Tag: tranche

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.

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

July 11, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

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.

AirAsia Group Welcomes Dr. Stanley Choi as Substantial Shareholder

February 28, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

AirAsia Group Berhad (Kuala Lumpur: 5099.KL) is pleased to announce that Dr. Stanley Choi Chiu Fai has joined the Group as a substantial shareholder via his wholly-owned entity Positive Boom Ltd. on 18 February 2021. He acquired 167.1 million AirAsia shares in the first tranche of the private placement, raising his shareholding in the group to 332.5 million shares equating to a 8.96% stake.

Dr. Stanley Choi is the Chairman of Head & Shoulders Financial Group, as well as the Chairman and Executive Director of International Entertainment Corporation (IEC), a company listed on the main board of Hong Kong Stock Exchange (1009.HK). He is also the only co-founding member from Hong Kong for YunFeng Capital – a private equity fund started in 2010 by a group of successful entrepreneurs and influential industry leaders, named after its co-founder Jack Ma Yun, founder of Alibaba Group, and David Yu Feng, founder of Target Media.

His previous directorships include his appointment as Executive Director of Target Insurance (Holdings) Limited (stock code: 6161.HK) from 2014 to 2019, Director of ZhongAn Online P&C Insurance Co. Limited (stock code: 6060.HK) from 2013 to 2016 and Executive Director of Media Asia Group Holdings Limited (stock code: 8075.HK) from 2011 to 2015.

The successful businessman possesses more than 20 years of experience in financial services and merger & acquisition transactions, with a particular focus on private equity investment. He was a seed investor of Kidswant, a Chinese-startup that has now become a leading maternity, baby and children’s product retailer in China with a valuation of over USD3 billion.

Dr Stanley Choi, Chairman of Head & Shoulders Financial Group said: “It is my great pleasure and honour to gain a substantial ownership stake in AirAsia Group – the world’s best low cost airline and one of Asia’s biggest known brands that has successfully pivoted into digital business as well. I believe the worst period in the aviation industry’s history has now passed. I am confident that air travel will bounce back and that under Tan Sri Tony’s and Datuk Kamarudin’s leadership, and with vaccines being rolled out across the region and globally, AirAsia has a very bright future ahead. I look forward to working with everyone at AirAsia.”

Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Executive Chairman of AirAsia Group said: “We are thrilled to welcome Dr Stanley Choi as a strategic shareholder of AirAsia Group, bringing an impressive track record and solid reputation as a business powerhouse to our Group. We are confident that he will add value to our digital business development in China through his vast experience and network with top digital players in the country.

Dr Stanley Choi graduated with a Master’s Degree of Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, United States in 1996. In 2013, he obtained a Doctoral Degree of Business Administration from the City University of Hong Kong.

Dassault Aviation Receives Order for 12 Rafales for French Air and Space Force

February 1, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, has signed a contract for the sale of 12 Rafale aircraft with Florence Parly, French Minister of the Armed Forces. These aircraft will replace the 12 Rafales of the French Air and Space Force (FASF) sold to the Hellenic Air Force.

The contract was signed during a visit by the French Minister of the Armed Forces to the Argonay plant in Haute-Savoie which has produced the flight control systems for all Dassault aircraft since 1963.

Dassault Aviation and its industrial partners would like to thank the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, the French defense procurement agency DGA and the Armed Forces for their renewed confidence.

“This contract for 12 new aircraft will enable our Air and Space Force to continue the Rafale build-up while awaiting the fifth tranche, which is scheduled for delivery between 2027 and 2030. The contract is a great satisfaction for Dassault Aviation, Thales, Safran and the 500 French companies involved in the program, in the particularly difficult conditions facing our aeronautics sector in the context of the Covid crisis“, said Eric Trappier.

Eric Trappier, Florence Parly, General Philippe Lavigne (Chief of Staff of the French Air and Space Force) and Guilhem Reboul (representing the French Defense Procurement Agency).

Hamburger Hochbahn AG Innovationslinie 19.02.2015 Fotograf: Marc-Oliver Schulz 0170-3108004 mail@moschulz.de Hamburger Hochbahn AG Innovationslinie 19.02.2015 Fotograf: Marc-Oliver Schulz 0170-3108004 mail@moschulz.de

First Order Placed With Solaris to Supply 530 Electric Buses to Hamburg

December 31, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Hamburger Hochbahn, one of the largest public transport operators in Germany, issued a tender this year for the supply of 530 twelve and eighteen metre-long (articulated) electric buses. In August, three candidate manufacturers were selected, one of these being the CAF Group subsidiary. The framework agreement establishes tranche orders for the vehicles over the next 5 years until completing the delivery of the aforementioned total of 530 vehicles.

Solaris received its first firm order for units under the framework agreement, specifically 5 12- metre and 5 18-metre e-buses, which will be delivered to Hamburg in October 2021.

The two selected electric models, the Urbino 12 and the Urbino 18 belong to Solaris’ range of emission-free and extremely low-noise vehicles. Both vehicles will be equipped with Solaris High Energy + high-capacity batteries, integrated axle drive motors and also featuring plug-in charging devices for availability ranges of up to several hundred kilometres on a single charge.

The vehicles will also be equipped with temperature pre-conditioning to guarantee optimal vehicle temperatures during battery charging, as well as a variety of solutions to promote safety, such as a blind spot monitor system that warns the driver when pedestrians or cyclists are in the vicinity of the vehicle. In terms of capacity, the Solaris Urbino 12 model can carry up to 70 passengers whilst the articulated vehicles offer 107 passenger places, guaranteeing maximum driver and passenger comfort during service.

Norwegian Air Gets Guarantee From Norwegian Government

March 25, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

Norwegian is pleased to announce that two Nordic banks have obtained credit committee approval to provide a guarantee for the required 10 percent for the first tranche of 300 million Norwegian kroner (NOK). Norwegian will secure the necessary headroom to pursue further guarantees from the Norwegian Government.

Government measures
On Thursday 19 March, the Norwegian Government proposed a guarantee of NOK 6 billion for the Norwegian airline industry, of which up to NOK 3 billion is directed to Norwegian. The guarantee will be up to 90 percent from the Norwegian Government provided that financial institutions contribute with the remaining 10 percent. The guarantee scheme will consist of three tranches with a maximum two years maturity.

Since Thursday evening Norwegian has worked with banks and financial institutions and is pleased to announce that two Nordic banks have obtained credit committee approval to contribute with the 10 percent required in guarantee for Tranche I and to provide the NOK 300 million in financing backed by the guarantee from the Norwegian Government. The Company is working with the banks and the Norwegian Export Credit Guarantee Agency (“GIEK”), who will administrate the guarantee scheme, on the documentation in order to obtain the NOK 300 million in liquidity as soon as possible.

The Company is now working with GIEK and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries to clarify the criteria and terms related to the remaining tranches under the scheme and to obtain further guarantees from financial institutions in order to back such remaining tranches. Norwegian will update the market with its further plan of action and implications for its stakeholders as soon as the criteria and terms have been finalized. The Government guarantee scheme is crucial for the Company as the current state of the capital markets in combination with the challenging times for the airline industry limit the options available. The first NOK 300 million will create necessary headroom to pursue the remaining tranches of the guarantee scheme.

Operational update
Currently, most of the fleet is grounded and Norwegian has reduced its operations to a minimum. The airline will now primarily operate domestically in Norway and Sweden and between the Nordic capitals, in order to deliver on its corporate responsibility of maintaining critical infrastructure so that people and necessary goods and medical supplies can be transported during this unprecedented crisis. The limited schedule will remain in place until further notice. In addition, Norwegian has conducted repatriation flights together with the authorities in order to get citizens of Norway, Denmark and Sweden back home.

In order to reduce cost, Norwegian has temporarily laid off approximately 90 percent of its workforce and will continue to implement additional cost measures going forward.