Tag: sector (Page 2 of 5)

Dassault Aviation announces second tranche of 18 Rafale’s for Indonesia enters order backlog

August 11, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Saint-Cloud, France, August 10, 2023 – Dassault Aviation (AM.PA) announces, as part of the contract signed by Indonesia on February 2022 for the acquisition of 42 Rafale, the second tranche of 18 Rafale came into force today. This follows the entry into force in September 2022 of the first tranche of 6 Rafale, bringing the total number of aircraft on order to 24.

The acquisition of the latest-generation Rafale for the Tentara Nasional Indonesia Angkatan Udara (Indonesian National Army Air Force) includes a complete “turnkey” solution as well as a substantial industrial return for the Indonesian aeronautical sector. Educational projects will also be launched as part of the technical training of aeronautical know-how.

The “omnirole” Rafale is a unique asset that will ensure Indonesia’s sovereignty and operational independence and reinforce its role as a major regional power.

Boeing to Build New Factory in Illinois to Produce MQ-25 Stingray

September 20, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, September 17, 2021 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] will build the Navy’s newest carrier-based aircraft at a new high-tech facility in Illinois, bringing the benefits of digital aircraft design and production to the Navy and up to 300 advanced manufacturing jobs to the greater St. Louis region.

The new 300,000 square-foot facility at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, scheduled for completion in 2024, initially will employ approximately 150 mechanics, engineers and support staff who will build the MQ-25^TM Stingray^TM, the Navy’s first operational, carrier-based unmanned aircraft. Employment could reach up to 300 with additional orders.

Boeing digitally engineered the entire MQ-25 aircraft and its systems, resulting in high-fidelity models that are used to drive quality, efficiency and flexibility throughout the production and sustainment process. The new MQ-25 facility will include state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and tools, including robotic automation and advanced assembly techniques, to improve product quality and employee ergonomics.

For two years, Boeing and the Navy have been flight testing the Boeing-owned MQ-25 test asset from MidAmerica Airport, where in recent history-making missions T1 has refueled an F/A-18 Super Hornet, an E-2D Hawkeye and an F-35C Lightning II.

The U.S. Navy intends to procure more than 70 MQ-25 aircraft to help extend the range of the carrier air wing, and the majority of those will be built in the new facility. Boeing is currently producing the first seven MQ-25 aircraft, plus two ground test articles, at its St. Louis facilities, and they will be transported to MidAmerica for flight test. The MQ-25 program office, including its core engineering team, will remain based in St. Louis.

The new MQ-25 facility will be in addition to existing manufacturing operations at Boeing St. Clair, which produces components for the CH-47 Chinook, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-15 and other defense products.

Investment Firm 777 Partners Order 24 Boeing 737 MAX Airplanes

March 16, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and private investment firm 777 Partners announced today an agreement to add 24 737-8s to the firm’s diverse aviation portfolio, with purchase rights for an additional 60 airplanes. The Miami-based company will place the single-aisle airplanes with its growing portfolio of low-cost carrier investments around the world.

In addition to aircraft leasing, 777 Partners strategically invests in a host of aviation businesses, from operating carriers to technology-driven solutions. The firm’s travel sector strategy is largely focused on innovative solutions for interlining, passenger connectivity, and creating new commerce channels for its airline investments and customers.

The 737-8 can fly 3,550 nautical miles, about 600 miles farther than its predecessor. This additional capability allows airlines to offer new and more direct routes for passengers. The 737-8 reduces fuel use and CO₂ emissions by 16% compared to the airplanes it replaces, and that superior fuel efficiency means lower operating costs and a smaller environmental footprint. Every airplane features the new Boeing Sky Interior, highlighted by modern sculpted sidewalls and window reveals, LED lighting that enhances the sense of spaciousness and larger pivoting overhead storage bins.

Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. As a top U.S. exporter, the company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries, leveraging the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.

777 Partners is a Miami-based private alternative investment firm that invests across a number of high growth attractive verticals. Founded in 2015, 777 Partners initially applied its expertise in underwriting and financing of esoteric assets to diversify across a broad spectrum of financial services businesses, asset originators and financial technology/service providers. In recent years, the firm has broadened its mandate and now invests across six different industries: insurance, consumer and commercial finance, litigation finance, direct lending, media and entertainment, and aviation.

Olivier Dassault Passes Away at Age 69 in a Helicopter Accident on March 7, 2021

March 8, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Saint-Cloud, France, March 8, 2021 – It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of Olivier Dassault, at the age of 69, in a helicopter accident on 7 March 2021. An aviation enthusiast, like his grandfather Marcel Dassault and his father Serge Dassault, he was always keenly interested in developing the business of our company. He was born on 1 June 1951 in Boulogne-Billancourt. He was an engineering graduate from the Ecole de l’Air, held a DEA diploma in Mathematical Decision Sciences and a Doctorate in management computing.

He was born on 1 June 1951 in Boulogne-Billancourt. He was an engineering graduate from the Ecole de l’Air, held a DEA diploma in Mathematical Decision Sciences and a Doctorate in management computing. Following his solid scientific training, Olivier Dassault’s first steps in professional life helped him to gain experience of the communication sector, notably as a film producer and then by creating his own advertising agency.

He was a professional pilot since 1975, and jointly held world speed records – with Hervé Le Prince-Ringuet in 1977 from New York to Paris on a Falcon 50 and in 1987 from New Orleans to Paris on a Falcon 900 – and with Guy Mitaux-Maurouard and Patrick Experton in 1996 on a Falcon 900EX from Paris to Abu Dhabi and Paris to Singapore.

In 1986, his father Serge Dassault entrusted him with a number of roles and responsibilities within the Dassault company, appointing him Deputy Vice-President for Europe Falcon Service, and then Vice-President of Civil Aircraft Strategy in 1993.

He was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Marcel Dassault industrial group (GIMD) until 2017 and Director at Dassault Aviation since 1996. Throughout his life, he was a determined defender of our company and of French aeronautics. Moreover, on Thursday, March 4, 2021, during the last Board of Directors meeting, he gave his full support to the company in its management of the covid 19 crisis.

He was also a media man, holding the position of Chairman of the Valmonde group, where he created the hunting magazine Jours de Chasse (2000) devoted to another of his passions. He became a Director of Socpresse (now Groupe Figaro) after the latter was bought out by GIMD in 2004.

While continuing to be professionally active, he entered politics. He was elected as a Member of Parliament (RPR party) in 1988, winning back the Oise first district during the parliamentary by-elections. He was an MP in the Oise department from 1988 to 1997, and then again since 2002.

An artist at heart, Olivier Dassault was an accomplished musician and notably composed the anthem for Parliament, showing this institution another side of his creative personality. He was also a well-known photographer. He published many books of photographs and regularly exhibited his work successfully, in France and abroad.

Dassault Aviation Presents 2020 Annual Results

March 5, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Dassault-Aviation-Financial-Release-2020

(Paris: DSY.PA)

Air Côte d’Ivoire Receives its First Airbus A320neo

February 18, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, 18 February 2021 – Air Côte d’Ivoire, Ivory Coast’s flagship carrier based in Abidjan, has taken delivery of its first A320neo, becoming the first operator of the type in the West-African region. This latest generation aircraft will join Air Côte d’Ivoire’s existing Airbus fleet of six aircraft.

With improved levels of efficiency, this new aircraft will be deployed on Air Côte d’Ivoire’s regional network to serve Senegal, Gabon, and Cameroon. Destinations like South Africa will be added at a later stage, highlighting the operational flexibility of the A320neo. Powered by CFM International LEAP-1A engines, the aircraft is configured in a comfortable two-class layout with 16 seats in Business and 132 seats in Economy Class. Passengers will benefit from the widest cabin of any single-aisle aircraft, high-speed Internet connectivity and latest generation in-flight entertainment system.

Air Cote d’Ivoire’s first A320neo took off from Toulouse carrying 1 tonne of humanitarian goods including medical equipment and toys. In partnership with Aviation sans Frontières and the Airbus Foundation, the mission is part of Air Côte d’Ivoire’s corporate social responsibility initiative. The transported goods will serve local NGOs in Abidjan, thus supporting the education and health sector in the country.

Air Cote d’Ivoire has a fleet of 10 aircraft, including three A319s and three A320s, serving 25 domestic and regional destinations in West and Central Africa.

The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines, Sharklets and aerodynamics, which together deliver 20% in fuel savings and CO2 reduction. The A320neo Family has won 7,450 orders from nearly 120 customers.

Embraer Cheers Brazilian Government Decision to Review Aeronautic Sector Subsidies

February 18, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

São Paulo, Brazil, February 18, 2021 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) welcomes the Brazilian Government’s decisions to withdraw its ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute with Canada regarding aeronautical subsidies and to launch negotiations on more effective disciplines to regulate government support in the Commercial Aviation segment.

At the WTO, Brazil challenged more than USD 3 billion in illegal subsidies that the Governments of Canada and Quebec provided to Bombardier for the launch, development and production of the C-Series program. These subsidies distorted the conditions of competition in the global market for commercial aircraft, causing serious prejudice to Embraer, in clear violation of WTO rules.

Although Brazil has a strong case, the WTO dispute became ineffective to address the Canadian subsidies and to remedy the distortions generated in the market. After Bombardier exited the Commercial Aviation segment and transferred the C-Series program (now called A220) to Airbus, which has a second assembly line in the United States, the trade dispute against Canada at the WTO is no longer the most effective means to achieve Brazil’s and Embraer’s goal of reestablishing a level playing field in this sector.

Embraer also supports Brazil’s initiative to launch negotiations for more effective disciplines on government support in the commercial aviation segment, as the best way to achieve this goal, as previously seen with the successful experience of the OECD’s Aircraft Sector Understanding (ASU), signed in 2007 to regulate export credits. Ultimately, Embraer believes that commercial aircraft manufacturers should compete against each other based on the merits of their product, not on the amount of funding they receive from their governments.

Leonardo Technology Chosen for Milan, Italy Airport Systems

February 13, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Leonardo has strengthened its market position in the airport sector by signing contracts with SEA and SACBO, the respective management companies for Milan Malpensa and Milan Bergamo airports. Malpensa and Bergamo are the second and third busiest airports in Italy.

At Milan Malpensa, Leonardo will replace most of the existing baggage handling infrastructure with a high-tech new system. This will bring the Terminal 1 baggage handling system in line with the new European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) ‘Standard 3’, which requires baggage to be subject to rigorous security checks prior to being loaded onto the aircraft. Components of the system will be replaced gradually in order to ensure continuity of services for passengers.

Once fully operational, the system will comprise two MBHS® (Multisorting Baggage Handling System) cross-belt sorters, approximately two and a half kilometres of belts and associated equipment. The new technology will seamlessly interface with the existing system, ensuring that baggage is identified and tracked right from the collection phase at check in and transfers, through to delivery to the final sorting system.

SEA has also chosen Leonardo to provide a surveillance system at Milan Malpensa, primarily to support the management of aircraft and other vehicles in the ground manoeuvring area. The five-year project is based on an “Extended Squitter – Ground Station Network” ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast) system: 14 fixed stations integrated with 100 VeTWEET transponders on-board airport vehicles. The solution will include a redundant communication system based on the Aeronautical Mobile Airport Communication System (AeroMACS), a wireless broadband technology. AeroMACS has been developed under the SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research) joint R&D initiative, the technological pillar of Europe’s ambitious Single European Sky (SES) initiative. The innovative technology being supplied by Leonardo is fully compliant with the specifications defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for a “Mission Critical” environment such as an airport.

In another new contract, Leonardo’s technology has also been chosen by management company SACBO to bring the baggage handling system at Milan Bergamo airport in line with ECAC ‘Standard 3’. This new system will include a Leonardo MBHS® cross-belt sorting machine, providing for the smooth and accurate handling of baggage.

Leonardo is committed to supporting and protecting people and communities all over the world and contributing to sustainable growth via latest-generation technologies, including those in air traffic management and airport logistics. In line with its “Be Tomorrow 2030” strategic plan, the company works towards these goals alongside governments, individuals and industrial partners nationally and internationally.

SEA continues to invest in technology to make passenger journeys ever safer and faster.

Lockheed Martin Picks ABL Space Systems to Power First UK Vertical Satellite Launch

February 8, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

HARWELL, Oxford, Feb. 8, 2021 – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has contracted ABL Space Systems, of El Segundo, California, a developer of low-cost launch vehicles and launch systems for the small satellite industry, to supply a rocket and associated launch services for the company’s first UK vertical satellite launch.

The project known as UK Pathfinder Launch is planned to be the first ever vertical small satellite launch from UK soil, from Scotland in 2022. It will also be the first UK commercial launch for U.S.-based ABL Space Systems’ new RS1 rocket.

Nik Smith, Regional Director, Lockheed Martin Space, said: “We are absolutely committed to the success of this programme and the world class capability that ABL Space Systems brings will allow us to build on our long-standing partnership with the UK and strengthen the growth of the UK space sector, aligned to the UK Government’s prosperity and industrial strategy.”

ABL Space Systems’ flexible, integrated GSO launch system, and RS1 rocket, allows for a rapid and cost-effective deployment with outstanding launch performance.

Lockheed Martin’s UK Pathfinder Launch supports the UK Space Agency’s commercial spaceflight programme – Launch UK. In October, the UK Space Agency confirmed Lockheed Martin’s plans to move its programme to the Shetland Space Centre and in January, planning proposals were submitted for the space launch facility in Unst.

Ian Annett, Deputy CEO, UK Space Agency said: “We want the UK to be the first in Europe to launch small satellites into orbit, attracting innovative businesses from all over the world, accelerating the development of new technologies and creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs across the whole of the UK. Lockheed Martin’s selection of ABL Space Systems for their UK Pathfinder launch brings us one step closer to realising this ambition – putting the UK firmly on the map as Europe’s leading small satellite launch destination.

The addition of ABL Space Systems as a partner completes Lockheed Martin’s UK Pathfinder Launch programme team. On launch day, ABL Space Systems’ RS1 rocket will lift off from Shetland Space Centre, in Unst, Shetland, the UK’s most northerly island. Once in orbit, the rocket will release a small launch orbital manoeuvring vehicle, an agile platform built by MOOG, in Reading, UK, which can carry and deploy up to six 6U CubeSats, optimising orbital placement and timing for each small satellite’s respective missions.

To demonstrate the full value of this new UK space transportation capability, two of the CubeSats deployed will be Lockheed Martin’s own technology demonstration spacecraft.

In 2019, ABL Space Systems announced that it had received a strategic investment from Lockheed Martin Ventures to advance the launch provider’s development and test programme.

Leonardo Celebrates 20th Anniversary of AW139 Helicopter First Flight

February 6, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Leonardo celebrates today the 20th anniversary of the AW139 helicopter’s maiden flight. The first aircraft took to the skies from the Company’s facility in Cascina Costa di Samarate, Italy on 3 February 2001. The helicopter flew for 45 minutes checking initial airworthiness tests, hovering, lateral and forward flight, handling qualities and subsystems. This soon confirmed the impressive characteristics and the smoothness of the new model and its performance and capabilities were to become a new market benchmark, making it the most important helicopter programme in the last two decades at an international level.

The AW139 intermediate-twin engine 7 tonne boasts orders of almost 1,200 units from more than 280 customers in over 70 countries on all continents. The aircraft has shown extraordinary levels of reliability and operational capabilities with more than 3 million flight hours recorded since the first delivery took place at the beginning of 2004. Data of use testifies the extreme versatility of the AW139 which satisfies any market need: approximately half the world’s fleet for public utility tasks such as search and rescue and air ambulance, law enforcement, fire-fighting, disaster relief and military duties. The rest account for a leading position in its class in the offshore transport sector, plus VIP, institutional and corporate transport as well as other civil missions. The AW139 fleet has a global presence: around 30% in Europe, almost as much in Asia and Australasia, 15% in the Americas, followed by the Middle East. The international success of the AW139 is so important that to meet market demands the helicopter is produced on different assembly lines both in Italy, in the Vergiate plant, and in the United States in Philadelphia which has delivered around 30% of all units to date. The US Air Force will soon introduce the AW139-based Boeing MH-139 to replace the UH-1N fleet.

The AW139 has grown significantly over the years, adapting to the changing needs of customers. The maximum take-off weight increased from 6.4 to 7 tons. Almost 1,000 mission kits and equipment have been certified. With advanced protection systems against icing, the AW139 can fly in all-weather conditions. This model is also the only one in the world capable of continuing to fly for over 60 minutes without oil in the transmission, twice as much as the 30 minutes set by certification authorities. In 2020 new distinguished features for the avionics suite were introduced including synthetic vision, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System with offshore modes, improved 2D maps and wireless data loading, increasing crew situational awareness and reducing workload for operations at night or in marginal weather. Despite the experience and maturity achieved in almost 17 years of operational activity, the AW139 remains a young and modern programme, destined to play a leading role into the future. The AW139 truly embeds all areas of excellence and leadership in its field at Leonardo such as transmissions and dynamics, system integration and customization, best in class performance, mission versatility, latest safety standards and a comprehensive range of increasingly localised customer support and training services and solutions, developed and grown to allow customers worldwide to maximise the capabilities of the type.

The aircraft of choice in its class against which all existing and newcomers are measured, the AW139 also represents a turning point in the rotary-wing sector through the introductory concept of the Leonardo “helicopter family”. The AW139 is, in fact, the forefather of a helicopter family comprising of the smaller and lighter AW169 and the larger and heavier AW189. Models, the only case in the world, that share the same design philosophy, the same high performance, the same flight characteristics and the same certification standards, as well as the same approach to maintenance and training. A concept that allows operators with large diversified fleets, with models ranging from 4 to 9 tons of weight, to create significant synergies in crew training, flight operations, maintenance and logistics support.

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