
vice plans to drastically down-
size its force, cutting 12,000 per-
sonnel and multiple aircraft,
including Lockheed Martin
F-35B/Cs, Bell Boeing MV-22 Os-
prey tiltrotors and Sikorsky
CH-53 heavy-lift helicopters.
“In the summer of 2019, the
Marine Corps began force design
activities focused on adapting
capabilities to properly shape
contributions to naval warfare
and the joint force,” the USMC
says in a 23 March summary of
its plans.
“These efforts led to a mod-
ernised design which incorpo-
rates emerging technologies and
significant changes in force
structure to deliver a Marine
Corps the nation needs by
2030,” it says.
The service says its current
structure is “not optimised to
flightglobal.com
Spirit lifted by
Prestwick site
prospects
Air Transoport P10
meet the demands of the [US] Na-
tional Defense Strategy”, which
has shifted focus from combat-
ting terrorist groups to preparing
for a so-called Great Power Con-
flict with potential adversaries
such as China and Russia.
Rather than remain a naval
expeditionary force, the USMC
believes it will have to “dominate
inside the enemy’s weapon en-
gagement zone” in future battles.
RAPID DEPLOYMENT
Specifically to counter the threat
posed by China’s long-range bal-
listic and cruise missiles, the ser-
vice is eyeing new weapons,
which it wants to deploy rapidly
to islands in the Western Pacific.
“They’re talking about small
teams that land [on islands] and
then have anti-air, [and] anti-ship
capability to hem in the Chi-
nese,” says Mark Cancian, senior
adviser with the Center for Strate-
gic and International Studies’ In-
ternational Security Program.
“A 300% increase in rocket
artillery capacity, paired with
anti-ship missiles, will pro-
foundly enhance our ability to
support the fleet commander in
sea control and denial,” the
USMC says.
Further measures would in-
clude “doubling the number of
[unmanned air vehicle] squad-
rons and austere lethal un-
manned air and ground systems,”
it adds. Defences required to pro-
tect deployed units could include
directed energy systems such as
laser or microwave weapons, loi-
tering munitions and electronic
warfare equipment.
To fund such a transforma-
tion, the service plans to axe its
tank and law enforcement battal-
ions and bridging companies,
and reduce artillery and amphib-
ious vehicle unit numbers.
It also would remove two
squadrons of Bell AH-1Z attack
helicopters, and one each now
equipped with MV-22 and
CH-53E transports.
The F-35 programme would
also suffer its first US order re-
duction to date.
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 9
THIS WEEK
Fewer STOVL F-35Bs
may now be acquired
US Navy
“The Marine Corps will re-
duce the Primary Aircraft Au-
thorized per squadron of F-
35B/C aircraft from 16 to 10,” the
plan states. Details of a potential
order reduction have not been
disclosed, but Cancian says the
proposed per-unit cut “would
imply buying 120 to 130 aircraft
fewer” than its stated 353 short
take-off and vertical landing
(STOVL) F-35Bs and 67 carrier-
variant F-35Cs by 2031.
He believes the restructuring
could also prompt the service to
buy around one-third fewer
CH-53K King Stallions than the
200 currently planned. These are
to begin replacing aged CH-53Es
from fiscal year 2022.
The service last year ordered a
further 25 AH-1Zs for delivery
by 2022, but production of its
planned 360-strong MV-22 fleet
is almost complete.
Bell, Lockheed and Sikorsky
all decline to comment on the im-
plications of the 10-year plan, di-
recting questions to the USMC. ■
See Feature P20
AIR TRANSPORT
MANUFACTURING JON HEMMERDINGER BOSTON
Spirit lifted by Prestwick site prospects
US aerostructures giant is establishing new facility in Scotland to develop technologies for future Airbus single-aisles
pirit AeroSystems expects by
S year-end to open a new facili-
ty in Prestwick, Scotland, where
it will research and develop
manufacturing and production
technologies aimed at helping the
company land contracts to sup-
ply Airbus’s next single-aisle
aircraft programme.
Though the coronavirus pan-
demic has led to significant un-
certainty for the aerospace in-
dustry, Wichita-based Spirit
aims for its planned 6,503sq m
(70,000sq ft) “Aerospace Innova-
tion Centre” to open in the
fourth quarter of 2020.
It plans for the site to employ
some 300 staff within two or three
years, says Spirit chief engineer
and vice-president of research and
development Sean Black.
The site’s focus will be devel-
oping new composite manufac-
turing technologies and, just as
critically, lower-cost and higher-
tech manufacturing methods that
can be quickly scaled to commer-
cial production rates, says Black.
“There is going to be a strong
focus on advanced architectures
and manufacturing concepts – an-
ticipating requirements of future
aircraft in the context of perfor-
mance, cost and rate,” he says.
He says this will position Spir-
it to win work on Airbus’s next
single-aisle programme.
In November 2019, Airbus
chief executive Guillaume Faury
said he could envision such an
aircraft entering service in the
early 2030s.
KEY ENABLER
“Automation of the production
system is a key enabler,” Faury
said at the time.
Spirit’s expansion of research
and development in Prestwick,
where it already makes spoilers
for A320-family aircraft, aligns
with other company efforts.
It recently opened a new com-
posite manufacturing site in
Prestwick, and it participates in
Airbus’s “Wing of Tomorrow”
10 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
European airframer has extensive wing operations in UK, including Broughton, Wales assembly plant
technology demonstrator pro-
gramme. That effort aims to de-
velop a composite wing manufac-
turing concept for the European
airframer’s future narrowbody.
As part of that programme,
Spirit expects this year to deliver
to Airbus a composite lower wing
cover manufactured using an out-
of-autoclave resin infusion pro-
cess, Black notes.
“There is going to be
a strong focus on
advanced architectures
and manufacturing
concepts”
Sean Black
Chief engineer, vice-president research
and development, Spirit AeroSystems
Spirit has for several years
been seeking to expand its work
for Airbus, in order to shift away
from the company’s heavy reli-
ance on Boeing programmes.
Black says the Aerospace In-
novation Centre will help Spirit
avoid technology hang-ups that
can arise at two critical develop-
ment stages: when turning
concepts into prototypes, and
then bringing prototypes to full
industrialisation and commer-
cial production.
The Prestwick research site, he
says, will develop both new com-
posite technologies and ad-
vanced manufacturing processes,
ensuring the company can quick-
ly transition to a “full-high-rate”
production level.
“We anticipate that we will no
longer have the luxury of having
up to 100 shipsets to demonstrate
our full manufacturing maturity,”
says Black. “We will really need
to demonstrate those from the
first shipset.”
Spirit aims to reduce the dura-
tion of production development
by one-third and anticipates
needing to reduce costs by 30%,
according to Black.
Savings can come through use
of advanced composite manufac-
turing techniques such as Spirit’s
out-of-autoclave process, which
eliminates the need for fasteners
and other equipment.
Typical composite manufactur-
ing involves layering composites
on a tool, which is placed inside
an autoclave for curing. Spirit’s
out-of-autoclave techniques, de-
veloped in partnership with the
University of Strathclyde and
Scotland’s Innovation Centre for
Sensor and Imaging Systems, uses
a “heated tool” to cure the resin.
Spirit has also developed a resin
infusion process, it says.
The company also aims to take
integration work off Airbus’s
Airbus
hands by supplying more-
complete wing structures already
integrated with hydraulic, electric
and fuel system components –
which can help reduce manufac-
turing costs, Black says.
DIGITAL TWINS
The Prestwick innovation site will
also employ technologies like
“digital twins” (virtual representa-
tions of physical objects) and cog-
nitive robots (those programmed
to have animal-like cognition).
Such technologies can help Spirit
ensure its processes are ready for
high-rate production, he adds.
“The objective is to deliver full
manufacturing and production
readiness,” says Black.
Aside from the Prestwick facil-
ity, the company is also acquiring
additional manufacturing capac-
ity in the UK with the purchase
of Bombardier’s Belfast-based
aerostructures unit, which builds
wings for the A220.
While the Wing of Tomorrow
programme is a transnational ef-
fort, other UK participants in-
clude GKN Aerospace and GE
Aviation Aerostructures, with
funding from the country’s Aero-
space Technology Institute.
Airbus has its wing centre of
excellence in the UK at Filton,
near Bristol, and builds the wings
for all its commercial aircraft at
Broughton in North Wales. ■
flightglobal.com

INCIDENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Belavia 737 landed long after autothrottle mix-up
krainian investigators have
U determined that
autothrottle of a Belavia Boeing
the
737-300 had been left active be-
fore the aircraft touched down
long and overran at Kiev Zhulh-
any airport.
The jet had been operating from
Minsk on 12 July 2019, and had
been descending in darkness and
rain to Kiev’s downtown airport.
Ukrainian investigation au-
thority NBAAI says that, during
the descent, the runway in use
was changed from 08 to 26.
As the aircraft passed through
500ft – at a distance of about 1nm
ENVIRONMENT LEWIS HARPER LONDON
Emissions scheme timetable in doubt
Plan to use average data from 2019 and 2020 for carbon reduction targets thrown off course by global groundings
he timeline for ICAO’s global
T carbon offsetting scheme for
commercial aviation is one of the
myriad issues affected by the
uncertainty surrounding the
coronavirus outbreak.
Implementation of the Carbon
Offsetting and Reduction Scheme
for International Aviation (COR-
SIA) involves using airlines’ car-
bon dioxide (CO2) emissions
data from 2020, in combination
with that from 2019, to create a
baseline average on which future
offsetting would be based.
In any year from 2021 when
international commercial avia-
tion CO2 emissions covered by
the scheme exceed the average
baseline emissions of 2019 and
2020, this difference represents
the sector’s offsetting require-
ments for that year.
The use of two years’ data was
meant to ensure unexpected dis-
ruption did not skew the figures.
“2020 is supposed to be, along-
side 2019, the baseline for the
CORSIA programme,” says the
executive director of the cross-
industry Air Transport Action
Group, Michael Gill. “An average
of the two years was agreed in
flightglobal.com
Heathrow readies
for surge in air cargo
Air Transport P12
(2km) from the airport – the auto-
pilot was disengaged and the
crew continued manually with
the autothrottle still active.
The crew was informed that
the runway was wet, with good
braking and a friction coefficient
of 0.52. Maximum autobrake
was set.
Examination of the aircraft’s
profile shows it crossed the
displaced threshold at 36ft and
141kt (261km/h), but that the
flare lasted 14.5s. The jet only
touched down 970m (3,180ft)
beyond the threshold, and the
inquiry says the autothrottle’s
Sharp drop in worldwide aircraft activity as result of coronavirus could delay CORSIA implementation
order to smooth any potential
downturn in traffic in either year,
but a situation as grave as the one
we are currently facing was never
contemplated.
“It is much too early to say
what the impact of Covid-19 will
be on the CORSIA baseline and
we will continue to look at how
the situation evolves over time,”
Gill adds. “However, any mod-
elling done today will be out of
date in a week. It is very clear that
2020 is a completely abnormal
situation, but in the meantime,
we have an industry to rebuild
and a world to reconnect.”
Gill’s comments came after
engagement was a “major factor”
contributing to the long landing.
Full reverse thrust and maxi-
mum automatic braking were
applied for 4s after the landing.
But the crew also applied manual
braking after sensing that the jet
was not decelerating fast enough.
The crew disengaged reverse-
thrust at 61kt and the inquiry
says the jet then received an “ad-
ditional impulse” of direct thrust
which prevented the crew stop-
ping within the runway length.
Analysis of the incident shows
the aircraft experienced hydro-
planing and tyre overheating, fur-
ICAO agreed a set of eligible
emissions units for the pilot
phase of CORSIA on 13 March.
They are: the American Carbon
Registry; the China GHG
Voluntary Emission Reduction
Program; the Clean Development
Mechanism; Climate Action
Reserve; The Gold Standard; and
the Verified Carbon Standard.
“[The choice of eligible
emissions units] is the result of a
robust assessment of emissions
units programmes against a set of
criteria agreed by ICAO Member
States,” says ICAO Council
president Salvatore Sciacchitano.
“It will ensure CORSIA is both
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 11
AIR TRANSPORT
ther contributing to the overrun.
While the coefficient of friction
of the runway, measured after the
event, was lower than the figure
given to the crew, the inquiry
says the aircraft should still have
been able to stop in time, adding
that reverse thrust should have
remained engaged until the 737
had slowed sufficiently.
Only minor damage to the air-
craft (EW-336PA) resulted from
the overrun. The inquiry says the
crew experienced “high emo-
tional and physical exertion”
which, it states, led to incorrect
decision-making. ■
Lufthansa
practical and robust, and repre-
sents an important environmen-
tal milestone.”
Announced on 6 October
2016, ICAO’s CORSIA initiative
created a target for the airline
industry to achieve carbon-
neutral growth in international
flights from 2020 onwards. It is
due to be implemented in three
phases, beginning with the pilot
phase (2021-2023), then the first
phase (2024-2026). Participation
in those first two stages is volun-
tary. In the third phase (2027-
2035), participation is obligatory
for states with a significant share
of global traffic. ■
AIR TRANSPORT
INFRASTRUCTURE CIRIUM LONDON
Heathrow readies for surge in air cargo
Hub airport vows it will maximise use of ‘quieter schedule’ to help keep vital supply lines open during pandemic crisis
ondon Heathrow airport is
L boosting its cargo capabilities
ahead of an expected 53% surge
in air-freight activity, as more
medicine and food shipments
enter and leave the UK during the
coronavirus pandemic.
The hub is also relaxing its slot
rules for airlines, offering free air-
craft parking for grounded fleets,
and bringing forward growth-in-
centive payments, “to increase
cash flow for airlines”.
In a 24 March statement urging
airlines and freight companies to
“maximise the use of the hub
CHARTER DAMIAN BRETT LONDON
IAG switches passenger jets to logistics in coronavirus response
IAG, the British Airways and
Iberia owner, is offering its pas-
senger aircraft to freight forward-
ers for cargo operations in
response to the coronavirus
pandemic.
In a note to customers, IAG
Cargo chief commercial officer
John Cheetham says: “To sup-
port your freight and to help get
it where it needs to be, we are
now opening up the opportunity
for freight forwarders to charter
our aircraft where needed.
“As a business we are looking
ANALYSIS DAMIAN BRETT LONDON
Freight rates spike on belly-hold capacity crunch
ir freight rates have contin-
A ued their rapid ascent,
breaching the $5/kg (£4.20/kg)
mark on the transpacific trade
lane for the first time in years as
the market responds to drastic re-
ductions in belly-hold capacity.
The latest figures from Tac
Index, for the week beginning 16
March, show that air freight rates
between Shanghai and North
America increased by 18% com-
pared with a week earlier, to
$5.70/kg – the highest level since
12 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
Gateway forecasts a 53% hike in freight traffic over coming days
to move quickly to find working
solutions for our customers,”
he adds.
The move came on the back of
drastic cuts in passenger
operations, leading to cargo car-
riage reductions through the fall
in belly-hold capacity.
Earlier, IAG chief executive
Willie Walsh said governments
“need to appreciate” there is a
strong cargo demand, but that
passenger aircraft carry a large
proportion of global air freight.
“Our intention is to try and
the data provider began monitor-
ing pricing in 2016.
Meanwhile, rates from Hong
Kong to North America increased
by 19.4%, to $4.55/kg. While this
is not a record, it is 29.6% up on
the same period a year earlier.
There were also big increases
on services from Shanghai to Eu-
rope, which saw average prices
rise week on week by 28.2%, to
$4.09/kg – a record on the route
for Tac Index.
From Hong Kong to Europe,
airport’s quieter schedule” to keep
vital supply lines open during the
pandemic, Heathrow says it ex-
pects its cargo movements to in-
crease by 53% in the coming days.
Further increases in air-freight ac-
tivity are forecast “as the airport
scales up its cargo operation”.
As passenger flights are in-
creasingly grounded amid border
Malgosia Janicka/Shutterstock
closures and plummeting cus-
tomer demand, Heathrow says it
is “repurposing its operation and
scaling up its cargo offering”.
Chief executive John Holland-
Kaye states: “For the first time in
a decade, our airport has addi-
tional capacity in its schedule –
capacity which we’ve begun to
see used to help push vital sup-
plies across the globe to help
keep as much of our capacity support frontline teams.”
available for critical supplies that Some airlines have already an-
need to be shipped around the nounced plans to switch to all-
world,” he says. cargo operations while their pas-
“We may operate some of our senger flights are grounded or
passenger aircraft just for belly- dramatically reduced. Lufthansa
hold cargo to ensure we keep Group, for instance, said in
critical supplies moving.” March that it was preparing Air-
IAG carriers are set to ground bus A330 and Boeing 747-8 pas-
dozens of aircraft over the senger jets for pure cargo flights.
period of April and May, Similarly, American Airlines,
equivalent to a group-wide 75% which has cut more than 75% of
cut in capacity, in response to its international capacity, has
plunging passenger demand begun cargo-only flights for the
and travel restrictions. ■ first time since 1984. ■
prices were up by 21.3%, to The rate increases came as
$3.47/kg. Again, this is not a new
high, but still 32% ahead of the
carriers slashed belly-hold capac-
ity in the market – on transatlan-
year-ago level. tic routes estimates suggest a
Transatlantic rates also in- reduction of around 90%.
creased rapidly following the “Global cargo capacity reduc-
travel bans imposed by both the tions are a reality at this point,
USA and European countries. [and] no longer just a China and
Prices from Frankfurt to North intra-Asia issue,” says freight
America jumped by 56.6% week forwarder Agility.
on week, to $2.74/kg, while from It reports capacity constraints
Chicago to Europe there was an on many key markets. However,
87.6% increase to a Tac Index re- additional freighter capacity is
cord of $2.06/kg. being deployed out of China. ■
flightglobal.com

INVESTIGATION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Iran Air Fokker suffered recurring fault
Remedial action could have prevented gear-up landing at Tehran, had crew recorded problem with hydraulic system
nvestigators found an engine-
I driven pump’s overheating pre-
ceded a hydraulic leak before an
Iran Air Fokker 100 was forced to
land at Tehran Mehrabad with its
main landing-gear retracted.
Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisa-
tion found that the aircraft, in-
bound from Qeshm on 19 March
last year, had suffered a series of
similar hydraulic problems in the
previous three days.
Recurring defect reports are
generated if a defect emerges four
times in 10 flights, says the in-
quiry. But it states that the crew
of the outbound Tehran-Qeshm
service, despite experiencing
such a problem, had not recorded
it in the technical log – meaning
that a recurrent defect notifica-
tion was not issued.
The inquiry says the preced-
ing event indicated that there
was a “hidden failure” in the
System 1 hydraulic circuit that
PROPULSION DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
Uncontained failure spurs disk checks on V2500s
perators of Airbus A320-
O family jets are being ordered
to remove disks from certain In-
ternational Aero Engines V2500
powerplants after an uncon-
tained failure resulted in an
aborted A321 take-off.
The incident occurred on 18
March, says the US Federal Avia-
Incident involving Vietnam Airlines A321 triggered FAA requirement
flightglobal.com
Gray Wolf trials drive
swarming vision
Defence P14
had not been detected by aircraft
maintenance personnel.
No problems had been record-
ed in the six weeks after the jet
(EP-IDG) was released from a
C-06 check on 1 February 2019.
But hydraulic and engine
pump failures started emerging
on 16 March, affecting three
flights, and again on 19 March
when occurrences were noted on
two flights, including the out-
bound Tehran-Qeshm service.
During this service the crew
noticed an abnormality in the
System 1 circuit as the aircraft
neared cruise, and opted to
switch off, then switch on, the
related engine-driven pump –
although this was not recom-
mended by the handbook.
The system appeared to return
to normal conditions, says the in-
quiry, and the crew “did not re-
port the event” in the log. If the
occurrence had been recorded,
tion Administration (FAA), and
involved a high-pressure turbine
first-stage disk failure.
While the regulator has not
confirmed which event spurred
the directive, a V2500-powered
Vietnam Airlines A321 (VN-
A392) aborted take-off at Ho Chi
Minh City on this date with ap-
AirTeamImages
No issues were detected in six weeks after early February C-check
remedial action could have been
taken at Qeshm, it adds.
As a result the issue was not
addressed. The inquiry says a
faulty check valve in the hydrau-
lic system resulted in an engine-
driven pump overheating, and a
hydraulic leak. This meant the
crew experienced problems with
extending the main landing-gear
during the approach to Tehran.
It adds that a seizing of the
parent substantial damage to its
starboard engine.
The FAA is ordering removal,
within five flight cycles, of cer-
tain first-stage high-pressure tur-
bine disks – bearing particular
part and serial numbers – fitted to
various models of V2500 engine.
All other affected engine mod-
els should have records reviewed
within three days to assess
whether particular disks have
been fitted, and operators should
remove these disks if installed.
It says the root cause of the ini-
tiating event is “still under inves-
tigation” and that further meas-
ures could be ordered.
High-energy debris penetrated
the engine cowl during the inci-
dent, and the FAA says it is tak-
ing the steps to “prevent failure of
the high-pressure turbine”.
Separately, the Ukrainian
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 13
AIR TRANSPORT
AirTeamImages
landing-gear locking mechanism
also prevented successful manual
extension of the undercarriage.
The aircraft landed with its main
gear retracted on runway 29L,
however none of the occupants
was injured.
Cirium fleets data shows the
Fokker 100 to be a 1991-built ex-
ample delivered new to the air-
line and powered by twin Rolls-
Royce Tay engines. ■
authorities have ordered
Antonov An-124 operators to in-
spect Ivchenko-Progress D-18T
engines on the type after an un-
contained powerplant failure.
The Ukrainian state aviation
administration says that an inves-
tigation into the “serious
incident”, which occurred to an
An-124, traced the failure to
destruction of the second-stage
disk in the intermediate-pressure
compressor.
It has not specified the
incident that prompted the direc-
tive, but has instructed operators
to carry out a one-time inspection
of the disks in all D-18T series 3
powerplants.
The directive, which takes
effect from 25 March, is an inter-
im measure, says the administra-
tion, and further corrective meas-
ures are set to be developed. ■
DEFENCE
CAPABILITY GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
Gray Wolf trials drive swarming vision
Successful in-flight evaluation of cost-effective turbojet brings ‘Golden Horde’ concept of networked weapons in range
he US Air Force Research
T Laboratory (AFRL) has tested
its Gray Wolf low-cost turbojet
helping to build “confidence in
the design”.
The TDI-J85 engine and relat-
ed low-cost cruise missile were
designed and built in partner-
ship with Northrop Grumman
and propulsion specialist Tech-
nical Directions, the AFRL says.
Its initial test campaign with
the combination involved multi-
ple in-flight engine starts and op-
eration at high altitude.
“The engine met performance
expectations for thrust and sur-
passed fuel efficiency expecta-
tions,” the AFRL says. “The en-
gine accumulated [significant]
in-flight operating time, building
confidence in the design,” it adds.
The AFRL aims to create a cost-
effective jet engine that is easy to
manufacture and produce in large
numbers, to power swarms of
low-cost cruise missiles. It claims
that the TDI-J85 is the first in “its
class and price point to success-
fully operate at altitude”.
The USAF wants to employ
cruise missiles with a range of
more than 250nm (463km) for a
variety of missions.
Northrop was in 2017 awarded
UPGRADE DOMINIC PERRY LONDON
Tu-22M modernisation gathers pace for Moscow
Current 66-strong fleet will receive a range of performance updates
14 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
US Air Force
Engine will undergo testing during 2021 with Northrop cruise missile
$110 million by the AFRL for the “When each weapon shares
Gray Wolf development effort. measurements of a target’s loca-
According to that contract, the tion, combining this information
goal of the cruise missile was creates a more accurate target lo-
“defeat of enemy integrated air cation for all to reference,” says
defence systems”. the AFRL. “This supports the use
Additionally, the AFRL is of lower-cost subsystems in place
looking at ways for such weapons of more expensive systems, with-
to work together “in a networked out sacrificing capability.”
swarm to meet an evolving The Golden Horde would use a
warfighter mission requirement,” team-like autonomy that the
it confirms. AFRL describes as “play calling”.
Those abilities fit the descrip- “A ‘play’ is an established col-
tion of the AFRL’s Golden Horde laborative behaviour enabled (or
initiative – a project aimed at cre- disabled) when certain prede-
ating a swarm of munitions in- fined conditions are met by the
cluding guided bombs and cruise swarm,” it says. “Loaded prior to
missiles that would autonomous- the mission, the ‘playbook’ pro-
ly share targeting information vides a choice of plays from
and co-ordinate attacks. which the weapons can choose.”
ussia is set to advance flight-
R testing in support of a major
upgrade to its air force’s Tupolev
Tu-22M strategic bomber fleet.
A second modernised
Tu-22M3M will soon commence
test flights, having got airborne
in updated form for the first time
on 20 March.
Performed from the Kazan Avi-
ation Plant around 430 miles
JetKat/Shutterstock
(700km) east of Moscow, the sor-
tie included evaluations of the
long-range jet’s take-off and land-
ing characteristics, as well other
The AFRL is careful to note
that the Golden Horde technolo-
gy would not use artificial intelli-
gence or machine learning to de-
cide what targets to strike.
“The system selects from set
plays and cannot violate defined
rules of engagement,” it says.
Demonstrations of the Golden
Horde concept are scheduled to
start in late 2020, using a modi-
fied Small Diameter Bomb I
weapon and a modified Raytheon
Miniature Air-Launched Decoy.
The laboratory wants to advance
work to the point where these
stores can work together to attack
simulated targets during a trial
“in the fall of 2021”.
Meanwhile, the AFRL plans
to next use its collected in-flight
data on the Gray Wolf to inte-
grate the TDI-J85 engine in
flight-test vehicles.
“As part of the weapon system
integration and demonstration
phase, the team will modify and
verify the interfacing operating
software, perform captive flight
test and conduct a missile release
test to demonstrate the low-cost
cruise missile concept,” it says.
Its expected timeline for
conducting such work has not
been disclosed. ■
system checks, says Rostec,
which owns Tupolev and its
United Aircraft parent.
A lead prototype of the mod-
ernised bomber flew for the first
time on 28 December 2018.
Updates over the Russian air
force’s in-service Tu-22Ms include
the installation of new avionics
and communications equipment,
which Rostec says will enable
higher levels of automation.
Cirium fleets data shows Russia
currently has 66 Tu-22Ms in ac-
tive service, aged up to 35 years. ■
flightglobal.com

ELECTRONIC WARFARE GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
US Navy jammer pod powers through initial tests
he US Navy’s (USN’s) Next
T Generation Jammer Mid-
Band development pod has com-
pleted initial testing using an
anechoic chamber at NAS Patux-
ent River in Maryland.
More than 400h of basic
functionality, electromagnetic
environmental effects data collec-
tion and performance testing was
logged over a three-month period
using the Raytheon-produced
pod, the US Naval Air Systems
Command says.
The pod will be carried be-
neath the wing of the USN’s
carrier-based Boeing E/A-18
Growler electronic attack air-
craft, and used to disrupt adver-
sary radio communications and
radar-guided missile systems
operating in the mid-band
frequency range.
REQUIREMENT MIKE RAJKUMAR BENGALURU
HAL prepares to ramp up Tejas output
Indian government confirms intention to buy 83 fighters, with Hindustan Aeronautics production reaching 16 per year
ew Delhi is proceeding with
N plans to acquire 83 Hindu-
stan Aeronautics (HAL) Tejas
Mk1A fighters for the Indian air
force at an estimated cost of $5.3
billion, pending cabinet approval.
The acquisition process is
moving forward following the
finalisation of contractual and
other issues by the Defence
Acquisition Council, the Indian
government announced in
mid-March.
Approval from the nation’s
Cabinet Committee on Security
is still required before a formal
contract can be signed, and this
process can take up to a year to
be completed.
Deliveries will be scheduled to
commence three years after
contract signature, with HAL pre-
paring for a peak production rate
of 16 aircraft per year.
The 83-aircraft buy will be
broken into two components,
with HAL to deliver the aircraft
flightglobal.com
USAF to refine jet
training approach
Defence P16
“Data captured during this
[testing] period not only supports
our initial flight clearance, but
also provided lessons learned that
will benefit the entire [Next Gen-
eration Jammer Mid-Band] test
programme moving forward,”
says Captain Michael Orr, the na-
vy’s Airborne Electronic Attack
Systems programme manager.
The USN plans to commence
flight testing with the payload
“this spring”. It expects the pro-
gramme to reach a so-called Mile-
stone C decision point – an engi-
neering design review prior to
launching production – before the
end of the current fiscal year.
Raytheon’s new jammer pay-
load uses an active electronically
scanned array to increase system
performance compared to earlier
mechanically-steered transmitter
in an operational configuration
and the air force to develop sup-
porting air base and mainte-
nance infrastructure.
HAL says the $5.3 billion pro-
curement will cover 73 single-seat
Tejas Mk1A fighters and 10 two-
seat trainers, along with sensors,
weapons and associated equip-
ment and two years of spares sup-
port from the company.
The Tejas Mk1A will be
equipped with an Elta Systems
Airframer has delivered 14 Mk1 examples from a previous contract
DEFENCE
US Navy
System was evaluated with E/A-18 Growler in an anechoic chamber
technology. The company says it The Jammer Mid-Band pod
will jam targets from greater dis- will initially be paired with the
tances and be able to attack mul- USN’s legacy ALQ-99 Tactical
tiple threats at once. Jamming System, until new low-
By employing an open systems and high-band jammers are de-
architecture and modular design, veloped and deployed.
the equipment also will be easier Cirium fleets data shows that
to upgrade, helping the USN to the USN has a current active in-
keep pace with potential adver- ventory of 161 Growlers. ■
saries such as China and Russia. See Feature P20
EL/M-2052 active electronically 2006 the air force ordered 20 ex-
scanned array radar, MBDA’s
Asraam short-range air-to-air mis-
amples in an initial operational
clearance (IOC) configuration,
sile and indigenous weapons, followed in 2010 by the same
plus a unified electronic warfare number in a final operational
suite. Additional features will in- clearance (FOC) standard. Four-
clude upgraded avionics and teen IOC-configured single-seat
cockpit displays, an onboard Tejas Mk1s have been delivered,
oxygen generation system, and a and are operational with 45 Sqn at
Cobham-produced in-flight refu- Sulur air base in South India.
elling probe. Meanwhile, the FOC-standard
HAL has previously received Tejas conducted its debut flight in
orders for 40 Tejas aircraft. In mid-March. A further three are
due to be delivered within the
next few months, for use by the
air force’s 18 Sqn. HAL says it
plans to complete production of
this configuration during 2021.
HAL has built a total of 38
Tejas aircraft so far. In addition
to 16 IOC- and four FOC-stand-
Phuong D Nguyen/Shutterstock
ard examples already complet-
ed, this includes two technology
demonstrators, six prototypes,
eight limited series production
aircraft and two prototypes of a
naval variant. ■
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 15
DEFENCE
PROCUREMENT GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
USAF to refine jet training approach
Service plans five-year activity with rejected T-X candidate, helping it optimise instructional path for frontline fighters
he US Air Force (USAF) is
T looking to rent between four
and eight jet trainers to help hone
its instructional regime and fur-
ther refine the capabilities need-
ed on the winner of its T-X con-
test, the Boeing T-7A Red Hawk.
Detailing the sole-source re-
quirement, the service’s Air Com-
bat Command (ACC) says it plans
to contract Hillwood Aviation to
provide the Korea Aerospace In-
dustries/Lockheed Martin T-50
trainer. However, the proposed
arrangement is being protested by
Mission System Solutions, which
is offering the Leonardo M-346.
INITIAL DEAL
Developments of both aircraft
were previously put forward for
the USAF’s T-X requirement by
their manufacturers, but lost out
to the T-7A for an initial 351-air-
craft deal to begin replacing its
Northrop T-38C fleet.
The new initiative is called Re-
forge Proof of Concept. That is in
reference to another USAF idea –
Rebuilding the Forge – which
aims to speed up the pace of
fighter pilot training using the
incoming Red Hawk.
“The [concept of operations]
deliberately develops and experi-
ences fighter aviators with rele-
vant tactical skills prior to their
fighter’s Formal Training Unit,”
says the ACC in its sole-source
award documentation.
Formal Training Units are lat-
er-stage groups for preparing
new pilots within operational
fighter squadrons. They are in-
tended to educate aviators on the
advanced fourth- and fifth-
generation combat aircraft they
in association with:
16 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
‘Rebuilding the Forge’ effort could use eight Korea Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin T-50s
will be flying, such as the Boeing
F-15 and Lockheed Martin F-16,
F-22 and F-35.
Because the T-7A features
advanced capabilities, the ACC
wants to determine whether it can
complete more training earlier on
“In terms of sensor
and information
management,
that T-38 doesn’t
come close”
David Nichols
Chief executive, Mission System Solutions
the type to relieve workload on
operational squadrons and their
more expensive types – a process
described by training providers as
“downloading”.
To prove the concept and allow
for last-minute alterations to be
Download the 2020
Wo r l d A i r Fo r c e s R e p o r t
w w w. f l i g h t g l o b a l . c o m / w a f
made to the T-7A’s configuration,
the service plans to conduct a five-
year experiment with other ad-
vanced trainers. It is intending to
rent enough aircraft to deliver ap-
proximately 3,000 sorties and
4,500 flight hours per year.
Now in an engineering, manu-
facturing and development phase
being conducted by Boeing and its
development partner, Saab, the
T-7A programme is not scheduled
to deliver its first operational air-
craft to Joint Base San Antonio-
Randolph, Texas, until 2023.
David Nichols, chief executive
of Mission System Solutions,
notes that the Reforge Proof of
Concept work cannot be carried
out using the USAF’s T-38s, due
to the aged type’s performance
and equipment limitations.
“In terms of sensor and infor-
mation management, that T-38
doesn’t come close,” he says. “In
order to move into an operational
squadron and to be productive,
Lockheed Martin
you’ve got to learn how to use the
system and manage the informa-
tion in a high-g environment. The
T-38 was never designed for that
– it is well past its time.”
SOLE-SOURCE
The ACC has given few details
about why it wants T-50s via a
sole-source arrangement, but says
it wants to obtain a type with
“active-radar capable of detecting
a fighter-sized target no later than
37km [18nm], or the ability to
install one without lapse or
disruption of service within
one year”.
It also wants an “embedded
synthetic training system or the
ability to install” within the
same time and operational
constraints. Its operations will
also call for an aircraft with the
“ability to achieve closure rates
of at least 1,100kt [2,040km/h]
when it is conducting in-unit air-
to-air training.” ■
flightglobal.com
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BUSINESS AVIATION
OPERATIONS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
BEA first to win UK SET-IMC approval
Mid-March award follows three years’ work with regulator to ensure safety and quality standards of Escapetime service
ritish European Aviation
B (BEA) has become the first
company to secure approval
from the UK regulator allowing
commercial flights with single-
engined turboprop aircraft at
night and in instrument meteoro-
logical conditions, or so-called
SET-IMC operations.
The award in mid-March fol-
lows three years of work and
close co-operation with the UK
Civil Aviation Authority “to en-
sure the safety and quality stand-
ards” of the new charter service,
known as Escapetime, are ex-
ceeded prior to the issue of the air
operator certificate, says BEA.
While Escapetime was sched-
uled to launch at the end of
March using the first of a trio of
Piper M600s, its inauguration has
been delayed for the foreseeable
future because of the coronavirus
pandemic that is sweeping
through Europe and has severely
curtailed aircraft movements.
BEA describes SET-IMC opera-
tions as “a revolution in general
DEVELOPMENT KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
SkyCourier completes initial round of ground tests
essna has completed initial
C ground testing of the Sky-
Courier twin-engined turboprop,
as the Pratt & Whitney Canada
PT6A-65SC-powered prototype
edges closer to first flight, sched-
uled for around mid-year.
The airframer says the ground
tests, which took place at its
Wichita, Kansas base, “verified
the functionality” of the fuel
system and engines on the
utility aircraft, “as well as the in-
terface with the avionics and
electrical systems”.
Chris Hearne, senior vice-
president for programmes and
engineering at Cessna’s parent,
Textron Aviation, calls the engine
test runs “a pivotal step toward
proving the maturity of the
18 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
Piper’s flagship M600 can fully operate under instrument flight rules
aviation”, with Escapetime offer-
ing customers “the chance to fly
in comfort, safety, speed, and at
prices never before experienced
in the luxury air-charter world”.
“At last, business users can
enjoy the true benefits of private
air charter at a reasonable cost
aircraft and its systems as we
prepare for first flight”.
Cessna says that as well as the
first prototype, five additional
flight- and ground-test articles
will be involved in the SkyCou-
rier development and certifica-
tion campaign, although a time-
frame for the aircraft’s validation
and entry into service has not
been disclosed.
The high-wing type will be of-
fered in various configurations
including freighter, passenger or
combi – all of them based on a
“common platform”, with a
2,720kg (6,000lb) payload.
Textron Aviation says that it
designed the unpressurised air-
craft for “high utilisation”, as
well as to deliver “a combination
Piper Aircraft
without a reduction in comfort,
quality or safety,” BEA says.
Escapetime’s pressurised Piper
M600s will fly up to five passen-
gers from its base at London Wy-
combe Air Park – located around
30 miles (50km) north of the UK
capital – to Paris, “on their own
of robust performance and lower
operating costs”.
The Garmin G1000 NXi-
equipped SkyCourier has a maxi-
mum cruise speed of 200kt
(370km/h), and a maximum
range of 900nm (1,700km). Both
freighter and passenger variants
will offer single-point pressure
Twin-engined turboprop’s first flight is scheduled around mid-year
time schedule”, in under 1h, for
less than £600 ($700) per person.
“The service cuts out hours of
waiting at major airports, and is
offered to hundreds of destina-
tions around the UK and Eu-
rope,” says BEA. “These include
provincial airfields, aerodromes
and smaller airports, giving better
overall value to the end user.”
Certificated in 2016, Piper’s flag-
ship M600 is capable of full instru-
ment flight rules operations. The
Pratt & Whitney Canada
PT6A-42A-powered aircraft has an
operating ceiling of 28,000ft, a
cruise speed of 275kt (510km/h),
and a range of 1,480nm (2,740km).
“The M600 is a brilliant aero-
plane,” says BEA, which is also
Piper’s dealer for the UK –
including the Channel Islands
and the Isle of Man – the Repub-
lic of Ireland, Portugal and Spain.
“It is fully equipped for what
we need and can accommodate
most charters [within Europe] for
both business and personal use,”
says BEA. ■
refuelling to “enable faster
turnarounds”.
Textron Aviation launched the
programme in November 2017 on
the back of an order from FedEx
for up to 100 aircraft. They will
replace the freight carrier’s turbo-
prop fleet of Cessna 208 Caravans
and ATR 42s. ■
Textron Aviation
flightglobal.com

Airframer has package of orders and commitments from Italian government including for P180 Avanti
RESTRUCTURE KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Pandemic leads to extension
of deadline for Piaggio bids
Administrator will wait until May for further expressions of interest from potential buyers
iaggio Aerospace’s administra-
P tor has extended the deadline
for parties to submit expressions
of interest in the Italian manufac-
turer because of disruption caused
by the coronavirus outbreak.
In a statement issued on 24
March, extraordinary commis-
sioner Vincenzo Nicastro said the
one-month extension, from 3
April to 4 May, was made “in
view of the ongoing Covid-19 ep-
idemiological emergency”.
Italy has been ravaged by the
pandemic, and Piaggio says it
began a two-week closure of its
sites on 22 March – including its
Villanova d’Albenga production
and MRO facility near Genoa – “to
enact further sanitation activities”.
While the Italian government
has allowed defence and aero-
space companies to remain opera-
INTERIORS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
AMAC ready to refurbish BBJ 747-8
MAC Aerospace is preparing
A a Boeing BBJ 747-8 for refur-
bishment after the arrival of the
privately owned VIP widebody at
its Basel facility in mid-March.
The Swiss MRO provider says
the project will involve updating
the “whole interior” and install-
ing the “very latest” in-flight
entertainment system and Ka-
flightglobal.com
Last post?
Special Report P20
tional during the crisis, “we are
keeping the company closed until
29 March, so we have the time to
organise our production activities
to the highest health protection
standards,” says Piaggio.
“We are keeping the
company closed until
29 March, so we have
the time to organise
our production”
Piaggio Aerospace
Piaggio entered extraordinary
receivership – a process in Italy
specifically aimed at industrial in-
solvency and company restructur-
ing – in December 2018, after Abu
band connectivity. The contract,
secured last year, also includes a
72-month maintenance check.
A timeframe for the aircraft’s
refurbishment and subsequent
redelivery to its owner has not
been disclosed.
Meanwhile, AMAC says it has
secured two maintenance con-
tracts for 737-based BBJs. The
BUSINESS AVIATION
Piaggio Aerospace
Dhabi wealth fund Mubadala, its
sole shareholder, pulled out.
Forty companies have already
expressed an interest in acquiring
all or part of the firm following an
April 2019 call from Nicastro for
“non-binding” commitments.
He aims to sell Piaggio “in its
entirety” and to “find a buyer
who can offer a solid, long-lasting
recovery and development plan”.
Piaggio has a lifeline package
of orders and commitments from
the Italian government worth
€900 million ($980 million).
These have been secured by the
commissioner to make the
airframer more attractive to a
potential buyer.
Piaggio’s only aircraft are the
P180 Avanti twin-pusher and its
unmanned surveillance variant,
the P1HH HammerHead. ■
first VIP narrowbody arrived re-
cently and is undergoing a six-
month check, while the second,
due for delivery in April, will un-
dergo an annual inspection.
AMAC is also poised to carry
out a 30-month check on a pri-
vately owned Bombardier Global
6000 after the long-range business
jet’s arrival in late February. ■
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 19
PROGRAMME
DOMINIC PERRY
LONDON
Lilium secures
more cash from
investor group
erman start-up Lilium has
G secured an additional $240
million in funding from four
existing backers as it works to
bring its electric-powered short-
range aircraft to market.
Led by the Chinese technolo-
gy company Tencent, the inves-
tors include Atomico, Freigeist
and LGT.
In total, Bavaria-based Lilium
has now raised over $340 mil-
lion. The latest tranche of funds
will be used to bankroll the
development of the Lilium Jet
and to support serial production
at its Oberpfaffenhofen manufac-
turing site.
Christopher Delbruck, Lilium
chief financial officer, says: “This
additional funding underscores
the deep confidence our inves-
tors have in both our physical
product and our business case.
“The new funds will enable us
to take big strides towards our
shared goal of delivering regional
air mobility as early as 2025.”
As well as developing the
aircraft, Lilium plans to operate
regional air mobility services
itself using the five-seat jet.
Meanwhile, work is under way
to prepare the second prototype
for flight, which the company
describes as being “close”.
An earlier prototype was
destroyed in a fire on 27 Febru-
ary; root cause analysis of the
blaze is continuing, with any
required changes to be imple-
mented on the next flight-test
article prior to its maiden sortie.
However, the company
cautions that it cannot provide a
precise timeline, because of gen-
eral restrictions surrounding the
coronavirus outbreak.
The vertical take-off and
landing Lilium Jet is powered by
36 electrically driven fans distrib-
uted across two sets of wings. It
has a projected range of 160nm
(300km) and a maximum speed
of 160kt (296km/h). ■
NAVAL AVIATION
Special report

For the US Navy, carrier

LAST POST?
aviation has been the
strategic backbone of
global power projection
since the Second World
War. But while jet aircraft
and nuclear power have
created a class of warships
with unprecedented
range, endurance and
firepower, 21st Century
drone and missile
technologies are
transforming tactics and
dramatically altering the
battle space. With China
also investing heavily, is
the supercarrier sailing
through a new era – or
into its sunset?

CONTENTS
22 Sea change Supercarriers
26 Scouting around MQ-8C
28 Tanks for more range Refuelling
30 Pride of the fleet UK carriers

The US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier,

the USS Gerald R Ford (left), is the
ultimate supercarrier. The CNS Shandong
(right) is the first aircraft carrier entirely
constructed in China. Bell 407-based
MQ-8C Fire Scout unmanned system (far
right) extends targeting, surveillance
and communications power of Littoral
US Navy

Combat Ships

20 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020 flightglobal.com

 NAVAL AVIATION
Special report

Shutterstock
US Navy
Xinhua

flightglobal.com 31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 21

NAVAL AVIATION
Special report
Sea change
Faced with an evolving threat from adversaries armed with advanced long-range missiles
and huge cost overruns on its latest supercarrier, the US Navy is looking again at fleet needs
GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
or a look at the biggest, grandest and
F arguably mightiest warship in history,
search no further than the US Navy’s
(USN’s) newest aircraft carrier, the
USS Gerald R Ford. Longer than three football
fields, technologically superlative and able to
embark more than 75 aircraft, this study in
raw power is the ultimate supercarrier.
But alas, with cost overruns pushing the bill
beyond $13 billion – construction began in
2005, delivery and commissioning took until
2017 and trials are still ongoing – the USN is
worried that it is spending too much on a ship
that is at risk of being sunk. Indeed, the whole
concept of the supercarrier – the long arm of
the USA’s military power – is subject to the big-
gest rethink since the end of the Cold War.
What is increasingly obvious is that such
vessels are vulnerable to China’s anti-ship
missiles, particularly the 810nm (1,500km)-
reach of the DF-21D land-based ballistic mis-
sile. That is especially true because the USN’s
combat aircraft, the Lockheed Martin F-35C
Lightning II and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super
22 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
Hornet, do not have enough range to keep
aircraft carriers at a safe distance.
The Gerald R Ford is the lead ship in its
class and displaces 90,700t, making it one of
the largest warships ever constructed. It is
equipped with technologies designed to
launch 25% more sorties than its predeces-
sors, the USN’s nuclear-powered Nimitz-class
aircraft carriers.
STRATEGIC RETHINK
Nonetheless, the service now openly says it
might stop buying Ford-class carriers after a
fourth ship is built. “I don’t know if we’re
going to buy any more of that type,” acting sec-
retary of the navy Thomas Modly told Defense
and Aerospace Report on 3 March. “We’re cer-
tainly thinking about possible other classes.
What are we going to learn on these four that’s
going to inform what we do next? But we have
some time now, we have up until 2026, 2027
before we have to make a really firm decision
on what the next carrier is going to look like.”
On 9 March, Modly commissioned a “Blue-
Ribbon Future Carrier 2030 Task Force” to
conduct a six-month study to re-imagine the
Vessels the size of the USS Gerald R
Ford can accommodate E-2D Hawkeye
airborne early warning aircraft
US Navy
future of the aircraft carrier and carrier-based
naval aviation beyond 2030.
The Gerald R Ford was designed to launch a
volley of sorties early in a war. “The belief was
that in a conflict with a great power, like China,
the carriers would have to get aircraft airborne
very quickly,” says Mark Cancian, senior ad-
viser in the Center for Strategic and Interna-
tional Studies’ International Security Program.
The vessel uses several technologies to
speed up aircraft launching, recovering and
re-arming: an Electromagnetic Aircraft
Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arrest-
ing Gear (AAG), and Advanced Weapons Ele-
vators. But those systems have been trouble-
some, setting back the deployment of the
carrier until 2024, about six years behind
schedule. Fixes for those problems, among
other issues, have pushed up the carrier’s cost
by about 27%.
The USN points to other improvements,
however, including its A1B nuclear reactor
which, combined with a new electrical distribu-
tion system, boosts electrical capacity by 250%.
The electric-powered EMALS and AAG
use electromagnetism rather than steam
flightglobal.com

power. The result is the ability to precisely
launch and recover aircraft down to light-
weight unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) – air-
craft that are not durable enough for the rough
ride that comes with conventional steam-
driven systems.
Extra electricity could also be used to
power futuristic defensive weapons. “The
ship’s configuration and electrical generating
plant are designed to accommodate new sys-
tems, including directed energy weapons,
during its 50-year service life,” says the USN.
Science fiction weapons aside, delays and
cost overruns – combined with new threats
from anti-ship missiles – are fuelling the de-
bate about the future of the aircraft carrier.
That is nothing new, though, says Cancian.
“This debate has been going on for arguably
70 years. Ever since the advent of the Soviets
getting nuclear weapons, there have been ar-
guments that in a great power conflict carriers
would be vulnerable,” he says. “In the ’50s it
was nuclear weapons. And then, into the ’60s
it was anti-ship missiles. The Soviets always
kept some missile ships near our carrier so
that if there were conflict they would launch
immediately and take out the carriers.”
Those threats aside, carriers are clearly use-
ful for a variety of missions against lower-end
threats including crisis response, humanitari-
an assistance and regional conflicts, says Can-
cian. The question is: what happens in a nu-
clear war or all-out conventional battle with a
great power, such as China or Russia? “The
problem with the debate is that it is irresolva-
ble in peacetime,” he says.
DISTRIBUTED OPERATIONS
The USN is not waiting to find out how its fleet
of supercarriers would fare in an actual war. In-
stead, the service has been quietly studying its
options. For instance, the USN commissioned a
study by the RAND Corporation to examine al-
ternatives to the Ford class. A declassified ver-
sion of the report was made public in 2017.
The USN is required by law to have no less
than 11 operational aircraft carriers. Current-
ly, those ships are all supercarriers. However,
using guidance from a USN-led executive
steering committee, the RAND report envi-
sioned a new strategy where naval aircraft are
dispersed over a number of smaller carriers.
“Having to find multiple smaller targets, rath-
er than a single large one complicates enemy
targeting, imposing expense and risk,” it says.
The concept is similar to the US Air Force’s
Agile Combat Employment strategy, which
aims to move the service away from opera-
tions on large, highly efficient air bases to-
wards many expeditionary airstrips, spread
across small islands in the Pacific Ocean.
The ship size the USN has the most experi-
ence with, and appears to be leaning towards,
is that of the US Marine Corps’ (USMC’s) am-
flightglobal.com
NAVAL AVIATION
phibious assault ships – small aircraft carriers
that also carry landing craft. In 2016, the ser-
vice experimented for the first time with a
“Lightning Carrier” concept, where it packed
the USS America with a dozen short take-off
and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35Bs.
The America cost about $3.3 billion to
build – roughly 75% less than the navy’s new-
est offering. It only displaces about 41,000t,
which makes it about half the target of its larg-
er cousin, but also gives it less capacity.
The RAND study hypothesises that if am-
phibious assault ships were built to be slight-
ly larger and were to specialise in carrying
aircraft, they could accommodate 25 F-35Bs.
The mini-carrier, dubbed CV LX by the think
tank, would be able to carry out 50-55 strike
aircraft sorties per day. A fleet of such ships
would rely on dispersion and strength in
numbers for survival.
“They won’t deliver the full range of capa-
bilities, but they allow a great deal of flexibili-
ty,” says Nick Childs, senior fellow for naval
forces and maritime security at the Interna-
tional Institute for Strategic Studies, referring
to amphibious assault ships.
This is a concept of operations that the
USN is getting practice with now.
“Because clearly the current US Navy car-
rier fleet is over-stretched, today you are see-
ing occasionally a large amphib with a contin-
gence of F-35s filling gaps,” says Childs.
“We’ve seen that in and around the Persian
Gulf, in the Strait of Hormuz [and] in the
North Arabian Sea in the last couple of years.”
Amphibious assault ship-sized carriers
Supercarriers
have drawbacks though. For instance, they
cannot carry the navy’s current airborne early
warning asset, the Northrop Grumman E-2D
Hawkeye, or its EA-18G Growler electronic at-
tack aircraft. Because of the lack of a catapult
launcher, only STOVL aircraft, such as the
F-35B, can be used. This has the smallest
combat radius of a Lightning II variant, at only
450nm.
The USMC had tried overcoming that limi-
tation by developing a vertical take-off and
landing UAV called MUX that could carry air-
borne early warning, electronic attack and a
variety of other payloads. In March, it conced-
ed that the project was too complex, and is
going back to the drawing board.
However, there is a precedent for launching
conventional fixed-wing aircraft from smaller
carriers. The French nuclear-powered aircraft
carrier Charles de Gaulle, which has a length of
262m (860ft), about the same as the proposed
CV LX, uses a shorter catapult system to
launch conventional aircraft: namely the
Dassault Rafale M fighter and E-2C.
The French navy vessel also has been
known to host the USN’s Super Hornet; the
cousin of the electronic attack-roled EA-18G.
In a US Congress-mandated study, the
Center for Strategic Budgetary Assessments
proposed in 2017 that amphibious assault
ships could eventually be replaced by “pur-
pose-built” 36,300-54,000t light carriers “with
catapults and arresting gear”.
Whatever the USN chooses, the result will
not be known until the conclusion of its Blue-
Ribbon study six months from now. ■ ❯❯
Navy experimented with
USS America as a ‘Lightning
Carrier’ in 2016
US Navy
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 23
 NAVAL AVIATION
Special report
❯❯
STRATEGY GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
China flexes maritime muscles by commissioning combat-capable second carrier
While Beijing’s anti-access/area-denial strategy
will shape the USA’s aircraft carrier operations in
the decades to come, the People’s Liberation
Army Navy remains committed to building a
viable capability of its own.
The commissioning of CNS Shandong in
December 2019 saw China join the elite group
of countries to have built their own “flat top”.
The vessel is the country’s second aircraft carrier
after the CNS Liaoning, a Soviet-era hulk that it
restored to operational status.
Unlike the Liaoning, which mainly serves as a
training vessel, the Shandong will become an
operational carrier, complete with a flotilla of
destroyer escorts similar to its US Navy (USN)
counterparts. It is understood that the vessel
will be able to carry up to 36 Shenyang J-15
fighters, a Chinese copy of the Sukhoi Su-33.
Chinese social media, however, suggests that a
successor to the J-15 is in the works.
WATCHING BRIEF
Andreas Rupprecht is the author of Modern
Chinese Warplanes, an authoritative guide to
mainland air power, and a keen observer of
Chinese developments.
He estimates that until mid-2017, only 24
J-15s were built over two batches (excluding
prototypes), and that only 20 examples are
24 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
operational. Still, production of a third batch
seems have to started in mid-2019.
“For the future carrier-borne fighter it seems
as if a decision has been made,” he adds. “Most
rumours hint towards a Shenyang FC-31-based
design.” He notes that in December 2019 the
Weibo account of AVIC showed an FC-31 silhou-
ette, coinciding with AVIC/Shenyang confirming
that a new fighter was in development.
“For the future carrier-borne
fighter, it seems as if a
decision has been made”
Andreas Rupprecht
Author, Modern Chinese Warplanes
If the FC-31 is indeed bound for carrier
service it has had an interesting road. The type
first appeared as the J-31 in 2012, and
performed in the flying display at Air Show
China in Zhuhai in November 2014.
In 2015, AVIC held a briefing on the type at
the Dubai air show, but refused to answer ques-
tions about elements such as its engines, devel-
opment timeline, and intended customers.
Subsequently, China aviation observers believe
Beijing lost interest in the J-31/FC-31 to focus
It is thought the CNS
Shandong can carry up
to 36 J-15 fighters
Xinhua
on its main stealth aircraft, the Chengdu J-20.
In the second half of the last decade, specu-
lation pointed to the FC-31 as the jet to replace
the J-15, which has suffered numerous mechan-
ical and safety issues, including four crashes.
RAMPING UP
As a follow-on to the Shandong, satellite im-
ages suggest that another, much larger, carrier
is also being built in Dalian. This ship, tenta-
tively designated Type 0003, will supposedly
be equipped with electromagnetic catapults,
allowing it to launch fighters with greater pay-
loads than possible when using a ski-jump
ramp, as on the Liaoning and Shandong. In
addition to providing a better platform for
fighter operations, it would also enable the ves-
sel to operate with fixed-wing airborne early
warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, compa-
rable to the USN’s Northrop Grumman E-2D.
China is understood to be working on the
Xian KJ-600, a twin-turboprop AEW&C platform
apparently destined for carrier operations. A
CETC promotional video at Air Show China in
November 2018 depicted a KJ-600 guiding
fighters against enemy aircraft.
Beijing is also building the Type 075 landing
helicopter dock, an amphibious assault ship that
will be able to embark up to 30 helicopters. ■
flightglobal.com
 NAVAL AVIATION
Special report
Scouting
around
Issues with much-delayed
Northrop Grumman MQ-8C
Fire Scout programme are
being addressed and
deployment is on track
for late 2021
US Navy
GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
A
fter a scathing report from the Pen-
tagon’s top weapons tester that
called the Northrop Grumman
MQ-8C Fire Scout “not operation-
ally effective, not operationally suitable, and
not cyber survivable”, the US Navy (USN)
says “many” of the unmanned helicopter’s
deficiencies are now on track to be resolved
before its scheduled deployment in late 2021.
The MQ-8C is to be deployed aboard the
service’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), a new
class of do-it-all vessel that is designed to pa-
trol shallow coastal waters, clearing sea
mines, stopping piracy, hunting small diesel
submarines and launching special forces on
land assaults. The unmanned helicopter is to
serve as the ship’s roving intelligence, surveil-
lance, reconnaissance and targeting aircraft.
As a sign of how much the unmanned air
vehicle (UAV) has improved in the past 12
months, Northrop points to the MQ-8C
achieving initial operational capability in
June 2019. And, the company notes that the
Department of Defense’s director of operation-
al test and evaluation (DOT&E) report was is-
sued confidentially in March 2019, before a
public version of the assessment was released
last December.
“The information that was released by [the
26 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
Office of the Secretary of Defense] is really
kind of outdated, information that doesn’t re-
flect where the programme is today,” says
Melissa Packwood, Northrop’s MQ-8C
programme director.
In particular, the DOT&E had taken issue
with the “image quality and system perfor-
mance” of the MQ-8C’s FLIR Systems Brite
Star II electro-optical/infrared system, the
“poor reliability and inconsistency” of the
Tactical Common Data Link and the cyber
survivability of the overall aircraft.
EXTRA INFORMATION
Northrop says it expects the forthcoming ad-
dition of the Leonardo Osprey 30 radar to
shore up problems with the Brite Star II by
providing operators with a second set of infor-
mation. It says the Tactical Common Data
Link issue is really a problem for the LCS, not
the helicopter. The company says it is work-
ing with the navy “to make improvements to
the UAV’s cybersecurity”.
The USN, for its part, says most of the dis-
crepancies noted in the report “were inde-
pendent of the airframe”.
In fact, the USN is looking beyond the cur-
rent set of capabilities of the MQ-8C.
In the short term, the service is working on
adding the Osprey 30 radar. Leonardo claims
the active electronically scanned array sensor
has a maximum range of 200nm (370km), a
reach that would greatly extend the visibility
of the LCS.
The service also intends in 2021 to start
adding Link 16 communications terminals to
its fleet of unmanned helicopters. Link 16 is
an encrypted, jam-resistant radio for
transmitting voice and data between aircraft
and ships.
“Link 16 will enable the MQ-8C to share in-
formation collected by its automatic identifica-
tion system, radar and electro-optical and infra-
red sensors to help detect, classify and track
surface ships,” says Captain Eric Soderberg,
multi-mission tactical UAS programme man-
ager with the US Naval Air Systems Command.
In particular, Link 16 would allow the
MQ-8C and Sikorsky MH-60 Seahawk to
share information directly, instead of having
to relay communications via the LCS.
The USN also revealed in a sole-source
award notice in November 2019 that it is pro-
totyping a post-production retrofit for the
UAV to accommodate stores such as preci-
sion-guided weapons. The service says it has
not yet determined what specific weapons
would be suitable for the helicopter, however.
The MQ-8C is to be stored inside the LCS
alongside the MH-60, a submarine- and
ship-hunting rotorcraft that carries torpe-
does, Lockheed Martin AGM-114 Hellfire
flightglobal.com

Paired with assets including
MH-60 Seahawks, Bell 407-based
MQ-8C should extend the sensing
range of Littoral Combat Ships
air-to-surface missiles and BAE Systems Ad-
vanced Precision Kill Weapon System
(APKWS) guided rockets. The USN has pre-
viously spoken about adding the APKWS to
the MQ-8C.
The UAV is based on the single-engined
civil Bell 407 and has a payload capacity of
more than 318kg (700lb). That means the
rotorcraft could host a number of new sensors
Fire Scout in hangar of LCS USS Montgomery during ground turn and telemetry testing
flightglobal.com
NAVAL AVIATION
New model will have a reconnaissance, situational awareness and precision-targeting role
or communication kits, says Packwood.
“We have the opportunity to explore things
such as passive targeting and beyond-line-of-
sight [communications],” she says.
Beyond-line-of-sight communications could
enable the MQ-8C to be controlled by another
aircraft, such as the MH-60, though Northrop
has no immediate plans to add the so-called
manned-unmanned teaming capability.
“We have already demonstrated the ability
to hand the aircraft command and control
from one ship to another ground station,” says
Packwood.
What’s more, a beyond-line-of-sight
communications system could greatly in-
crease the MQ-8C’s combat radius, which is
limited to 150nm – within sight of its LCS
host. The unmanned helicopter, which has a
cruise speed of 115kt (212km/h), has a large
US Navy
MQ-8C Fire Scout
US Navy
internal fuel tank that allows for 12h of
continuous flight.
“Additionally, the larger payload capacity
of the MQ-8C will allow for future additions
of networking and communications payloads
that the smaller MQ-8B cannot accommo-
date,” says Soderberg. “Passive targeting,
mine countermeasures and weapons are
future capability enhancements currently
being explored as potential opportunities for
use with the MQ-8C.”
PAYLOAD CAPACITY
The “B” variant of the Fire Scout is based on
the Schweizer 333 light helicopter and has a
substantially shorter flight endurance, as well
as smaller payload capacity. It is currently
deployed aboard LCSs, but the USN plans to
replace and retire the UAV as the larger
MQ-8C enters service.
In 2018, Northrop demonstrated the
MQ-8C co-ordinating minesweeping working
with a small robotic surface ship and un-
manned submersible. The Fire Scout served
as a communications relay and situational
awareness platform for the vessels, which
were hunting and relaying information about
sea mines.
The USN says it is also looking to expand
the MQ-8C’s operational concept to include
flying off the deck of Expeditionary Sea Base-
class ships. These are retrofitted double-
hulled Alaska-class crude oil carriers that are
used by US Special Operations forces as float-
ing staging areas. The USN also flies helicop-
ters off the ships to conduct airborne mine
countermeasure missions.
Northrop has delivered 32 examples of the
MQ-8C to the USN. The company plans to
hand over one more in 2020 and the last five
of its contracted 38 aircraft during 2021. ■
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 27
NAVAL AVIATION
Special report
Tanks for
more range
A tight focus on key performance objectives has Boeing on
track to deliver an unmanned refuelling tanker that will help
US Navy aircraft carriers stand back and survive the fight
GARRETT REIM LOS ANGELES
he Boeing MQ-25A Stingray in-flight
T refuelling tanker is on track to
achieve initial operational capability
(IOC) by 2024. That is thanks to a
narrow set of development goals, close inte-
gration with US Naval Air Systems Command
personnel and the early test use of a flyable
prototype, says Boeing.
The manufacturer adds that the core of its
MQ-25A development strategy is waving off
distractions in order to deliver on just two
goals: building an aircraft that can fly from an
aircraft carrier deck and refuel fighters. “If we
focus on what’s in front of us and do it well,
we are sure it opens doors,” says Dave Bujold,
director of the MQ-25A programme. “If we
don’t focus on what is in front of us and don’t
do it well, we are sure it closes doors.”
Developing an unmanned air vehicle
(UAV) to refuel combat aircraft is a high prior-
ity for the US Navy (USN) because the range
of its fighters, such as the Lockheed Martin
Boeing’s prototype MQ-25A, T-1, will gain a strengthened left wing to hold its fuel pod
28 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
F-35C and Boeing F/A-18E/F, is too short.
That forces aircraft carriers to sail dangerously
close to the shores of adversaries, such as
China, which have long-range anti-ship mis-
siles. Currently, to extend the range of those
aircraft, the USN uses the F/A-18E/F as a
stand-in tanker, a role that removes the Super
Hornet from its core job as a combat aircraft.
MULTIROLE OPTIONS
The MQ-25A has also been floated by the
USN and others as having multiple future
roles, including as an intelligence, surveil-
lance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform, but
Boeing says it has no plans to expand the
UAV’s capabilities, noting the service’s tank-
ing priority.
In June 2019, the National Geospatial-Intelli-
gence Agency announced its intention to
award a sole-source contract to Boeing Phan- ready has some limited ISR capabilities now.
tom Works to study the capabilities of the com- “It’s not doing anything crazy or exotic that
pany’s Multi-Mission Pod on the MQ-25A. would capture anybody’s imagination,” he
Bujold reiterates that the USN focus is on aerial says. “But it certainly is going out of line-of-
refuelling, but points out that the aircraft al- sight communications with the carrier. So
therefore it’s an interesting player in the
carrier air wing for potential ISR use.”
Boeing is under contract to produce four
engineering, manufacturing and development
(EMD) MQ-25A tankers for the USN under an
$805 million contract awarded in 2018. The
service wants the MQ-25A to achieve IOC by
sooner than 2024 if the results of flight testing
allow. Boeing plans to start delivering EMD
aircraft in 2021.
The USN will decide how many examples
of the MQ-25A to buy after IOC. The Congres-
sional Budget Office projects the service
could acquire as many as 75 aircraft.
In order to get ahead, Boeing and the USN
have co-located their development teams in
St. Louis, Missouri. “It’s really oriented to-
wards speed of decision,” says Bujold. “It’s
Boeing
not sending things over in an email and wait-
ing 10 days for an answer. We’ve got
flightglobal.com
 NAVAL AVIATION
MQ-25A

empowered [USN] people right here. They’re

Short range of key US Navy fighters
in our reviews. They know what’s going on.”
makes unmanned tanker programme
The team is also performing flight tests on a
a development priority
Boeing-owned MQ-25A prototype, called T-1.
This has amassed nearly 30 flight hours since
its maiden sortie in September 2019.

CAPABLE ASSET
The T-1 is a “high-fidelity” prototype, with a
design that closely represents the aeronautical
performance and software code of the forth-
coming EMD aircraft. That closeness has al-
lowed the manufacturer to get an early start
on testing that is usually reserved for later air-
craft examples.
“By the time you start that classic develop-
mental flight test, we’ll already have retired
some test points having used our T-1 asset,”
says Bujold. “A good example is later this
year when we put the air refuelling store on
T-1. We’ll be exercising all the software it
takes to control that store from the control sta-
tion. And of course, that reduces all of the risk
and increases our knowledge as we go.”

“We’ve got empowered [USN]

people right here. They’re in
our reviews. They know
what’s going on”
Dave Bujold
Director, MQ-25A programme, Boeing

Because aerial refuelling store testing was

originally planned to be done later on the EMD
US Navy

aircraft, Boeing plans to beef up the left wing of

T-1 to hold the fuel pod. Tests will look at de-
ploying and retracting the hose-and-drogue sys-
tem, watching how it behaves in the air stream.
In 2020, the Boeing-USN team also aims to
install the Raytheon Joint Precision Approach
and Landing System (JPALS), which will
guide the MQ-25A automatically to the deck
of an aircraft carrier.
As part of a separate initiative, Raytheon is
demonstrating an expeditionary JPALS vari-
ant that could one day guide the MQ-25A
onto remote island landing strips, a capability
that could allow the UAV to set up forward
aerial refuelling points for fighter aircraft of
the USN, as well as the US Marine Corps and
US Air Force. Bujold declines to comment on
the potential of the MQ-25A in expeditionary
warfare, noting that the focus on carrier opera-
tions is the priority.
Ultimately, Bujold says that pragmatism,
including a hand-in-glove relationship with
the USN, helps the MQ-25A team work more
efficiently. “A significant number of my
design team supports T-1 testing directly,” he
Boeing

explains. “I think that really makes them

Experimental example has amassed 30h in test flights since September 2019 maiden sortie better designers.” ■

flightglobal.com 31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 29

NAVAL AVIATION
Special report
Pride of the fleet
The UK Royal Navy is preparing to make its first operational deployment with a carrier
strike group in more than a decade late next year – complete with long-awaited F-35s
CRAIG HOYLE LIVERPOOL
oored nose-to-tail in Portsmouth
M harbour for the first time earlier
this year, the UK’s two largest
ever warships made an impos-
ing presence, despite the absence of the Lock-
heed Martin F-35Bs that will, in time, deliver
the Royal Navy (RN) vessels’ firepower during
operations around the globe.
The result of a more than £6.2 billion ($7.4
billion) investment, the ships – once combined
with their embarked fighters – will enable the
RN to reinstate a carrier strike capability that
has lapsed since the retirement of the UK’s
BAE Systems Harrier GR9As in 2010.
Lead vessel HMS Queen Elizabeth was for-
mally commissioned in December 2017, and
second of class HMS Prince of Wales is cur-
rently undergoing sea trials. Each with a dis-
placement of around 65,000t, the pair will
routinely accommodate short take-off and
vertical landing (STOVL) F-35Bs, plus Leon-
ardo Helicopters AW101 Merlin HM2 anti-
submarine/multi-mission helicopters, includ-
ing examples configured for airborne early
warning (AEW) duties.
Other models likely to be operated from the
type’s spacious, 280m (918ft)-long flight deck
include Merlin Mk 4 rotorcraft assigned to the
Commando Helicopter Force and supporting
30 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020
tasks conducted by the Royal Marines, plus
Royal Air Force Boeing CH-47 Chinook trans-
port helicopters.
Flight International in early March visited
Liverpool, during a seven-day deployment by
Prince of Wales, when the vessel hosted pub-
lic visits and industry activities supported by
the UK Naval Engineering Science & Technol-
ogy group. Being operated with a partial crew
of around 650 personnel during its ongoing
work-up period, the ship was exhibited with
one Merlin and Wildcat up top, plus another
Merlin and a Chinook within its cavernous
hangar deck.
SHIP’S COMPLEMENT
At full strength with its air wing deployed, the
ship’s complement will rise to around 1,600
strong. Two series of flight trials using em-
barked F-35Bs have already been performed
by Queen Elizabeth, and this integration
activity is scheduled to conclude in early
2021, when Prince of Wales – which has yet
to welcome the STOVL type aboard – will be
deployed off the US East Coast.
Then, more than a decade after the final
flight of a Harrier from the now scrapped
22,000t HMS Ark Royal, the RN will late next
year launch its first operational deployment
with F-35s. This Carrier Strike Group 21 ac-
tivity also will involve escorts and Royal Fleet
HMS Prince of Wales hosted
Crown Copyright
public visits and industry activities
during a recent visit to Liverpool
Auxiliary support ships. Additional anti-sur-
face warfare protection will be provided by
Wildcats deployed aboard Type 23 frigates or
Type 45 destroyers and armed with Thales
Martlet air-to-surface missiles and, from 2022,
MBDA Sea Venom anti-ship missiles.
A key defensive capability will be provided
by AEW-tasked Merlin HM2s now being
adapted via the Lockheed-led Crowsnest pro-
gramme, and replacing retired Westland Sea
King ASaC 7 helicopters.
In its recent Defence Equipment Plan 2019
report, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)
outlined problems with the conversion
activity. Attributing this to “under-
performance by the contractor during the
development phase”, it says: “A recovery
action plan has been enacted and the project
is being re-baselined to deliver an incremen-
tal capability to support the Carrier Strike
Group 21 deployment.”
Once its Queen Elizabeth-class vessels are
declared operationally ready, the MoD says
the RN will have “one carrier always at very
high readiness and the other at high readi-
ness, supported by air, surface and subsurface
platforms, to deliver maritime effect.”
They will “provide a conspicuous pres-
ence, sending a message of reassurance to our
allies, and of defiance to those who wish to
counter UK interests worldwide”, it adds. ■
flightglobal.com

From yuckspeak to tales of yore, send your offcuts to murdo.morrison@flightglobal.com
Apollo legend
Al Worden
The death of Al Worden, com-
mand module pilot for Apollo 15,
at the age of 88, means that fewer
than half the astronauts who flew
to the Moon between 1968 and
1972 still walk the Earth.
Of the 12 men who ventured
onto the lunar surface, and the
12 who reached the Moon
without landing, there are now
but 11 survivors.
Worden, who performed the
first deep space extravehicular ac-
tivity (EVA) during Apollo 15’s re-
turn to Earth in 1971, was select-
ed for the programme by NASA
in 1966 and served as a support
and back-up crew member on
two Apollo missions before being
handed the opportunity to pilot
the command module for the
fourth manned lunar landing.
His fellow crew members,
mission commander David Scott
and lunar module pilot James
Irwin, were the first to use a
lunar rover and explore the
Moon’s Hadley Rille and Apen-
nine Mountains.
After retiring from NASA,
Worden worked in industry, in-
cluding as president of Maris
Worden Aerospace and later for
Goodrich Aerospace. In his final
years he was an enthusiastic
NASA and science, technology
and maths ambassador, regularly
visiting industry conventions
around the world to give careers
advice to young people.
He featured many times in the
pages of Flight Daily News,
including at last year’s Paris air
show, when he appeared with
fellow Apollo veterans Charlie
Duke and Walter Cunningham.
Safe travels.
Be careful what you wish for...
flightglobal.com
STRAIGHT&LEVEL
BillyPix
Lower standards
All who value the safety of
flying will approve the action
of the Air
Ministry in
enforcing the
regulations
relating to low flying over
crowds in the case of the
Grand National and the
University Boat Race. It is
desirable that no untoward
occurrences of a preventible
nature should occur.
Worden (left) with fellow Apollo astronauts Charlie Duke Flying in support
and Walter Cunningham at the 2019 Paris air show In the nine months since
D-Day, the R.A.F. Transport
Support Group
Mad Dash has flown about
We know airlines are downsizing, 35,000 people to
but this (right) – from a flight the Continent
tracking website – is ridiculous. and brought about 30,000
Qantas’s QF1 from Sydney to back to Britain. It has taken
London is an Airbus A380 service. over more than 19,000 tons
of freight and 950 tons of
mail, and brought back over
Math panic 600 tons of freight and 1,050
The Acadamie Francaise guards tons of mail.
the sanctity of the French
language with the zeal of a Set for Singapore
German Shepherd – sorry, Lockheed Aircraft
Alsatian – holding onto a pork Corporation has opened a
chop. Under the academy’s maintenance
stewardship such Anglicisms as base at RAF
“flashback” (retour en arriere is Seletar,
preferred) are considered beyond Brandenburg late Singapore. A
the pale (or rather: depasser les Of all the dismal news coming subsidiary company holds
bornes, apparently). out of the Covid-19 crisis, additional options for
What then would the perhaps the least surprising maintenance facilities at RAF
institution make of Bernard story is that Berlin’s new airport Changi, which will become
Delpit, the chief financial officer may be delayed again. Most available after the British
of Safran – that most French of people have now lost count of withdrawal from Singapore,
companies? During a recent the number of times the due by the end of 1971.
earnings call, Delpit told analysts Brandenburg hub has been due
to “do the math”. Not maths, you to open for passengers since the Around the world
note, but the Americanism original date in 2011. Oxford Cartographers has
“math” – surely “faire le calcul” Beset by skyrocketing costs, developed a new concept
Monsieur Delpit? Zut alors! corruption scandals and the in map imagery,
failure of its fire-suppression which offers
system, the project has been a airlines a three-
major embarrassment for dimensional
Germany. alternative to conventional
Operator FBB is insisting that route maps and inflight
even if the coronavirus fallout route-tracking displays. The
disrupts trials before the UK map-maker has based
gateway’s inauguration, it will its “space” view of the Earth
open as scheduled on 31 on the photographic
Shutterstock
October. Let us hope that there reproduction of a specially
will be airlines and passengers modelled globe.
to fill it.
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 31
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32 | Flight International | 31 March-6 April 2020 flightglobal.com


WORK EXPERIENCE CHARLOTTE GASSERT
Crunching numbers is a fare game
Charlotte Gassert is vice-president of sales, Europe, for pricing analytics company Infare, which employs
large data sets to help airlines, airports and travel agents optimise their revenue management systems
How did you get into the
aviation business?
My career in aviation started 18
years ago when I joined Ameri-
can Airlines at its European
reservation head office in Dublin.
From there, I progressed through
various roles within the German
sales division before moving into
more strategic management posi-
tions in European sales. After
managing the European entities
of the major travel management
companies, I moved to Budapest
to oversee all of the company’s
sales, marketing and reservation
activities in Hungary before
taking over responsibility for all
its commercial activities in
northern Europe and the Baltics.
How has your career
progressed?
After 12 years at American Air-
lines, I saw an opening at Etihad
Airways. That same year, the air-
line began its partnership with
Air Berlin, which gave me the
chance to roll out this combined
proposition to the market. When
the opportunity with Infare pre-
sented itself, I was ready to take
the next step and move to the epi-
centre of airline data technology.
Can you describe your role and
responsibilities?
As vice-president of sales in Eu-
rope, I oversee Infare’s selling ac-
tivities in Europe and Africa,
which is a major focus area for us
at the moment. My job is to sup-
port the sales team in bringing the
best value to our customers,
working with them on innovative
new ideas and continuously de-
veloping our value proposition,
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Browse or customise a gift or memento from our %76#9#;#4%*+8'
flightglobal.com
Pricing intelligence tools are increasingly in demand, says Gassert
as well as further streamlining the
way we work. As it is a newly
created role, I get the opportunity
to help shape and define how we
position and professionalise
ourselves.
How has your previous
experience helped with your
current role?
I understand what airlines need
and how they work. A main
focus of my previous roles has
been reviewing processes, estab-
lishing new ways to do business,
building teams, creating value
for customers and employees. At
Infare, we are currently undergo-
ing some major changes with the
rapid growth we have seen in
recent years; actively forming it,
enlarging it and creating some-
thing new. It’s safe to say my
sales, organisational and project
management skills are being
used to their fullest extent.
of more than 1000 aircraft drawings
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Infare
What do you enjoy most about
your job?
I like bringing people together, de-
veloping ideas, building strategies
and being part of such a dynamic
environment. The airline world is
continuously changing, and our
solutions support that change in
many ways. We help airlines
make smart decisions with long-
term business objectives by pro-
viding an increased level of data
and the expertise needed to turn
these in actionable insights. Our
sales teams are moving from sell-
ing to consulting – we will be able
to support customers with our
experience and know-how even
more profoundly.
How have you seen your
customer base develop?
In nearly 20 years, we have
reached a global span that is un-
matched and Africa is a key
target market for us to build our
31 March-6 April 2020 | Flight International | 35
WORKING WEEK
customer base and traction on
that very diverse and exciting
continent. What we are seeing as
well is that customers request
more and more diverse data and
with the suite of products we
offer, tailor made for different
departments, we can respond to
these requests. Data richness and
availability is key, however, hav-
ing the knowledge to interpret
the information allows airlines to
act. To do this, pricing intelli-
gence tools are essential, and our
sales and account management
teams are supporting our
customers to get the most out of
their subscriptions.
Where do you see yourself 10
years from now?
I see myself still being at the
heart of this unparalleled indus-
try, which is so dynamic and ex-
citing. Looking back at the state
of the industry when I first start-
ed, there was no online check-in
or a la carte pricing – who would
have thought these times exist-
ed? The innovations in the avia-
tion industry are incredible. At
the same time, we still have the
human factor in the travel
experience, bringing together the
best of two worlds. The travel
industry is addictive! Q
Looking for a job in aerospace?
Check out our listings online at
flightglobal.com/jobs
If you would like to feature in
Working Week, or you know
someone who would, email
your pitch to kate.sarsfield@
flightglobal.com
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