Agile, purpose-built and designed for the Army’s evolving missions
Boeing [NYSE: BA] is offering the U.S. Army an agile, fully integrated, purpose-built system for the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototype competition.
Boeing FARA is designed to meet the Army’s current mission needs while evolving as technologies and missions change. The thrust compounded single-main rotor helicopter boasts a six-bladed rotor system, a single engine, tandem seating and a modular, state-of-the-art cockpit with a reconfigurable large area display and autonomous capabilities.
“We’re offering more than a helicopter – we’re offering an affordable and fully integrated system for the Army, the mission and the future. We’ve blended innovation, ingenuity and proven rotorcraft experience with extensive testing and advanced analysis to offer a very compelling solution,” said Mark Cherry, vice president and general manager of Boeing’s Phantom Works.
The fly-by-wire design leverages more than 65 years of rotorcraft experience, proven advanced and additive manufacturing technology, and product commonality driving down risk and costs. The system will provide seamless capability within the Army ecosystem to include Long-Range Precision Fires and air-launched effects.
“We listened to the Army, assessed all alternatives, and optimized our design to provide the right aircraft to meet the requirements,” said Shane Openshaw, Boeing FARA program manager. “We are offering a very reliable, sustainable and flexible aircraft with a focus on safety and the future fight.”
FARA will fill a critical gap in Army aviation for an advanced light attack and reconnaissance capability, previously held by the now-retired Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior.
For more information about Boeing FARA and its features, visit www.boeing.com/FARA.
Nearly 50 Foreign Military Sales orders valued at more than $560 million
Boeing [NYSE:BA] and the U.S. Army have finalized orders from three nations to provide their armed forces with the new, more capable AH-64E Apache model. The contracts are for the remanufacture of 47 existing AH-64D Apaches. The total combined value of the orders is more than $560 million.
“More allied defense forces worldwide are selecting the AH-64E Apache because they know it provides the most advanced technology and capability to keep their nations safe and secure today and well into the future,” said Kathleen Jolivette, vice president of Attack Helicopter Programs. “The Apache continues to be the most proven and reliable attack helicopter on the battlefield today.”
Sixteen countries currently field the Apache. AH-64 Apaches have flown 4.6 million flight hours, including more than one million flight hours in combat.
The remanufactured aircraft will be delivered in the early 2020’s.
MD Helicopters, Inc. announces a strategic teaming agreement with Elbit Systems Ltd (ESL) to deliver next-generation weapons and mission management capabilities to its MD 530G Block II (BII) Scout Attack Helicopter. The proven, pilot-centric Integrated Weapons System (IWS) is comprised of a Helmet Display and Tracking System (HDTS), Weapons Management System (WMS) and Mission Management System (MMS).
“Design and disruption are the cornerstone of all product development efforts,” said Lynn Tilton, Chief Executive Officer for MD Helicopters, Inc. “This partnership with Elbit Systems, Ltd. will allow us to rapidly expand the capabilities of the MD 530G, resulting in a next-generation, advanced light scout attack helicopter solution that will set a new standard in this highly competitive class.”
In line with MD Helicopters’ commitment to delivering excellence and innovation in design, the integrated, advanced avionics suite utilizes an intuitive Human Machine Interface (HMI), multi-functional smart displays and next-generation applications to deliver a fully compatible multi-mission cockpit that reduces pilot workload, increases efficiency of crew operations, and delivers increased lethality for a range of operational parameters.
Helmet Display & Tracking System (HDTS)
The HDTS configuration supports both daytime and nighttime operation, allowing the pilot to intuitively maneuver the aircraft into attack positions and engage targets heads-up and eyes out.
Weapons Management System (WMS)
The advanced digital WMS will allow the MD 530G BII Scout Attack Helicopter to support a comprehensive array of suppressive firepower options as well as unguided and guided munitions, including Hellfire Missile and, with authorized customer demand, APKWS. Standard configuration includes support for M260 Rocket Pods, HMP 400 Digital Gun Pods, RMP Digital Gun/Rocket Pods, and the M134D-H Mini-Guns. Critical weapons management functions, such as weapon activation and HDTS operation, will be integrated into the cyclic grip and collective for both pilots.
Mission Management System (MMS)
The main component in the MD 530G BII Scout Attack Helicopter MMS is the Digital Mapping application (DMAP) managed by a touch screen graphical user interface (GUI). This moving map display will give pilots greater situational awareness with aircraft positions, known threats, and friendly locations plotted. The aircraft’s EO/IR solution will integrate directly with the new MMS to enable detect and store intelligence. Detect and store intelligence ensures that once a target has been acquired, the crew can choose to attack with guided weapons from a distance, or unguided munitions using the ballistics Continuously Calculated Impact Point (CCIP) displayed over the HDTS.
The enhanced Integrated Weapons System, certified and in use on fixed and rotary wing medium and heavy attack platforms already in service with U.S. and Allied forces around the world, will deliver greater mission flexibility and improved operational performance, making the already multi-mission-capable MD 530G perfectly suited for Close Support operations including attack, forward air control, armed reconnaissance, counter-insurgency, and observation.
“These are exciting times at MDHI,” said Stephen Suttles, Vice President of Commercial and Military Sales and Marketing for MD Helicopters, Inc. “Competition is a good thing in our business. We believe that the limited market penetration by others in this space is an incredible advantage for us, and we are confident in our ability to deliver equitable precision capabilities backed by an unmatched history of safety and survivability sooner than our competitors, and at a much better price point.”
“A proven and iconic light scout attack helicopter platform, the addition of this elegant, technically superior solution elevates the MD 530G BII to best-in-class status,” Tilton concludes. “My team has delivered industry-leading rotorcraft solutions for decades. Now partnered with the Elbit Systems team, we are poised to bring a new level of customizable, operator-focused solutions to U.S. and Partner Nation aviation forces.”
MD Helicopters anticipates live fire events with a production-quality test asset in 2020.
CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Boeing (NYSE: BA) issued the following statement regarding the release today of the final investigation report of Lion Air Flight 610 by Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee (KNKT):
“On behalf of everyone at Boeing, I want to convey our heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in these accidents. We mourn with Lion Air, and we would like to express our deepest sympathies to the Lion Air family,” said Boeing President & CEO Dennis Muilenburg. “These tragic events have deeply affected us all and we will always remember what happened.”
“We commend Indonesia’s National Transportation Safety Committee for its extensive efforts to determine the facts of this accident, the contributing factors to its cause and recommendations aimed toward our common goal that this never happens again.”
“We are addressing the KNKT’s safety recommendations, and taking actions to enhance the safety of the 737 MAX to prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again. Safety is an enduring value for everyone at Boeing and the safety of the flying public, our customers, and the crews aboard our airplanes is always our top priority. We value our long-standing partnership with Lion Air and we look forward to continuing to work together in the future.”
Boeing experts, working as technical advisors to the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, have supported the KNKT over the course of the investigation. The company’s engineers have been working with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other global regulators to make software updates and other changes, taking into account the information from the KNKT’s investigation.
Since this accident, the 737 MAX and its software are undergoing an unprecedented level of global regulatory oversight, testing and analysis. This includes hundreds of simulator sessions and test flights, regulatory analysis of thousands of documents, reviews by regulators and independent experts and extensive certification requirements.
Over the past several months Boeing has been making changes to the 737 MAX. Most significantly, Boeing has redesigned the way Angle of Attack (AoA) sensors work with a feature of the flight control software known as Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Going forward, MCAS will compare information from both AoA sensors before activating, adding a new layer of protection.
In addition, MCAS will now only turn on if both AoA sensors agree, will only activate once in response to erroneous AOA, and will always be subject to a maximum limit that can be overridden with the control column.
These software changes will prevent the flight control conditions that occurred in this accident from ever happening again.
In addition, Boeing is updating crew manuals and pilot training, designed to ensure every pilot has all of the information they need to fly the 737 MAX safely.
Boeing continues to work with the FAA and other regulatory agencies worldwide on the certification of the software update and training program to safely return the 737 MAX to service.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), today introduced RAIDER X™, its concept for an agile, lethal and survivable compound coaxial helicopter, specifically designed for securing vertical lift dominance against evolving peer and near-peer threats on the future battlefield. Through the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, RAIDER Xis the out-front platform in the Service’s revolutionary approach for rapid development and delivery of game changing technology and warfighter capabilities, equipped for the most demanding and contested environments. RAIDER X enables the reach, protection and lethality required to remain victorious in future conflicts.
“RAIDER X converges everything we’ve learned in years of developing, testing and refining X2 Technology and delivers warfighters a dominant, survivable and intelligent system that will excel in tomorrow’s battlespace where aviation overmatch is critical,” said Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. “The X2 Technology family of aircraft is a low-risk solution and is scalable based on our customers’ requirements.”
RAIDER X draws on Lockheed Martin’s broad expertise in developing innovative systems using the latest digital design and manufacturing techniques. Sikorsky’s RAIDER X prototype offers:
Exceptional Performance: The X2 rigid rotor provides increased performance including; highly responsive maneuverability, enhanced low-speed hover, off-axis hover, and level acceleration and braking. These attributes make us unbeatable at the X.
Agile, Digital Design: State-of-the-art digital design and manufacturing is already in use on other Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky production programs such as CH-53K, CH-148 and F-35, and will enable the Army to not only lower the acquisition cost, but enable rapid, affordable upgrades to stay ahead of the evolving threat.
Adaptability: Modern open systems architecture (MOSA)-based avionics and mission systems, offering “plug-and-play” options for computing, sensors, survivability and weapons, benefiting lethality and survivability, operational mission tailoring and competitive acquisitions.
Sustainable/Maintenance: Designed to decrease aircraft operating costs by utilizing new technologies to shift from routine maintenance and inspections to self-monitoring and condition-based maintenance, which will increase aircraft availability, reduce sustainment footprint forward and enable flexible maintenance operating periods.
Growth/Mission Flexibility: Focused on the future and ever evolving threat capabilities, X2 compound coaxial technology provides unmatched potential and growth margin for increased speed, combat radius and payload. This potential and growth margin further enables operational mission flexibility which includes a broader range of aircraft configurations and loadouts to accommodate specific mission requirements.
The nationwide supply team that Sikorsky has comprised to build RAIDER X will join company leaders today to introduce RAIDER X during the annual conference of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C.
“RAIDER X is the culmination of decades of development, and a testament to our innovation and passion for solving our customers’ needs,” said Sikorsky President Dan Schultz. “By leveraging the strength of the entire Lockheed Martin Corporation, we will deliver the only solution that gives the U.S. Army the superiority needed to meet its mission requirements.”
With RAIDER X, Sikorsky introduces the latest design in its X2 family of aircraft. To date, X2 aircraft have achieved/demonstrated:
Speeds in excess of 250 knots
High altitude operations in excess of 9,000 feet
Low-speed and high-speed maneuver envelopes out to 60+ degrees angle of bank
ADS-33B (Aeronautical Design Standard) Level 1 handling qualities with multiple pilots
Flight controls optimization and vibration mitigation
“The power of X2 is game changing. It combines the best elements of low-speed helicopter performance with the cruise performance of an airplane,” said Sikorsky experimental test pilot Bill Fell, a retired Army pilot who has flown nearly every RAIDER test flight. “Every flight we take in our S-97 RAIDER today reduces risk and optimizes our FARA prototype, RAIDER X.”
The development of X2 Technology and the RAIDER program has been funded entirely by significant investments by Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin and industry partners.
Sikorsky introduced RAIDER X as its entry to the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototype competition. RAIDER X draws on Lockheed Martin’s broad expertise in developing innovative systems using the latest digital design and manufacturing techniques. Image courtesy, Sikorsky a Lockheed Martin company.
SEOUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) – South Korea showcased newly acquired F-35 stealth fighter jets to mark Armed Forces Day on Tuesday as President Moon Jae-in tried to allay concerns that his policy of engagement with North Korea would weaken the South’s commitment to defence.
At an event marking the founding of the South Korean military, Moon said South Korean fighter jets conducted patrol flights offshore, including over islands at the centre of a bitter territorial dispute with Japan.
North Korea has criticised the South’s weapons procurements and its joint military drills with the U.S. military as undisguised preparations for war that are forcing it to develop new short-range missiles.
Moon has thrown his support behind dialogue to end the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, urging that working-level negotiations between the North and the United States be held soon. No new dates or locations have been set.
Moon marked Armed Forces Day at a ceremony at an airbase in the city of Daegu that highlighted four of the eight Lockheed Martin F-35A jets delivered this year. Forty of the aircraft are to be delivered by 2021.
During the event, an F-15K jet patrolled over the islands claimed by both South Korea and Japan and called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.
Moon made no direction mention of North Korea or Japan but said today’s security climate was highly unpredictable, requiring strength and innovation.
“As the recent drone attack in the Middle East region demonstrated to the world, the challenges that we will face will be entirely different from those of the past,” he said in an address to the military. “The war of the future will be a fight of science and intelligence against all elements that threaten our people’s safety and property.”
Analysts have said the F-35 stealth jets put North Korea’s anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems in a vulnerable position.
Negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes have stalled since a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down in February over disagreements on denuclearisation.
North Korea blamed the United States on Monday for a failure to restart talks, with Pyongyang’s U.N. ambassador Kim Song saying it was time for Washington to share proposals for talks that showed Washington had adopted a new “calculation method”.
South Korea and the United States have separately begun talks for a new military burden-sharing agreement to decide how much South Korea will pay for stationing what is now about 28,500 U.S. troops in the country.
Moon told Trump during a summit in New York last week what South Korea would contribute, including an increase in purchases of U.S. weapons and future purchase plans, a senior official at South Korea’s presidential office said.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee Editing by Jack Kim, Paul Tait and Gerry Doyle)
TOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Japan’s military has asked for an eighth straight annual increase in defence spending to help pay for U.S.-made interceptor missiles, stealth fighters, and other equipment it wants to counter threats from North Korea and China.
The Ministry of Defence budget proposal released Friday calls for spending to increase 1.2 percent to a record 5.32 trillion yen ($50.48 billion) in the year starting April 1. Finance ministry officials will scrutinise the request before it is approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet.
Already one of the world’s biggest military spenders despite a constitution that forbids the possession of weapons to attack other countries, Japan has increased military outlays by a tenth over the past seven years. That growth is being driven by alarm over military build ups by its neighbours.
Japan’s spending, much of it on advanced weapons from the United States, has benefited the likes of Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co, and worried local contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries who have seen their share of defence spending shrink.
U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Japan for buying the expensive U.S. equipment, helping curtail criticism of Japan amid trade tensions between Tokyo and Washington.
For the next fiscal year, Japan’s defense officials have asked for 115.6 billion yen to buy nine Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, including for the first time six short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) B variants that it wants to operate from aircraft carriers. That purchase will help Japan project military power by extending the range at which the country’s Self Defense Forces can operate.
The defence ministry also wants 116.3 billion yen to bolster ballistic missile defences (BMD), including money for a new generation of interceptor missiles designed by Raytheon to shoot down incoming warheads in space. It also wants funds for vertical launch systems for ships and two planned ground-based Aegis Ashore radar missile tracking stations.
($1 = 105.3900 yen)
(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry)
EFFECTIVE THROUGH MAY 2020, CONTRACTED SERVICES WILL TAKE PLACE IN MESA, ARIZONA AND AFGHANISTAN
MD Helicopters, Inc (MDHI) announced today that the company has been awarded a $50.4 million Firm Fixed Price contract modification for logistics support of the MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopter fleet currently in service with the Afghan Air Force (AAF). MD Helicopters has provided comprehensive contractor logistics support (CLS) services to the Afghan Air Force since the first MD 530F training aircraft arrived in Afghanistan in 2011.
The current CLS contract extension provides for continuous CONUS and OCONUS maintenance, on-the-job training, and support services, including spares support, for all MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters operated by the Afghan Air Force. Effective September 1, 2019, the Period of Performance for the new contract, with all options exercised, runs through May 31, 2020.
The AAF began operating the MD 530F as a primary rotary wing training aircraft in 2011. In 2014, in response to an urgent and compelling need within the region, MDHI was contracted to arm and weaponize the proven single engine training aircraft, delivering expanded capabilities for armed escort, scout attack and close air attack operations. Nine months later, MDHI delivered the first of a robust fleet of 60 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior light scout attack helicopters.
Currently, MDHI supports all mission-ready MD 530F Cayuse Warrior aircraft in Afghanistan. The final 5 units associated with the 2017 30-unit Delivery Order issued against MDHI’s $1.4 Billion IDIQ contract are set for on-time delivery later this year.
São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil, May 3rd, 2019 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ; B3: EMBR3;) delivered a total of 22 jets in the first quarter of 2019 (1Q19), of which 11 were commercial aircraft and 11 were executive jets (8 light and 3 large). As of March 31st, the firm order backlog totaled USD 16.0 billion.
In the first quarter, Embraer delivered the first E175 jet to Mauritania Airlines, the first of this model to the African continent. The airline signed a firm order for two E175 jets in 2018. The contract has a value of USD 93.8 million at current list prices.
Embraer also signed, in April, a firm order for 10 E195-E2 jets with Nigeria’s largest airline, Air Peace, which will become the first E-Jets E2 operator in Africa. The contract includes purchase rights for a further 20 E195-E2. With all purchase rights being exercised, the contract has a value of USD 2.12 billion based on current list prices. This order will be included in Embraer’s 2Q19 backlog.
The world’s best-selling light jet for the seventh consecutive year, the Phenom 300 reached the mark of the 500th aircraft delivered, becoming the only business jet model to reach this milestone in the last 10 years. The aircraft is in operation in more than 30 countries and has accumulated more than 780,000 flight hours. This milestone followed the announcement of the first Phenom 300E and Praetor 600 business jet sales to Brazilian customers.
Embraer Defense & Security and its partner Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) announced in February a contract for 12 A-29 Super Tucano light attack aircraft to the Nigerian Air Force. This sale was already included in Embraer’s 4Q18 backlog.
In the period, the Brazilian Navy also announced that the Águas Azuis Consortium, formed by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, Embraer Defense & Security and Atech, was selected for the construction of four defense ships in the Tamandaré Corvettes Class Program (CCT) as preferred bidder.
In the Services & Support segment, Embraer and WDL Aviation GmbH, a German charter business which is part of the Zeitfracht logistics group, signed an agreement for a Flight Hour Pool Program to support the airline’s recently leased fleet of four used E190s. Air Astana, a flag carrier of Kazakhstan, also signed a multiyear agreement for a Flight Hour Pool Program to support the component needs for the airline’s new E2 fleet, Embraer’s second generation of the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft.
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About Embraer
A global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil, Embraer celebrates its 50th anniversary with businesses in Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense & Security and Agricultural Aviation. The company designs, develops, manufactures and markets aircraft and systems, providing Services & Support to customer after-sales.
Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.
Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats and the main exporter of high value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers, among other activities, across the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe.
April 29 (Reuters) – Boeing Co said on Monday it did not “intentionally or otherwise” deactivate a safety alert for its angle-of-attack sensors on its 737 MAX aircraft, responding to reports the planemaker failed to tell Southwest Airlines Co and the U.S aviation regulator that the safety feature was deactivated before recent crashes.
“The disagree alert was tied or linked into the angle of attack indicator, which is an optional feature on the MAX. Unless an airline opted for the angle of attack indicator, the disagree alert was not operable,” Boeing said in a statement.
It said the disagree alert is not necessary for the safe operation of the airplane.
The company said following software modifications all new MAX aircraft will have an activated and operable disagree alert and an optional angle of attack indicator, while current MAX airplanes will have the ability to activate the disagree alert.
Boeing Chief Executive Officer Dennis Muilenburg was grilled at a press conference earlier on Monday, following two fatal crashes of the 737 MAX plane.
(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
