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Boeing KC-46A Tanker for Japan Completes First Refueling Flight

EVERETT, Washington, August 16, 2021 – The first Boeing [NYSE: BA] KC-46A tanker built for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) recently refueled another KC-46A aircraft in the skies over Washington state. The Japan-bound tanker also successfully received fuel in return.

Japan is the KC-46 program’s first non-U.S. customer and is scheduled to receive its first aircraft this year.

The Japan KC-46A is capable of refueling U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and JASDF aircraft.

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a contract for the JASDF’s first KC-46A tanker in December 2017. The agreement was completed through the Foreign Military Sale process between the U.S. government and Japan. A second Japan tanker is already in production.

Boeing is assembling the KC-46A aircraft for both the U.S. Air Force and Japan on its 767 production line in Everett, Washington. Boeing’s Japanese partners produce 16% of the KC-46A airframe structure.

SkyWest Airlines Orders 16 New E175 Aircraft for Operation with Delta Air Lines

Embraer has agreed the sale of 16 new E175 jets to SkyWest, Inc. (NASDAQ: SKYW) for operation in the Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) network, adding to the 71 E175 jets SkyWest already operates for Delta. The E175 aircraft will fly exclusively with Delta under a Capacity Purchase Agreement (CPA). The value of the contract, which will be included in Embraer’s third quarter backlog, is USD 798.4 million, based on list price.

The 76-seat aircraft will be delivered in Delta’s livery and will have a three-class configuration. Deliveries start in mid-2022.

Embraer Signs Major Services and Support Agreement with Porter Airlines

After unveiling plans for a major expansion in North America with a firm order for 30 E195-E2 jets, with purchase rights for a further 50 aircraft, Porter Airlines has signed a major aftermarket support package contract with Embraer. The Total Support Program (TSP) agreement includes airframe heavy maintenance checks, technical solutions, and access to the Pool Program, which includes component exchanges and repair services for hundreds of reparable items for Porter’s E2 fleet of commercial aircraft, for up to 20 years. Currently, the Pool Program supports more than 50 airlines worldwide.

The Pool Program services will be provided by Embraer Aircraft Customer Services (EACS) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while the heavy maintenance services will be performed by Embraer Aircraft Maintenance Services (EAMS) in Nashville, Tennessee. In the coming months, Embraer will work with Porter in order to provide services related to the aircraft entry into service (EIS) process, which includes technical training, spare parts recommendations, and provisioning services.

Porter Airlines will be the North American launch customer for Embraer’s E-Jets E2 family of commercial aircraft. Porter’s investment is set to disrupt the Canadian aviation landscape by enhancing competition, elevating passenger service levels and creating as many as 6,000 new jobs. Porter intends to deploy the E195-E2s to popular business and leisure destinations throughout Canada, the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean, from Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax and Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Porter’s first delivery and entry into service is scheduled to start in the second half of 2022. The E195-E2 accommodates between 120 and 146 passengers. Configuration plans for Porter’s E2s will be revealed in due course.

Alstom to Supply 19 Additional Metros for Line 11 of the Ile-de-France

Alstom (OTC: ALSMY) will supply 19 five-car MP14 metros with driver’s cab for line 11 of the Île-de-France Mobilités network operated by RATP, for a total value of 132 million euro. This order, which is 100% funded by Île-de-France Mobilités, falls within the framework of the MP14 contract signed in March 2015 between RATP (mandated by Île-de-France Mobilités) and Alstom for the delivery of a maximum of 217 MP14 trains over 15 years, for a total amount of more than 2 billion euro. This contract is part of the Île-de-France Mobilités strategy for the modernisation of all rolling stock on the Île-de-France Mobilités network.

An initial tranche of the MP14 contract included 35 automated metros for line 14, consisting of eight cars each. A first conditional tranche for 20 additional automated metros, consisting of six cars each, was exercised in January 2017 for line 4. A second option of 20 additional five-car trains (with driver’s cabs) was exercised in February 2018 for line 11.

A state-of-the-art metro, MP14 offers an unprecedented level of comfort and safety thanks to its interior layout and seats with a design based on the theme of the alcove, creating both hospitality and privacy. Vast reception areas offer accessibility to all passengers, with dedicated areas and boomerang-shaped seats to improve the passenger flow and the capacity of the trains. MP14 also has LED lighting efficiently distributed throughout the entire metro to provide a sense of security while eliminating darkly shadowed areas. The supports and steadying points are compliant with safety standards and further increase comfort inside the train. Warm and cool ventilation helps to provide temperature balance, whatever the season. MP14 also provides comprehensive video protection and dynamic passenger information on board.

A special feature of the MP14 metros for line 11 is that the design of the driver’s cab incorporates feedback from previous generations of cabs. Their design features the latest developments in ergonomics and has been validated by RATP drivers and occupational physicians.

MP14 is designed to improve passenger comfort and experience as well as reconcile performance, energy savings and ease of maintenance to keep costs under control throughout its life cycle.

MP14’s 100% electrical braking system recuperates energy and re-injects it into the network as electricity, while limiting the emission of fine particles caused by the mechanical brakes. The system reduces the energy consumption of the metros, as well as air pollution, by up to 20%. MP14 is also 40% quieter than the metros currently in service on line 11, with a 95% recyclability rate.

About 20 automated metros for line 14, consisting of eight cars each, will be delivered by the end of 2021. The first six-car automated metros for line 4 are currently being tested. Production of the first five-car metros for line 11 began in the last quarter of 2020 and the first metro will begin validation tests on RATP tracks this summer.

Eight of Alstom’s sixteen sites in France are involved in this project:

  • Valenciennes, for the studies, integration, validation, and testing;
  • Le Creusot, for the bogies;
  • Ornans, for the engines;
  • Villeurbanne, for the on-board computerised systems;
  • Tarbes, for the traction;
  • Aix-en-Provence, for the safety IT;
  • Reichshoffen, for the collision studies, and
  • Saint-Ouen, for the design.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Expand Metal 3D Printing Services

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd., a group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Ritto, Shiga Prefecture, will offer expanded services in metal 3D printing services commencing on July 15, including prototype production and contract production by metal 3D (three-dimensional) printers applying laser-based Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies. In addition to its previously offered Directed Energy Deposition (DED) type metal 3D printers for large-scale parts, the Company will newly add services using binder jetting (BJT) metal 3D printers for small-scale parts. The expanded service lineup will enable manufacture of a full range of metal parts, from small components of 1mm size to ultra-large-scale parts exceeding 1 meter.

The addition to MHI Machine Tool’s lineup is the DMP2500 metal 3D printer developed by Digital Metal, a group company of Hogänäs of Sweden. The DMP2500’s BJT technology not only enables extremely precise manufacturing but also is engineered especially for high-volume production. Currently, MHI Machine Tool has provided metal printing services applying unique DED technology of “LAMDA” AM systems; now, with the introduction of a different type of printer, the Company can respond to a broad range of metal 3D print needs and propose and provide the optimal manufacturing method and equipment for each parts.

MHI Machine Tool concluded a contract with Digital Metal in July 2020 on marketing its DMP2500 and other metal 3D printers in Japan. By adding these BJT type systems to its own sales lineup, MHI Machine Tool will be in a position to offer a broad portfolio of not only sales but also after-sales services.

While metal 3D printers are receiving attention for their innovative advances to production processes, they also present challenges relating to the difficulty of their production and quality assurance, etc. With the new expansion of services, MHI Machine Tool will focus on providing solutions relating to additive manufacturing, including provision of related expertise, to accelerate early adaptation to production parts.

Going forward, MHI Machine Tool will develop its metal printing services structure spanning from small-scale high-precision to ultra-large-scale items, enabling the Company to respond to a broad wide-range of prototype production needs and contract production. In these ways, MHI Machine Tool will encourage manufacturers to expand into manufacturing parts using metal 3D printers and contribute to the industrial supply chain as a whole.

Alstom Leads Way for Automated Train Operation in Stuttgart Network

Alstom (OTC: ALSMY) has signed a contract with Germany’s Baden-Wuerttemberg State Institute for Rail Vehicles (SFBW) to retrofit 118 regional trains with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Automatic Train Operation (ATO) digital signalling technology. Part of the Stuttgart Digital Node lighthouse project, the contract is valued at approximately 130 million euro1 and includes an innovation cooperation agreement software maintenance contract and a contract for further maintenance.

In addition to the recently announced S-Bahn project, the new retrofit project covers 118 trains that SFBW operates on the high-traffic Stuttgart network. The trains come from several different suppliers and will be upgraded with the European Train Control System (ETCS) Level 2 and 3 as well as Automatic Train Operation (ATO) level 2 (GoA2) technology. The initial upgrade project will be completed by 2024 and the subsequent upgrade, according to the European Technical Specifications for Interoperability 2022, will be completed by 2027. 

While ATO technology has already been implemented in metros and urban rail lines in cities like Paris, the highly automated operation (GoA 2) is now being used for the first time in Germany on the basis of ETCS Level 2 in the Stuttgart Digital Node.  When completed in 2024, the new signalling technology will increase capacity and frequency on the Stuttgart network while also making the trains performance more sustainable.

As part of the agreed innovation cooperation, Alstom and SFBW will also define the requirements for Train Integrity Monitoring (TIM), Future Railway Mobile Communication System upgrade capability, Train Capability and for Open CCS On-board Reference Architecture (OCORA). The implementation of the developed requirements by Alstom is part of the contract, as is the software maintenance of the regional trains.

The project is being carried out by the Alstom signalling site in Berlin, Germany, in close cooperation with the ETCS competence center in Charleroi, Belgium. Other locations involved in the various project phases are Braunschweig, Salzgitter, Mannheim and Hennigsdorf in Germany as well as Bangalore, India, Bucharest, Romania and Lyon-Villeurbanne, France. The series installation will take place close to Stuttgart or in Hennigsdorf.

U.S. Navy Awards Sikorsky Contract for Nine More CH-53K Heavy Lift Helicopters

Utilizing proven advanced manufacturing techniques and continuing to drive down unit price, Sikorsky will build nine more CH-53K™ heavy lift helicopters under a new contract for the U.S. Navy. This production award also includes an agreement for the next production contract at an even lower unit price which will decrease further if additional quantity options are exercised, resulting in significant savings for the U.S. government and taxpayers.

The nine helicopters are part of a 200 aircraft Program of Record for the U.S. Marine Corps for a  total of 33 production aircraft under contract with 3 of the 33 already delivered to the U.S. Marine Corps. Sikorsky will begin deliveries of the nine additional aircraft in 2024.

Sikorsky and the U.S. Navy also agreed to an even lower aircraft price for the next production contract of nine helicopters, to be exercised no later than February 2022.

Click the link below to read the full story!

https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2021-06-28-U-S-Navy-Awards-Sikorsky-Contract-to-Build-Nine-More-CH-53K-TM-Heavy-Lift-Helicopters-in-Connecticut#assets_all

Cathay Pacific and HK Express Select Airbus Flight Hour Services to Support A320 Fleets

Cathay Pacific Airways and HK Express have signed contracts for Airbus’s Flight Hour Services (FHS) to provide support for their A320 Family fleets. These extend the service relationship with Cathay Pacific and welcome HK Express as a new FHS customer.

The multi-year, maintenance-by-the-hour contracts cover integrated component services, including on-site stock, pool access, and repair services. The airlines will also benefit from Airbus’s engineering expertise and FHS local representatives in Hong Kong.

Airbus has finalised 11 FHS contracts with operators worldwide over the last six months. The latest contract agreements demonstrate the continued interest in Airbus’s integrated maintenance service, proving more relevant than ever in post-crisis times when airlines need to carefully monitor their costs and contain investments.

Boeing Awarded Contract to Deliver 14 Chinook Helicopters to the Royal Air Force

U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Boeing [NYSE: BA] a $578 million Foreign Military Sales contract approved by the U.S. Department of State to deliver 14 extended-range Chinook helicopters to the UK Royal Air Force (RAF).

The extended range Chinook gives the RAF fleet more versatility to execute the domestic and international heavy-lift missions that only the Chinook can facilitate.

Boeing and the RAF recently celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first Chinook delivery to the UK. Boeing will also celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Chinook’s first flight later this year.

The United Kingdom will be the first international operator of a Block II Chinook. Deliveries are scheduled to start in 2026.

Boeing has more than 4,600 employees in Pennsylvania supporting the Chinook, the V-22 Osprey, the MH-139A Grey Wolf and a number of services and engineering efforts. Including suppliers and vendors, Boeing’s activities support an estimated 16,000 jobs in Pennsylvania.

The Chinook fleet for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) supports more than 450 highly skilled jobs across the UK. Boeing colleagues provide maintenance and services support at Gosport, MOD Boscombe Down, and are embedded alongside the military at RAF Odiham.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company’s core values of safety, quality and integrity.

Alstom Wins Largest Railway Contract in History of Denmark

First order from landmark framework agreement with DSB covers 100 Coradia Stream trains and 15 years of maintenance.

Alstom, a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, has won the largest train tender in Danish rail history. Part of a landmark framework agreement with Danish State Railways (DSB) valued at a total of €2.6 billion, the first firm order of 100 Coradia Stream regional trains as well as a 15-year full-service maintenance agreement amounts to a value of €1.4 billion. The framework agreement includes an additional 15 years of maintenance services and the possibility to order additional trainsets.

Delivery of DSB’s new trains is scheduled to begin in the last quarter of 2024. Once in service, this new fleet will operate as a regional and fast rail service and connect Denmark’s northern region to the capital city of Copenhagen, before proceeding south to Lolland. 

The Coradia Stream for DSB has been specially adapted to meet the needs of the Danish rail network and its top speed of 200 km/h will help ensure swift mobility across the country. Each trainset will consist of five single- deck coaches with a total seating capacity for 300 passengers. The trains will be pre-fitted with Alstom’s Atlas onboard ETCS Baseline 3 system, as well as an STM interface enabling it to operate on Denmark’s legacy signalling system.

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