Flight International Nov 11-17, 2014

A NEW COURSE
GETTING A HANDLE
ON THE SCANDALS
AND MOVING ON
ITALY SPECIAL P22
HOOKING UP
Milestone for US naval

aviation as two F-35Cs
make the first arrested
landings on carrier 8
OCEAN LINER
American Airlines looks

at longer-range version of
A321neo as transatlantic
replacement for 757 13
FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL
11-17 NOVEMBER 2014
WITH T
HIS
CUTAWISSUE
POSTEAY
BELL 5 R
25
R
ELENTL
ESS
VIRGIN GALACTIC
END OF THE
ADVENTURE
After SpaceShipTwo crash, what way
back for Bransons broken dream?
3.40
4 6
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FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL
VOLUME 186 NUMBER 5464
11-17 NOVEMBER 2014
NEWS
HOOKING UP
Milestone for US naval

aviation as two F-35Cs
make the first arrested
landings on carrier 8
OCEAN LINER
American Airlines looks

at longer-range version of
A321neo as transatlantic
replacement for 757 13
FLIGHT
6
7
INTERNATIONAL
11-17 NOVEMBER 2014
WITH THI
S
CUTAWISSUE
AY
POSTER
BELL 525
8
9
RELENT
LESS
END OF THE
ADVENTURE
After SpaceShipTwo crash, what way
back for Bransons broken dream?
3.40
4 6
770015 371266
Rex Features
VIRGIN GALACTIC
COVER IMAGE
The rst ight of Virgin
Galactics SpaceShipTwo
marked a milestone in
personal spaceight but
with ight four, expectation
has turned to doubt P10
THIS WEEK
OSCE Camcopter targeted by rebels
South Korea terminates F-16 upgrade.
Superjet heads for fresh fatigue trials
F-35C makes first shipboard landings
EASA to tighten rules on relief crews
AIR TRANSPORT
12 Russian Q400 deal shelved.
Aerospace to take brunt of R-R jobs cull.
Restructured Monarch firms Max buy
13 Can long-range A321neo go the distance for
American?
Austrias FACC bags exclusive Neo cowl deal
14 New standard for operating in icing conditions
from FAA.
Comac receives first C919 fuselage.
Airprox after Ryanair pilots confuse callsign
15 Sweden clears remote ATC system for distant
airports.
Belarus eyes Superjet for new carrier.
TaxiBot tug gets approval for 737 operational trial
DEFENCE
16 Alenia Aermacchi abandons Avro replacement
contest.
Bidders swoop for Warsaws Project Raven
17 F-35B could miss July target.
Gaza war costs could scupper Israeli Osprey deal.
USN launches fresh search for Triton radar
18 Surplus Seasprites to boost Peru maritime
surveillance.
Black Hawk bid for Poland could be withdrawn.
Kabul receives last US-funded Mi-17s
BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Our Washington DC-based
Aviation Reporter Dan
Parsons had a birds eye view
when the US Navy made a
historic first deployment of
F-35C Joint Strike Fighters
onto the deck of the aircraft
carrier USS Nimitz off the
California coast (P8)
AirTeamImages
A NEW COURSE
GETTING A HANDLE
ON THE SCANDALS
AND MOVING ON
ITALY SPECIAL P22
Bombardier sets aside Russian Q400 deal P12
COVER STORY
10 Crash findings key to future The NTSB

investigation into SpaceShipTwos failure will
determine the next move for Virgin Galactic
FEATURES
22 ITALY COUNTRY SPECIAL Italian renaissance

Our annual survey of Italian aerospace finds an
industry in recovery from a series of scandals,
programme setbacks and financial shocks, but
determined to put its products, technology and
innovation to the forefront. We visit Finmeccanica
subsidiaries AgustaWestland, Alenia Aermacchi
and Selex, and give a healthcheck to the parent
company itself. We also profile new GE unit Avio as
it focuses on additive manufacturing and
aerostructures specialist Dema, as it achieves its
goal of tier one status through contracts with
Boeing and Bombardier.
38 CUTAWAY/TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION Worth
its wait Bell Helicopter wants to outclass its rivals
with its super-medium 525 Relentless
NEWS FOCUS
19 FCAS programme takes off
REGULARS
Comment
Classied
Jobs
Working Week
Boeing
BUSINESS AVIATION
20 Deliveries spike propelled by jet and piston types.
Marshall Aviation Services eyes move into
widebody refurbishment
5
44
47
51
Saab, US Navy
NEXT WEEK 787 REPORT

For our exclusive in-service
report, airlines tell us what
their experience has been so
far of the Boeing Dreamliner
Sweden approves remote air trafc control technology P15. USNs F-35C makes rst shipboard landing P8
Download the new Commercial Engines Report
Download The Engine Directory.
now updated for 2014 with enhanced data and in-depth market analysis
ightglobal.com/ComEngDirectory
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flightglobal.com
11-17 November 2014 | Flight International | 3
CONTENTS
IMAGE OF
THE WEEK
This GAF Nomad is operated

by Air Safaris from Lake
Tekapo airport in the centre
of the south island of New
Zealand. The company ies
sightseers over the Southern
Alps, including the countrys
highest mountain Aoraki/
Mount Cook also using the
GippsAero GA8 Airvan and
Cessna Caravan and 180
View more great aviation shots
online and in our weekly tablet
edition:
George Empson
ightglobal.com/
ight-international
THE WEEK IN NUMBERS
60-65%
QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Last week, we asked: Following its acquisition by Belgian airline
VLM, is Superjet 100 set for? You said:
Flightglobal dashboard
The Indonesian market share target that could trigger a

2015 IPO for fast-growing low-cost carrier Lion Air
100m
Flightglobal
The cost to the Dutch navy as corrosion delays delivery of

NH90 helicopters, on top of 1.2bn to buy 20 of them
2,600
Rolls-Royce
The number of jobs going by end-2015 at Rolls-Royce,

mostly in aerospace, as part of a cost and efficiency drive
73%
Continued
indifference
from
Western
carriers
4%
Flurry of
orders
TOTAL
VOTES:
1,398
23%
Modest
uplift in
demand
This week, we ask:

Will Virgin Galactic recover to take paying passengers into space?
Yes, within next two years Yes, but it will take much longer
No, programme will be scrapped
Vote at ightglobal.com/poll
Flightglobals premium news and data service delivers breaking air transport stories with
profiles, schedules, and fleet, financial and traffic information ightglobal.com/dashboard
4 | Flight International | 11-17 November 2014
flightglobal.com
COMMENT
Dreams, risk and cash
Virgin Galactics fatal crash reminds us that spaceflight is difficult and dangerous and shows
that it will take more than clever engineering for private ventures to slip Earths surly bonds
ragedy has struck space tourism a most cruel blow.

First, the 31 October crash of SpaceShipTwo took
the life of test pilot Mike Alsbury. Then, images of the
in-ight break-up cast a calamitous cloud over the
industrys biggest and most important player the
Virgin Galactic/Scaled Composites team.
Since 2004, the teaming of Richard Bransons nancial prowess and branding swagger with Burt Rutans
legendary aerospace design and engineering house has
dominated the embryonic space tourism industry.
Although it was harder and more expensive than either
originally conceived, SpaceShipTwo still seemed the
favourite in the race to private suborbital spaceight.
The full impact of the accident on the future of space
tourism is impossible to predict. The US National
Transportation Safety Board investigation will last several months, and probe deeply into the competency
and culture of the SpaceShipTwo design and test team.
The NTSB will probe deeply into

the competency and culture
of the design and test team
Meanwhile, the future of the Virgin Galactic venture
is also difcult to foresee. Branson faces a structural
problem and a still-unproven rocket motor, and now he
has lost his only ight test vehicle. Rival space tourism
outts may have less access to nancial and technical
resources, but they do not lack for worthy ideas. XCOR
Aerospace, for example, seems poised to launch ight
tests of the Lynx spaceplane next year. More recent entrants, such as Tucson-based World View Experience,
are aiming lower, promising balloon rides to 100,000ft.
Rex Features
Keep dreaming
Space tourism is a ckle market by nature. Unlike

air transport, it does not yet service commerce. There
is a good reason why only seven private citizens have
become astronauts since 2001. That is because they
have large sums of money, paying more than a
combined $200 million for eight voyages to the International Space Station.
Yet, here lies the industrys best hope. The human
yearning to escape the grip of Earths gravity runs deep,
even if only for a suborbital hop over a somewhat arbitrary line dividing atmosphere from space.
Rutan, the designer of SpaceShipTwo and many
other remarkable aircraft, had a mantra for his employees: a job was only worth doing as long as it was fun.
That spirit guided Scaled Composites to circumnavigate the Earth with Voyager in the 1980s and reach the
fringe of space with SpaceShipOne in 2004.
The loss of SpaceShipTwo poses the ultimate risk to
space tourism. It might be a long time before the idea is
fun again.
See News Focus P10
Stop digging but then what?

A
Watch Virgin Galactic test pilot

Dave MacKay describe what it is
like to fly SpaceShipTwo, at the
2012 Farnborough air show at
ightglobal.com/virgingalactic
flightglobal.com
s the saying goes, when youre in a hole, stop

digging. Thats wise enough, but it doesnt get you
out of the hole, which is the challenge now facing
Italian aerospace champion Finmeccanica.
Third-quarter nancials make mixed reading.
Orders are healthy, but sales and prot are going the
wrong way, so lling in the hole of debt looks as distant
as it did two, three, four, ve quarters ago.
Finmeccanica has two big problems. Its 2008 grand
strategic ploy to catapult itself into the lucrative US defence market with a $5.2 billion acquisition of electronics specialist DRS has been little short of a disaster. The
nancial crisis struck just weeks after the deal was
done, and US spending has since been slashed.
A sensible plan to shed loss-making energy and rail

businesses is sound and being well-executed. But the
new core of helicopters, aeronautics, space and electronics isnt making anything like enough money.
Divestments have shovelled a few bundles of cash into
the debt hole, but it needs to be a lot more protable.
Now is a good time for Finmeccanica and its peers to
do what they should have done when analysts and experts were urging European aerospace rms to get into
the US defence market at all costs: gure out some way
of overcoming daunting barriers and make high-tech,
high-cost defence businesses protable in Europes
fragmented defence marketplace.
See This Week P6, Italy Special Report P27
THIS WEEK
PROFITS SLUMP AT FINMECCANICA
RESULTS Finmeccanicas aerospace business has turned in a weak

performance for the first nine months of 2014, with sales flat at
8.4 billion ($10.5 billion) but with EBITA having slumped by a fifth to
539 million, as the bottom line slipped in every sector. The only
exception was AgustaWestland, where profit was down but would
have increased had the impact of a 2013 net benefit from the
VH-71 programmes closure been disregarded. Sales gained 1.3% to
3.04 billion and new orders were up by 37% to 3.08 billion.
See Feature P22
POLISH JASSM BUY STAYS ON TARGET
MUNITIONS The Polish government has concluded negotiations for

a $250 million purchase of 40 Lockheed Martin AGM-158 Joint
Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles. Warsaw hopes to finalise the deal
by mid-December, with the munition to enter operational service with
its air forces Lockheed F-16 fighters in 2017. The NATO nation is
also contemplating an additional buy of extended-range JASSM-ERs.
CALC COMMITS TO 100 A320 FAMILY AIRLINERS
LEASING Chinese lessor CALC has tentatively signed for 100 Airbus
A320-family jets, including 74 of the re-engined A320neo. The other
26 aircraft comprise 10 baseline A321s and 16 A320s. Airbus has
confirmed the memorandum of understanding, but no engine
selection has been given. CALC chief Mike Poon says the A320
family is a perfect fit for the lessors air transport supply strategy.
INDONESIA ORDERS MARITIME PANTHERS
PROCUREMENT Indonesias navy is to acquire 11 Airbus

Helicopters AS565 Panthers equipped for anti-submarine warfare
duties. The rotorcraft will be delivered within the next three years to
PT Dirgantara Indonesia, which will perform the installation of
mission system equipment, a dipping active sonar array and
torpedoes. Meanwhile, Jakarta has taken delivery of the first of 12
Fennec light attack helicopters for its army and the initial example of
six combat search and rescue-roled EC725s for its air force.
SURVEILLANCE BETH STEVENSON LONDON
OSCE Camcopter
targeted by rebels
Rotary-wing UAV on Special Monitoring Mission in eastern
Ukraine is fired upon by vehicle-mounted anti-aircraft gun
Schiebel Camcopter unmanned air vehicle deployed

in support of a Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine
has been targeted by anti-aircraft
gunre, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has revealed.
The rotary-wing UAV was
ying at about 5,000ft on 2
November when it observed an
armoured personnel carrier and
two trucks at a checkpoint 1.3nm
(2.5km) north-east of Shyrokyne.
A man standing next to a civilian
truck aimed a man-portable
air-defence system at the
Camcopter, before stowing it and
instead ring a vehicle-mounted
anti-aircraft gun believed to
have been a Russian-made ZU-23
system at it.
No rounds hit the UAV and it
landed about 45min after leaving
the area, which falls under the

control of the self-proclaimed
Donetsk Peoples Republic.
The
SMM
subsequently
revealed via Twitter that the
Camcopter had also been
subjected to a GPS jamming attempt on 29 October, 3km west of
Sartana. The UAV left the area
safely, it adds.
Schiebel is currently providing
12h of surveillance coverage per
day using the Camcopter, but will
double this once a second system
is deployed.
Meanwhile, Swiss foreign
minister and OSCE chairpersonin-ofce Didier Burkhalter says
France, Germany, Italy, Russia
and Ukraine have all offered to
put at the OSCEs disposal
UAVs and related personnel to
enhance its monitoring capacities in Ukraine.
Airbus
BRIEFING
For up-to-the-minute air transport news,

network and fleet information sign up at:
ightglobal.com/dashboard
AER LINGUS TEMPTED BY A330NEO
ORDERS Aer Lingus is to continue studying the Airbus A330neo

before finalising delivery plans for the nine A350s that it has long
been committed to taking from the European airframer. The Irish
airline initially ordered six A350-900s, as well as six A330-300s, in
2007. It later deferred and ultimately switched three of the A330s to
A350s, leaving it with nine A350s initially due for delivery between
2015 and 2018.
ETIHAD TO ABSORB ALITALIA PILOTS
RECRUITMENT Etihad Airways is to recruit 40 pilots from Alitalia as

part of a wider drive to hire between 500 to 600 captains and first
officers over the next three years. The pilots will initially transfer to
Etihad on a three-year contract and 38 are expected to begin working
at the Gulf carrier before the end of this year. The remaining two will
join the airline during the first two months of 2015.
AMAC COMPLETES FIRST IN-HOUSE INTERIOR DESIGN
REFURBISHMENT Swiss business aircraft completions specialist

AMAC Aerospace has completed the first interior refurbishment
project wholly designed by its in-house team. It refurbished the cabin
of a Bombardier Global Express at its Basel facility.
PROGRAMME
Heavyweight A330 enters assembly

Airbus has started final assembly of the first A330 featuring a higher
maximum take-off weight capability of 242t. The aircraft will be used
for certification flights, while a second example for Delta Air Lines
is being assembled in parallel. The US carrier has ordered 10 of
the enhanced A330-300s, for delivery from the second quarter of
2015, with General Electric CF6 engines. The additional weight capability will extend the A330s range by up to 500nm (925km), while
improvements to the aircrafts aerodynamics and engines will reduce fuel burn by up to 2%, the airframer claims. Airbus will also use
the higher-weight airframe as the base for its re-engined A330neo.
flightglobal.com
THIS WEEK
F-35C makes first

shipboard landings
THIS WEEK P8
BUDGET GREG WALDRON SINGAPORE
South Korea terminates F-16 upgrade

Seoul cancels contract with BAE Systems to equip 134 fighters with new avionics and radar systems after cost concerns
The project had been estimated as

worth an eventual $1.6 billion
US Air Force
AE Systems ambition of
establishing itself in the
lucrative upgrade market for the
Lockheed Martin F-16 has taken
a serious blow after South Korea
cancelled a programme to modify
134 of its ghters.
On 5 November, at the request
of the government of the Republic
of Korea, the US government notied BAE Systems Technology
Solutions & Service that it would
terminate a contract for initial
development and long-lead production in support of the Republic
of Korea KF-16 ghter aircraft upgrade, the US Defense Security
Cooperation Agency says. It will
now work with the contractor to
terminate the contract.
The development follows haggling between BAE and the US
and South Korean governments
over costs. Seouls ofcial news

agency Yonhap quoted a spokesman at the nations Defense Acquisition Program Administration
as saying that Washington wanted
an additional W500 billion ($473
million) and prime contractor
BAE W300 billion for the project,
which was previously pegged as
worth a total of W1.75 trillion.
BAE was awarded almost $140

million in May to commence
work under the project, which
was to have equipped the aircraft
with new avionics and an active
electronically scanned array
radar produced by Raytheon,
under a selection made in 2012.
One single-seat F-16C and a
twin-seat D-model trainer had al-
ready received the enhancements

at BAEs Fort Worth site in Texas.
We are disappointed to learn
that the Republic of Korea has requested to terminate the US Air
Forces contract with BAE Systems, the company says.
We remain condent that we
could have performed the
remaining work on the programme in an efcient and costeffective manner. Unfortunately,
the programme was impacted by
Koreas strict budget limitations
and the US Air Forces conservative approach to the overall
programme cost.
Lockheed is under contract to
modify 144 F-16s for Taiwan,
with other international upgrade
opportunities existing with operators including Chile, Greece,
Singapore and Turkey.
DEVELOPMENT DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
REPAIRS
Superjet heads for fresh fatigue trials
CSeries FTV-1
rejoins flight
test campaign
ussias Sukhoi has transferred a long-range Superjet

100LR airframe to Moscow to undergo fatigue testing.
To be conducted at the Central
Aerohydrodynamics Institute,
the tests aim to conrm the companys intended 70,000h service
life for the aircraft.
Sukhoi says the 100LR is designed for a workload of 54,000
cycles. It features a higher takeoff weight of 49.45t and PowerJet
SaM146-1S18 engines, delivering
greater thrust than those on the
standard variant. The airframe,

serial number 95075, has been
transported in sections to the
Moscow Zhukovsky test centre
on an Antonov An-124 freighter.
Its fuselage will be reassembled and mated with the empennage and wings on a loading jig,
with sensors analysing structural
performance during simulated
ight and turbulence.
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft chief designer Vladimir Lavrov says: The
test results will conrm both the
stated aircraft service life and the
programme of maintenance
checks for this aircraft type.
Russian operator Gazpromavia put the rst 100LR into service earlier this year, following
certication of the type by the
countrys Interstate Aviation
Committee in 2013.
Belgian carrier VLM Airlines
has also selected the 100LR for its
eet, but the aircraft has yet to secure clearance from the European
Aviation Safety Agency. Sukhoi
says it is undergoing work to
achieve EASA certication.
Sukhoi used an An-124 freighter to transport the airframe to the Zhukovsky centre for analysis
flightglobal.com
Sukhoi
n 6 November, Bombardiers
rst CSeries prototype ew
for the rst time in more than
ve months.
Aircraft FTV-1 had been
grounded since 29 May, when an
engine oil lubrication system
malfunction caused an uncontained failure of one of its Pratt &
Whitney PW1500G geared turbofan engines during ground testing. The incident damaged
FTV-1s fuselage and led to a 100day hiatus for the ight test eet.
The repaired test assets return
to the air follows that of FTV-2
and FTV-4, both of which resumed ights in September and
have since amassed more than a
combined 130h.
Bombardier is installing production-representative systems
on CS100 test aircraft FTV-3 to
support certication activities,
and plans to y FTV-5 with a full
interior by the end of this year.
THIS WEEK
Follow more defence topics and keep up

with the latest news from the sector at
ightglobal.com/defence
US Navy
The commander of the naval air forces praised the

aircrafts steady approach and pinpoint touchdown
MILESTONE DAN PARSONS USS NIMITZ
F-35C makes rst shipboard landings

US Navys carrier-variant Joint Strike Fighter takes critical step, with test pair beginning two weeks of embarked trials
No one aboard the Nimitz was

thinking of such setbacks. The
most common phrase used by
ofcers and enlisted sailors was
making history.
Vice Adm Dave Buss, commander of naval air forces, said it
was a great and historic day that
would be used as a springboard
into the future of naval aviation.
The F-35Cs had made 1h ights
to the Nimitz from Yuma, Arizona,
where they had undergone
preliminary maintenance for their
two-week deployment. Plans
called for both to land and for at
least one to be launched using the
ships steam-powered catapult
system, but the latter was deferred
until the following day because of
telemetry issues.
The rst embarked arrested
landings were notable because
the F-35Cs tailhook had required
a redesign after the original was
found to be inadequate to stop
the aircraft within the short dis-
tance available on the carrier

deck. The redesigned hook
worked as planned.
The F-35C is designated to
replace the USNs current Boeing
F/A-18C/Ds, but not the newer
E/F-model Super Hornet and
E/A-18G Growler electronic
attack aircraft.
US Navy
ust after noon on 3 November,

a Lockheed Martin F-35C
Lightning II shot into view over
the stern of the US Navy aircraft
carrier USS Nimitz for a low pass;
the rst of three before its pilot
made a picture-perfect landing
using the third arresting wire.
Flight-test aircraft CF-3 hooked
the wire at 12:58, while the vessel
was about 40nm (74km) southwest of San Diego, California.
One hour later, aircraft CF-5 also
performed a rst y-by, then a
touch-and-go, and nally an
arrested landing.
Thirteen years after the US
Department of Defense and
Lockheed signed the Joint Strike
Fighter programmes system
development and demonstration
phase contract, landing a rst
pair of F-35Cs on an aircraft carrier marked a major milestone for
a project that has been beset by
developmental delays and cost
overruns.
A planned touch-and-go preceded use of the tailhook and wire

STABILITY
Buss says he was impressed by the
stability of the F-35 as it neared the
Nimitz, with both CF-3 and CF-5
having made ideal arrested landings on the third deck wire.
The most remarkable thing
was how steady and stable it was
on approach. I didnt see a lot of
control-surface movement, he
says. Both aircraft landed exactly
where we wanted them to.
The F-35C is augmented with a
new delta control law to
improve stability on a xed
glideslope to the deck a rst for
a manned aircraft landing on a
carrier. The USN variant has a
larger wing than the conventional
take-off and landing F-35A and
short take-off and vertical landing
(STOVL) F-35B, to create the lift
required to take off from a carrier
and reduce approach speeds
when recovering to the vessel.
Both F-35Cs are scheduled to
remain on the Nimitz for two
weeks, during which time the envelope for ight operations will
continue to be opened. Changes
will be made in the attitude used
for landings, as well as to direc-
tions and speeds, Buss says. The

embarked test pilots are to perform landings with a crosswind
over the deck, and also while the
ship is at different pitch angles.
Night landings are also due to
occur from 13 to 15 November.
Phase two of the developmental
testing activity is scheduled to
begin in 10 months aboard an
undesignated carrier. A third and
nal phase is scheduled for 2016,
when the USN will decide
whether it wants to operate a
stealth ghter from its 11 carriers.
The US Marine Corps F-35B
will also be capable of operating
from the navys ships, although
these would be damaged by the
heat of the engine downwash if
operating in STOVL mode. USMC
amphibious assault ship decks will
be resurfaced to withstand this.
Flightglobals MiliCAS database records the USN as operating
ve F-35Cs for testing and training
with 17 more on rm order. The
service has a programme of record
requirement to eventually acquire
260 of the type.
The USN is so far the only
buyer for the carrier variant F-35,
but believes that the rst successful landings could send a message to other nations about the
worthiness of the C-model.
For them to see us land this
aircraft aboard a ship at sea in a
very controlled manner, this is a
good message for our partners,
says Buss.
See Defence P17
flightglobal.com
THIS WEEK
Crash findings
key to future
NEWS FOCUS P10

COCKPIT REGULATIONS DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
EASA to tighten rules on relief crews

Loss of AF447 prompts safety authority to establish procedures for transfer of authority from captain to stand-in pilot
uropes aviation safety authority is proposing a revision to requirements for cruise

relief pilots, partly in response
to the fatal loss of Air France
ight AF447.
The Airbus A330 stalled and
crashed into the South Atlantic
in June 2009, shortly after its captain had handed the aircraft to a
relief crew. French investigators
subsequently recommended that
EASA dene additional criteria
for the role of relief captain, to
improve task-sharing.
The agency has detailed a notice of proposed amendment that,
it says, addresses safety issues
and regulatory gaps relating to
relief pilots.
Around 3.7% of all ights by
European commercial carriers
involve durations longer than
8h, and typically require augmented crews.

The EASA rulemaking proposal aims to ensure that relief
crews are adequately trained to
operate an aircraft during cruise,
and establish suitable procedures for transferring authority
from the regular captain to the
relief pilot.
EASA sought information
from long-haul operators and
pilot union representatives as
part of the process to examine
risks and draw up the changes.
The proposal includes a requirement for procedures to address among other issues the
chain of command in the cockpit
in the absence of the captain.
It also denes a need for detailed briengs to ensure continuity of ight.
Operators should include adequate training to enhance the decision-making skills of the relief
captain, including consideration
of such exercises to handle emergency descent initiation, upset

recovery and unreliable airspeed
indications, EASA says.
FLIGHT AUTHORISATIONS
Errant operators face European freeze

Third-country operators are being
urged to respond to a revised operational authorisation scheme being
introduced by EASA, or risk facing a
possible interruption to European
operations at the end of a two-year
transition period.
External carriers must apply for
the new Part-TCO authorisation before 26 November in order to continue serving 32 EASA member
states, as well as a number of associated territories. The majority of
large scheduled operators have
applied, says EASA, which had received 500 applications by the end
of October.
However, a high number of
small non-scheduled and business
aviation operators have not yet
done so, the agency adds, noting
that it is still missing out on several hundreds.
The agency is centralising its approval process for third-party carriers, rather than forcing airlines to
apply separately to operate to each
member state.
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COVER STORY
For more in-depth coverage from the

cutting edge of human space exploration:
ightglobal.com/spaceight
INVESTIGATION STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Crash ndings key to future

Results to determine next move for Virgin Galactic even as NTSBs preliminary assessment points to structural issues
tructural failure not a faulty

rocket motor has quickly
emerged as a key focus of the investigation into the 31 October
crash of the Scaled Composites
SpaceShipTwo that killed a test
pilot and launched a new crisis for
Virgin Galactic and the nascent
suborbital space tourism industry.
SpaceShipTwos fourth powered ight only lasted 11s, but as
a heavily-instrumented test aircraft it deluged investigators with
more than 1,000 test parameters
updated multiple times every
second. There was also streaming
video from the ground, nearby
aircraft and inside the cockpit.
With so much information available, one telemetry point stood out
almost immediately, says Christopher Hart, acting chairman of the
US National Transportation Safety
Virgin Galactic
Critics had questioned the switch to plastic fuel for the motor
Board. The lever controlling
SpaceShipTwos distinctive tail
feathers moved to the unlock position as it passed through Mach 1.0.
Cockpit video conrmed that copilot Mike Alsbury prematurely
switched the tail feathers to the unlock position.
Neither Alsbury nor test pilot

Pete Siebold, however, activated
a second lever, which would
have commanded the tail feathers to rotate 90 into the descent
position, Hart says. But telemetry
and video shows the unlocked
tail feathers somehow deployed
anyway. At around 55,000ft and

within about 3s, SpaceShipTwo
was ripped apart.
Siebold managed to escape
from the fragmented vehicle and
though severely injured deploy his parachute. Alsbury,
however, was found on the
ground by local police, still
strapped into his seat. The wreckage of SpaceShipTwo was scattered over an 8km arc of the
Mojave desert in California.
OBSERVATIONS
Hart cautions that the investigation is not over, as the NTSB investigation has reviewed only a
small fraction of the huge volume
of data collected. But it was clear
from the wreckage that the Sierra
Nevada-designed hybrid rocket
motor did not explode before the
PROGRAMME
Former SpaceShipOne test pilot voiced concerns on design days before accident
Count the Ansari X-Prize-winning
test pilot of SpaceShipOne, Brian
Binnie, among the critics of
SpaceShipTwo.
Six days before SpaceShipTwo
broke-up in-flight and crashed,
killing Scaled Composites test
pilot Mike Alsbury, Binnie addressed a public meeting of the
Explorers Club in New York City. In
remarks recorded by US cable channel C-SPAN and
posted online on 3
November, Binnie explained why he

decided to leave the Virgin Galactic/
Scaled Composites SpaceShipTwo
programme earlier this year and
join a competitor, XCOR Aerospace.
In nature, Binnie says, the size of
the heart organ scales along a precise curve from a rabbit to a lion to
an elephant. But the design of the
SpaceShipTwo rocket motor was not
on the curve.
That has been the hold-up for

SpaceShipTwo, Binnie adds.
XCOR announced that Binnie had
joined the company last April. One
month later, Virgin Galactic announced that it was changing the
fuel formulation of SpaceShipTwos
rocket motor from a rubberbased solid fuel to a
plastic-based
fuel.
A team of US National
Transportation Safety Board investigators has reported that all three
tanks aboard SpaceShipTwo were
found intact in the wreckage, suggesting the
fuel was not
the reason
that the vehicle
crashed. The
NTSB discovered
that the tail feathers of
SpaceShipTwo deployed
too soon, even though the
pilots had not completed a twostep command sequence. The
aircraft broke apart 2s after the uncommanded tail feather deployment at a speed over Mach 1.0.
Although not implicated in the
flightglobal.com
NEWS FOCUS
Russian Q400
deal shelved
AIR TRANSPORT P12
Rex Features
The NTSB has determined

that SpaceShipTwos tail
feathers were unlocked
pears to have functioned as designed. Whether the plastic fuel

was energetic enough to propel
SpaceShipTwo above the Von
Karman Line at an altitude of
100km the widely accepted
border of space is another question left unanswered.
How the tail feathers deployed prematurely will be a
more relevant question for the
crash investigation. SpaceShipT-
crash, there are still questions

whether SpaceShipTwos rocket motor was viable. The fourth powered
test flight was intended to answer
some of those questions.
On 4 October 2004, Binnie piloted
SpaceShipOne on the second of two
suborbital space flights within 10
days, allowing the vehicle financed
by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen
and designed by Burt Rutan to claim
the $10 million X-Prize.
A decade later, Binnie is critical of
the design philosophy that led to the
hybrid motor selection and feathered
control configuration of
SpaceShipTwo, preferring instead
the horizontal take-off and liquidfuel-powered XCOR Lynx design
(pictured left) pursued by his new
employer.
That runway-to-runway approach is also being taken by
Airbus Defence & Space, which
earlier this year drop-tested a
quarter-scale model of its space-
plane, with active flight control

surfaces, from 3,000ft. An early-2015 test from a stratospheric
balloon at 30km (19 miles) will
test supersonic flight.
The Airbus spaceplane will take
off with normal turbofan engines
and switch to rockets at 10km
above the Earth. On the way back
down, the craft will glide from its
100km peak to 20km, when the
turbofans will be restarted for a
normal, powered landing.
If you think about the world of
aeronautics [and] airplanes, when
you go to build a new airplane you
first define the powerplant thats
going to make this thing work and
then you build the airplane around
it, Binnie says.
You dont first build an airplane
and then go, Wheres my engine?
Thats kind of the difference, if you
will, between what was going on
between SpaceShipOne and
SpaceShipTwo and XCOR.
flightglobal.com
wos tail feathers are meant to

bend upward at the apogee of a
suborbital parabolic ight path,
to automatically congure the
aircraft in a safe descent attitude.
As the aircraft re-enters the atmosphere and control surfaces
regain aerodynamic authority,
the tail feathers are lowered to
guide the aircraft on a 15min
glide back to the airport.
XCOR
vehicle broke apart. The three

fuel and gas tanks carried by
SpaceShipTwo carrying nitrous
oxide, methane and a plastic
solid fuel were found intact on
the ground, Hart says.
Early speculation had focused
on whether a decision by Virgin
Galactic to switch from a rubber
to a plastic fuel for the hybrid
motor had caused the accident,
but the propulsion system ap-
SAFETY MEASURE
Burt Rutan, the designer of
SpaceShipOne, included the tail
feathers in the design as a safety
measure. In his early career, Rutan
was a ight test engineer at Edwards AFB, California, and he remembered the day when X-15 test
pilot Michael Adams died after
losing control of the aircraft upon
re-entry. The tail feather design on
SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo was intended to make the reentry carefree for the pilot.
The NTSB investigation of the
crash will be broad. Hart says the
investigation team will consider
a wide array of factors, including
the safety culture at Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic.
It promises to be the toughest
inquiry yet faced by a space tourism industry that has so far sent
only a handful of tourists into
space using Russias Soyuz launch
system. Virgin Galactic at one
point planned to begin regular
space launches by 2007, but has
struggled to overcome a string of
setbacks, including a nitrous
oxide explosion seven years ago
that killed three Scaled Compos-
ites workers. Despite the delays,

Virgin Galactics backlog of deposit holders for the $250,000 ticket
to space has swelled to over 700.
For Virgin Galactic founder
Richard Branson, results of the investigation will determine the
next move for his 10-year-old
space tourism venture. Once we
nd out what went wrong, if we
can overcome it, well make absolutely certain the dream lives on,
Branson told reporters on 2 November before meeting privately
with 400 employees in Mojave.
Branson pledged to invest
$100 million to launch Virgin Galactic in 2004, just as SpaceShipOne claimed the Ansari XPrize by completing two ights to
space within 10 days. In 2009,
Branson secured a $280 million
investment by Aabar, an Abu
Dhabi-based investment rm.
Aabar committed to invest another $110 million two years
later, raising the overall nancing
commitment to $490 million.
Meanwhile, Aabar also committed to invest $100 million for Virgin Galactic to develop a small
satellite launch capability based
in Abu Dhabi. The taxpayers of
New Mexico also committed
$200 million to build Spaceport
America near Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
Aabar Investments is aware of
the test ight accident, the investment rm says in a statement
on its website. Our thoughts and
prayers are with the pilots families, and everybody at Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites.
AIR TRANSPORT

REDUNDANCIES
DAVID KAMINSKI-MORROW LONDON
AVIONICS
Upgrade adds
ADS-B capability
to Dornier 328s
ornier 328 and 328Jet aircraft

are to receive a cockpit
avionics upgrade which will
enable the types to comply with
automatic dependent surveillance
broadcast (ADS-B) requirements.
The modernisation will also
include
new
liquid-crystal
Honeywell Primus Elite displays,
as well as the option of a second
ight management system on the
328 turboprop.
Type certicate holder 328
Support Services says it expects
to secure European and US certication for the programme by
late 2016. The company says the
upgrade will give the aircraft controller-pilot datalink communication capabilities and a Class 3
electronic ightbag.
Flag carrier Aeroflot is to consider

an order for three of the turboprop
MANUFACTURING STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
Russian Q400 deal shelved

Domestic assembly plan set aside as Bombardier seeks other ways to penetrate market
ombardier chief executive

Pierre Beaudoin says a potential deal with Ilyushin
Finance to transfer and build
hundreds of Dash 8 Q400s in
Russia has been set aside, as
the manufacturer considers other
routes to penetrating the Russian
turboprop market.
We are setting this project
aside for the time being and well
see what happens over the next
number of months, Beaudoin
said during a third-quarter earnings call with analysts and journalists on 30 October.
In August 2013, Ilyushin committed to buy up to 100 Q400s if
Bombardier would establish an
assembly line managed by Russian industry in Ulyanovsk.
Talks stalled as unrest in
Ukraine earlier this year led to
Russia annexing the Crimean

peninsula in March. Ilyushin ofcials said earlier this year that a
dispute over pricing and technology transfer not political tensions caused the delay in negotiations with Bombardier.
Beaudoin does not offer a clear
reason for setting aside the proposal. Right now, the conditions
are not right for us to move ahead
with this project, he says.
Bombardier plans to continue
trying to sell the Q400 in the Russian market, even as Russian government ofcials openly discuss
transferring the Ilyushin Il-114
from a plant in Uzbekistan and
modernising the types engines
and avionics to make it more
competitive.
We are looking at other ways
to penetrate that market, Beau-
doin says. Bombardier has targeted Russia as an attractive market

for the Q400 for several years; the
types high speed and relatively
low seat count could make it attractive for Russias often long
and thin domestic routes.
Aeroot is set to consider an
order for three Q400s.
Meanwhile, Bombardier will
continue seeking out new
customers for the 13-year-old turboprop. Demand remains relatively healthy, with 17 Q400s delivered so far this year and 43
aircraft in a production backlog
stretching for 19 months.
Three months ago, Beaudoin
said the Canadian airframer was
in talks with Chinese companies
relating to the possibility of
building Q400s in China, to serve
local airlines.
FLEET
Restructured Monarch firms Max buy

U
K leisure carrier Monarch

Airlines has nalised its
order for 30 Boeing 737 Max 8
twinjets, following an investment
agreement which brought new
shareholders to the company.
Deliveries will begin in the
second quarter of 2018. The
low-cost airline has options for
another 15 aircraft.
The carrier aims to operate a
single-type eet of Max 8s by
2020, it states.
All 737 Max twinjets will be
powered by CFM International
Leap-1B engines.
Boeing
olls-Royce is planning to cut

2,600 positions over the next
18 months, mainly within its
aerospace division.
The restructuring is intended to
save 80 million ($128 million)
per year, although the move will
result in 120 million of incremental costs over the next two
years. R-R warned last month that
it was expecting a weaker revenue
performance across the group.
Although the aerospace division was among its stronger businesses, R-R says its engineering
requirement has lessened as a result of ending primary development of the Trent 1000 and Trent
XWB engines, both of which
have entered production. Simplication of R-Rs operations into
two sectors aerospace and land
and sea will enable the company
to reduce management layers, it
adds, while efciency has been
improved through investment in
new facilities and technology.
AirTeamImages
Aerospace to
take brunt of
R-R jobs cull
The airlines 30 jets will be delivered from second-quarter 2018

Monarch chief executive
Andrew Swafeld says the order
is part of a new strategic direction for the airline.
Investor Greybull Capital is

taking a 90% shareholding of the
business, following a restructuring programme.
flightglobal.com
AIR TRANSPORT
New standard for

operating in icing
conditions from FAA
AIR TRANSPORT P14
EVALUATION EDWARD RUSSELL WASHINGTON DC
Can long-range A321neo go

the distance for American?
MANUFACTURING
Potential order could be required impetus for Airbus to launch transatlantic twinjet variant
an cowls for the Airbus

A330neo will be sourced
from Austria-based FACC, under
a contract from Safrans Aircelle
division.
FACC will be exclusive supplier of cowls for the aircraft, which
will be powered by Rolls-Royce
Trent 7000 engines. The company
will deliver the rst parts in the
third quarter of 2016.
Over the life of the A330neo
programme, FACC expects the
agreement to generate $100 million in revenues.
Airbus is yet to rm orders for
the A330neo, but has obtained
commitments from several customers covering more than 120
aircraft. The airframer had already agreed a partnership with
Aircelle covering development of
the nacelle for the type.
FACC says it expects Airbuss
orderbook to expand signicantly over the next few years
following the launch of the
A330neo. Given the design maturity of the A330, it adds, this will
generate a positive impact for
FACCs nances.
The A330neo cowls will be
produced at FACCs plant in
Reichersberg, Austria, using
carbonbre construction.
FACC, which has close ties
with Chinese state aviation rm
AVIC, is intending to strengthen
its connections to the A330 programme through a strategic partnership linked to a planned Chinese A330 completion centre.
Austrias FACC
bags exclusive
Neo cowl deal
merican Airlines is evaluating Airbuss proposed longrange A321neo.

We will be evaluating the
economics and the range and
performance capabilities of the
long-range version of the
A321neo, says vice-president of
eet planning Peter Warlick in an
employee newsletter.
The Fort Worth, Texas-based
carrier would likely use a longrange A321neo, which is being
designed specically with transatlantic routes in mind, to replace
Boeing 757-200s in its eet.
The aircraft will have a maximum take-off weight of 97t and
y about 4,100nm (7,600km) in a
standard two-class conguration
of 164 seats, Airbus said in October. This compares to maximum
take-off weights of 89-93.5t and a
range of about 3,500nm for the
four existing sub-variants of the
A321neo.
While Airbus has not ofcially
launched the potential 757 replacement, with executives saying they are actively discussing
the possibility with operators, an
order from American could be
the impetus the airframer needs
to launch the programme.
The airline is the largest operator of the Airbus A320 family in
the world, with 313 aircraft including 133 A321s across the
American and US Airways eets,
according to Flightglobals As-
AirTeamImages
The airline would likely use the type to replace its 757-200s
cend Fleets database. In addition,
the carrier has rm orders for 100
A321neos and options for an
additional 30.
We will be evaluating
the economics, range
and performance
capabilities of the
long-range A321neo
PETER WARLICK
VP of eet planning, American Airlines
American also operates 102

757-200 twinjets. Of these, a signicant number operate on transatlantic routes.
Executives at the carrier, as
well as their counterparts at Delta
Air Lines and United Airlines,
have repeatedly lamented the

lack of a replacement for transatlantic 757s. Boeing ended production of the 757 in 2004, and
the airframer has yet to offer a direct replacement aircraft.
The Boeing 737 Max 9 is the
closest candidate, but it cannot
match the maximum take-off
weight or range of the 757.
Meanwhile, the rst 787-8
bound for American has been
rolled out from the paint shop at
the airframers Everett, Washington facility. The aircraft, which is
registered N800AN and MSN
40618, is scheduled for delivery
in November and expected to
enter service on domestic routes
in the rst quarter of 2015.
American has yet to disclose
what routes the 787 will y or
where it will be based.
CORPORATE IDENTITY
LATAM carriers look to single brand
flightglobal.com
Rex Features
The carriers of LATAM Airlines Group are to transition to a single

brand. LATAM chief executive Enrique Cueto is quoted in Brazilian
and Chilean media saying that the group will make a decision on a
single brand by the end of the year. TAM and LAN closed a merger in
June 2012 to form LATAM, but the carriers are still operating under
different brands. LANs brand features on its affiliates in Chile, Peru,
Argentina, Ecuador and Colombia. Brazils TAM still operates under
that brand, while its Paraguayan subsidiary is called TAM Paraguay.
AIR TRANSPORT
Airprox after
Ryanair pilots
confuse callsign
mission of a callsign
triggered a serious airprox
incident over Switzerland after a
Ryanair crew responded to a
climb approval intended for a
different Ryanair ight.
Swiss investigation authority
SUST states that the pilots of a
Ryanair Boeing 737-800, bound
for Lubeck and operating at
36,000ft, had requested a climb to
38,000ft to avoid turbulence.
But the crew did not identify
the ight by its callsign, Ryanair
3595, and the air trafc controller instead addressed the clearance to 38,000ft to another ight,
Ryanair 6DW.
Flight 3595 acknowledged the
clearance, without noticing the
incorrect callsign, and began
climbing. The crew of ight 6DW
did not respond to the controllers
clearance. Within a minute the
climb brought the Ryanair ight
into conict with a TAP Portugal
Airbus A319 cruising at 37,000ft.
Collision-avoidance systems
on the aircraft activated and
their ightpaths also generated a
short-term conict alert to air
trafc controllers. The jets converged to 0.8nm horizontally
and 650ft vertically.
SUST points out that, in the
12min preceding the incident,
four other Ryanair aircraft
among 19 ights had been in
contact with the radar executive
controller. It says that the acceptance of the clearance incorrectly
directed at ight 6DW could be
attributed to the expectations
of the crew of ight 3595. The inquiry says ight 6DWs crew
should have intervened when
the other Ryanair ight read back
the misdirected clearance.
The reason why they did not
do so must be left unanswered,
it states, although it suggests that
either the pilots of 6DW had not
been expecting any climb instruction or doubted that the
clearance was meant for them
particularly given the immediate
acceptance from ight 3595.
PROGRAMME MAVIS TOH SINGAPORE
Comac receives first C919 fuselage

C
omac has taken delivery of

the aft fuselage section for its
rst C919 prototype. The 3.2m
long structure is manufactured by
Jiangxi Hongdu Aviation Industry,
and Comac says this is the rst
time composites are being used on
a major Chinese aircraft structure.
The tail cone of the aircraft
and its horizontal stabilisers are
yet to be delivered, but this is the

fth major C919 structure to arrive at Comacs nal assembly
centre near Shanghai Pudong International airport in recent
months.
Comac has so far taken delivery of the rst C919 nose, forward
fuselage, mid fuselage and centre
wing box.
The airframer started nal assembly work in late September,

with the joining of the aircrafts
forward and mid fuselage sections. It is working towards an
end-2015 rst ight target for the
C919. Comac has so far received
commitments for 400 of the narrowbodies, mostly from Chinese
airlines and leasing companies.
The rule will apply to aircraft

with a gross take-off weight
of under 60,000lb
Rex Features
INQUIRY

AIRWORTHINESS JON HEMMERDINGER WASHINGTON DC
New standard for operating

in icing conditions from FAA
US regulator tightens safety rules for smaller commercial aircraft flying in freezing weather
maller commercial aircraft

will be required to meet
more stringent standards for operating in icing conditions under
a new Federal Aviation Administration rule.
The rule will require aircraft
with a gross take-off weight of
less than 60,000lb (27,200kg) to
be able to operate safely in freezing drizzle and freezing rain
weather the FAA calls supercooled large drop conditions.
The rule also requires aircraft
to have systems that can detect
freezing drizzle and freezing rain.
In addition, the FAA will

require that aircraft engines and
some components, such as angle
of attack and airspeed indicators,
be able to operate properly in
freezing rain and icing conditions.
The rule will be published in
the federal register on 4 October
and will take effect 60 days later.
The changes, which apply to
the FAAs Part 25 airworthiness
standards for transport aircraft,
are rooted in the icing-induced
crash of an ATR 72 turboprop in
Roselawn, Indiana, almost exactly 20 years ago.
On 31 October 1994, that

aircraft, operated by Simmons
Airlines under the American
Eagle brand, was in a holding
pattern and descending to
8,000ft when it rolled over and
crashed, killing 64 passengers
and four crew, according to the
US National Transportation
Safety Board.
The agency said the aircraft
rolled because freezing drizzle
created an ice ridge on the
wings upper surface, behind the
deicing boots but ahead of the
ailerons.
flightglobal.com
AIR TRANSPORT
F-35B could
miss July target
DEFENCE P17
REGULATIONS DAVID LEARMOUNT LONDON
Sweden clears remote ATC

system for distant airports
ENVIRONMENT
MICHAEL GUBISCH LONDON
Saab and partner LFV can control operations around country from central site in Sundsvall
uropean regulators have approved Israel Aerospace

Industries pilot-controlled tow
tractor TaxiBot for deployment
on departing Boeing 737s.
The semi-robotic tug developed by IAI and produced by
French ground equipment manufacturer TLD is designed to tow
aircraft on the ground to avoid use
of the main engines for taxiing.
While the hybrid-powered tug has
a driver who conducts the attachment procedure with the aircraft, pilots control the drive operations from the cockpit as if they
were taxiing under own power.
Israels civil aviation authority
and the European Aviation Safety
Agency have issued supplemental type certicates covering taxi
operations for departing 737
ights from the aircraft stands to
a detachment point near the runway. But IAI says the operation is
soon to be expanded to Airbus
A320s through a no-technicalobjection (NTO) approval by the
European manufacturer.
IAI has trialled the TaxiBot on
both Airbuss and Boeings narrowbody families. The certication tests were conducted with a
decommissioned 737-500 owned
by programme partner Lufthansa
at Frankfurt airport over the past
year. Lufthansa is planning to
evaluate the tractor in a sixmonth operational trial with
scheduled 737 ights from its
main hub from December.
IAI says it is in advanced negotiations with several potential
customers, and working groups
are preparing the introduction of
the tractor at hubs in Europe,
Asia and North America.
The manufacturer is building a
TaxiBot version for widebodies,
which is to be certicated by the
end of 2015. Earlier this year, Air
France signed a tentative deal to
evaluate use of that tractor at
Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.
IAI says deployment of the tug
will generate a return on investment within two years.
TaxiBot tug gets

approval for 737
operational trial
aab, partnered with the

Swedish air navigation service provider, LFV, has received
nal operational approval from
the Swedish Transport Agency
for the remote operation of
rnskldsvik
airport
from
Sundsvall, Sweden.
This ofcial certication
means that other suitablyequipped remote aerodromes, as
well as rnskldsvik, may be
controlled from the remote tower
centre (RTC) at Sundsvall.
The remote aerodrome enables
the technology by installing a
mast bearing video cameras providing a 360 view, directional
microphones and meteorological
sensors that feed their data in real
time to the Sundsvall RTC.
Controllers see the aireld
surface environment and sky on
wrap-around
high-denition
screens, backed up by directional
sound and all the real-time
weather data they would expect
in a normal tower.
The advantage, for remote
communities connected by infrequent but essential air movements, is that their aerodrome
can afford high-quality air trafc
services 24h a day if necessary,
because they share the fullyequipped control room and highly trained duty controllers with
other airelds.
Saab
Controllers can see the airfield and sky with wrap-around screens
This achievement means we
have a system in place that meets
all applicable safety regulations,
says Niclas Gustavsson, director
of international affairs and business development at LFV.
With this nal regulatory
approval, LFV is now making the
last preparations to enable remote tower services from Sundsvall, ultimately reducing operating costs and increasing the
efciency of operations.
Anders Carp, head of Saabs
trafc management business unit,
says that Saab and LFV have
adopted a strategy that uses new

equipment but still employs the
existing approved procedures.
Air navigation service providers and aviation authorities
across the globe now have a successful model in place for the
regulatory approval process for
remotely controlled air trafc services, he says.
Saab has now entered into a
partnership
with
Virginia
SATSLab and the US states Leesburg Executive Airport to demonstrate and evaluate Saab remote
tower technologies there.
AIRLINE START-UP TOM ZAITZEV MOSCOW
Belarus eyes Superjet for new carrier

B
elaruss government has

signalled an interest in acquiring Sukhoi Superjet 100 regional jets for a proposed second
national scheduled airline.
Flag carrier Belavia has been
the countrys only airline for several years since the liquidation of
Grodnoavia to which the civil
aviation agency is now considering setting up a successor.
flightglobal.com
Agency chief Vladimir Kostin

says the new entity might be
formed in the rst quarter of
2016 as its business plan is
already in place. He says that
part of the plan is to equip the
carrier with four Superjets
initially and grow the eet to 20
aircraft by 2020.
We are in intensive talks
about co-operation with Sukhoi,
he says. Sukhoi is also interested in developing our airline

business and would like to see its
aircraft in our skies.
Acquisition
of
Superjets
would contribute to bilateral
economic relations, Kostin notes,
adding: In particular, we want
some parts and components for
the Superjet to be produced by
our enterprises.
DEFENCE
handful of competitors have

emerged to try and full
Polands Project Raven requirement to replace its armys ageing
Mil Mi-24s with 30 new attack
helicopters.
Speaking on 4 November, deputy minister of national defence
Czeslaw Mroczek said Airbus
Helicopters in partnership with
local rm Heli Invest Services
will offer the Tiger.
Turkish Aerospace Industries is
proposing its T129 ATAK
development of AgustaWestlands
AW129, while Bell Helicopter is
offering its AH-1Z Viper. Polish
security electronics provider BIT
has also indicated its intention to
participate in the programme, although its role is unknown.
Boeing has also previously
shown interest in offering its
AH-64E Apache to Warsaw, and
Mroczek points out that the list of
potential bidders is not yet nalised. The US company could establish a local assembly line for
the Apache if required under the
tender. Boeing ofcials visited
Poland in October and were involved in talks with around 30
potential partners.
Project Raven is presently in
its technical evaluation stage.
More in-depth requirements are
due to be published in mid-2015,
to be followed soon after by the
release of a request for proposals.
Flightglobals Ascend Fleets
database records the Polish army
as currently operating 29
Mi-24/35 rotorcraft.
Warsaw is also currently
running a competition to acquire
70 multirole helicopters to equip
all three branches of its armed
forces. AgustaWestland, Airbus
Helicopters and Sikorsky have
all been pursuing the opportunity, although the latter has
warned that it could withdraw
from the process.
See Defence P18
To learn more about our
rotorcraft data service go to
ightglobal.com/ascend
Alenia Aermacchi abandons

Avro replacement contest
Italian airframer will not bid C-27J for $2.2 billion Indian air force modernisation deal
talys Alenia Aermacchi will

not submit a bid for an Indian
air force contract to replace the
services Hindustan Aeronautics
(HAL)-built HS 748 Avro transports with 56 new aircraft, and
has removed its C-27J Spartan
from contention for the estimated
$2.2 billion deal.
The Indian air force Avro replacement programme calls mainly for a basic medium transport
aircraft and therefore Alenia Aermacchi decided to not participate
in the tender, the company says.
Its decision to not respond to a
request for proposals, coupled
with a lack of interest from other
airframers, leaves Airbus Defence
& Space as the sole remaining bidder, offering its C295 twin-turboprop along with Indian partner
Tata Advanced Systems.
Alenia Aermacchi also has
questioned the viability of the
programme. It says the replacement may be an opportunity to
Indian air force
Bidders swoop
for Warsaws
Project Raven
PROGRAMME ATUL CHANDRA BENGALURU
The service still operates 59 aged HS 748 medium transports

develop a long-term industrial
collaboration, [but] the foreseen
eet size may not allow a satisfactory industrial return oriented to
a serious technology transfer.
New Delhi has set stringent requirements that will test the capabilities of the programmes designated Indian production partner.
A minimum 30% value of local
content will be required during
the rst phase of licensed production, covering 16 aircraft. This gure should increase to 60% for the
nal 24 aircraft, however.
Airbus says Tata Advanced

Systems would perform structural
and nal aircraft assembly, systems integration and testing if the
C295 is selected, and manage the
indigenous supply chain in India.
Indias Defence Acquisition
Council decided earlier this year
that HAL would have no part in
the Avro replacement process. In
August 2013 HAL had issued a request for information for a modern
engine to replace the Rolls-Royce
Dart engines on the air forces 59
operational HS 748s.
REQUIREMENT
New Delhi revives helicopter battle with domestic vision

India has released a fresh request
for information (RFI) for a fleet of
reconnaissance and surveillance
helicopters to be acquired for its
army and air force.
The defence ministry says the
new request has the intention of
identifying probable Indian vendors
who can provide the helicopters,

followed by licensed production/
indigenous manufacture in the
country.
Responses are sought by 23
December from Indian vendors, including companies that have established a production arrangement with
Airbus Helicopters
COMPETITION
BARTOSZ GLOWACKI WARSAW
To get more defence sector coverage,

subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter:
ightglobal.com/defencenewsletter
Airbuss AS550 C3 Fennec had previously been in the running
original equipment manufacturers.

Indias Defence Acquisition
Council in August cancelled a contest that had been under way since
2008 to equip the army and air force
with a respective 133 and 64 light
rotorcraft, opting to restart the
process under the buy and make
(Indian) procurement category.
The remaining candidates for the
previous requirement were Airbus
Helicopters AS550 C3 Fennec
and Russian Helicopters Kamov
Ka-226T.
An as-yet unspecified number of
the rotorcraft are to be delivered in
flyaway condition, ahead of licensed
production and indigenous manufacturing. The RFI says the latter process should begin within three to
four years of a contract, with a minimum of 50% indigenous content
included.
flightglobal.com
DEFENCE
Seasprites to boost
Peru maritime
surveillance
DEFENCE P18
PROGRAMMES DAN PARSONS WASHINGTON DC
COMPETITION
STEPHEN TRIMBLE WASHINGTON DC
F-35B could miss July target
USN launches
fresh search
for Triton radar
Militarys programme chief hints at delay of days and weeks for operational milestone
Lockheed Martin
he US Marine Corps still

plans on having 10 war-ready
Lockheed Martin F-35Bs by 1
July 2015, but the loss of 45 ight
testing days earlier this year may
mean that its initial operating
capability (IOC) target will be
missed.
From an overall programme
perspective, missing a date by
days and weeks compared to the
tragic past this programme has
had where weve missed things
by years Id say were getting
better, says F-35 programme executive ofcer Lt Gen Christopher Bogdan. Referring to the
long-established target as a
tough date to hit, he adds:
Theres no way in the world
were missing that by months.
My commitment is 1 July, and if I
miss that date, Im going to apologise to the US Marine Corps.
The service, which will be the
rst to receive operational F-35s,
already has taken concessions in
order to bring its short take-off
and vertical landing (STOVL)
version online in 2015. Its early
examples will be own initially
with a less-capable software version, and will subsequently be
retrotted to bring them to full
operational standard.
Meeting the IOC goal began to
look untenable after a third-stage
titanium rotor in the Pratt &
The STOVL aircraft will be the

first to enter frontline service
Whitney F135 engine of a US Air
Force F-35A shattered prior to a
test ight in June. This punctured
an aft fuel tank and sparked a re,
which led to the entire 100-plus
eet of test and training aircraft
being temporarily grounded and
now continuing to be own
under performance restrictions.
The incident cost the programme 45 days of critical testing
needed to condently meet the 1
July IOC date, and Bogdan says
the programme will go on a
surge war footing in an attempt
to make up that time.
To get the test eet back to ying a full prole, engines must be
burned in during two roughly
1h ights, which will follow de-
ned proles to pre-trench the

stator surrounding the rotors. Four
test aircraft have already undergone the process.
New engines also will be pretrenched to prevent their rotor
blades from rubbing during complex ight manoeuvres. This requires the fabrication of a new stator, of which P&W produces only
about one per week.
All 19 test aircraft should receive
one of these xes within the next
two months, Bogdan says, and if
USAF and US Navy airworthiness
authorities approve either process
it will also be applied to elded
F-35s. However, it is unclear when
a permanent x will be cut into the
engine production line.
new competition has been

launched to provide the US
Navys
Northrop
Grumman
MQ-4C Tritons with an air-to-air
radar which will help the unmanned air system to detect other
aircraft and avoid collisions. The
Naval Air Systems Commands 3
November solicitation comes a
year after the service cancelled development of an Exelis-designed
sense and avoid system.
The process includes less ambitious performance requirements.
For example, the USN expects
that the MQ-4C will receive data
from ground radar as it approaches
an airport, since air-to-air radars
can be confused by ground clutter
at lower altitudes. The radar design
should also be modular and scalable, to enable improvements to be
made as future operational and air
trafc management needs evolve.
It should provide an initial sense
and avoid function in the form of a
due regard capability, it adds.
Seventy Tritons, including ve
prototypes, should be acquired
under an $11 billion programme.
The radar will help the

unmanned air system
to detect aircraft
and avoid collisions
DECISION ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
sraels government will soon be

called on to make a nal decision on the air forces planned
purchase of Bell Boeing V-22
Osprey tiltrotors, with defence
minister Moshe Yaalon in favour
of cancelling the proposed deal.
Additional pressure has been
placed on Israels defence budget
due to the cost of its Protective
Edge operation in Gaza earlier
this year, while the need to acquire ground systems such as
new armoured personnel carriers
flightglobal.com
has moved to the top of the defence ministrys acquisition list.

Speaking on 4 November, an
Israeli source said the budget
pressure has created a situation
that will lead to the cancellation
or postponement of the V-22
deal. A deadline contained within an existing letter of agreement
for six of the aircraft can be
changed to give the Israeli cabinets defence committee more
time to re-evaluate the issue, the
source adds.
US Marine Corps
Gaza war costs could scupper Israeli Osprey deal
More time is needed to consider the proposed six-aircraft buy

DEFENCE
Black Hawk bid

for Poland could
be withdrawn
ikorsky and its subsidiary

PZL Mielec say they will not
submit a bid for Polands 70-aircraft utility helicopter tender if
the terms of the acquisition are
not amended.
As drawn up by Warsaw, the
terms for the estimated $3 billion
contest will prevent the Sikorsky
team from bidding with its Polishbuilt S-70 Black Hawk, the companies say. Sikorsky president Mick
Maurer sent a letter to the Polish
government on 27 October, informing its defence ministry that
no bid would be submitted if the
conditions remain unchanged.
Responding on its website, the
ministry countered: The requirements concerning the multirole
helicopter have been known since
May 2014, and Sikorsky has such
helicopters within the product
range they offer. We hope that it
will place a bid in the set term,
and that the letters it sent are only
an element of negotiation tactics.
PZL Mielec published a reply
on 30 October, stating: The decision of the consortium is not a
negotiation tactic, and is not
meant to exert any pressure on
the Ministry of National Defence.
It is simply meant to inform.
It is impossible
to submit an
economically
viable offer
DELIVERIES
Kabul receives last US-funded Mi-17s

R
ussian Helicopters has delivered the last of 63 Mil

Mi-17V-5 transport helicopters
purchased by the US Department
of Defense on behalf of the Afghan armed forces, under a 2011
contract with Moscows Rosoboronexport arms agency.
The deliveries were completed
during a volatile period in USRussian relations, with the Mi-17
purchase having been rst assailed in the US Congress because of Moscows support for
the Bashar al-Assad regime during the Syrian civil war, and then
for the Russian annexation of
Crimea following political unrest
in Ukraine.
With the acquisition phase of
the Afghan deal now complete,
the Russian Federal Service of
Afghanistan now operates

98 Mi-8/17-series aircraft
ready in service. Afghanistans
military now has an active eet of
98 Mi-8/17-series helicopters, according to Flightglobals Ascend
Fleets database.
Military-Technical Co-operation
says it is willing to assist with
future helicopter deliveries to the
nation, and also to perform maintenance on those examples al-
ACQUISITIONS BETH STEVENSON LONDON
Surplus Seasprites to boost

Peru maritime surveillance
Canadian government expedites sale of five upgraded Kaman SH-2G helicopters to Lima
he Peruvian navy is to acquire

ve Kaman SH-2G Super
Seasprites through the Canadian
government.
Four of the helicopters will be
upgraded with a new integrated
mission system, while the fth
will receive an overhaul.
General Dynamics Canada on
27 October announced its receipt
of a multimillion-dollar contract
facilitated by the Canadian Commercial Corporation the countrys intergovernmental contracting organisation.
The rotorcraft involved in the
deal are believed to be currently
operated by the Royal New Zealand Navy, which is in the process of acquiring 10 SH-2G(I)s no
It is impossible to submit an
economically viable offer that
would be 100% compliant with
each and every requirement.
The defence ministry says it
does not plan to cancel the procedure at the request of one of the
bidders, or to change its terms in
a way that could be detrimental
for Poland.
Responses are due by 28 November, with AgustaWestlands
AW149 and Airbus Helicopters
EC725 also being promoted.
New Zealand Defence Force
PZL MIELEC
General Dynamics Canada will enhance and overhaul the fleet
longer wanted by Australia. Peru

will gain the ability to conduct
maritime and littoral surveillance
using the Super Seasprites,
which General Dynamics Canada
says will include mission equipment selections drawing on its
experience
with
Ottawas
Sikorsky CH-148 Cyclone maritime helicopter project.
The Peruvian maritime requirement shares many similarities with Canada, says General
Dynamics Canada vice-president
air and naval division Brian Fava.
The company will also provide its
sonobuoy acoustic system, and is
in negotiations with Kaman for
the provision of services including systems upgrades.
Flightglobals Ascend Fleets
database records Peru as operating a current naval aviation inventory which includes two Bell
Helicopter 212s and one Sikorsky
S-61-based ASH-3D for use in the
anti-surface warfare role.
flightglobal.com
Russian Helicopters
TENDER
BETH STEVENSON LONDON
For more in-depth coverage of the

global rotorcraft sector, go online to
ightglobal.com/helicopters
NEWS FOCUS
Guardian supports
Elite Citation
BUSINESS AVIATION P20

UNMANNED SYSTEMS BETH STEVENSON PARIS
FCAS programme takes off

Fanfare as Anglo-French UCAV project officially launched and $191 million in contracts handed out to industry partners
January this year. The arrangements for the feasibility study

were then agreed in July during
the Farnborough air show, leading to the six contract awards.
The FCAS funding is being
provided in addition to an 80
million investment split between the two countries to
continue the development of
sovereign systems, primarily the
BAE-led Taranis and Dassaultled Neuron UCAV technology
demonstrators.
A model of the UCAV on display at the launch reveals a similar stealth wing design to the
Neuron and Taranis.
Since the signing of the
Lancaster House treaty in 2010,
our two countries have wanted to
build a stronger defence, said
Laurent Collet-Billon, chief
executive of Frances DGA defence procurement agency, at the

5 November event. Today we
see the concrete result of this
through our mock-up.
FCAS is an important
lynchpin of that
[Lancaster House]
collaboration
BERNARD GRAY
Chief of defence materiel, UK MoD
Dassault
COLLABORATION
Following the Lancaster House
treaty signed by UK Prime Minister David Cameron and thenFrench
President
Nicolas
Sarkozy in 2010, Cameron and
President Francois Hollande offered the combined 120 million
during a summit at the Royal Air
Forces Brize Norton base in
Concept models reveal a

design with similarities to
the Neuron and Taranis
Dassault
he UK and French governments have started to make

good on their joint pledge to invest in future unmanned technologies, following the ofcial
start of a two-year feasibility
study for the Future Combat Air
System (FCAS).
At a ceremony at Dassaults
Saint-Cloud facility in Paris on 5
November, the two governments
awarded 120 million ($191 million) in contracts to six industry
partners three from each nation
as part of a wider 200 million
effort to invest in the development of future unmanned combat
air vehicle (UCAV) technology.
BAE Systems and Dassault
will concentrate on the air vehicle design, Rolls-Royce and
Safran/Snecma on engine development and Selex ES and Thales
on electronics including sensors,
electronic warfare and communications. All these efforts will be
combined to develop a system
denition for the concept aircraft,
expected by the end of 2016.
A system definition for the aircraft is expected by the end of 2016

flightglobal.com
The FCAS project will benet

from technologies developed for
the existing two UCAV demonstrators, which are currently undergoing ight test campaigns.
However, the separate funding is
expected to keep the FCAS and
Taranis/Neuron projects apart.
Rhetoric from all parties
centred around the robust engineering capabilities that each nation possesses and the strong relationship between the two, as
well as how joint efforts can best
prepare both countries for future
conicts.
This is a very important time
for France and the UK... FCAS is
an important lynchpin of that
[Lancaster House] collaboration,
Bernard Gray, chief of defence
materiel at the UK Ministry of
Defence, adds.
Although the feasibility study

centres on a UCAV, Collet-Billon
and Gray say FCAS allows for the
eventuality that the technology
could also be integrated into a
manned platform. They also say
that while it is an Anglo-French
programme at present, they have
not ruled out the possibility that
other nations could join the effort
after the feasibility phase.
Once the study is submitted at
the end of 2016 a development effort leading to a demonstrator
build and ight-test campaign is
expected, although this is not a
guaranteed commitment.
If the programme continues as
expected, FCAS should come to
fruition with a new capability by
around 2030, the procurement
agency chiefs say.
Dassault chief executive Eric
Trappier says the air campaign in
Libya demonstrated the air power
of both the UK and France, noting
that modern warfare places aviation at the heart of combat.
It is important that over the
next two years we start to work towards this to provide the armed
forces with what they need, he
adds. So tomorrow we have to
start preparing for the next phase
a demonstration phase.
Read more coverage of the
unmanned air system sector:
ightglobal.com/UAV
BUSINESS AVIATION
For more coverage about the business

aviation sector go online at:
ightglobal.com/bizav
Cessna
SHIPMENTS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Deliveries spike
propelled by jet
and piston types
GAMA statistics show 5.7% increase in worldwide deliveries
through third quarter, despite fall in demand for turboprops
usiness and general aviation

aircraft deliveries continued
their resurgence during the rst
nine months of 2014 thanks to rising demand for jets and piston-engined types, statistics from the General Aviation Manufacturers
Association (GAMA) reveal.
Worldwide shipments between
January and September rose by
5.7% to 1,678 aircraft valued at
$16 billion compared with 1,587
shipments valued at $15.4 billion
for the same period in 2013, according to the US-based associations report.
Business jets saw the strongest
growth, with manufacturers handing over 460 aircraft during the rst
three quarters of 2014 9.3% more
than in the same period the previous year.
Bombardier led the eld, with
increases at both ends of its range.
This included 15 light/superlight
Learjet 70/75s which replaced the
poorly-performing 40/45 a year ago
and 55 large-cabin, long-range
Global 5000/6000s.
Cessnas latest Citation arrivals,
the Citation M2, Sovereign+ and
X+, boosted the airframers shipment tally to 104 for the rst nine
months of this year, from 79 in the
same period a year earlier.
Gulfstream handed over eight
more midsize G150s and supermidsize G280s during the period.
Piston-engined aircraft also
performed well, thanks largely to a
surge in demand for these types

from the global ight training industry.
Deliveries climbed by 9.2% to
806 units in the rst nine months of
2014, GAMA reports, with Austrias Diamond and US market leader Cirrus making up almost half this
tally.
The optimism about the general
aviation market on display at last
months NBAA convention is reected in the continued recovery of
the business jet and piston-engined
segments, GAMA president and
chief executive Pete Bunce says in
the third-quarter report.
New products are helping to
fuel our industrys continued
growth as we continue to emerge
from the recession, he adds.
In contrast, turboprop shipments
fell by 3.7% to 412 units between
January and September, due mainly to a fall in demand for unpressurised types such as the Thrush Aircraft SR2R and Air Tractor
AT-series. Deliveries of pressurised
models such as the single-engined
Pilatus PC-12NG, and Daher-Socata
TBM 900 which entered service
earlier this year climbed by ve
aircraft each compared with last
year.
The introduction in coming
weeks of Piaggio Aerospaces newgeneration P180 Avanti EVO
should help to boost the overall
turboprop shipment tally in the
fourth quarter.
AIRCRAFT SHIPMENTS FOR JANUARY TO SEPTEMBER

Type
Pistons
Turboprops
Business jets
Total shipments
Total billings
2013
2014
Change (%)
738
428
421
1,587
$15.4bn
806
412
460
1,678
$16bn
9.2
-3.7
9.3
5.7
3.4
SOURCE: General Aviation Manufacturers Association *Figures are for 1 January to 30 September
2013 and 2014
AGREEMENT
Guardian supports Elite Citation

Cessna has signed an exclusive agreement with US consultancy
Guardian Jet to market its refurbished Citation X, called the Elite.
The upgrade programme was launched last year using Citation Xs
that were formerly in service with fractional ownership company
NetJets. Cessna has sold more than 60 of the high-speed, midsize
types to the US operator. The Citation X Elite features a Honeywell
Primus Elite avionics suite, a new interior and cabin management
system and a fresh exterior paint scheme. Cessna is also offering
an on-demand retrofit programme for $6.5 million that will take four
months to complete.
COMPLETIONS KATE SARSFIELD LONDON
Marshall eyes move into

widebody refurbishment
M
arshall Aviation Services

the business and commercial aviation arm of Marshall
Aerospace and Defence Group
is planning to offer widebody VIP
completions next year from its
Cambridge airport base.
The move is part of the companys plan to double the annual
turnover from its business aviation activities from around 50
million ($80 million) in 2013 to
100 million by 2020.
Maintenance, repair and overhaul is at the core of what we do,
says James Dillon-Godfray, vice
president, business development
for Marshall Aviation Services.
Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group is a long-established
provider of military aircraft MRO
notably on the UK Royal Air
Forces Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
and Lockheed Martin C-130K/J
eets. However, as this work has
slowed down, the company has
increased its focus on the more
stable business aviation sector.
In September 2013 Marshall
acquired Beechcrafts 50-year-old
agship European service centre
in Broughton, from where it provides engineering support ser-
vices across a range of Hawker

and Beechcraft products. Marshall also supports the Cessna
Citation business jet and Bombardiers Global Express family
from its Cambridge base and is
keen to expand the aircraft types
in its MRO portfolio.
We are now looking at the VIP
airliner market, says DillonGodfray. We have both the capacity and the experience.
The facility will be housed in
Hangar 17, which is being upgraded to accommodate a dedicated paint facility for a Boeing
747-size aircraft and an interior
completions area. We will start
by offering refurbishments. There
should be plenty of business
many BBJs have been in service
for years [and] are ready for a rerag, says Dillon-Godfray.
Marshall has also signed an
agreement with UK air taxi company Blink to provide multi-year
MRO and technical support for its
six Cessna Citation Mustang business jets from its Cambridge base.
This contract follows a similar
contract with Spanish operator
Sur Aviation to support its entrylevel Mustang eet.
flightglobal.com
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ITALY
SPECIAL
LR
REPORT
EPORT
ITALIAN
RENAISSANCE
It has been a tough few years for Italian aerospace with
scandal at AgustaWestland, 787 programme hitches for
Alenia Aermacchi and nancial turmoil at parent
Finmeccanica. Now, with a host of new products and
technologies coming on stream, the countrys industry is
hoping customers around the world will recognise its
output for its quality, reliability and innovation
CONTENTS
24
27
29
30
33
35
Time to rebuild AgustaWestland

Debt and recovery Finmeccanica
Another dimension Avio Aero
Tough at the top Dema
Unsung heroes Selex ES
A piece of history Alenia Aermacchi
(Anticlockwise from top) AgustaWestland is adding to its medium-class family

of helicopters; propulsion specialist Avio is pioneering additive manufacturing
and Dema is a key player in composite aerostructures
flightglobal.com
ITALY
Alenia Aermacchi addresses two

segments of the jet fighter pilot training
market with its M-346 advanced trainer
(pictured) and M-345 basic trainer
flightglobal.com
Alenia Aermacchi
SPECIAL REPORT
ITALY
SPECIAL REPORT
AgustaWestland
The AW139 is serving with

Italys Guardia Costiera
AGUSTAWESTLAND
Time to
rebuild
Desperate to emerge from the

shadows of a scandal-hit 2013,
AgustaWestland is focused on
delivering its newest helicopters
DOMINIC PERRY MILAN
gustaWestland like every Finmeccanica

company is a bit sensitive right now. Interviews with the company are granted only
on the basis that quotes are attributed to the
organisation or company sources rather
than named individuals. The stricture, driven
by the changes at the top of Finmeccanica and
part of the spring cleaning initiated by new
chief executive Mauro Moretti, has particular
resonance for AgustaWestland. His appointment can be traced directly to the abrupt departure in February 2013 of Guiseppe Orsi as
part of the fallout from a scandal involving the
sale of helicopters to the Indian government.
It is an issue that has hung over the manufacturer for the past year or more, overshadowing
any achievements. In fact, to illustrate the
lasting legacy of the India deal, one only has
to type AgustaWestland into the search bar
of Google to bring up the suggestion AgustaWestland India. It is, as the company describes it, such a touchy subject.
But to put that issue aside for a moment
and it is worth adding that an Italian court recently cleared AgustaWestland of any wrongdoing in the India case there have been
things to crow about over the past 12 months.
Top of the list is the certication and rst delivery earlier this year of its newest helicopter,
the 8.3t AW189 at the time of writing the
only one of the new breed of super-medium
rotorcraft to enter service. Those milestones
were followed in July by military certication
for the AW149 the military variant of the
AW189. Although the airframer is yet to
achieve sales success with the AW149, the
parallel development of the two helicopters
underscores AgustaWestlands philosophy of
versatility when embarking on new programmes essentially making them easily
adaptable to both civil and military markets,
something that is particularly vital as defence
spending shrinks. The solution for slender
budgets is to make good use of the capability
we have, it says.
TWIN-TRACK APPROACH
That philosophy was rst demonstrated on
the civil AW139 intermediate twin, which
aside from robust sales in offshore and utility
transport guises, has comfortably made the
leap to the military in the form of the
AW139M. The Italian air force, for example,

uses the platform for search and rescue missions, where it has replaced the elderly
Agusta-built Sikorsky HH-3F Pelican eet.
The airframer believes that a twin-track
approach means that ultimately a customer
receives a cheaper helicopter because it is
not a bespoke, niche product whose development costs cannot be quickly amortised.
Comparatively, militarisation of an existing
platform is relatively inexpensive. Thats not
to say AgustaWestland cannot or will not
offer those specialised aircraft as well, and it
remains committed to the dedicated military
helicopters in its range, such as the AW159,
AW101, NH90 and T129, albeit the latter two
are effectively joint ventures with Airbus
Helicopters and Turkish Aerospace Industries respectively.
However, the AW101 AgustaWestlands
15.6t heavy transport and anti-submarine
warfare rotorcraft may still join its smaller
siblings in the civil market. News surfaced
this time last year that the airframer was
considering a potential civil certication for
the AW101. AgustaWestland conrms that
this is still a potential avenue for exploration, although it will wait for customer
commitment before embarking on the
regulatory push.
There is some interest coming from longrange [offshore] operators, it says. We are
looking at this opportunity, but clearly we
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need to have a good business case for that.
The aircraft has unique capabilities, however.
Dialogue is under way with potential customers, it says, and it hopes for a positive decision over the next year or two for service
entry by the end of the decade. That said, it
says that the AW101 still has enough momentum in the military market for a sustained future, despite production not being
what it was in the early years. But it adds:
The more we diversify the product, the easier it is to manage production through peaks
and troughs.
In the meantime, the production facility is
kept busy with a number of modication contracts, for example, marinising former UK
Royal Air Force Merlin HC3s to the HC4
standard for use by the Royal Navy. The
transformation of existing assets is part of our
strategic view moving forward, the company
says. We increasingly specialise in making
the best use of the life of the assets, modifying
them for longer service.
For the military, we are making the best
out of leaner times. Adaptability and exibility have always been characteristics of our
company we have always been nimble.
Since we [Agusta and Westland] came together, we have had diversity as our offering.
That point distinguishes it from its USbased rivals, it argues, which typically get at
least 55-60% of their revenues from the US
Department of Defense. They are dominated
by a single customer, it says.
You have to think ahead.

In aerospace, everything
takes such a long time
AGUSTAWESTLAND
It is a part of the market undeniably dominated by its Franco-German rival, whose

EC145 and, to a lesser extent, AS365 will be
the AW169s main competitors.
Around 100h of ight testing remain to be
completed on the AW169, with the programme having so far accumulated over
1,000h across four prototypes.
The initial handovers of the Pratt &
Whitney Canada PW210A-powered helicopters will be to European clients, says AgustaWestland, due to the proximity of spare
parts and technical assistance should teething
troubles arise.
It plans to deliver around 15 AW169s next
year, with that number doubling the year
after. The majority of production will initially
AgustaWestland
TRICKY CUSTOMER
The DoD is something of a sore topic at present, given that AgustaWestland has sued to
prevent the US Army from buying, without
an open competition, up to 155 Airbus Helicopters UH-72A Lakotas for use as trainers.
There are solutions offering better value for
money out there, the company says. However, the DoD has a habit of getting what it
wants, even when running a supposedly open
contest. Witness, for instance, the outcomes of

the ghts for the US Air Forces new combat
search and rescue platform and the navys
new presidential helicopter. In both cases,
Sikorsky emerged as the winner after the requirements were so tightly dened that no
other prime contractor could see a way of bidding successfully. However, the company argues that in the case of the Lakotas there are
many off-the-shelf solutions, whereas the
presidential helicopter is incredibly specialised: One is a limousine and the other is a
small car for doing the school run in.
The next baby due to arrive, however, is
the 4.5t AW169 medium twin. Certication is
due in the next few months, with deliveries to
start in 2015. The clean-sheet helicopter will
be the rst to offer something new in a segment thats not seen anything new in 30
years, the company says.
Denmarks Bel Air Aviation has so far taken delivery of two examples of the AW189
be at its factory in Vergiate, Italy. The companys US plant in Philadelphia is due to come
on stream in mid-2015 and to hand over its
rst helicopter in early 2016.
Some 120 purchase agreements for the
AW169 have been taken by the airframer, and
it forecasts around 1,000 sales over the next
20 years. Although AgustaWestland primarily
bills the machine as a utility or emergency
medical services (EMS) platform, it says it
sees great potential to sell the new rotorcraft
into the VIP segment, where operators want to
trade up from the light-twin AW109. Its a little bit like the automotive sector, where you
always look for something bigger. If you are
lucky enough to afford a helicopter, you will
follow an upgrade path, it says. Further
down the weight range, the only new product envisaged at the moment is the AW109
Trekker, a skid-equipped variant of the light
twin aimed at the US EMS market.
However, plans to join forces with Russian
Helicopters to jointly develop and produce a
new light single are now ofcially at an end.
AgustaWestland has been coy about the reasons for this, despite its partner signalling in
June that the project was at an end. However,
it says: We both decided that the aircraft
which was coming off the drawing board was
probably not the right design in terms of the
economics and what we were able to offer in
the marketplace. In a volume market, you
need to be very careful on the production
costs, the company says, noting that for an
aircraft to be produced successfully in collaboration it must cost less than [if you had]
done it on your own.
Although AgustaWestland is continuing
to develop its AW609 civil tiltrotor certication is still expected in 2017 its research
and technology department is also looking
to the next generation of aircraft. As part of
the EU-funded Clean Sky 2 green aviation
initiative, the airframer is working on what
it is calling, somewhat predictably, the
NextGen CTR. The EU-funded portion of the
project runs until 2024, and the company is
expecting a rst ight around 2020. It is presently seeking partners for the programme and
hopes to conclude this process by 2015-16.
A clean-sheet design that will seat up to 25
passengers the AW609 accommodates nine
it moves the engines signicantly inboard,
and only the rotors tilt, rather than the entire
powerplant and nacelle.
AgustaWestland is condent that the concept can be scaled up to carry as many as 50
passengers, making it a more versatile turboprop transport aircraft thanks to its vertical
take-off and landing capability. Production is
envisaged to begin in 2025, by which point
the AW609 will already be 10 years old. You
always have to think ahead. In aerospace, everything takes such a long time, it says.
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ITALY
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FINMECCANICA
Debt and
recovery
Finmeccanicas restructuring plan

appears to be gaining pace, but
critical challenges could yet derail
the groups return to protability
DAN THISDELL LONDON
o say it has been an eventful year or at

least a stressful one for Finmeccanica
would be an understatement. On the plus
side, 2014 has seen a resolution of the scandal
surrounding its AgustaWestland units deal to
sell VVIP helicopters to India. And the group
nearly one-third owned by the Italian government and long a repository for sometimestroubled Italian state industrial enterprises
appears to be within reach of its goal of
nding buyers for its beleagured rail rolling
stock and technology businesses, which lie at
the root of many of its nancial woes.
On the minus side, in October, ratings
agency Standard & Poors downgraded Finmeccanicas debt from stable to negative, no
small matter for an organisation that has been
struggling to manage the nancial fallout of a
disastrous 2011, which saw heavy losses at its
power and rail transport divisions and a 750
million ($1.02 billion) write-down against defects in the fuselage sections and horizontal
stabilisers it supplies to the Boeing 787 programme. Together, these contributed to a net
loss of 2.3 billion. Debt has been a focus of
attention at the company ever since, with a
few chunks taken out by divestments. The
group sold its 40% stake in the Ansaldo Ener-
Ratings agency Standard

& Poors downgraded
Finmeccanica debt from
stable to negative
gia power generation business in December
2013 for 277 million against debt that stood
at more than 3.9 billion at year end. That has
since climbed to some 4.8 billion. In August
2013, GEs $4.3 billion purchase of Avio Aero
included Finmeccanicas 14% stake in the engine components and systems maker.
Finmeccanica stressed at the time that the
downgrade was based upon 2013 and rsthalf 2014 economic and nancial performances [and] hence it does not take into account initiatives launched by the new
management.
flightglobal.com
Finmeccanica
Mauro Moretti was appointed chief executive on 15 May, replacing Alessandro Pansa
That new management is led by Mauro
Moretti, who was appointed chief executive
on 15 May 2014, replacing Alessandro Pansa.
Pansa was the chief nancial ofcer until February 2013, when he stepped up to replace
Giuseppe Orsi, who resigned on his arrest
over allegations that AgustaWestland which
he headed until taking the group helm in
2011 had bribed its way to the India deal for
a dozen VVIP-roled AW101 helicopters.
SHAKE-UP
Moretti, who was chief executive of Italys state
railways until he was put into the Finmeccanica chair by then-new prime minister Matteo
Renzi as part of a wider shake-up of stateowned companies, has a number of critical
challenges on his plate. He says debt is moving
in the right direction. But prots are looking
more elusive a situation where Finmeccanica
is in the black and paying dividends could be a
couple of years away, but Moretti is not prepared to make any rm forecasts.
Meanwhile, there are potential buyers interested in the AnsaldoBreda rail unit with nal
offers due in the coming weeks, it says. That
sale, apart from pumping in some badly needed debt-reducing cash, is a critical part of the
broader plan to ditch everything outside aerospace and defence to focus on that core sector.
More specically, the restructuring plan
which is broadly in line with that spelled out
by Orsi, who took charge at the tail end of that
annus horribilis 2011 is also to streamline
group operations and get out of businesses
where Finmeccanica is not or cannot be a market leader. In some cases, that might mean nd-
ing joint-venture partners; in other cases that

might mean abandoning laggard joint ventures.
Speaking of which, Moretti has reiterated
dissatisfaction rst alluded to by Pansa with
Superjet International, the groups alliance
with Sukhoi to market the eponymous Russian-built 100-seat regional jet.
2014 has seen a resolution

of the scandal surrounding
AgustaWestlands deal to
sell VVIP helicopters to India
More worrying is probably the performance of Finmeccanicas defence electronics
business in the USA. With US defence spending under pressure, DRS Technologies has
been a drag on growth rather than the shooting star that it must have looked like when it
was bought for what in retrospect looks like
an optimistic price of $5.2 billion just before
the nancial crisis struck in 2008.
However, the worst crisis may be in the
past, giving Moretti some room to work. Early
October saw an Italian court rule that there
was, in fact, no elements of international corruption in the India deal effectively acknowledging that Finmeccanica was not involved in any wrongdoing.
As Moretti put it at the time, that verdict
will allow the company to recover the reputation it deserves and perhaps even better
it also allows us to reopen dialogue with
the Indian institutions.
Made in Italy
M-346
Designed, developed and manufactured in Italy, by Italian engineers
and technicians.
Chosen by some of the most demanding air forces in the world,
the M-346 has established itself in the extremely competitive
international market as an example of Italian technological and
industrial excellences. Investing in the aviation technology R&D in
Italy is the best insurance we can take out to guarantee long term
competitiveness of an industry and of its over 50.000 employees.
Always Flying Higher

www.aleniaaermacchi.it
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AVIO AERO
Another
dimension
Now a GE Aviation subsidiary,

Avio Aeros grasp of additive
manufacturing has positioned the
company at the head of the pack
DAN THISDELL TURIN
f you want to see the future, drive about an

hour west of Milan to Cameri, where Avio
Aero has a new factory. Here, the engine components maker now a GE Aviation subsidiary, since its $4.3 billion acquisition in August 2013 has focused its additive
manufacturing capability. The plant is much
like any other greeneld manufacturing site,
with its smart glass frontage, car parking, reception, a few ofces and loading bay, and
production oor. Except, the production oor
is a room barely 20m2 with ample natural
light and eight soft drink vending machines,
in two rows against opposite walls.
A couple of engineers one of Avios and
one visiting from GEs upstate New York technology development centre consider one of
the machines. They arent really vending machines, of course; there are no coin slots and
the end product must be cut off a titanium

base rather than merely shed out of a drawer.
But to anyone who has grown up with massive factories that take in myriad component
parts and sub-assemblies and run it all
through elaborate machinery at multiple production stations manned by hundreds of
workers, these so-called 3D printers are manufacturing from another planet.
Most of the machines at Cameri are electron beam melting (EBM) units, a technology
ideally suited to making parts out of hard metals like titanium. Building a nest of low pressure turbine blades some 25cm (10 in) long in
layers of about 1/10mm at a time each layer
of metal powder welded to the layer below by
a high energy electron beam looks almost
painfully slow. Except what happens in those
Coke machine-sized cabinets is virtually the
entire process, some subsequent surface nishing or polishing aside.
All that comes in as raw material are ingots of various alloys, which Avio atomises
in-house to keep total control of the quality
of the powder it pours into the EBM machines hoppers. Ultimately, says Avio, the
process is faster than making the blades by
traditional casting.
And, just to give engineers who dont have
access to such technology something else to
dream about, there are some 150 parameters
that determine the machines performance, but
Avio has identied 35 that really matter. If any
go off kilter during production, the process

stops; if some are on the edge of the normal
range a part may be checked, but if all are normal it can go straight to nishing and ultimately engine assembly 100% condence in
every item, with no post-production testing.
FINER FINISHES
For components demanding less extreme materials than titanium alloys, a similar but
lower temperature technology called direct
laser sintering provides ner surface nishes
direct from the printer. In a nice symmetry,
Avios decade of experience with additive
manufacturing is mostly focused on EBM
while GE, which is far enough down the 3D
printing road to be using the technique to
make hot section blades for the new CFM International Leap engines, has put more of its
efforts into laser sintering.
But there is much more to the GE-Avio tieup than a convenient division of investment.
Guilio Ranza, Avio Aeros strategic marketing
and product leader, sees in additive manufacturing a technology that has the potential to
disrupt the aerospace industry in favour of
those who master it early. And, he notes, Avio
has been working on the details since 2004,
when it acquired a small business called Protocast. By 2007 it had made prototype fuel
nozzles for the Eurojet EJ200, which powers
Euroghter Typhoons and now, in 2014, he
sees Avio as having covered a long stretch of
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Avio Aero
Most of the machines

at the firms Cameri
plant are electron
beam melting units
ITALY
SPECIAL REPORT
the path to production. With the companys acquisition by GE, he says: We
merged our paths. It acquired a decade of experience, which in this industry is worth
something. After all, he says, anybody can
buy a 3D printing machine but they cant
buy experience in testing, stability and process reliability. Given that the two companies
had independently taken complementary
technology routes in additive manufacturing,
he says, GE effectively doubled its knowledge
with the buyout.
For Avio, however, the impact of the acquisition has been profound. First, the company
had to grapple with the challenge of maintaining its position as an important supplier to
virtually every engine manufacturer after becoming an integral part of one of their main
rivals. Riccardo Procacci, a long-time GE man
from the oil and gas and turbomachinery
business who has headed Avio Aero since the
We merged our paths.

[GE] acquired a decade of
experience, which in this
industry is worth something
GUILIO RANZA
Strategic marketing and product leader, Avio Aero
takeover, told Flight International at the Farnborough air show that the past year has been
one of building rewalls between Avios clients and GE, along with refocusing the Avio
product line around transmissions, low-pressure turbines, sand casting and additive manufacturing while adopting GEs expertise to
improve its services offering.
Ranza points to the October 2014 agreement with Pratt & Whitney Canada that
makes Avio a risk-sharing partner on the engine makers PW800 turbofans for Gulfstream
G500 and G600 business jets Avio will design and supply the accessory gear box, turbine exhaust case and mixer as evidence of
success. Avios partnerships beyond GE, he
says, are restored, even expanding.
What counts, he adds, is to be cost competitive, to deliver on time, to provide premium
quality and to be resilient, able to overcome setbacks. If we do these four things well our customers will involve us. We hear this loudly.
GE, he continues, has a reputation for best
practice in the supply chain, and Avio is pushing hard to learn from that experience. Such
change is not fast, he says much of Avios
work is in big, legacy programmes but the
benet of joining GE is already showing.
Weekly meetings of GE plant managers are a
case in point. As Ranza notes, when you have
one or two factories you dont know how well
you are doing. But when the data shows you
are performing poorly on any measure compared with 100 peers, you have no place to
hide. One of the issues exercising GE and
Avio minds, of course, is how to manage the
transition to a next generation of engines and a
next generation of technology. As Ranza sees
it, a key to that future will be to make huge
gains in weight, performance and cost by exploiting 3D printing to its full potential, which
means to build the technology into the original
design. With additive techniques it is possible
to make shapes that would be difcult to create
by traditional subtractive methods.
This is why GE is already printing Leap high
pressure blades, which need to be hollow to
allow for the internal ow of cooling air.
RADICAL REDUCTION
By putting material only where it is needed,
radical weight reduction is possible. Ranza
likes the example of an internal contest to cut
weight of existing structures; the winner devised a 3D-printed engine bracket that was
84% lighter than a part Avio currently makes.
And, an obvious objective is to reduce part
counts, further reducing weight, complexity
and assembly time.
Back in the present day, Avios main site at
Rivalta di Torino is part of what was once a
huge factory complex run by long-time parent
Fiat, which has largely abandoned the site a
sign of the decline of what was once an empire
that made Turin, effectively, a company town.
Between the headquarters and transmissions factory, which is a major specialist in
gears, the plant is home to 2,000 Avio workers. The plant is state-of-the-art, designed just
a decade ago and capable of being recongured or outright expanded. Indeed, special
machinery being installed in a stand-alone
sector of the plant to satisfy the P&WC deal for
PW800 components is described as the most
exotic available, and probably more automated than anything comparable in aerospace.
Ranza, meanwhile, reckons that in four or
ve years time a new generation of 3D machines will be available that are big enough to
make some large components like engine
structures that are currently made by Avios
sand casting unit. Maybe 5% of an engine
could be printed by then, he says. But this
technology has signicant potential because
the eld of application is so broad.
Even if additive manufacturing fulls its
potential, that leaves much for Rivalta to be
working on. But, go forward 20 years and will
any plant like this one still exist, or will aerospace look like Cameri? Nobody really knows,
of course, but if nothing else it would be a
great irony if Turin, whose recent fortunes
have been battered by the struggles of an icon
of that 20th Century industrial symbol, the
automobile, should be a birthplace of the disruptive technology of the new century.
DEMA
Tough at
the top
The aerostructures specialist has

met its goal of reaching the
summit of the supply chain, but
not without some challenges
MURDO MORRISON NAPLES
ecoming a tier one in the aerospace supply

chain is a tough business, and the 21-year
rise of Dema from $2 million-turnover boutique design house to one of Italys foremost
aerostructures players has not been without
growing pains.
Alongside a succession of acquisitions and
investment in facilities and equipment have
been nancial wobbles, as delays to two key
programmes the Boeing 787 and Bombardier CSeries forced a restructure and put the
brakes on bullish revenue projections.
However, with 787 production ramping up
Dema this year won its rst direct contract
with Boeing the CSeries ying again and contract wins on other programmes, chairman,
chief executive and main shareholder Vincenzo Starace believes the company has been
through the pain barrier. Turnover, he says,
should more than double to 130 million
($163 million) over the next few years without
further major investment.
Naples-based Dema short for Design Manufacturing was formed in 1993 to carry out
engineering projects for the countrys domestic
airframers, including the then-Alenia Aeronautica and AgustaWestland. For its rst decade or so, it did this with modest success.
However, it changed strategic tack around
2005 when it moved into production with the
target of becoming a tier one and a private equity fund bought into its stock, providing the
impetus for a growth spurt.
Being tier one is an honour,

but also a risk. You have to be
able to cope with the ramp-up
VINCENZO STARACE
Chairman and chief executive, Dema
At the time, Alenia one of Boeings main

tier-one partners on the new 787 Dreamliner
was gearing up for production, and putting its
own beefed-up supply chain in place. Dema
had just won a build-to-print contract for work
on the section 44 fuselage. To meet demands
from Alenia and push for work from other
manufacturers, Dema doubled the size of a
flightglobal.com
ITALY
Dema
SPECIAL REPORT
An agreement with creditors has allowed Dema to refocus on production activities
metal fabrication factory it had acquired

in Somma Vesuviana, near Naples, and bought
another nearby precision engineering rm.
Continuing work from other parts of the Finmeccanica group led it to set up a production
plant in Brindisi, southeast Italy, to assemble
helicopter cabins for AgustaWestland. And as
part of a strategy to expand its customer base
outside Italy, Dema began establishing an overseas footprint, opening with a local investor a
joint venture in 2010 in Tunis called Dema
Tunisia or Demat to build composite products for Alenia.
Dema had already made a move into Canada
in 2004, with an engineering facility in Montreal to tap Bell Helicopter, Pratt & Whitney
Canada and Bombardier. That commitment
was rewarded in 2008 with its rst direct contract from Bombardier, to produce parts for the
CRJ1000 regional jet. A year later, it was asked
to build the cockpit on the CSeries, and last
year added the Learjet 85 and the Global
7000/8000 to its growing portfolio with the Canadian airframer.
These wins, together with lower-tier contracts with Sogerma of Belgium and Czech rm
Aero Vodochody, have helped Dema broaden
its customer base and push towards its ambition of having half of its business from nonItalian customers. We have a very young relationship with these new companies, so 60% is
still from Italy, says Starace. But as the 787,

CSeries, Globals and Pratt programmes ramp
up, we should achieve our business strategy of
a 50:50 split.
Dema employs 900 staff, including 200 graduate engineers, and last year its turnover was
60 million. However, this is considerably less
than the 100 million-plus turnover it had
been projecting for now four years ago. At that
time, Dema had been anticipating a much faster return on the tens of millions of euros in investment it had made in the CSeries and 787,
and last year the board was forced into a debt
restructuring with its creditors.
FINANCIAL TENSION
We decided to resolve the nancial tension
and presented the bank with a strong business
plan, says Starace. Out-of-court agreements
were reached with creditors which ranged
from the tax and social security authorities to
nancial institutions and suppliers to settle
60% of its debts, with the plan approved by Italys bankruptcy court in March this year. It
meant Dema could clear its crippling liabilities
and focus on delivering its programmes.
Starace insists Dema followed the only path
it could. Were we right? If we hadnt invested
[in the 787], we wouldnt be here, he says.
Now Dema is up to speed with the programme, producing 13 shipsets a month for the
-8 and -9 variants. He is proud of Demas relationship with Seattle. Boeing began talking
about Dema becoming a direct supplier at the
end of 2013 on work previously carried out
by Alenia Aermacchi. Dema signed its rst
contract in March and a second in July.
The CSeries presents a different challenge.
With certication now scheduled for late 2015
and production unlikely to start seriously gearing up until well into 2016, Bombardier and its
supply chain have a long wait for revenue from
the programme to begin coming in. However,
once the CSeries starts being assembled, says
Starace, a different problem emerges, with
suppliers having to meet a fast ramp-up as impatient customers demand their aircraft.
Fortunately, Dema also has a number of mature programmes that it has been able to rely on
throughout its recent turmoil. This includes
production on AgustaWestland helicopters,
the horizontal stabiliser for ATR 72s Dema
produces 10 a month for ATR co-owner Alenia
Aermacchi and some 13 shipsets a month of
oor sections for the Airbus A321. We have
been very fortunate to have this stable work,
Starace admits.
Helping Starace manage the ramp-up is one
of Italys most experienced programme and
corporate managers. Massimo Lucchesini
joined Dema in March after a 42-year career
with Finmeccanica companies, latterly as chief
operating ofcer of Alenia Aermacchi. The
67-year-old admits that Dema has a very demanding plan for the next three years with revenues increasing 15-20% a year, but says both
Boeing and Bombardier have condence that
Dema can make a very good tier one.
For Starace, the next few years will be ones
of consolidation and focusing on core business. The company, he says, will be cautious
about taking on contracts as it concentrates on
delivery. Dema has achieved its strategy of
moving up the value chain and contracting directly with some of the industrys biggest
names. However, this sort of transformation is
never easy, he admits. Being tier one is an
honour, but also a risk, he says. You have to
be able to cope with the ramp-up.
Dema
Dema has facilities for

composite manufacturing as
well as traditional metal shops
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ITALY
SPECIAL REPORT
SELEX ES
Unsung
heroes
Selex ESs portfolio of sensors

and mission systems ensures the
company will remain a key cog
in the Finmeccanica machine
DOMINIC PERRY NERVIANO
f the cluster of aerospace and defence assembly plants clustered around Milan,
Selex ESs facility at Nerviano is perhaps the
hardest to quantify.
For example, Alenia Aermacchis factory at
Venegono Superiore makes jet trainers and
the Vergiate plant of AgustaWestland churns
out helicopters both highly visible, tangible
end products. The Selex site, on the other
hand, makes a huge number of components
that are invariably tucked away underneath
the skin of aircraft radars, mission systems,
sensors and so on. That those systems are
vital is not in dispute, however, they tend to
be overshadowed by the platform they are installed on.
Nonetheless, Selex continues to be a vital
part of Finmeccanica. So far in 2014 trading
has been positive, with Selex in the nine
months to end-September recording earnings
before interest, taxation and amortisation
(EBITA) of 63 million ($79 million) on revenue of 2.2 billion, against gures of 20 million and 2.2 billion for the same period a
year earlier.
Selex says 2014 has been a year of progress and it is on track to achieve this years
results target. This is despite business having been difcult to forecast, it admits.
Lets say that we have had some positive
surprises and some downsides too, because
its quite difcult to get the schedule of this
because the process of procurement all
around the world has been quite difcult and
quite protracted, to a certain extent, the rm
says.
TENSIONS
Inevitably, restraint in defence spending has
played its part, as have geopolitical tensions
between Ukraine and Russia, for example.
So some prospects are on hold, the company adds.
One area of growth, however, is the market
for unmanned air vehicles, which Selex
manufactures in its plant near Trieste in
Italys northeast. Its sister company Alenia
Aermacchi also has interests in UAV manufacturing. To avoid conict, the rule handed
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Selex ES
Selexs Captor-E AESA radar forms part of an upgrade to the Eurofighter Typhoon
down some years ago by parent company Finmeccanica limits Selex to building UAVs
with a maximum take-off weight of 1t beyond that it is Alenias territory (albeit frequently utilising Selex avionics and sensors).
At the moment the largest platform Selex produces is the 650kg Falco Evo, but the company says it could potentially add a bigger UAV
to its range, as that remaining 350kg means
there is still room for growth. However,
there is as yet no dened business case for a
new product.
That said, Selex already has an interest in a
larger platform, through its contribution to
the development of fellow Italian rm Piaggio
Aeros P.1HH Hammerhead an unmanned
variant of its P180 turboprop. Selex provides
the avionics, mission management system,
sensors and ground station.
That level of systems integration is something Selex thinks will stand it in good stead
for the future.
This package of capabilities is something
that we are aiming to make available to other
platform manufacturers too, it says. Selex
also points out that the Hammerhead is the
only European medium-altitude, long-endurance UAV that has already seen signicant
work started.
And although there is still a drive by countries to acquire unmanned air systems, Selex
has also seen a trend towards service contracts the equivalent of an aircraft wet
lease, where the manufacturer provides the
UAVs, ground station and operators for a
xed period. Customers dont have to invest
heavily in an asset that will only be used
Selex AESA Maritime radars have been

fitted to US Coast Guard C-130s
Saab Gripen NG will use Skyward IRTS kit
ATOS mission systems equip the ATR MPA

ITALY
SPECIAL REPORT
Selex ES
Selex is operating a Falco

Evo unmanned air system
for the UN in DR Congo
for a nite period of time, it says. In addition, Selex is also active in adapting its
range of mini- and micro-UAV platforms for
civil use. The non-military market including space represents just 10% of revenue at
present, but Selex is anxious to tap into an
area of potential growth.
Meanwhile, at Nerviano the focus is very
much on radars. The facility designs and produces mechanically scanned array radars
such as the Grifo for combat aircraft. The
company has sold around 450 units since its
introduction in 1991, on a variety of platforms including the Dassault Mirage III and
Northrop F-5. Although clearly an older-generation product, there remains continued interest in the Grifo, says Selex not least
through the potential for upgrade work.
We were thinking some years ago that the
[Grifo] market could shrink, but in reality its
not completely true due to the big cuts in
defence spending there is interest in keeping
older platforms for a longer period, it says.
The market for retrots is not a large one,
and no new Grifos are currently being assem-
bled, but we hope to have something in

place by year-end. The company has, however, tested the installation of the Grifo on
Alenias M-346 trainer, which could suggest
future potential should the jet be offered as a
light combat type.
Due to the big cuts in

defence spending there is
interest in keeping older
platforms for a longer period
SELEX ES
A number of other products round out

Nervianos capabilities. The rst is the Gabbiano radar, which is suited to intelligence,
surveillance and reconaissance, search and
rescue and maritime patrol missions. Selex
boasts that the latest iteration is lighter, more
compact and cheaper. It can also be installed
on helicopters and has been proposed by
AgustaWestland as part of its bid for a 70-unit
order for the Polish armed forces.

Its Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance (ATOS) mission management system,
which combines radar with other electro-optical sensors and workstations, has had reasonable success in the maritime patrol segment.
Cobham, for example, utilises a modied Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 tted with ATOS on contract to the Australian Customs Service under
the Coastwatch programme. The system is also
installed on the ATR 42 MPAs operated by the
Italian coastguard.
The rms experience in integrating these
sensor inputs also led to the development of its
SkyISTAR mission management system for
UAVs. Infrared track and search systems are
also produced, for instance its Pirate equipment is tted to the Euroghter Typhoon, while
a similar system, Skyward, will equip Saabs
Gripen NG.
Although there still remains some uncertainty on what the reshaped Finmeccanica will
look like, with the focus now much more on
aerospace and defence, there is no doubt that
Selex will continue to play an integral role.
CIRA
RESEARCH INSTITUTE LEADS THE WAY IN NURTURING AEROSPACE GROWTH

INAUSPICIOUSLY SITED amid farmland north of Naples, the Italian
Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA)
has for 30 years been one of
Europes leading institutions of its
type, carrying out studies into everything from the effects of icing on
aircraft wings to simulating the thermal conditions of space vehicles
re-entering the Earths atmosphere
at impressive test facilities.
Created in 1984 to manage the
Italian governments aerospace
research programme, CIRA boasts
what it describes as the worlds

largest and most modern icing
windtunnel. The facility, housed in a
giant hangar, generates artificial
clouds to simulate every possible
natural icing condition, with air
speeds up to 430kt (800km/h),
temperatures down to -40C (-40F)
and altitudes of up to 21,000ft.
In another large, standalone building, researchers are working out what
sort of thermal protection spacecraft
need when they return from orbit.
Here, CIRA claims another first its
Scirocco device is the largest plasma

windtunnel in the world. Nearby is the
worlds largest aerospace laboratory
for open-air crash tests.
CIRA, which has 320 staff, is
government owned, with a range of
Italian aerospace companies holding a minority of shares, but the
majority of its customers come
from overseas. Apart from being
heavily involved in various European
space projects over the years, its
clients have ranged from NASA to
the Chinese Aerospace Academy.
CIRA also plays a role in nurturing

aerospace entrepreneurs. Italy has
fewer high-tech start-ups and spinoffs than most other advanced countries. A technology incubation project
allows new businesses to develop
their ideas using CIRAs laboratories
and research facilities, leveraging
the assistance of CIRA researchers
and a network of Italian universities.
The scheme has already supported
11 new companies with products
ranging from ultra-light helicopters to
environmental monitoring sensors.
flightglobal.com
ITALY
SPECIAL REPORT
A piece
of history
With an engine supplier on board,

Alenia Aermacchis M-345 HET is
progressing and will form a vital
part of the airframers philosophy
DOMINIC PERRY MILAN
ucked away in a hangar just off Alenia Aermacchis trainer assembly line at Venegono
Superiore in the north of Italy is an aircraft
that is part of the companys more-than-100year history, but which will also form a key
part of its future.
The aircraft in question is an M-311, currently painted in the distinctive livery of Italys Frecce Tricolori aerobatic display team.
The M-311 is ultimately derived from the
S.211 a turbofan-powered trainer originally
produced by SIAI Marchetti, then Aermacchi,
and now, following the consolidation of Italys
aerospace industry, Alenia Aermacchi. In
many ways, it is the recent history of the nations aeronautical sector in microcosm.
Regardless of which, Alenia hopes to leverage that history and give a new lease of life to
the platform as the M-345 HET (High Efciency Trainer). Broadly speaking, it takes the
same basic airframe as the M-311 but adds
new avionics and Williams International FJ44
engines to replace the original Pratt & Whitney
Canada JT15Ds.
COMMITMENT
Alenia forecasts a market of some 250 units for
the M-345, with Italy likely to be rst in the
queue. Although there is no order in place yet,
Rome has expressed a tentative commitment
for up to 30 examples, with a number destined
for the Frecce Tricolori to replace the teams
aged MB-339 jets.
The M-311 lurking in the Venegono hangar
is the demonstrator aircraft that will effectively serve as the initial ight-test and certication prototype. The new Williams powerplants will be installed over the coming
months. Some very limited redesign activity will be required, as air intakes and nacelles will need minor adjustment, says
Alenia Aermacchi.
First ight of the recongured aircraft is anticipated for the nal quarter of 2015 and newbuild prototypes would then arrive from the
end of 2016, ahead of likely service entry with
the Italian air force in 2017.
The M-345 will t in a niche, the company
thinks, between basic screener aircraft and
bigger lead-in ghter trainers such as its own
flightglobal.com
M-346. That segment is largely occupied by

high-speed turboprops such as the Pilatus
PC-21, which gained popularity in part on
cost grounds. But, says an Alenia executive,
potential customers may be having a change
of heart.
We think this aircraft is mature and is on
the market at the right time. Many air forces
that were in love with high-performance turboprops are starting to realise that no matter if
it is pushed to the limit, it will never reach the
performance of a real jet, he says.
In addition, he suggests that the nancial
argument no longer adds up the increased
complexity of systems and engines means that
a modern turboprops operating cost is much
closer to that of the M-345 he claims. Plus,
some of the training activity previously limited to the larger and more costly jet trainers
can be shifted to the smaller, single-engined
aircraft, generating further savings. To give an
example of the potential for cost-cutting, Alenia suggests that the M-345 is around one-
third cheaper to operate per hour than its bigger brother.

Overall, the M-345 ts neatly into Alenias
philosophy for trainer aircraft, which is to provide what it describes as a total training system. Of course it is not alone in this outlook,
but it says it is best placed to provide to a
customer everything from the very beginning
to operational conversion.
At the bottom of the range is the SF-260, a
turboprop-powered screener and basic trainer
brought in as part of the incorporation of SIAI
Marchetti. However, customers for the 1960sera type have dwindled, with Alenias backlog
comprising a nal six examples for an undisclosed African nation.
Faced with this situation and the challenge
posed by new-generation types such as the
Grob Aircraft G120TP and Airbus Defence &
Space PZL-130 Orlik, Alenia is now thinking
about a clean-sheet replacement for the dated
design. Although it says it is only at the brainstorming stage for the programme, it intends
Alenia Aermacchi
ALENIA AERMACCHI
In all, 56 orders for the M-346 have been taken from Israel, Italy, Poland and Singapore
ITALY
Alenia Aermacchi
SPECIAL REPORT
The M-345 builds on Alenias long history of trainer production, adding a new Williams engine and avionics to the existing M-311
to work with the Italian air force to dene

the requirement.
We are starting to think about an aircraft
that will be more or less in the same class,
says the Alenia executive. The new aircraft
would have a similarly sized engine and maximum take-off weight to the SF-260, but it
would feature a carbonbre fuselage. The
company says it hopes development activity
can begin in the next two to three years.
But for all the plans further down the
weight range, Alenias most important product
remains the M-346. It has yet to sell in vast
numbers, having so far garnered a total of 56
orders from four nations, but the customers it
has attracted are generally regarded as some of
the worlds more demanding air forces.
FABRICATION
Singapore has taken delivery of all 12 of its
aircraft, which are currently based at Cazaux
air base in the south of France, and both Italy
and Israel have begun receiving some of their
orders for six and 30 M-346s, respectively.
Additionally, fabrication of long lead-time
items for Polands eight aircraft has begun
ahead of handover of the rst example, scheduled for 2016.
Some 600 sales of the Honeywell F124powered type are targeted over a 30-year period. Alenia still hopes that the United Arab
Emirates will eventually come on board as a
buyer, rming up a tentative agreement for 48
jets dating from 2009. They have not dropped
the discussion; it is just frozen, says an Alenia executive. France, too, may also be inter36 | Flight International | 11-17 November 2014
ested in the type, driven by an increasingly

pressing need to replace its eet of aged Dassault-Breguet Alpha Jets. A delegation from
the French air force and the nations DGA procurement body travelled to Italy in late September to evaluate the M-346, and, as an
Alenia executive points out, French pilots can
see the type operating on almost a daily basis
at Cazaux.
We think this aircraft is

mature and is on the
market at the right time
ALENIA AERMACCHI
However, the biggest potential sale would

be to the US Air Force to replace its Northrop
T-38 Talons. The nascent T-X programme envisions a requirement for around 350 jets, and
Alenia has announced an intention to partner
with General Dynamics for the bid.
The T-X programme is snarled in budget
wrangles, however, and although Alenia remains hopeful, it does not see a rm timeframe for the contest.
Nonetheless, it believes that with the increasing complexity of combat types, there
will be a growing need for trainers that can accurately mimic the performance of the aircraft
and their systems.
This is the challenge the M-346 addresses.
It is an aircraft that gets closer to the performance of a frontline ghter and the same level
of sophistication, or at least being able to simu-
late and train the pilot well before he begins

the conversion on to whatever, says a company executive.
CLASSROOM AIDS
Completing Alenias offering is a suite of
ground-based training systems, including full
ight simulators and other classroom aids.
Alenia points out that up to eight aircraft and
two simulators can be linked simultaneously
to the network to allow tactical scenarios to be
played out, with other students able watch in
real time on computer screens.
That way you can really exploit all their
training time, says Alenia. Additionally, tutors are able to replay and review the action
immediately, allowing a scenario to be repeated without the need to return to base rst, cutting wasted time.
That all adds up, Alenia says, pointing out
that Israel expects it will be able to cut six
months from its training syllabus for each
pilot when it has fully switched to the M-346
and its associated systems.
Back in the relative quiet of the assembly
line, ve aircraft are in various stages of
production. The plant is turning out two aircraft every month but could easily increase
this to four or even eight if more workstations are added.
Efciency tweaks, most recently automated
wing drilling, are constantly being brought to
the line to improve its performance. The capacity for growth is clearly there.
Now all Alenia needs to do is bring in some
more of those elusive orders.
flightglobal.com
TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
DOMINIC PERRY LONDON

CUTAWAY DRAWING TIM HALL
f everything goes to plan and Bell

Helicopter delivers its rst 525 Relentless
in 2016 to an as-yet unannounced
customer, it will mark the end of the rst
chapter in the battle for market supremacy in
the emerging segment for super-medium
rotorcraft. Rivals AgustaWestland and Airbus
Helicopters have already attained certication
of their offerings in the weight class with the
AW189 and EC175, respectively, so to some
extent Bell is playing catch-up. Of course the
company argues that the 525 will be worth
waiting for offering a higher maximum takeoff weight (MTOW), better performance and
reliability and, with a cockpit kitted out with
the latest avionics and y-by-wire (FBW) controls, massively enhanced safety.
Of course, at this point in the development
with rst ight still several months away
those performance characteristics are still at
the theoretical stage, but Bell remains condent. It has already raised the maximum speed
and range on one previous occasion and still
remains coy on the MTOW gure, merely saying it will be north of 19,300lb or 8.75t
suggesting a further bump at certication.
But to fully appreciate what Bell is trying to
achieve, it is worth considering the drivers
behind the evolution of the new segment. All
three rotorcraft manufacturers are pitching
their super-mediums primarily at operators
working in offshore oil and gas transportation,
with search and rescue the second target market. Growth in oil and gas has been characterised by the movement of exploration facilities
further offshore, requiring more capable rotorcraft to service them. That has given a boost to
sales of heavy rotorcraft essentially the
EC225 and Sikorsky S-92 but has also led to
a requirement for something larger and more
capable than a typical intermediate helicopter
such as the 12-passenger, 6.8t AW139.
That was the message the industry
delivered to Bell when it embarked upon the
initial studies for the programme in 2009. Its
customer advisory panel (CAP) featured operators representing all major segments, says
Bell senior vice-president of commercial
programmes Matt Hasik. And although the airframer knew from the outset it would be a
medium-twin or medium-plus-type aircraft
regular contact with the CAP over the early
months meant it was able to nalise and crystallise the key value proposition and
characteristics of the aircraft. Hasik goes so
far as to suggest that customers have their ngerprints on the design of this aircraft.
One of things that we heard from a number
of our oil and gas customers was the landscape
of the oil and gas market was changing, and
potentially changing quite dramatically, over
WORTH
ITS WAIT
Competitors have been faster off the blocks,

but Bell Helicopter hopes it will offer a superior
rotorcraft with its super-medium 525 Relentless
the next 10 years, he says.
We wanted to ensure that we were designing and developing and ying an aircraft with
superior productivity and economics. Thats
where the size and capability of the 525 as a
super-medium really ts well for us.
At the time of the 525s launch at the 2012
Heli-Expo show, AgustaWestland and what
was then Eurocopter had already shown their
hands with their super-medium helicopters,
so Bell had reasonable visibility on where to
place the Relentless.
During the design process, a number of

factors
were
addressed,
including
performance, reliability, in-cabin comfort,
safety and ease and cost of maintenance.
Across every single one of these dimensions,
it will be a best-in-class machine, says Hasik.
In the offshore market, safety has not been
far from the headlines recently, with a focus in
particular on the North Sea. Hasik points out
that of the 11 design recommendations contained in the UK Civil Aviation Authoritys
CAP 1145 report issued earlier this year, the
BELL HELICOPTER 525 RELENTLESS

Specication
Cruise speed (at max gross weight)

Maximum gross weight
Range at VLRC* (oil and gas conguration)
Engines
Standard seating
High-density seating
Standard fuel
Passenger cabin height
Passenger cabin oor area
Baggage compartment volume
155kt (287km/h)
8,750kg (19,300lb)
500nm (926km)
2 x General Electric CT7-2F1
2 crew plus 16 passengers
1 or 2 crew plus 20 passengers
2,460 litres (650USgal)
54in (137cm)
8.2m2 (88ft2)
3.6m3 (128ft3)
SOURCE: Bell Helicopter NOTE: *Maximum gross weight, sea level, 18A+20, standard fuel, JAROPS fuel reserves
flightglobal.com
BELL 525 RELENTLESS
window with less worry than you might

normally have. Tactile cues, like those found
on modern xed-wing transport aircraft, have
also been added to the controls, allowing the
pilot to receive simple feedback about what
the helicopter is doing.
Another notable safety feature is triple
redundancy on all the hydraulic actuators
moving the critical rotor components. Even
in the eventuality of a twin failure, the pilot
retains sufcient authority to y the aircraft
safely, says Hasik.
We wanted to ensure we
were designing... an aircraft
with superior productivity
The 525 will be the first commercial

helicopter to use fly-by-wire controls
525 is already compliant with 10 of them.

(For the record, the only one that it and every
other helicopter cannot meet is the requirement for oatation devices at the top of the fuselage). Stability is ensured through the design
of its oatation system and a low centre of
gravity, says Hasik. Bell has tested a scale
model of the 525 at sea state 6 for standard
wave forms and sea state 5 for the uneven
wave form (the maximum sea state currently
available on the test rig). In both cases it
passed without problem, he says.
Passengers seated in the four rows of four
seats all have easy access to large doors on
either side of the fuselage, enabling easy exit.
No passenger is more than one seat away
from the outside of this helicopter, says
Hasik. Elsewhere, the cockpit combines the
all-new Garmin G5000H avionics suite and
touchscreen displays with Bells developedin-house y-by-wire controls. It will be the
rst, and for some time the only, commercial
helicopter to employ FBW technology, with
other manufacturers shying away from the
complexity inherent in its development. However, Bell feels that with its several decades of
experience behind it notably on the Bell
flightglobal.com
Boeing V-22 Osprey and AW609 tiltrotors it

can afford to take a risk, albeit a calculated
one, on the 525.
When we stepped back and listened to our
customers about their requirements for
productivity, safety and reliability, and the
kind of things pilots have to do in harsh
operating environments, whether landing on a
helipad at night in bad weather or performing a
SAR mission deep offshore, the capabilities yby-wire provides are game-changing in terms of
the commercial helicopter today, says Hasik.
He describes the sidestick controls as
simple and intuitive and a natural evolution of the systems on the AW609 and V-22.
Its like having something better than a fouraxis autopilot on all the time.
A pilot can initiate a turn, and even retrim
the rotorcraft on the way into it, and the
helicopter will maintain the attitude, heading,
and speed even if you are nowhere near the
controls, he says. It will prove particularly
benecial in high-workload situations where
task saturation becomes an issue, Hasik says,
adding that with the FBW system, you can
very easily put the aircraft into a very safe
operating condition and put eyes out of the
Bell Helicopter
MATT HASIK
Senior vice-president commercial programmes, Bell
The cockpit features an unusual layout in

that the pilots have no doors. Instead, their
seats release backwards and pivot along what
Bell calls its J-Track a J-shaped seat track
to allow them to exit the aircraft through the
main cabin doors. This allows the creation of a
much more unobstructed eld of view in
the front of the aircraft. The absence of cockpit
doors and associated structures has removed
weight, as well as what Hasik calls a maintenance headache.
Power on the 525 comes from a pair of
2,000shp (1,500kW) General Electric
CT7-2F1s, a variant of the engines installed on
the AW189. The GE powerplants were
selected, says Hasik, for two reasons. First, a
long history of service with the US military
aboard Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawks has
shown the engine to be mature, easy to
maintain and reliable, even in difcult
operating conditions. It makes it extremely
suitable for this application for a commercial
segment where harsh environments are the
norm, says Hasik. The other reason, he adds,
is customer demand: We had some very specic input from a number of operators which
suggested there was a strong desire for the
incorporation of GE engines.
Those turboshafts drive a fully articulated,
ve-blade main rotor with a 55ft (16.7m)
diameter and a four-blade tail rotor both fabricated by Bell from carbonbre via a total of
seven gearboxes. These are designed to work
as efciently as possible in the event of a loss
of lubrication, and Hasik says the company is
condent that the 525 will not only meet but
exceed the 30min main gearbox dry-run
capability required for certication. Special
nishing operations have been used to
produce the surfaces of the gear to maximise
the ability to operate with reduced lubrication.
Additionally, the gearbox design eliminates
the high-speed planetary phase, therefore
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BELL 525 RELENTLESS
Search and rescue is a second

target market for the new 525
flightglobal.com
Bell has pitched the Relentless squarely at the offshore transportation industry
the design of the very deep tail boom without
adding signicantly to the overall mass. That
depth is crucial, however, as it has allowed
Bell to create an aerofoil from the tail boom
what it calls the Lift Assisted Tail Design
which harnesses the downwash from the
main rotors to provide additional anti-torque
control, reducing workload for the tail rotor.
Composite has also been employed in and
around the cabin notably in the supporting
structure to minimise the possibility of
corrosion inherent in operating in a highly
corrosive saltwater environment. Passenger
comfort has also featured high on Bells list of
priorities, with the standard 16-passenger conguration featuring 20in-wide Mecaer-designed seating. Bell also offers a 20-passenger,
high-density variant with 16in-wide seats.
Although the planned rst ight of the 525

has slipped to early 2015 from late 2014, Hasik
is condent the programme is largely on track.
The rst ight-test article is being put together
at its facility in Amarillo, Texas, with assembly
due to nish by the end of the yeare. The mainand tail-rotor components are currently being
produced along with the gearbox. Safety-ofight testing will be under way shortly as Bell
begins the countdown to the maiden sortie.
Bell Helicopter
COMPELLING ECONOMICS
We did a tremendous amount of homework
on operating economics and productivity to
ensure we put an aircraft together that met
customer expectations for deep offshore
missions, says Hasik, who suggests it makes
more sense to measure the 525s productivity
as airlines do with commercial aircraft on a
cost-per-seat-mile basis. Being able to move a
large number of people on a deep-water
mission means the economics are
compelling. He also argues that in some circumstances the 525 will be able to outcompete the 12t helicopters in the weight
category above it, through offering both better
payload/range and lower fuel burn.
The 525s hybrid composite-aluminium
fuselage around 50% is carbonbre
enables weight saving over an all-metal
construction. This proved vital in achieving
Bell Helicopter
removing a signicant source of heat generation. The gearbox also contains a case-toring gear joint designed to efciently transmit
heat away from the box. Hasik points to Bells
most recent transmission developed for the
429, which continued to operate for just shy of
4h in a complete run-dry scenario. A small design tweak has also reduced the possibility of a
loss of lubrication in the rst place, with Bell
attaching the main oil cooler directly to the
gearbox, so there are no lines or hoses to connect or conversely to come loose. Its a simple thing, but its a design feature that helps to
reduce the possibility of a leak within the system, says Hasik.
What all that power should give the
Relentless is Category A performance at
maximum gross weight. That includes a
maximum fuel load of 1.9t based on the standard 2,460-litre (650USgal) fuel tanks, two pilots and 16 passengers in the baseline oil and
gas conguration. If a customer wants to trade
payload for range, it will be able to y eight
passengers 500nm (925km), compared with
250nm for 16 passengers.
PATIENCE
The second ying prototype is following hot
on the rsts heels, with the third further back
due to the need to rst produce a ground-test
vehicle for installation on an iron bird rig. A
further two test machines will eventually join
the eet, although the latter pair will be closer
to the eventual production conguration.
Hasik says Bell has been impressed with the
benets that 3D design has conferred on the
production process. Its been phenomenal
how well parts have been coming together
and tting together in terms of t and nish
thats been unprecedented in our experience.
But remembering that the 525s design has
been driven by its customers, Bell is not
neglecting them. A meeting of the CAP is due
in December to review the progress and see
the rst aircraft coming together. It may not be
available next week, but Hasik is convinced
patience is a virtue in this case.
What we have tried to outline for our
customers are the reasons why its worth waiting, he says.
Cutaway P42
BELL 525 CUTAWAY
FLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL
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Reach new heights in 2015 with training

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Play a vital role training Royal Air Force and Royal Navy aircrew
Ascent Flight Training is the training design and delivery organisation created through a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and
Babcock International. Appointed as the UK MoDs Training Service Partner in 2008, Ascent has a 25-year contract to provide a United
Kingdom Military Flying Training System (UKMFTS) for the UKs Armed Forces. Two training pipelines are in operation and Ascent seeks
high calibre staff to fulfil two key roles immediately. Skilled staff will be required for further roles in 2015.
Ascent General Manager RAF Valley

Competitive Salary
Anglesey
You will work in the state-of-the-art Moran Schoolhouse at RAF Valley.

You will be responsible for the delivery of the Fast Jet ab-initio pilot
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Training System Manager Committed

Programmes
Competitive Salary
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You will be responsible for the entire syllabi and courseware for Fast
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for ensuring that the Learner is firmly at the centre of our vision for
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Ascent Aircrew Training Specialists

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In 2015 Ascent will be recruiting a number of Aircrew Training Specialists for a variety of roles in Elementary Flying Training; Basic Fast Jet
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Experience in VIP flights is an advantage
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High commitment to impeccable service
Exceptional standard of professional excellence, discretion and integrity
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Maximum age 35, single
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1 Full length photograph in business attire with plain background (must be less than 6 months old)
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Type Rating Instructors
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ATPL Theoretical Knowledge

Aircraft Type Technical
Airbus A320 and A330

Boeing - all types
TRI and TRE Course
Command Course
MPL - all phases

MCC and JOC
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Flight Instructor
RECRUITMENT
EXCELLENCE PERSONIFIED
If you have the talents that we seek with a keen commitment to excellence and you
would like to join our inspirational company working alongside great colleagues and highly
motivated trainees, then wed love to hear from you.
Please send us your current CV and a covering letter outlining the position(s) for which you
are specically suited: careers@ctcaviation.com.
(*RATING PAID BY CHINA SOUTHERN)
B-777/A-330 Experienced Captains are invited to join one of the world largest airline with
a fleet of over 400 aircraft including the state of the art B-777, B-787 and A-380.
We are committed to find the most experienced Pilots.
European Bases: (FRA, AMS) as well as other bases in LHR,MEL, BNE, AKL and CDG
can be offered to those who wish to get closer to their home country or a base in
Guangzhou/China is also available for those who wish to discover this part of the world.
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Bond Air Services is a leading provider of mission-critical helicopter
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25 helicopters operate from bases across England, Wales, Scotland and
Ireland helping save lives and protect communities every day.
Bond Air Services is part of Babcock International Group, a global
provider of critical asset, infrastructure and training support.
Annual Financial Package is as followed: USD 216,000 if based in China and USD 156,240
if based based outside China.
The role will be based at the company headquarters at Gloucestershire

Airport.
Only applicants meeting the below minimum requirements will be considered:
The successful candidate will:
B-777 & A-330

RATED:
NON RATED:
(B-767/757/ B-737NG)
NON RATED:
(A-320/ A-340)
RATED AND NONRATED APPLICANTS:
55 YEARS OLD
50 YEARS OLD
53 YEARS OLD
(at the time of joining)
Last flight on type within

the past 12 months
6,000 HRS TOTAL

TIME
6,000 HRS TOTAL

TIME
6,000 HRS TOTAL

TIME
Must hold an ICAO license
1,000 B-777/A330
PIC HRS ON
TYPE
2,000 PIC HRS ON

NON RATED A/C
TYPE
2,000 PIC HRS ON

NON RATED A/C
TYPE
Must be from a country

with Diplomatic Relations
with China
Interested candidate are invited to sent a detailed CV with clear copies of the following
documents*: Passport, License, Medical.
*any inquiry without copies of those documents will not be entertain.
Please sent your CV and documents to:
meifeng.li@aerocrewchina.com
with cc to:
bill@aerocrewchina.com
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crewmembers.
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with instrument rating, preferably in a type operated by Bond Air
Services.
For a full list of requirements please visit
www.bondaviationgroup.com
This is a full time position that offers an attractive remuneration package
to the successful applicant. If you would like to be considered for this
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covering letter to:
generalrecruitment@bondaviationgroup.com
Closing date for applications Friday 28 November 2014
flightglobal.com
B-777 /A-330 EXPERIENCED CAPTAINS

RATED AND NON RATED*
Tel: +353 1 669 8224

Fax: +353 1 669 8201
Email:recruitment@sigmaaviationservices.com
recruitment@sigmaaviationservices.com
Email:
www.sigmaaviationservices.com
www.sigmaaviationservices.com
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WORKING WEEK
WORK EXPERIENCE GUY HOBDAY
Establishing routes into Europe

What is it that rst attracted
you to aviation?
Part of my childhood was spent
in Zambia, where my father was
a voluntary pilot for the charity
Mission Medic Air ying doctors and nurses to remote hospitals. Thats where I developed
my rst love of aircraft. I have
many fond memories of time
spent in the co-pilots seat, and
my dad would sometimes let me
take the controls. I believe it is
important to work in an industry
that you are passionate about.
Tell us about your career to date
I started as a young recruiter
working for SAC (now Assystem)
a role I enjoyed because it
meant lots of time interacting
and negotiating with people. It
was through this role that I discovered a air for connecting
with people and developing
business relationships. Becoming a business development
manager at SAC seemed a natural next step. I spent time living
in Germany and travelling
around Europe. It was very
rewarding. In 2001, I received an
invitation to join a design engineering company called Sitec
Group as part of their senior
management team. Our clients
included Airbus, Rolls-Royce,
KAI, Fokker, Diehl and BAE.
I established the companys rst
US ofce as well as joint
ventures on both sides of the
Atlantic. Following my time at
Sitec I went on to hold senior
roles at Hyde Group, Magellan
and Sogeclair. Today, I am coowner of Westworld Consulting.
Westworld Consulting
As UK-based Westworld Consultings business and sales director, Guy Hobday travels the continent promoting
products and services for international aerospace companies, and helps them understand the market
Hobday got his introduction to aviation as a child in Zambia

What rst prompted you to
start Westworld?
Id spent much of my career
working in business development roles for other aerospace
companies, and ultimately I
wanted to be in control of my
own destiny. Id worked closely
with a US business development rep in the past, and I was
interested to understand whether a similar business model
could be successful in Europe. I
felt I had the network of contacts
and experience necessary to
support overseas clients here
successfully.
What does your current job
role entail?
As business and sales director,
my job is to create and develop
sales opportunities for our clients. I spend much of my time
travelling around Europe

promoting our clients products
and services to help them get
established as new/challenging
suppliers. Many of our clients
are based in North America, so it
often means late-night conference calls to keep them updated.
What are the most enjoyable
aspects of your job?
Ive always enjoyed the human
side of my job meeting and
connecting with new people and
keeping my nger on the pulse in
terms of what is happening
within the industry and where
the next opportunities lie. Like
any business development professional, you are either wining
or your losing. I get a buzz out of
the wins and try to take any
losses on the chin. I like to think
we spend more time winning.
What are the most challenging?

Helping clients understand the
dynamics of the European market
in order to gain approvals and
win work can sometimes be
challenging at the beginning.
Many overseas clients have limited visibility of the market, which
often operates differently from
their domestic market. Over the
last 10-15 years consolidation of
the supply chain has meant that
new market entrants need to be
increasingly strategic in their
thinking. The natural desire is to
focus on relationships with
OEMs. However it is increasingly
important to understand the
overall supply chain: who are the
top-tier suppliers, where do opportunities lie? By acting as our
clients European front end, we
bridge the gap and give them an
instant, cost-effective presence.
Looking into the future, how do
you see Westworld developing?
Were keen to continue expanding our geographic footprint.
Whilst we represent clients in
countries throughout Europe and
North America, we see the Asian
market as a real growth area.
Were already in advanced negotiations with a Chinese partner in
order to expand our offering. Q
Search through a wide range
of aviation jobs online at
ightglobal.com/jobs
If you would like to feature in

Working Week, or you know
someone who does, email your
pitch to kate.sarseld@
ightglobal.com
Build your career

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A NEW COURSE

Milestone for US naval

American Airlines looks

11-17 NOVEMBER 2014

CPDLC and ACARS

Meet the Mandate with Dlink+ w/CPDLC

VOLUME 186 NUMBER 5464

11-17 NOVEMBER 2014

Milestone for US naval

American Airlines looks

11-17 NOVEMBER 2014

BEHIND THE HEADLINES

Bombardier sets aside Russian Q400 deal P12

10 Crash findings key to future The NTSB

22 ITALY COUNTRY SPECIAL Italian renaissance

NEXT WEEK 787 REPORT

Download the new Commercial Engines Report

Download The Engine Directory.

11-17 November 2014 | Flight International | 3

This GAF Nomad is operated

THE WEEK IN NUMBERS

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

The Indonesian market share target that could trigger a

The cost to the Dutch navy as corrosion delays delivery of

The number of jobs going by end-2015 at Rolls-Royce,

This week, we ask:

4 | Flight International | 11-17 November 2014

Dreams, risk and cash

ragedy has struck space tourism a most cruel blow.

The NTSB will probe deeply into

Space tourism is a ckle market by nature. Unlike

Stop digging but then what?

Watch Virgin Galactic test pilot

s the saying goes, when youre in a hole, stop

A sensible plan to shed loss-making energy and rail

PROFITS SLUMP AT FINMECCANICA

RESULTS Finmeccanicas aerospace business has turned in a weak

POLISH JASSM BUY STAYS ON TARGET

MUNITIONS The Polish government has concluded negotiations for

CALC COMMITS TO 100 A320 FAMILY AIRLINERS

INDONESIA ORDERS MARITIME PANTHERS

PROCUREMENT Indonesias navy is to acquire 11 Airbus

SURVEILLANCE BETH STEVENSON LONDON

Schiebel Camcopter unmanned air vehicle deployed

the area, which falls under the

For up-to-the-minute air transport news,

AER LINGUS TEMPTED BY A330NEO

ORDERS Aer Lingus is to continue studying the Airbus A330neo

ETIHAD TO ABSORB ALITALIA PILOTS

RECRUITMENT Etihad Airways is to recruit 40 pilots from Alitalia as

AMAC COMPLETES FIRST IN-HOUSE INTERIOR DESIGN

REFURBISHMENT Swiss business aircraft completions specialist

6 | Flight International | 11-17 November 2014

Heavyweight A330 enters assembly

F-35C makes first

South Korea terminates F-16 upgrade

The project had been estimated as

over costs. Seouls ofcial news

BAE was awarded almost $140

ready received the enhancements