Tag: August (Page 1 of 7)

Dassault Aviation releases order intakes, deliveries and backlog as of December 31, 2023

January 14, 2024 / WIL BALDWIN

AIRCRAFT ORDERED IN 2023

60 Rafale (*) were ordered (42 France, 18 Indonesia), compared with 92 Export Rafale in 2022.

(*) The order for an additional 18 Rafale for Indonesia entered into force on January 8, 2024 and is therefore not part of the 60-Rafale order intake for 2023.

23 Falcon were ordered, compared with 64 in 2022.

AIRCRAFT DELIVERED IN 2023

13 Rafale (11 France, 2 Export) were delivered, while 15 had been guided.
14 Rafale (13 Export, 1 France) were delivered in 2022.

26 Falcon were delivered, while 35 (*) had been guided.
32 Falcon were delivered in 2022.

(*) Certified on August 22, 2023, Falcon 6X, integrating post certification upgrades approved by EASA, has entered into service at the end of 2023.

AIRCRAFT IN BACKLOG

As of December 31, 2023, the backlog includes:

211 Rafale (*) (141 Export, 70 France) compared with 164 Rafale as of December 31, 2022,
84 Falcon compared with 87 Falcon as of December 31, 2022.
(*) The order for an additional 18 Rafale for Indonesia entered into force on January 8, 2024 and is therefore not part of the 211-Rafale backlog of December 31, 2023.

UPCOMING FINANCIAL RELEASE

Dassault Aviation Group will release on March 6, 2024 its full year results.

The above figures relate only to the number of new aircraft. The Group points out that amounts in euros will be published on March 6, 2024.

Rafale B de l’Armée de l’Air Française en opérations extérieures (Opération Serval) – Vue en vol au dessus du Mali. Equipé de la nacelle Damoclès et de GBU-12.

Norwegian Air welcomed 2.1 million passengers in August, 2023

September 10, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA (NAS.OL) had 2,141,613 passengers in August, up 7 per cent from August 2022. The capacity (ASK) was 3,527 million seat kilometres, while actual passenger traffic (RPK) was 3,006 million seat kilometres. In August, Norwegian operated an average of 80 aircraft with a regularity, share of scheduled flights taking place, of 99.6 percent. The impressive results came despite operations being impacted by high winds and floods caused by Storm Hans in Southern Norway, as well as the outage at National Air Traffic Services (NATS) in the UK on 28 August. Punctuality was at 82.4 percent in August, the share of flights departing within 15 minutes of scheduled time. However, 98.0 per cent of all departed flights arrived on schedule or within one hour of scheduled arrival time, the highest level so far this year.

Solid operations and positive booking momentum

The outlook for this autumn continues to be positive. Capacity has been adjusted to meet the seasonal variation in demand for the coming winter. Norwegian is excited to release the summer programme for 2024 next week, with further routes to new destinations being added in November.

About Norwegian

Norwegian is the largest Norwegian airline and one of Europe’s leading low-cost carriers. The company has around 4,500 employees and offers a comprehensive route network between Nordic countries and destinations in Europe. Since 2002, more than 300 million passengers have flown with Norwegian. The most important task has been to offer affordable plane tickets to all and to offer more freedom of choice along the journey.

Norway Panoramic view of Lofoten Islands in Norway with sunset scenic

Turkish Airlines places order for ten additional Airbus A350-900

September 7, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Toulouse, France, September 6, 2023 – Turkey’s national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, has announced a new order for 10 additional Airbus (OTC: EADSY) A350-900 aircraft, taking its total for the type to 40. This latest Turkish Airlines agreement is in addition to one announced in August for four A350-900’s, with th air carrier already operating a fleet of 14 A350-900’s.

At the end of July, the A350 had won over 1,000 orders from leading carriers from around the globe. The A350 is the world’s most modern and efficient widebody aircraft and the long range leader in the 300-410 seater category. Its clean sheet design includes state-of-the-art technology, aerodynamics, lightweight materials and new engines that together deliver 25 percent advantage in fuel burn, operating costs and CO2 emissions. The airplane also demonstrates a 50 percent noise footprint reduction compared to the previous generation of Airbus aircraft.

Airbus opens new A321XLR equipment installation hangar

August 31, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Hamburg, Germany, August 30, 2023 – Airbus (OTC: EADSY) is advancing its industrial system and expanding ramp-up capacity with a new automated A321XLR equipping hangar, officially opened today by Hamburg’s First Mayor Peter Tschentscher and German Aerospace Coordinator Anna Christmann. With this, Airbus continues its modernisation and digitalisation of its industrial system and expands its capacity for the rate ramp-up in the A320 programme to 75 in 2026.

Hamburg, 30 August 2023 – Airbus is advancing its industrial system and expanding ramp-up capacity with a new automated A321XLR equipping hangar, officially opened today by Hamburg’s First Mayor Peter Tschentscher and German Aerospace Coordinator Anna Christmann. With this, Airbus continues its modernisation and digitalisation of its industrial system and expands its capacity for the rate ramp-up in the A320 programme to 75 in 2026.

“Airbus’ Hamburg site plays a significant role in the development and production of the A321XLR. With our new, state-of-the-art equipment installation hangar, we are now expanding our capacity to manufacture A321 fuselages and making an important contribution to supporting our ramp up. At the same time we are reaffirming the importance of Hamburg for Airbus,” said André Walter, Head of Airbus Commercial Aircraft Production in Germany. “The design of the building reflects the latest standards in production and sustainability.”

Dr Peter Tschentscher, First Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg: “Hamburg is the central location for Airbus’ single-aisle development and production. With the A321XLR, the new flagship of the A320 Family will be assembled at the Finkenwerder site, setting new standards in terms of sustainability, efficiency and range. The start of production in the new equipment installation hangar is an important project for Hamburg as the world’s third largest civil aviation center.”

“This investment in the A321XLR equipment installation hangar at the Airbus Hamburg site is an important milestone towards transitioning aviation to climate neutrality. This transformation is the key to making Germany a future-oriented and competitive aerospace location,” said Anna Christmann, the Federal Government Coordinator of German Aerospace Policy. “I am delighted that Airbus is positioning itself as a trailblazer in sustainable aviation and that we are pulling together to accelerate progress toward climate-neutral aviation even further.”

In the new equipment installation hangar, with 9,600 m² of production space, designated H259, all the components of the rear fuselages of the A321XLR aircraft – also built in Hamburg – will be installed and mounted. The hangar is equipped with a full range of state-of-the-art technologies for operations and manufacturing, such as automated logistics, fully digital systems, and test stations that can output the status of each fuselage section (both in terms of logistics and resources) at any time. The almost 24-metre-long fuselage sections are equipped with all electrical and mechanical systems, as well as other elements such as windows, floor panels or external antennas, on an automated ‘pulse line’ consisting of eight stations. Each fuselage section is extensively tested directly after the installation of the systems. The fuselage sections are then transferred to the final assembly line in Hamburg.

The stations in the new hangar were planned in close consultation with the employees to create both an efficient production flow and an ergonomically optimised and modern working environment. In addition, the interior design also focused on ensuring optimal conditions for cooperation between the employees in production and the supporting functions.

The structure was planned and built sustainably. A 3,000 m² photovoltaic system on the roof supplies the hangar with electricity, and surpluses are used to power the site. The office block on the south side offers an excellent level of insulation thanks to extensive insulation of the ceiling and walls. A fully automatic control system for heating, ventilation and lighting complements the measures.

ANA Announces Updates to the FY2023 Flight Schedule

August 31, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Tokyo, Japan, August 30, 2023 – All Nippon Airways (ANA) has announced updates to its flight schedule for fiscal year 2023 (FY2023). Beginning December 6, all roundtrips on the Narita-Honolulu route will be operated by the specially painted “FLYING HONU” Airbus A380 aircraft featuring Hawaiian inspired sea turtles. ANA will offer the most seat capacity on its Honolulu routes in its history, exceeding pre-COVID levels.
A summary of the recent update concerning the international flight schedule is given below.

Schedule for October 29, 2023 – March 30, 2024:

*1 No operation on 12/3 and 12/5. Flights on 12/4 will be operated.
*2 For flights departing from overseas, the dates of the implementation are the following day.
*3 For flights to/from Haneda airport, please check the ANA Application or website for departure and arrival terminals (Terminal 2 or 3).

Virgin Galactic announces window for third commercial space flight

August 29, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Galactic 03’ to Fly Three Virgin Galactic “Founder” Customers

Flight Window Opens September 8, 2023

Company’s Fourth Spaceflight in Four Months

Orange County, California, August 28, 2023 – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) today announced the ‘Galactic 03’ flight window will open on September 8, 2023, continuing a monthly cadence of spaceflights. This would be the Company’s fourth spaceflight in four months.

The three ‘Galactic 03’ crew members are the first of Virgin Galactic’s group of ‘Founder’ astronauts – the first customers whose forward-thinking vision and early ticket purchases helped make the dream of regular commercial spaceflights a reality.

The ‘Galactic 03’ crew bought their tickets as early as 2005 and, since then, have been an active part of the Company’s vibrant Future Astronaut community. This community – comprised of approximately 800 individuals representing over 60 different countries – enjoys access to distinctive experiences designed to inspire and to enrich their spaceflight experience.

The pilots for ‘Galactic 03’ are VSS Unity Commander Nicola Pecile, VSS Unity Pilot Michael Masucci, and the Astronaut Instructor is Colin Bennett.

In the past twelve weeks, Virgin Galactic has introduced eleven new astronauts to the world. Following the ‘Galactic 03’ spaceflight, the customers on board would become Virgin Galactic astronauts 014, 015 and 016.

Lockheed Martin wins $765M deal for missile shield over Australia

August 29, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Canberra, Australia, August 29, 2023 – Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) welcomed today’s announcement by the Department of Defense on being selected as the strategic partner to steward AIR6500 Phase 1 (AIR6500-1).

AIR6500-1 will provide the Australian Defence Force (ADF) with a Joint Air Battle Management System (JABMS) that will form the ground-breaking architecture at the core of the ADF’s future Integrated Air and Missile Defence (IAMD) capability. This first-of-its-kind system will provide greater situational awareness and defence against increasingly advanced air and missile threats, as well as give the ADF increased levels of interoperability with the United States and allied partners.

Since 2015, Lockheed Martin Australia has been highly dedicated to supporting ADF’s vision to transform into a fully integrated and IAMD capable force through AIR6500-1.

Lockheed Martin Australia has advanced a sovereign AIR6500-1 system solution that has been built from the ground up in Australia by Australians to safeguard Australia’s national security. To-date, Lockheed Martin Australia has:

Validated more than 130 Australian small to medium enterprises as potential partners.
Awarded contracts to more than 10 leading-edge companies such as Leidos Australia, Consunet, Consilium, C4I, Silentium, Penten, Lucid Consulting Engineering, and engaged with prime contractors, Raytheon and Boeing, during the risk reduction phase to develop an agile, integrated AIR6500 solution.
Committed AUD$74M to establish the nation’s future IAMD ecosystem to accelerate collaboration between academia, industry, Defence, and allied partners on IAMD capabilities. The IAMD ecosystem is expected to create more than 400 direct and 1,000 indirect local jobs.
Invested over AUD$100M into AIR6500.
Grown its sovereign workforce to over 200 Australian staff now dedicated to AIR6500.
Invested over AUD$10M to upgrade its Endeavour Centre to engage, explore, test, design and problem solve together with the ADF and industry through innovation, war gaming, exercises and more.

Alstom consortium picked to deliver Dominican Republic’s first monorail system

August 28, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

August 28, 2023 – Alstom (OTC: ALSMY), a global leader in smart and sustainable mobility, announces that the Consortium SIF (led by Alstom and including Sofratesa) has been selected by Fideicomiso para el Desarrollo del Sistema de Transporte Masivo (FITRAM) of the Dominican Republic to deliver an integrated Innovia monorail system for the city of Santiago de los Caballeros. When completed, the 13-kilometre, 14-station Santiago de los Caballeros monorail system will be the first of its kind in the country and in the Caribbean. The system is dimensioned to carry up to 20,000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) and will provide faster and more efficient connections between the city’s northwest and southeast areas.

Alstom’s scope within the contract includes system integration, testing and commissioning of the full system and the supply of Innovia monorail trains as well as Cityflo 650 GOA4 driverless signalling, Hesop reversible power supply, conductor rail, high-speed interchange switch systems and depot equipment. Alstom’s share of the contract is worth approximately €370 million. This project is carried out with financing from the French government.

Alstom will deliver the 13 four-car automated Innovia Monorail 300 trains, which incorporate the design and operational features required for a high-capacity urban transport system. These features include automatic driverless operation, bi-directional operations, and compliance with international safety requirements and standards. Capitalising on Alstom’s strong leadership with over 30 years’ expertise in communications-based train control (CBTC), Alstom’s Cityflo 650 CBTC solution — the first driverless rail control system in the Dominican Republic— will support the highest grade of automation (GoA4), allowing for high reliability, shorter intervals between trains, flexible and safe operations, and reduced maintenance costs. To further increase the energy efficiency of the system, Alstom will install Hesop reversible power stations, which translates into not only building fewer substations along the alignment but also recovering and reinjecting up to 99% braking energy from the trains back into the network.

Embraer and Brazilian Army complete first test of M200 Vigilante radar

August 28, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Parintins, Brazil, August 25th, 2023 – Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) and the Brazilian Army have successfully completed the first test of the M200 Vigilante radar, including the deployment of the equipment on the KC-390 aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force (FAB). The radar operation was carried out at Júlio Belém Airport, located in Parintins, during June and July. The Parintins City Hall, Júlio Belém Airport, and Viracopos International Airport also supported the initiative.

The location was chosen due to the Parintins Folkloric Festival, an event that causes a significant increase in air traffic in the region. Thousands of visitors accessed the city this year through Júlio Belém Airport, resulting in more than 800 landings and takeoffs in one week. The M200 Vigilante radar was transported for the first time on a KC-390, on a three-hour journey between Campinas, in São Paulo state, and the city located in the Amazon rainforest. The sensor continuously monitored air traffic within a 200 km range of the airport, working together with CINDACTA IV flight controllers. CINDACTA IV is the Brazilian Air Force agency responsible for flight monitoring in the northern region of the country.

The M200 Vigilante radar is a medium-range sensor aimed at Air Surveillance and Early Warning applications. Using advanced processing techniques, it can identify and track positions and trajectories, as well as classify targets. It has an integrated power generation system, which guarantees operation autonomy for up to 48 hours and ease of transport by land and air platforms.

Garmin receives certification for GFC 600 digital autopilot in Beechcraft King Air F90 aircraft

August 26, 2023 / WIL BALDWIN

Olathe, Kansas, August 23, 2023 — Garmin (NYSE: GRMN) today announced it has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for the GFC^™ 600 digital autopilot in Beechcraft King Air F90 aircraft. The GFC 600 digital autopilot is optimized for turbine aircraft, delivering superior in-flight characteristics that reduce workload and bring new operational capabilities such as Vertical Navigation (VNAV)¹, automatic Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) switching when paired with a GTN Series navigator, enhanced go-around capabilities including missed approach sequencing — and much more.

The GFC 600 certification for the King Air F90 provides owners and operators with an autopilot upgrade that boasts superior integration potential with G600 and G600 TXi^™ flight displays, the GI 275 electronic flight instrument, as well as the GTN^™ and GTN Xi Series of navigators. The self-contained autopilot controller incorporates backlit keys and a bright, sunlight readable display that depicts autopilot status and mode selection. An intuitive built-in control wheel also provides convenient adjustment of aircraft pitch, airspeed and vertical speed modes. When the level button is selected, the aircraft automatically returns to straight-and-level flight.

Environmentally hardened autopilot servos designed for harsh operating conditions contain brushless DC motors offering improved performance and reducing maintenance requirements when compared to decades-old servo designs on the market today. In addition, these servos offer more torque to help pilots better respond to demands required of turbine aircraft.

Standard mark-width (6.25-inch) design of the GFC 600 mode controller ensures the autopilot controller allows for routine installation into the aircraft’s avionics stack. In King Air F90 aircraft, GFC 600 will require a G600 TXi or G600 flight display.

In addition to traditional autopilot capabilities such as altitude hold, vertical speed and heading modes, the GFC 600 includes:

Premium functions and advanced capabilities such as altitude pre-select² and indicated airspeed hold mode.
Ability to select, couple and fly various instrument approaches, including GPS, ILS, VOR, LOC and back course approaches.³
Built-in GPS roll steering capability eliminates the need for external roll steering converters and allows for smoother navigation tracking when installed with a compatible navigator.
Level Mode button, which automatically engages the autopilot to restore the aircraft to straight and level flight.
Underspeed and overspeed protection.
Yaw Damping (YD) mode minimizes yawing oscillations while also helping to maintain coordinated flight.
Flight Director command bars can be displayed on a flight display such as the G600 and G600 TXi.
Coupled ‘go-arounds’ for pilots to fly during missed approach sequencing. A remotely installed go-around button commands the Flight Director to display the appropriate pitch attitude required for the missed approach procedure and activates a loaded missed approach when paired with a GTN 650/750 or GTN 650Xi/750Xi navigator.
Included pitch-trim servo adds automatic trim and improved manual electric trim.
Control wheel steering is available, which allows the pilot to adjust pitch, roll, altitude hold, vertical speed or airspeed references using the control yoke while the autopilot is engaged.

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