President Trump accused Iranian general Qassem Soleimani of planning “imminent and sinister attacks” Friday in his first televised remarks since thedeadly airstrike that killed the generalat Baghdad’s international airport.
“We took action last night to stop a war,” Trump said during brief remarks at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. “We did not take action to start a war.”
Without divulging details about what led to the early morning airstrike that killed Soleimani and nine others, the president said the United States “caught” the general “in the act and terminated him.”
“Soleimani made the death of innocent people his sick passion,” Trump added, saying that “what the U.S. did yesterday should have been done long ago.”
The killing of Soleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, marks a major escalation in the standoff between Washington and Tehran, which has careened from one crisis to another since Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions.
Senior State Department officials described the killing as a defensive strike supported by solid intelligence and claimed Soleimani was planning imminent attacks against United States interests and personnel in the region.
53rd International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport
PARIS (Reuters) – U.S. arms makers say European demand for fighter jets, missile defenses and other weapons is growing fast amid heightened concerns about Russia and Iran.
The U.S. government sent a group of unusually high-ranking officials including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to the Paris Airshow this year, where nearly 400 U.S. companies were showcasing equipment as the United States and Iran neared open confrontation in the Persian Gulf.
Lockheed Martin, Boeing and other top weapons makers said they had seen accelerating demand for U.S. weapons at the biennial air show despite escalating trade tensions between the United States and Europe.
“Two Paris air shows ago, there weren’t a lot of orders,” said Rick Edwards, who heads Lockheed’s international division. “Now … our fastest growth market for Lockheed Martin in the world is Europe.”
Many European nations have increased military spending since Russia’s annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014, bolstering missile defenses and upgrading or replacing ageing fighter jet fleets. NATO members agreed in 2014 to move toward spending 2% of gross domestic product on defence.
Eric Fanning, chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, said the NATO pledge and European concerns about Russia were fueling demand. “I do think it reflects the increasing provocations of Russia,” he said.
Industry executives and government officials say growing concern about Iran’s missile development program is another key factor. Tehran’s downing of a U.S. drone came late in the air show, but executives said it would support further demand.
“Iran is our best business development partner. Every time they do something like this, it heightens awareness of the threat,” said one senior defence industry executive, who asked not to be named.
Edwards said Lockheed’s F-35 stealth fighter, selected by Belgium, is poised to win another new order from Poland, while Bulgaria, Slovakia and Romania are also working to replace Soviet-era equipment.
Edwards and other executives say they see no impact from the ongoing trade disputes between U.S. President Donald Trump and the European Union.
U.S. Army Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, director of the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), said Europe accounted for nearly a quarter of the $55.7 billion in foreign arms sales his agency handled in fiscal 2018.
Hooper said the U.S. government was making concerted efforts to speed arms sales approvals and boost sales to help arm allies with U.S. weapons.
Ralph Acaba, president of Raytheon Co’s’s Integrated Defense Systems business, said the company was boosting automation and working to deliver the Patriot missile system and other weapons in half the five-year period previously typical.
“Europe is really big for us now, and that’s a big change in just the last few years and even the last 18 months,” he said.
In addition to wooing new Patriot customers, Raytheon is upgrading existing systems for customers like Germany, which is likely to finalize a contract worth potentially hundreds of millions of dollars to the company in coming months.
Thomas Breckenridge, head of international sales for Boeing’s strike, surveillance and mobility programs, is eyeing contracts wins for Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets in Germany, Switzerland and Finland.
“There’s a huge appetite in Europe for defence as a whole,” he said.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Delivered 76 aircraft, maintaining ATR’s leadership in turbo prop market
Turnover at US$ 1.8 billion
Achieved book to bill above 1 over 24 month period
Outlook for 2019 shows continuous momentum for ATR
Toulouse, January 31, 2019 – ATR, the Franco-Italian turboprop manufacturer, maintained its leadership on the market in 2018, showing a solid performance. It delivered 76 aircraft, booked 52 firm orders and stabilised its annual turnover at US$ 1.8 billion. With a total of 165 orders and 154 deliveries between 2017 and 2018, ATR achieved a book to bill ratio above 1.
Out of the 52 firm orders, 20 are for ATR 42-600s. In a difficult environment, ATR succeeded in reallocating the aircraft it was unable to deliver to Iran Air. With around 62% of the turboprop orders for the year, the modern ATR -600s continues to be the preferred choice of regional airlines. The 2018 results provide ATR with a solid backlog representing almost three years of production.
In 2018, ATR has sold aircraft in every region of the world, and welcomed three new operators into the ATR family (Silver in the US, Ewa Air in Mayotte in the Indian Ocean and HAC in Japan). ATR also signed the first contracts for aircraft equipped with its new ClearVision™ system. As the ideal route opener, ATR aircraft created 113 new routes in 2018, serving 1,346 airports worldwide (56 more than in 2017).
The market-leading turboprop manufacturer also surpassed three impressive delivery milestones in 2018. ATR delivered its 1,000th ATR 72, its 500th -600 series aircraft, only seven years after the launch of the programme, and its 1,500th ATR aircraft. In 2018, ATR has substantially increased its Customer Support activities. While installing a new training simulator in Toulouse, and introducing a brand new 24/7 Customer Service Center, ATR gained 15% more customers for its tailor-made pay-by-the-hour maintenance programme, the Global Maintenance Agreement (GMA).
Underpinning ATR’s success has been its policy of continuous improvement, which saw in 2018 the introduction of several innovations, including new Neo-Classic and Neo-Prestige passenger seats, which became standard on all new ATRs, and the optional standalone wireless In-Flight Entertainment system Cabinstream™.
The outlook for 2019 and beyond shows a bright future for ATR, as the global turboprop market will require over 3,000 new aircraft before the end of 2037. ATR aircraft will continue to help smaller, local economies expand their horizons while ensuring mature markets continue to thrive, thanks to its unbeatable economics, environmental performance and operational flexibility.
ABOUT ATR:
European turboprop manufacturer ATR is the world leader in the regional aviation market. ATR designs, manufactures and delivers aircraft, with its fleet encompassing some 200 airlines in nearly 100 countries. The ATR 42 and the ATR 72 are the best-selling aircraft in the below 90-seat category. With continuous improvement as a driving force, ATR produces cutting edge, comfortable and versatile turboprops that help airlines expand their horizons by creating more than 100 new routes every year. Compared with other turboprops, ATRs offer an advantage of 40% on fuel burn, 20% on trip cost and 10% on seat cost, whilst offering the lowest noise emissions. ATR is an equal partnership between leading aerospace firms Airbus and Leonardo and benefits from a large global customer support network allowing it to deliver innovative services and solutions to its clients and operators all over the world. For more information, please visit http://www.atr-aircraft.com. Follow us on Twitter – #ATRLeads
DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran needs some 500 planes and would likely back buying the Sukhoi Superjet 100 if Russia is willing to sell them to its airlines, Iranian news agencies reported the country’s top civil aviation official as saying on Wednesday.
Iran needs to upgrade its ageing passenger fleet and is seeking to avert U.S. sanctions on Tehran.
The U.S. Treasury has revoked licences for Boeing Co (BA.N) and Airbus (AIR.PA) to sell passenger jets to Iran after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions.
Most modern commercial planes have more than 10 percent in U.S. parts, the threshold for needing U.S. Treasury approval.
But Russian officials have been reported as saying Sukhoi is working on reducing the number of U.S. parts in the hopes of winning an Iranian order for up to 100 aircraft.
“If the Iranian airlines want to use this aircraft (Superjet 100 ) and the seller is willing to sell it to Iran, the Civil Aviation Organization is ready to issue its final comment on this aircraft,” the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Ali Abedzadeh, head of the Civil Aviation Organization, as saying.
“But this aircraft has adhered to world standards and is flying currently, therefore there is no reason for us to reject it,” Abedzadeh told Fars.
Flag-carrier IranAir had ordered 200 passenger aircraft – 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR (LDOF.MI) before U.S. licences were revoked.
“The airlines have proposals for plane purchases and we are trying to devise regulations that will ease their aircraft imports. Considering Iran’s very large market, we need 500 planes now,” Abedzadeh was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Alexander Smith
DUBAI (Reuters) – IranAir is looking to buy planes from any company not requiring U.S. sales permits and may consider Russia’s Sukhoi Superjet 100, the flag carrier’s head was quoted as saying, as Iran tries to renew its ageing fleet despite facing U.S. sanctions.
The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)revoked licences for Boeing Co and Airbus to sell passenger jets to Iran after President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement in May and reimposed sanctions.
“We welcome any (company) which is able to provide the planes needed by IranAir. We even have gone after planes such as Sukhoi 100 or planes made by non-European countries,” said IranAir Chief Executive Farzaneh Sharafbafi, quoted by Iran’s Roads Ministry website.
Most modern commercial planes have more than 10 percent in U.S. parts, the threshold for needing U.S. Treasury approval. But Russian officials have been reported as saying Sukhoi is working on reducing the number of U.S. parts in the hopes of winning an Iranian order for up to 100 aircraft.
“We will consider plane purchases if these companies can sell planes to Iran without an OFAC licence, and are willing to negotiate,” Sharafbafi added. She gave no further details.
IranAir had ordered 200 passenger aircraft – 100 from Airbus, 80 from Boeing and 20 from Franco-Italian turboprop maker ATR. All the deals were dependent on U.S. licences because of the heavy use of American parts in commercial planes.
(Reporting by Dubai newsroom, Additional reporting by Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Edmund Blair)
A passenger plane crashed in a mountainous region in southern Iran on Sunday, killing all 65 people on board, an airline spokesman told Iran state television.
Aseman Airlines Flight No. 3704 came down near the city of Yasuj, about 485 miles south of Tehran, the airline said. The ATR-72 — a twin-engine turboprop — was near its destination when it crashed into Mount Dena while carrying 59 passengers and six crew members, Iran Aseman Airlines spokesman Mohammad Taghi Tabatabai told state TV.
