Toulouse, France 30 December 2021 – Global full-service aircraft lessor Aviation Capital Group (ACG), wholly owned by Tokyo Century Corporation, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus (OTC: EADSY) for 20 A220’s and a firm contract for 40 A320neo Family aircraft, of which five are A321XLR’s.
The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market and brings together state-of-the-art aerodynamics, advanced materials and Pratt & Whitney’s latest-generation PW1500G geared turbofan engines. Featuring a 50% reduced noise footprint and up to 25% lower fuel burn per seat compared to previous generation aircraft, as well as around 50% lower NOx emissions than industry standards, the A220 is a great aircraft for regional as well as long distance routes operations.
With this order ACG is supporting the recently launched multi-million dollar ESG fund initiative by Airbus that will contribute towards investment into sustainable aviation development projects.
Saab (OTC: SAABF) has received an order from the Swedish Defence Material Administration (FMV) regarding new equipment for Gripen E. This is a supplementary contract to the original Gripen E contract from 2013. The order value amounts to approximately SEK 1.4 billion.
The original contract, regarding development and modification of Gripen E, signed in February 2013, was based on the terms that certain equipment from the existing Gripen C/D fleet within the Swedish Armed Forces should be reused.
Instead of reusing equipment from the Gripen C/D, new equipment is acquired for a part of the total Swedish order of 60 Gripen E aircraft. This approach secures the availability of the Swedish Gripen C/D fleet in service, while Gripen E is being delivered and introduced to the Swedish Armed Forces.
Boeing [NYSE: BA] will build six more MH-47G Block II Chinooks for the U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command as part of a $246.48 million contract.
Delivery of these aircraft are scheduled to start in 2023. With this additional order, Boeing is now under contract for 30 MH-47G Block II Chinooks, four of which have been delivered to date.
These aircraft will be the first to include the new Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS), a mission system that helps pilots execute more difficult maneuvers while improving safety and reliability of flight.
The MH-47G Block II Chinook also features improved structure and weight reduction initiatives like new lighter weight fuel pods that increase performance and efficiency.
Boeing has more than 4,600 Boeing employees in Pennsylvania supporting H-47 Chinook, V-22 Osprey, MH-139A Grey Wolf and a number of services and engineering efforts. Boeing’s presence, including suppliers and vendors, supports an estimated 16,000 total jobs in Pennsylvania.
NEW YORK, N.Y. (BUSINESS WIRE) – JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) today announced it has reached a new tentative agreement with the Transport Workers Union (TWU) for JetBlue’s inflight crew members.
“We’re pleased to share that the JetBlue and TWU negotiating committees have reached a new tentative agreement,” said Ed Baklor, head of customer care and programs, JetBlue. “Our inflight crewmembers have been on the frontline supporting and protecting JetBlue’s operation and our customers through the COVID-19 pandemic, and I am proud of the TWU and JetBlue teams for recognizing our environment and coming to the table with solutions. We look forward to bringing this contract to a vote with our inflight crewmembers.”
Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR.L) has secured a significant contract to supply eight of its mtu 16V 4000 M65L engines for four 80-ton bollard pull tugboats to be built by Detroit Brasil, Ltda. and operated by Starnav Servicos Maritimos Ltda. The new tugs will feature a hybrid propulsion system, combining the mtu engines and mtu Blue Vision New Generation (BVNG) monitoring system with Z-drive thrusters, hybrid components and controls from Schottel, a manufacturer of propulsion and steering systems for ships and offshore applications.
While Rolls-Royce has supplied mtu Series 4000 engines to Detroit Brasil for several vessel projects in the past, this marks the first time Rolls-Royce will be supplying engines for 80-ton- bollard pull tugboats to the company and the first time that the high performance mtu 16V 4000 M65L engines which deliver 2560 kW at 1,800 rpm will be used in Latin America. Once the new tugs are entered into service, Starnav Serviços Marítimos Ltda. will run a total of 96 mtu Series 4000 engines in their fleet of harbor tugs and offshore vessels.
The mtu engines will be delivered in phases, with two delivered in August, two more in October, and two ship-sets consisting of two engines each for delivery in December.
Finnair has selected Airbus’s Flight Hour Services (FHS) to support its entire A320 Family fleet (35 aircraft), thus becoming the first European FHS customer for an A320 fleet.
Following recent contracts in Asia Pacific and the Middle East region, this first FHS agreement from Europe demonstrates the growing trust placed in Airbus’ maintenance by the hour services by airlines around the world, both for widebody and single aisle fleets.
Finnair will benefit from integrated material services including on-site-stock at their main base in Helsinki, access to Airbus’ mutualised spares pools and components engineering and repair services around the world. The FHS contract covers ‘nose to tail’ material services including for engine components.
Airbus will guarantee spare parts availability, generating value through increased fleet availability and operating maintenance costs savings.
The global Airbus fleet covered by FHS has increased by more than 25% over the past two years confirming the relevancy of flexible, power-by-hour solutions for airlines to secure efficient operations and contain costs.
Finnair is a long-standing Airbus customer. The airline is operating Airbus A320 Family aircraft on its network in Europe and Airbus A330 and A350 on long-haul flights.
Alstom and S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH have signed a contract for the delivery of an additional 64 Class 490 S-Bahn trains. The order is an option from a framework contract signed in 2013 and is valued at around 500 million euro.
As with the previous trains, passengers will enjoy the proven amenities of these three-car electric multiple units, but with the addition of some new improvements to better meet the needs of Hamburg’s passengers. For example, the new S-Bahn train’s middle cars will feature a multipurpose area with room for bicycles, luggage, and dedicated spaces to accommodate passengers with limited mobility.
However, the train’s most significant innovation will be invisible to passengers. For the first time in Germany, S-Bahn trains will be equipped with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Baseline 3 Release 2 and automated train operation (ATO) technology. Together, these technologies will ensure denser and more frequent service and enable Hamburg to provide more fluid transport while increasing the overall number of train journeys. In addition, the flexibility of Hamburg’s new S-Bahn trains means that they will couple with the 82 Class 490 S-Bahn trains already in service.
Photo of main Hamberg train station from author’s visit in 2016.
This order marks Germany’s first implementation of ATO in automation level 2 (GoA 2) for new S-Bahn vehicles. In addition, S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH will receive vehicles that already comply with the latest state-of-the-art signalling technology. The trains will be delivered with Alstom’s intelligent onboard technology for ETCS, with integrated ATO software that meets the high demands of future digital rail operations in terms of performance, availability, and automation.
Initially, Alstom will manufacture three vehicles that will undergo extensive testing and inspection, in particular for approval of their ETCS and ATO functionalities. Vehicle deliveries to Hamburg are scheduled for 2025 and 2026.
Among others, Alstom’s sites in Hennigsdorf, Bautzen (production), Berlin (signalling), Braunschweig, Siegen and Mannheim, Germany, will be involved in the production of the new S-Bahn trains. This is in addition to sites in Charleroi, Belgium (ETCS), Wroclaw, Poland, Västeras, Sweden and Vadodara, India, which will also participate in production.
In Germany, Alstom offers innovative solutions for sustainable mobility and is one of the leading suppliers of railway technology with metros, suburban trains, trams, regional trains, locomotives and signalling solutions. Our trains travel from Schleswig-Holstein to Bavaria. More than 70% of high-speed trains running in Germany are equipped with Alstom’s ETCS signalling solutions. In Lower Saxony, Alstom is building the world’s first fuel cell-powered, completely emission-free Cordia iLint regional train in series production. Alstom is Germany’s only manufacturer of infrastructure, signalling and digital mobility solutions to provide maintenance, service and modernisation of all mass transit trains for all manufacturers’ series, as well as information systems.
ENGLEWOOD, Colorado – August 26, 2021 – United Rotorcraft, an Air Methods Corporation division, has awarded Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), a contract for five S-70 Black Hawk helicopters. The bulk order will enable United Rotorcraft, as the only company authorized by Sikorsky to modify Black Hawk aircraft to the FIREHAWK configuration, to quickly deliver these new production aircraft for aerial firefighting in support of public agencies battling increasingly destructive wildland fires.
Sikorsky will produce the five S-70 Black Hawk aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s PZL Mielec manufacturing line in Poland. Deliveries to United Rotorcraft’s 55,000+ square foot completions facility in Colorado are expected between early 2022 and mid-2023. The first aircraft received will be configured as a FIREHAWK helicopter for the State of Colorado, which announced its contract with United Rotorcraft on Aug. 16.
To modify a Black Hawk helicopter to the Firehawk configuration, United Rotorcraft installs and integrates a 1,000-gallon (3,785-liter) external water tank system to the aircraft’s belly. Fingertip controls allow pilots to drop the precise amount of water with high accuracy and refill the tank via a retractable snorkel in 60 seconds or less while hovering 10 feet over a water source. United Rotorcraft works hand in hand with public agencies to further customize the aircraft, as needed, from communications and navigation systems, to cabin interiors, transforming the FIREHAWK into a true multi-mission aircraft, with the ability to transport up to 12 firefighters, provide medical care on board, or perform search and rescue operations.
Thirteen S-70 FIREHAWK helicopters currently fighting fires across California are operated by CALFIRE, Los Angeles County Fire Department, and San Diego Fire Rescue Department. Five more contracted aircraft are on the way.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 24, 2021 — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) has been awarded a $328.8 million, five-year contract from the Indian Air Force (IAF), to provide dedicated and comprehensive support for the IAF’s fleet of 12 C-130J-30 Super Hercules Aircraft. Lockheed Martin is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of the C-130Js, which is the tactical airlifter of choice for 26 operators in 22 nations.
Through this Follow On Support II (FOS) contract, Lockheed Martin teams manage the program, logistics and engineering support elements necessary to sustain the IAF’s C-130J fleet. The contract spans a five-year-period, is a Direct Commercial Sale, and is a continuation of a prior five-year FOS I contract where Lockheed Martin provided similar support for the IAF’s C-130J fleet.
The FOS II contract includes Lockheed Martin’s sustainment efforts for the IAF’s entire Super Hercules fleet, as well as extended options including Lockheed Martin support for the C-130J airframe, Contractor Furnished Equipment (CFE), peculiar and common spareable items, engines, propellers, software, publication services, ground handling equipment (GHE), ground support equipment (GSE) and test equipment.
A total of eight employees representing Lockheed Martin, GE (propeller manufacturer) and Rolls-Royce (engine manufacturer) serve as on-site technical support for the duration of the contract. Additionally through the FOS II contract, five C-130J Hercules aircraft will undergo 12-year servicing (depot maintenance) at a Lockheed Martin-approved Heavy Maintenance Center (HMC) beginning in 2022.
The Government of India announced its purchase of six C-130J Super Hercules airlifters via a Foreign Military Sale with the U.S. Air Force in 2008. All aircraft were delivered on or ahead of schedule between 2010 and 2011. India received additional C-130Js in 2017 and in 2019.
The IAF’s C-130J Super Hercules have a highly integrated and sophisticated configuration primarily designed to support India’s special operations requirement. The aircraft also are equipped with air-to-air receiver refueling capability for extended range operations. India’s C-130Js are also used to support a variety of critical missions, including humanitarian aid, airlift, natural disaster support, and search and rescue operations. Recently, the IAF has been extensively using its fleet of 12 Super Hercules for humanitarian efforts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as for transportation of relief materials, equipment and personnel in the areas affected by cyclones Yaas and Tauktae.
India’s connection to the C-130J goes beyond its fleet of Super Hercules with the Tata Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) joint venture that is the single, global source of C-130J empennage assemblies included on all new Super Hercules aircraft. Located in Hyderabad, TLMAL exemplifies the Government of India’s “Make in India” objectives and has delivered more than 120 empennages over its first 10 years of operations.
Santo Domingo, August 23, 2021– Alstom will manufacture, supply and commission eight (8) new three-car Metropolis trainsets for Line 1 of the Santo Domingo Metro serving the capital of the Dominican Republic. The international public tender, managed by the Oficina Para el Reordenamiento del Transporte (OPRET), and financed by the Agence française de développement, is a priority project for infrastructure development in Santo Domingo and to increase the transportation capacity of the country’s capital city.
Line 1 of the Santo Domingo metro, conceived to improve mobility in the north-centre-south city corridor, serves 16 stations across 14.5 kilometres. The new trains that Alstom is supplying will be able to operate in multiple units, coupled with each other or with the trains of the fleet previously acquired by OPRET, allowing capacity to be adapted to demand: 6-car configurations at peak times and 3-car configurations at off-peak times.
The new trains will have the same features, functionalities and characteristics of the Metropolis trains that currently operate in the Santo Domingo Metro, such as wide doors, wide corridors and a low floor for an optimal flow of passengers. In addition, the new trainsets will have additional features and technological improvements to enhance the passenger experience and optimize operations and availability, including LED lighting in the passenger area, Wi-Fi connection for the uploading of multimedia files and data transmission to the control unit, as well as improvements in the passenger information and alert system, train control and self-diagnosis systems.
The new trains will be manufactured at Alstom’s plant in Santa Perpetua, Barcelona, Spain, and the first two trains will arrive at the port of Santo Domingo approximately 18 months from the signing of the contract. These new trains will join the 25 Metropolis trains that Alstom previously supplied to Santo Domingo Metro for Line 1 and the 21 Metropolis trains supplied for Line2, since 2009, for a total of 138 cars.
Globally, more than 6,000 Metropolis cars have been sold across the globe, including to cities such as Barcelona, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Chennai, Montreal, Singapore, Buenos Aires, Lima and Santiago de Chile.
