airbus delivers first to us bangla airlines fans-c...

Vol 05 Issue 7 APRIL 2019 ` 100www.aviationmagazine.in UPDATE

India’s premier aviation monthly magazine

DAE DELIVERS ATR 72-600 TO US BANGLA AIRLINES

AIRBUS DELIVERS FIRST FANS-C-EQUIPPED A320 TO

EASYJET

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AXISCADES CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER (CEO) SHARADHI BABU

Exhibitors galore across Asian aviation space

2019

Naresh Goyal is out of Jet Airways forever

Boeing Donates $3 Million to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

V-22 Osprey marks three decades of transforming military aviation

Regional air connectivity infrastructure gets a boost

05

07

15

34

24

32 World’s first aw609 Tiltrotor and us aw169 helicopter simulators to expand advanced training services

11 All Nippon Airways takes delivery of its first A380

14 Rolls-Royce tests hybrid power system

26 PSLV-C45 successfully launches EMISAT and 28 customer satellites

06 SpiceJet announces 12 new international & domestic flights

09 Bombardier Concludes Sale of its Business Aircraft Training Unit to CAE

contents

Induction of Chinook Helicopters in Indian Air Force

APRIL 2019AVIATION UPDATE 3

Vol : 05 Issue : 7 APRIL - 2019

EDITORIAL BOARD

AVIATIONUPDATE

India’s premier aviation monthly magazine

Editor-in-Chief : B. Kartikeya

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For Advertising details [email protected] information in Aviation Update nformation is derived from sources, which we consider reliable and a sincere effort is made to report accurate information. It is passed on to our readers without any responsibility on our part. The publisher regrets that he cannot accept liability for errors and omissions contained in this publication, however caused. Similarly, opinions/ views expressed by third parties in abstract and/or in interviews are not necessarily shared by Aviation Update. However, we wish to advice our readers that one or more recognized authorities may hold different views than those reported. Material used in this publication is intended for information purpose only. Readers are advised to seek specific advice before acting on information contained in this publication which is provided for general use and may not be appropriate for the readers’ particular circumstances.

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No part of Aviation Update or any part of the contents thereof may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form without the permission of the publication in writing. The same rule applies when there is a copyright or the article is taken from another publication. An exemption is hereby granted for the extracts used for the purpose of fair review, provided two copies of the same publication are sent to us for our records. Publications reproducing material either in part or in whole, without permission could face legal action. The publisher assumes no responsibility for returning any material solicited or unsolicited nor is he responsible for material lost or damaged. This publication is not meant to be an endorsement of any specific product or services offered. The publisher reserves the right to refuse, withdraw, amend or otherwise deal with all advertisements without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the Indian and International Advertisements Code. The publisher will not be liable for any damage or loss caused by delayed publication.

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Greetings and Salutations

Dear Readers,“How are you doing my readers? Here we are once again with another

delightful issue of Aviation Update that brings to you the very best

of Aviation world from close quarters.”

This month we bring to you inspiring news about regional

connectivity which has been quite an issue in our country, only

starting to get better with time. Don’t forget to check out our special

interview with Mobilicom CEO, Oren Elkayam. Also, this month, the

careers sections brightened up with our exclusive story on Aeromate,

a fascinating start-up by Kishore Kumar Maley, a man with decade

log experience in Airlines, MRO, Aviation IT, Consultation, Strategy

and Innovation.

This month we are big with our cover story on ABACE 2019, which

stands to be a premier marketplace for buyers and also emerges as

a base point to drive synergy and growth for the aviation industry

in Asia. Read on to find out more on how ABACE can be a real game

changer not only for exhibitors but for each and every visitor, who

wants to make the very best of opportunities in the aviation space of

Asia Pacific region and beyond. Not to miss out on our daily dosage of

insights on fleets, cargos, drones, who’s who and along with regular

sections steamed with happenings from all corners of the aviation

world.

Till we meet again. Bye for now.

Thanks

B. KartikeyaEditor

Wake up withdetermination, go tobed with satisfaction

APRIL 2019 AVIATION UPDATE4

NARESH GOYAL IS OUT OF JET AIRWAYS FOREVER

N aresh Goyal, the chairman of India’s second-largest commercial airline Jet

Airways has been forced to resign amidst the stricken carrier’s continued financial crisis. Currently two thirds of the airline’s fleet has been grounded due to defaulting on lease payments or inability to carry out mechanical repairs.

As at the end of March 2018 Jet airways was carrying US$1.6 billion in debt and had posted operating losses in nine of the past 11 years while struggling to pay off debt. The resignation of Goyal, along with his wife Anita, comes after continued pressure from creditors. Banks will now receive 114 million new shares in the company, providing it with an immediate emergency fund of up to US$218 of additional debt. While Etihad remains a major shareholder, lenders will now become the majority shareholder with over 50 percent of the company.

“The Jet Airways debt saga has entered a decisive phase,” said Rajesh Narain Gupta, managing partner of law firm SNG & Partners. “Banks have no other option but to pick up the major stake and find a new promoter for the debt-laden airline. However, it remains to be seen how successful banks become in managing an airline, going beyond their core competence.”

Lenders led by government-owned State Bank of India, have proposed an intricate bailout package, under which banks will take a majority of the company for 1 rupee — one U.S. cent — while giving the ailing airline time to arrange fresh equity. Jet’s boards have approved the proposal and have cleared a plan to set up an interim panel to monitor daily operations and cash flow while new investors are being sought.

SABENA TECHNICS UNVEILS ITS NEW MAINTENANCE SITE

The French group Sabena technics, an independent provider of aircraft

maintenance and modifications (MRO), has acquired the assets of the company New EAS – now known as Sabena technics PGF – and thus reinforces its implantation and development on the European continent.

Based in Perpignan-Rivesaltes (France), the Group’s new site employs 165 people and has three hangars able to accommodate a wide-body aircraft and up to five narrow-body aircraft for civil andmilitary base maintenance operations.

“This acquisition is perfectly aligned with our external growth strategy and reflects our desire to strengthen our presence in a very dynamic MRO market. Thanks to the complementarity of our sites, our customers will benefit from extended services with ever more quality and competitiveness “, said Philippe Rochet, Chief Operating Officer, Sabena technics.

DAE DELIVERS ATR 72-600 TO US BANGLA AIRLINES

Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd. announced that it has delivered an

ATR 72-600 to Bangladesh-based US Bangla Airlines. The aircraft was handed over to the airline during a celebration at the ATR facility in Toulouse, France.

Firoz Tarapore, Chief Executive Officer of DAE commented: “We are delighted to welcome US Bangla as our newest customer, as we are delighted to include Bangladesh in our growing global footprint. Our delivery of US Bangla’s ATR once again demonstrates DAE’s ability to effectively address the changing fleet requirements of our customers and our ability to execute such agreements swiftly. We look forward to a strong relationship with US Bangla.”

Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun, Managing Director of US-Bangla Airlines said: “We are very happy to accept the brand-new ATR72-600 from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd – one of the top lessors of the world. We are adding this aircraft to our fleet to meet the growing market demand in domestic sectors and to provide even better services. We hope that our relationship with DAE will further expand and strengthen as we continue to grow as an airline of formidable presence.”

This factory new ATR is the final aircraft of an order of 20 ATR 72-600 aircraft which DAE placed with the manufacturer in 2014.

UPS PARTNERS WITH MATTERNET TO TRANSPORT MEDICAL SAMPLES VIA DRONE ACROSS HOSPITAL SYSTEM

UPS announced a groundbreaking new logistics service to deliver medical

samples via unmanned drones through collaboration with Matternet, a leader in autonomous drone technology. The program is taking place at WakeMed’s flagship

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hospital and campus in the Raleigh, N.C., metropolitan area, with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration and North Carolina Department of Transportation. Today’s flight marks the beginning of numerous planned daily revenue flights at the WakeMed Raleigh campus.

The UPS and Matternet program represents a major milestone for unmanned aviation in the United States. Currently, the majority of medical samples and specimens are transported across WakeMed’s expanding health system by courier cars. The addition of drone transport provides an option for on-demand and same-day delivery, the ability to avoid roadway delays, increase medical delivery efficiency, lower costs and improve the patient experience with potentially life-saving benefits.

NCDOT, which is working to leverage drones to expand healthcare access for the residents of North Carolina, supported Matternet in conducting first-round test flights using Matternet’s drone technology on WakeMed’s campus in August 2018 as part of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The three-year FAA program aims to test practical applications of drones by partnering local governments with private sector companies to learn more about how this emerging technology can be safely and usefully integrated into day-to-day activities. The five IPP partners involved are the FAA, NCDOT, UPS, Matternet, and WakeMed.

The program will utilize Matternet’s M2 quadcopter, which is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, and can carry medical payloads weighing up to about 5 lbs. over distances of up to 12.5 miles.

Throughout the WakeMed program, a medical professional will load a secure drone container with a medical sample or specimen – such as a blood sample – at one of WakeMed’s nearby facilities. The drone will fly along a predetermined flight path, monitored by a specially trained Remote Pilot-in-Command (RPIC), to a fixed landing pad at WakeMed’s main hospital and central pathology lab. This will be an ongoing program at WakeMed, and UPS and Matternet will use the learnings to consider how drones can be applied to improve transport services at other hospitals and medical facilities across the U.S.

Enhancing the UPS Global Smart Logistics Network to support hospitals and

other healthcare organizations remains a key element of the company’s transformation strategy. Healthcare and life science logistics is a priority segment for UPS, and the company is building new relationships and technologies to deliver better patient care with streamlined logistics and supply chain.

This collaboration is the latest UPS program to utilize drone flights in support of healthcare logistics. UPS partnered with GAVI and Zipline in 2016 to deliver blood products to remote locations in Rwanda. The Matternet team has already completed more than 3,000 flights for healthcare systems in Switzerland.

SPICEJET ANNOUNCES 12 NEW INTERNATIONAL & DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Budget carrier SpiceJet will operate 12 new direct flights encompassing

international and regional sectors as well as regular domestic routes. According to the company, all flights on the domestic sectors will commence operation from March 31, 2019, while the international flights will hit the skies starting April 15, 2019.

“The airline is all set to expand its international footprint with the introduction of direct flights on the Hyderabad-Colombo-Hyderabad route,” the airline said in a statement.

“Reaffirming the airline’s conviction in UDAN (regional connectivity scheme), SpiceJet also announced six new flights on the Kishangarh-Ahmedabad-Kishangarh, Lakhimpur-Guwahati-Lakhimpur and Jaipur-Amritsar-Jaipur sectors, which were awarded to the airline under the third round of the regional connectivity scheme.”

As per the statement, with an aim to further reinforce its network in south India, SpiceJet announced four new daily direct flights connecting Chennai with Patna and Surat.

INDIGO BAGS “PASSENGER CHOICE AWARD” AT THE APEX ASIA AWARDS 2019

A fter being voted as the ‘Passenger Airline of the Year’ at BIAL Pinnacle

Awards 2018, India’s largest low-cost airline, IndiGo, received a prestigious accolade at the APEX Asia awards 2019 held in Shanghai today. The APEX CEO, Mr. Joe Leader formally presented the award to the winners.

Mr. William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said, “We feel absolutely honoured to be recognized by the APEX Asia awards for our customer service. This is a recognition for all the unrelenting effort that the IndiGo team puts in every day. It is our constant endeavour to live up to and exceed our customer’s expectations and we will continue to work hard to achieve even higher standards of excellence. This achievement reinforces our commitment towards being On-Time, courteous and hassle free, and providing low fares, always.”

Mr. Boulter also said, “And we at every step are very grateful to our customers for making us the largest low-cost airline of India.”

The APEX Passenger Choice Awards™ are based on passenger feedback gathered through APEX’s partnership with TripIt® from Concur®, the world’s highest-rated travel-organizing app. Using a five-star scale, more than one million flights were rated by passengers across nearly 500 airlines from around the world between 1 July 2017 and 31 June 2018. First, passengers rated their overall flight experience from one to five stars. On the same screen, passengers were given the opportunity to provide anonymous ratings in five subcategories: seat comfort, cabin service, food and beverage, entertainment, and Wi-Fi. The single screen rating allows airline passengers to easily rate their flight in less than 15 seconds

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VISTARA ADDS DIBRUGARH TO ITS NETWORK WITH FLIGHTS STARTING APRIL 3

V istara has announced the addition of Dibrugarh to its network, the 24th

destination to be announced by the airline, and its second destination in Assam after Guwahati. Starting April 3, 2019, Vistara will connect Dibrugarh and Bagdogra with daily direct flights between the two cities, and also connect Dibrugarh and Delhi with convenient same aircraft one-stop flight via Bagdogra.

Sanjiv Kapoor, Chief Strategy & Commercial Officer, Vistara, said, “At Vistara, our aim is to bring ‘the new feeling of flying’ to more business and leisure travellers across the country, and we are pleased to add Dibrugarh to our growing network. Hot on the heels of our announcement of service to Raipur, this announcement of service to Dibrugarh is the second in a series of flight additions Vistara has planned starting this summer.”

BOEING DONATES $3 MILLION TO EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY

Boeing awarded a $3 million grant to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

to accelerate pilot training and aviation maintenance programs. Boeing’s investment will create a permanent endowment to fund annual scholarships for flight training, maintenance training and certification costs related to the pilot training and aviation maintenance programs. Scholarship dollars will be made available to all students – with a focus on increasing the number of women, military veteran and minority students enrolled in both programs.

Speaking at the 18th Annual U.S.

Chamber of Commerce Aviation Summit, Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg emphasized the need for increased collaboration within the global aerospace industry to address the growing demand for commercial pilots and technicians.

“It’s essential that industry and higher education work together to increase the pipeline of aerospace talent. Our partnership with Embry-Riddle demonstrates Boeing’s commitment to the continued growth and diversification of the global aerospace industry,” said Muilenburg. “Through this grant, we’ll help more students – with more diverse backgrounds – learn with greater efficiency and perform more effectively once on the job.”

According to Boeing’s 2018 Pilot & Technician Outlook, the industry will need 790,000 new civil aviation pilots and 754,000 new maintenance technicians to fly and maintain the world fleet over the next 20 years. The forecast is inclusive of the commercial aviation, business aviation and civil helicopter industries.

This latest investment builds upon Boeing’s long-standing support of STEM programs, women, military veterans and minorities. In 2018 alone, Boeing contributed a record $284 million to build better communities worldwide.

GE AVIATION’S CT7-2F1 ENGINE RECEIVES FAA CERTIFICATION

The newest member of GE’s CT7 engine family, the CT7-2F1, achieved

type certification by the Federal Aviation Administration. This milestone is a big step forward for entry into service of the CT7-2F1-powered Bell 525 Relentless, the world’s first fly-by-wire commercial helicopter, designed to operate safely and reliably in austere environments and with decreased pilot workload.

The CT7-2F1 engine incorporates the full heritage GE’s CT7/T700 engine family, with more than 100 million flight hours of experience on civil and military turboshaft and turboprop aircraft. The 2000 SHP-class turboshaft will provide the Bell 525 Relentless with up to 2129 SHP for emergencies and

1979 SHP for takeoff.The engine features a new, improved-

life high pressure turbine, Engine Electronic Control Unit and a Health & Usage Monitoring System (HUMS). With its rugged, fuel efficient and exceptional performance, the CT7-2F1 provides reliable power in a variety of roles. The Bell 525 Relentless is designed to support customers in various mission configurations including oil & gas, search & rescue, helicopter emergency medical services and VIP/corporate transport.

”Achieving FAA certification is a great accomplishment for the CT7-2F1 program and the dedicated team involved,” said Elissa Lee, GE Aviation executive product manager. “We are proud to support the Bell 525 Relentless with an engine designed to meet its performance objectives.”

Coupled with GE’s TrueChoiceTM Flight Hour - a comprehensive service offering for maintaining commercial helicopter operations - the CT7-2F1 engine will maximize availability and long-term value for the Bell 525 Relentless. TrueChoice Flight Hour is tailored to meet the business and financial objectives of operators and help optimize cost of ownership over the entire lifecycle.

CAE SIGNS NEW FIVE-YEAR TRAINING AGREEMENT FOR AIRASIA’S A330 LONG-HAUL PILOTS USING THE CAE RISE™ TRAINING SYSTEM

CAE announced the signing of a new five-year training agreement for AirAsia’s

long-haul pilots. The agreement extends the use of the CAE Rise™ training system to AirAsia’s long-haul affiliate, AirAsia X, on the Airbus A330 platform. CAE is providing initial training for the airline’s pilots and will soon undertake recurrent training at CAE’s training centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, starting in July 2019.

“The extension of the CAE Rise™ system to the Airbus A330 platform recognises our commitment to providing world-class training for our pilots,” said Captain Desmond Voo, AirAsia X’s Chief Pilot Training and Standards. “We’ve embarked

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on a mission to digitise every aspect of our business, and by implementing CAE Rise™ we’re able to better train and develop our pilots using real-life scenarios and data. This will ensure we can continue to provide the highest training standards to our pilots.”

“AirAsia and CAE share a longstanding partnership that spans over 15 years, and we are thrilled to extend the CAE Rise™ training system to the Airbus A330 platform,” said Nick Leontidis, CAE’s Group President Civil Aviation Training Solutions. “Our CAE Rise™ Training System will give instructors a new approach to objectively assess pilot competencies using live data during training sessions. It will provide real-time insights and standardized evaluations in accordance with the airlines Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).”

CAE and AirAsia share a long-standing relationship of more than 15 years, with the provision of training equipment and training centre operation services. The partnership further evolved into the launch of an innovative Multi-Crew Pilot Licence (MPL) cadet training program to the complete outsourcing of AirAsia’s training needs, and most recently, the launch of the CAE Rise™ training system.

SSJ100 DEBUTS IN SAUDI ARABIA

The “Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company” presents the SSJ100 in Saudi Arabia.

On 12-14 March 2019 in Riyadh at the Saudi Air show the business version of the SSJ100 aircraft was on display.

The cabin interior of the aircraft at display is designed for 19 passengers and is divided into several zones. The first and second section, intended for business meetings, are equipped with comfortable furniture, state-of-the-art multimedia systems and rotating-sliding seats. The compartment of the principal passenger is equipped with a full-scale workspace and a place for relaxation and a separate. There is a separate lavatory in the rear part of the aircraft. The service section is equipped with two cabin crew members’ seats, modern pantry-galley module and a lavatory for the crew and the closet for the passengers’ belongings.

The business version of the SSJ100 is

the kind of the aircraft that is characterized with the big passenger cabin and long range of flight and at the same time the competitive cost of the aircraft operation. Commercial operation of the SSJ100 aircraft in business version started in 2014. Currently there are nine aircraft operated in different configurations, and they perform flights both in Russia and abroad.

Among SBJ operators at the moment there are: RusJet airline, special flight detachment “Russia” of Administrative Department of the President of the Russian Federation, flight detachment of EMERCOM of Russia, Royal Thai Air Force, Kazakhmys Corporation and others.

C SERIES AIRCRAFT LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (“CSALP”) TO BECOME AIRBUS CANADA LIMITED PARTNERSHIP

CSALP is pleased to announce it will soon change its name to Airbus

Canada Limited Partnership. The new name reflects the majority interest of Airbus in the limited partnership since July 1, 2018. The organisation will adopt the Airbus logo as its single visual identity.

“The new name is the logical next step after the aircraft was rebranded as the Airbus A220 on July 10th 2018, further strengthening customer confidence in the A220 as a full member of the Airbus aircraft family. It is therefore natural that our new name better reflects our organization as part of Airbus as well as signaling our distinct heritage and cultural identity here in Canada,” said Philippe Balducchi, CEO of the entity and Airbus Head of Country, Canada.

Over the course of the coming months, the new name will be formally adopted and applied to the existing documentation,

materials and branded items. The Airbus and Bombardier logos will continue to be displayed side-by-side on the building exteriors in Mirabel, reflecting production activities on the site for both the Airbus A220 and Bombardier CRJ aircraft families.

About the limited partnershipHeadquartered in Mirabel, Québec,

the organisation is responsible for the development and manufacturing of the Airbus A220 family of single-aisle passenger aircraft. Majority owned by Airbus SE, partners include Bombardier Inc. and Investissement Québec (acting as mandatory for the government of Québec). The organisation employs approximately 2,200 at its headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Mirabel. The second A220 manufacturing facility in Mobile, Alabama will start production in mid-2019.

AIRBUS DELIVERS FIRST FANS-C-EQUIPPED A320 TO EASYJET

A irbus has delivered the first *FANS-C-equipped A320 aircraft to easyJet. In

the framework of Europe’s SESAR Air Traffic Management (ATM) research programme, this aircraft – and others to follow – will take part in the Airbus-led project “Demonstration of air traffic management improvements generated by 4D Initial Trajectory Information Sharing” (DIGITS), which will demonstrate the sharing of an aircraft’s predicted trajectory data with air traffic control (ATC).

FANS-C technology will enable airlines to optimise their aircraft’s trajectories and make traffic flows more fluid and aircraft speed easier to manage, which will help them to save fuel and reduce noise. In particular, the sharing of predicted trajectories with ATC controllers will enable smooth aircraft sequencing on approach and in the “Terminal Maneuvering Area.”

Hugh McConnellogue, Group Head of

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Network Operations at easyJet said: “We are very pleased to be the first airline to receive this new FANS-C technology in our Airbus aircraft – and to try it for real in the SESAR demonstration. Our early hands-on experience already indicates that it promises to be an important enabler to increase the efficiency, safety and on-time performance of our expanding operations – especially in the congested European airspace.”

Jean-Brice Dumont, Executive Vice President of Engineering, Airbus Commercial Aircraft said: “We congratulate easyJet on the delivery of the first FANS-C equipped Airbus aircraft, which marks the start of this very large demonstration of 4D initial trajectory sharing across Europe.” He adds: “We are proud to lead this SESAR project and to play our part in helping ATM respond to the increase in air traffic volume while enhancing safety, and to bring about a positive environmental impact thanks to a more efficient ATM system.”

BOMBARDIER CONCLUDES SALE OF ITS BUSINESS AIRCRAFT TRAINING UNIT TO CAE

Bombardier confirmed the conclusion of the previously announced sale of its

flight and technical training activities to CAE, for an enterprise value of $645 million. Net proceeds are expected to be approximately $500 million after the assumption of certain liabilities, fees, and closing adjustments.

“Bombardier and CAE share a deep commitment to providing outstanding support to their customers,” said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Vice President and General Manager, Customer Experience, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “Bombardier’s talented employees and strong relationships with clients, combined with CAE’s network and expertise, will elevate the customer experience. As CAE grows its core training business, Bombardier continues to expand its service offerings and dedicated support, each to the benefit of Bombardier Business Aircraft customers around the world.”

Bombardier and CAE also agreed to continue their Authorized Training Provider (ATP) relationship pursuant to which CAE carries out the training activities for

Bombardier Business Aircraft, including from the training centres located in Montréal and Dallas.

SPICEJET CHOOSES AMADEUS AS ITS FIRST GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION PARTNER

SpiceJet, the country’s favourite carrier, has appointed Amadeus as its first global

distribution partner. The airline has signed a distribution agreement with Amadeus that gives Amadeus’ global network of travel sellers access to the airline’s range of fares and prices through the Amadeus Travel Platform.

This is the first time SpiceJet is working with a distribution partner to reach out to travelers across the globe. By connecting to travellers through the world’s largest community of travel sellers and buyers, the airline will be able to showcase its products on a global scale, access new markets and partners, and grow its customer base. SpiceJet’s entire ticketing inventory will continue to be available to domestic travellers through existing channels as well as Amadeus with a different pricing model.

SpiceJet is India’s second biggest budget carrier operating, on an average, 516 daily flights to 59 destinations, which includes eight international destinations. The airline will soon start flying to Jeddah, which will be its ninth international destination. SpiceJet connects its network with a fleet of 48 Boeing 737 MAX and NG jets, 27 Bombardier Q-400s and one B737 freighter. It is also India’s largest regional player operating 23 daily flights under the regional connectivity scheme, UDAN.

Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet, said: “I am delighted to announce our new partnership with

Amadeus which will help SpiceJet reach new customers both within and outside India. SpiceJet is in the midst of its most exciting growth phase and I am sure that this new distribution network will enable a large number of customers to connect with our huge domestic and growing international network.”

Cyril Tetaz, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Amadeus, Asia Pacific said, “With our partnership including distribution and IT solutions, we are very proud to support SpiceJet in its growth in India and beyond. Spice Jet will be able to differentiate its offers and empower travelers with the transparency and customization they need through our global travel network.

SpiceJet joins 440+ airlines, including 110+ LCCs and Hybrids, whose fares and merchandising content are bookable in Amadeus. With regards to IT, SpiceJet’s PSS provider is Navitaire, an Amadeus company.

CYIENT WINS THREE KEY PRATT & WHITNEY SUPPLIER AWARDS

C yient, a global provider of engineering, manufacturing, geospatial, network,

digital, and operations management solutions, has won three awards from Pratt & Whitney for 2018: The Supplier Highest Productivity Award, The Supplier Innovation Award, and The Consistent Supplier Productivity Award. This is the sixth consecutive year that Cyient has won the Supplier Innovation Award and the third consecutive for the Supplier Highest Productivity Award. Presented at the annual Engineering Pratt & Whitney Supplier Summit, these awards recognize Cyient’s outstanding innovation and productivity efforts that led to a record Engineering cost savings for Pratt & Whitney in 2018. The awards reflect Cyient’s continued focus on excellence, innovation, and success within its Pratt & Whitney Center of Excellence (CoE).

“Cyient’s ability to deliver one of the highest productivity savings among several Pratt & Whitney suppliers is a key differentiating factor that makes our relationship special. Cyient is a dependable and innovative supplier to us, and we look forward to seeing this relationship grow

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stronger in the years to come,” said Chris Kmetz, Vice President of Engineering for Module Centres at Pratt & Whitney.

Anand Parameswaran, Senior Vice President, Aerospace and Defense, Cyient, commented on the occasion, “It gives us immense pride to receive this honor from Pratt & Whitney year after year and strengthens our commitment toward delivering excellence in quality and processes. Cyient has been investing in emerging technology and innovation programs to continuously develop solutions that will provide a critical advantage to our clients.”

“We place innovation at the core of our business strategy, and it is this focused approach that helps us consistently deliver significant value to our clients. This productivity recognition is but one example that speaks volumes about our relationship with Pratt & Whitney and aligns with our vision statement of ’applying technology imaginatively to solve problems that matter,’” added Tom Edwards, President, North America at Cyient

AIRBUS AND EMBRY-RIDDLE IN SINGAPORE SIGN MOU ON AVIATION EDUCATION

The AirBusiness Academy and the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

(ERAU) in Singapore have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on delivering aviation education and management training programmes for students and talents in the region.

Under the agreement, the two organisations will work on areas such as faculty exchanges, joint delivery of specific training programmes, and the hosting of each other’s courses at their respective

campuses.The collaboration will focus on courses

in areas such as aviation strategy, finance and operations management, aircraft maintenance and engineering, innovation and leadership development. These could take the form of short professional education courses or complete curriculum leading to a degree.

“Airbus is pleased to collaborate with Embry-Riddle to support aviation education and training programmes in the Asia-Pacific region. This is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world, and this partnership could allow us to jointly meet the demand for highly-qualified professionals in the aerospace industry throughout the region,” said Bruno Bousquet, Airbus Vice President - Customer Services, Asia-Pacific.

Matthew Flaherty, Interim Vice Chancellor and Head of Asia at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said: “Embry-Riddle is delighted to expand our relationship with Airbus. We look forward to continued collaboration in training and educating the aviation and aerospace workforce in Singapore and the surrounding Asia region.”

INDIGO INTRODUCES 3 NEW ROUTES; ADDS 14 FLIGHTS

Further enhancing its customer experience with the launch of 14 new

flights on its network, IndiGo has introduced three new routes and will operate its first flight between Chennai – Raipur, Hyderabad – Gorakhpur and Kolkata – Gorakhpur.

The airline will also add flights on its existing routes connecting, Chennai – Trivandrum, Bengaluru – Mangalore, Bengaluru – Udaipur and Bengaluru – Chennai. All new services will commence from April 2019.

“We are very excited to add 14 new flights to our network along with along with 3 new routes connecting Chennai, Raipur and Gorakhpur. IndiGo has completed 12 years of successful operations in the India market as a low cost carrier, and adding new flights to its network will further augment the connectivity that we aspire to provide to our customers. It is our constant endeavour to provide our customers on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and an affordable

flying experience always,” said William Boulter, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo.

VISTARA BECOMES FIRST INDIAN AIRLINE TO PROVIDE SANITARY PADS ONBOARD DOMESTIC FLIGHTS STARTING THIS WOMEN’S DAY

V istara announced another thoughtful initiative #PadsOnBoard, whereby it

will provide sanitary pads onboard its flights to women travellers on request, starting this International Women’s Day on 8 March 2019. This initiative makes Vistara the first Indian airline to offer sanitary pads on flights within India. The airline will provide ISO 9001:2015 certified, bio-degradable and organic sanitary napkins made from plant-based fibres that are free of plastic, toxins and perfume.

Recognizing the need forthis essential amenity, the airline introduced this service to assure women travellers of a comfortable flying experience every time they fly Vistara. Vistara’s cabin crew will make in-flight announcements on all flights to create awareness among travellers that sanitary pads are now available onboard for customers to freely ask for it if they need it.

Commenting on the initiative, Ms. Deepa Chadha, Senior Vice President – HR & Corporate Affairs, said: “At Vistara, everything we do stems from the concept of ‘intuitive thoughtfulness’. It is this simple, humane perspective that makes us different from any other airline, and the reason that Vistara is the first choice for air travellers in India today. The initiative to provide sanitary pads to our customers is a meaningful one that reflects our core philosophy that ‘small things make a big difference’. As a woman, I feel a greater sense of pride for being part

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of an organizationthat’s providing such an essential amenity to customers – something that will help so many travellers in times of need.”

The introduction of #PadsOnBoard is part of Vistara’s focus on services and amenities for women travellers, adding to #VistaraWomanFlyerservice that was launched in 2017 to provide certain benefits and peace of mind to solo women travelers. Together, these products and services will come under the ‘Vistara for Women’service umbrella, as Vistara continues to lead the way on this front in India.

LUFTHANSA GROUP TO BUY 20 BOEING 787 DREAMLINER JETS

Boeing and Lufthansa Group completed an order for 20 787-9 Dreamliner

airplanes. With the deal, valued at up to $5.8 billion per list prices, the largest airline group in Europe becomes the latest customer for the fastest-selling widebody airplane of all time.

Lufthansa Group has been strategically expanding and modernizing its world-class fleet in recent years. By introducing the super-efficient and long-range 787 family, the airline group will be able to fly farther and reduce fuel costs and emissions by more than 20 percent compared to previous-generation jets.

“We are very pleased that the ultra-modern Boeing 787-9 is now also expanding our long-haul fleet,” said Dr. Detlef Kayser, Member of the Executive Board Lufthansa Group, Airlines Resources & Operational Standards. “With the 20 aircraft of this type now ordered, we will reduce our operating costs, reduce complexity in our long haul fleet, improve our environmental performance and provide our passengers with the most modern cabins in their respective category with reference class travel comfort.”

The airline group comprises network airlines such as Lufthansa and SWISS that offer passengers premium service and extensive flight options, and “point-to-point” carriers such as Eurowings that offer competitive flights for price-sensitive customers.

“Lufthansa Group is one of the most

respected and innovative companies in the airline industry. We are extremely honored that they have again chosen to build their future with Boeing’s widebody jet family and we greatly look forward to delivering the 787 Dreamliner and the new 777X to Lufthansa in the coming years,” said Kevin McAllister, president & CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Built with lightweight composite materials and powered by advanced engines and a suite of new technologies, the 787 family has helped airlines save 33 billion pounds of fuel and open more than 210 new non-stop routes around the world.

“The 787’s incredible fuel efficiency and range provide tremendous flexibility for Lufthansa Group since its airlines will be able to profitably operate the airplane on a wide range of route networks and business models,” said McAllister.

ALL NIPPON AIRWAYS TAKES DELIVERY OF ITS FIRST A380

J apan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) has taken delivery of its first A380 at a

special ceremony in Toulouse, becoming the 15th operator of the world’s largest passenger aircraft. The delivery ceremony was attended by ANA HOLDINGS President and CEO Shinya Katanozaka and hosted by Airbus CEO Tom Enders.

ANA has ordered three A380s and will operate the aircraft on the popular route between Tokyo Narita and Honolulu from May 24. Each ANA A380 will feature a special livery depicting the Hawaiian Green Sea Turtle, also known as the Honu. The livery on the first aircraft is painted in blue, while the second will be green and the third orange.

ANA’s A380 is configured in a premium layout seating 520 passengers. The upper deck features eight suites in First Class, 56

Business Class seats that convert to fully flat beds and 73 Premium Economy seats. Economy Class is located on the main deck, where ANA offers a spacious layout seating 383 passengers, including 60 Couch Seats. The aircraft features ANA’s very latest in-flight entertainment systems, as well as full connectivity in all classes.

“We will commit all three of our Airbus A380 to the Tokyo Honolulu route with the goal of introducing a new level of luxury service to our passengers flying ANA on the number one resort route for Japanese travelers,” said Shinya Katanozaka, President and CEO of ANA HOLDINGS INC.

“We believe the A380 will become a game changer for ANA and will enable us to increase our market share by doubling the number of seats connecting Honolulu and Tokyo by 2020,” he added. “The FLYING HONU is designed to offer unprecedented comfort and convenience and a world of new possibilities to ANA passengers, something that would not have been possible without the combined efforts of the Airbus and Rolls-Royce teams working closely with the dedicated professionals at ANA.”

“Airbus is proud to deliver this beautiful aircraft to ANA,” said Airbus CEO Tom Enders. “Offering unrivalled levels of passenger comfort, the A380 will enable ANA to increase its capacity on the busy route to Hawaii with maximum efficiency. We are confident that the aircraft will be highly successful in service with ANA and are committed to providing full support to the airline all along the way.”

BOEING ACQUIRES FOREFLIGHT

Boeing completed the acquisition of ForeFlight, a leading provider of

innovative mobile and web-based aviation applications. ForeFlight has partnered with Boeing for the past two years to bring aviators Jeppesen’s aeronautical data and charts through ForeFlight’s popular mobile platforms. Now, the teams will integrate talent and offerings to bring innovative, expanded digital solutions to all segments of the aviation industry.

“We are excited to build on ForeFlight’s tremendous success in personal, business

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and defense aviation so we can provide next-generation, integrated tools to our aviation customers today,” said Ken Sain, Boeing Vice President of Digital Solutions and Analytics. “This acquisition also expands Boeing’s rapidly growing, unparalleled digital services portfolio which will enable us to compete and win in the $2.8 trillion, 10-year services market.”

The acquisition of ForeFlight aligns with Boeing’s growth strategy of complementing organic investments with targeted, strategic investments that position the company for long-term growth.

“We are inspired by the future built at Boeing and what our teams will be able to create by coming together,” said Tyson Weihs, co-founder and CEO of ForeFlight. “Our companies share a passion for delivering customers the essential tools that drive efficiency, productivity, and safety.”

Terms of the approved deal are not being disclosed and do not affect Boeing’s financial guidance or the company’s commitment to returning approximately 100 percent of free cash flow to shareholders. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, ForeFlight has approximately 180 employees.

EMBRAER DELIVERS FIRST E175 TO MAURITANIA AIRLINES

In a ceremony held at the Company’s headquarters, in São José dos Campos,

Embraer delivered the first E175 to Mauritania Airlines. The airline signed a firm order with Embraer for two E175 jets in 2018. The contract has a value of USD 93.8 million.

“We celebrate with Mauritania Airlines the delivery of the first E175 aircraft to Africa. We are sure that the E175 will achieve in Africa the same success reached in other markets around the world, being recognized as the best aircraft in the 76-seats segment”, said Raul Villaron, Vice President, Sales, for Middle East & Africa, Embraer Commercial

Aviation. The second aircraft will be delivered in

the second quarter of 2019. The E175 for Mauritania Airlines is configured with 76 seats in a comfortable dual class layout. The introduction of E175 is part of Mauritania’s fleet modernization, replacing old aircraft and complementing their modern narrow-body aircraft.

“The introduction of the E175 in our fleet will allow us to add more frequencies and new destinations whilst enhancing the quality of passenger experience, and offering greater comfort with the best cabin in this category”, said Mr. Mohamed Radhy Bennahi, CEO of Mauritania Airlines.

WIZZ AIR TAKES DELIVERY OF ITS FIRST A321NEO

W izz Air, the largest Central and Eastern European low-cost carrier, has taken

delivery of its first of 184 A321neo aircraft on order at an event in Hamburg, with József Váradi, CEO Wizz Air and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer.

The new generation aircraft is powered by two Pratt & Whitney GTF engines and features the widest single-aisle cabin with 239 seats in a single class configuration and offers operators maximum flexibility, fuel efficiency and low operating costs.

Wizz Air is an all-Airbus operator, with more than 100 A320 Family aircraft operating all around Europe, with 261 more to be delivered. With 184 of the larger A321neo aircraft on order, Wizz Air is the largest Airbus customer worldwide of the type.

The A320neo and its derivative aircraft family members are the world’s best-selling single-aisle aircraft with over 6,500 orders from over 100 customers since its launch in 2010. It has pioneered and incorporated the latest technologies, including its new generation engines and the industry’s

reference cabin design, delivering 20% fuel cost savings alone. The A320neo also offers significant environmental benefits with nearly a 50% reduction in noise footprint compared to previous generation aircraft.

JET AIRWAYS OPERATES ALL-WOMEN CREW FLIGHTS ON THE OCCASION OF ‘INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY’

Jet Airways, India’s premier full-service international airline operated four

domestic flights with all-women Cockpit and Cabin Crew members On the occasion of International Women’s Day

These planned domestic flights 9W 346, 9W 355 (Mumbai-Delhi); 9W 358 (Delhi–Mumbai) and 9W 481 (Mumbai–Bengaluru), will be further managed exclusively by all-women teams from a cross-section of the business, including Engineering, Ground Handling, Ground Services, Security and Cabin Appearance Supervisors. Women aircraft Engineers, Technicians and Flight Dispatchers will attend to the technical services; while the non-technical work on the ground will be handled by women Duty Managers, Counter Staff and Security Officers highlighting the professionalism and capabilities of the airline’s women employees.

In-Flight fund raiserAs part of its special in-flight fundraising

drive, Jet Airways is supporting the work of two leading NGOs working on women’s issues. The airline will contribute the benefits of these in-flight collection proceeds to Mijwan Welfare Society which aims to empower the underprivileged with a focus on the girl child through education, technical skills and employment generation, as well as, Save the Children India’s - Women’s Institute for Social Education, which provides vocational training programmes for adolescent girls from marginalised sections of society across Mumbai. The airline will run this special fund-raising drive for two weeks from Mar 4, 2019 – Mar 17, 2019, on all its domestic flights.

Mr. Rahul Taneja, Chief People Officer, Jet Airways, said, “At Jet Airways, our

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women employees are engaged in critical roles, rising to challenges, breaking gender stereotypes and being an integral part of the organisation. International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to appreciate and thank our women colleagues throughout our (Jet Airways’) family for their industriousness, dedication, and professionalism.”

EMBRAER FOURTH-QUARTER RESULTS – MAJOR LOSS REVEALS EXECUTIVE JET CONCERNS

Embraer SA, the Brazilian plane maker, has reported an unexpected fourth-

quarter loss due to a write down in its underperforming executive jets division. The results have subsequently cast even greater concern over the company’s decision to sell off 80% of its profit-making commercial jet unit to Boeing.

The US$18.1 million fourth-quarter loss was primarily due to the US$61.3-million write-down for spending on research and development for the ‘Legacy’ line of jets which have underperformed where anticipated sales are concerned. The originally anticipated return was US$8.4 million based on a Refinitiv poll of six analysts.

With the defense arm of Embraer posting an operational loss of US$183 million in 2018 and the executive jets division a loss of US$57.5 million, shares fell 2 percent on the Bovesta stock index and a total of 15 percent over the year, the majority of this loss coming after January’s warning that the company had missed its revenue estimates for 2018.

With 50 percent of Embraer’s revenue coming from commercial jet sales, up from 38 percent in 2017, the sale of 50% of the commercial jets division for US$4.2 billion will now shed uncertainty over the future of the company, a fear backed up by a considerable degree of resistance concerning the sale.

Embraer lost US$178 million in all of 2018, compared to a profit of $264 million in 2017. Embraer had told investors in January that it had missed its revenue estimates for 2018 and the company would see little to no profits in 2019 and 2020.

STARLUX AIRLINES ORDERS 17 A350 XWB AIRCRAFT FOR LONG-HAUL SERVICES

STARLUX Airlines of Taiwan has signed a firm order with Airbus for 17 widebody

aircraft, comprising 12 A350-1000s and five A350-900s. The new airline plans to deploy these aircraft on its premier long-haul services from Taipei to Europe and North America, as well as selected destinations within the Asia-Pacific region.

“We are very glad to sign the official purchase agreement today for Airbus widebodies. The A350’s combination of extra-long-range capability, significantly lower operating costs and high passenger comfort were key factors in our decision,” K.W. Chang, Founder and Chairman of STARLUX Airlines said. “STARLUX is committed to becoming one of the best airlines in the world. We are positive that with the A350 XWB, we will be able to spread our wings to further destinations, bringing our best-in-class services to more people over the world in the near future.”

“What K. W. and STARLUX are proving is that when you start from a clean sheet, you make no compromises. Every STARLUX A350-1000 takes off 45 tonnes lighter than its alternative. Imagine the savings! And will fly up to 1,000 more miles than the alternative, enabling STARLUX to serve U.S. East Coast destinations nonstop! Imagine the extra market and revenue!” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. “Both the A350-1000 and A350-900 offer true long-range capability, greater passenger comfort, yet all the economic benefits of fleet commonality. We salute STARLUX’s strategic choice with gratitude and we will be there to support their legitimate ambition.”

UZBEKISTAN AIRWAYS TAKES DELIVERY OF ITS FIRST A320NEO

U zbekistan Airways, the flagship airline of Uzbekistan, has taken delivery of

its first A320neo, confirming the success of the A320 Family in Central Asia. The event took place on March 8 in Hamburg, Germany with Gennadiy Kharlap, Deputy Director General of Uzbekistan Airways, and Kimon Sotiropoulos, Airbus Vice President – Central and Northern Europe, Russia & CIS.

The aircraft, acquired through a leasing contract with BOC, is part of an order for two aircraft, featuring a two-class cabin with 12 premium and 138 economy seats. The aircraft is powered by CFM International LEAP 1A engines.

Uzbekistan Airways became the first airline in 1996 in a CIS country to operate a Western-built aircraft. The A320neo, renowned for its unbeatable fuel efficiency, will join the airline’s fleet of ten A320ceo aircraft operated since 2010 across a network in Europe, America, the Middle East and Asia.

LUFTHANSA ORDERS 20 ADDITIONAL A350-900 WIDE-BODY AIRCRAFT

Lufthansa Group, the biggest Airbus operator, has signed an order for 20

additional A350-900 widebody aircraft, following a decision by the company’s supervisory board. This latest agreement brings Lufthansa Group’s total orders for the A350 XWB to 45, with 12 aircraft already in operation around the world.

“The A350 XWB meets all our expectations. The aircraft is extremely reliable and the feedback from our passengers is excellent,” said Dr. Detlef Kayser, Member of the Executive Board Lufthansa Group - Airlines Resources & Operational Standards. “We are delighted to be adding 20 more A350 XWBs to our fleet. The additional widebody jets will

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help reduce our operating costs, improve the reliability of our long-haul fleet, improve our environmental performance and provide our passengers with the most modern cabins in their respective category with reference class travel comfort.”

“The A350 XWB consistently generates positive feedback from the airline community and we are very pleased to see our long-standing customer Lufthansa coming back for more aircraft,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer. “The A350 XWB has set new standards for long haul flying, combining extra-long-range capability with the lowest seat mile cost of any large widebody airliner and offering passengers the highest standards of comfort. Lufthansa was one of the first operators of the A350 XWB and has been deploying the aircraft efficiently across its global network, becoming one of our best ambassadors for this great aircraft. Thank you Lufthansa - we are thrilled to see even more A350 XWBs flying in your colours.”

Lufthansa’s decision reinforces the Group’s status as Airbus’ largest airline customer and operator, with 674 Airbus aircraft on order (including the latest A350 order) and 574 Airbus aircraft in the Group’s current fleet (as of 31 December 2018), including 28 A220 Family, 420 A320 Family, 100 A330s/A340s, 12 A350s and 14 A380s.

WOW AIR CEASES OPERATIONS

I celand’s Wow Air has stopped operating and cancelled all flights after a failure

to secure emergency funding left 4,000 passengers stranded. The budget carrier, which flew from Edinburgh, London Stansted and Gatwick airports in the UK, advised passengers to find available flights with alternative companies after becoming the latest in a string of airlines to run into financial difficulty.

The Icelandic Transport Authority said the company’s collapse into administration had left 4,000 people stranded, including 120 UK passengers, returning either from Iceland or North America.

A message on its website reads: “Wow Air has ceased operation. All Wow Air flights have been cancelled. Passengers are advised

to check available flights with other airlines. “Some airlines may offer flights at a reduced rate, so-called rescue fares, in light of the circumstances.” Four airlines are offering rescue fares for Wow passengers including Icelandair, EasyJet, Norwegian and Wizz air.

The airline said customers who paid for their tickets with a credit card should contact the credit card company to check whether they are entitled to a refund. Those who bought a package holiday from a travel agent within the European Economic Area are protected by the package travel directive, Wow said.

Passengers may be entitled to compensation from Wow Air, the airline said.

Wow made headlines in 2015 when it promised £99 outbound fares from Europe to the US. The carrier, founded by Icelandic tech tycoon Skúli Mogensen started flying in 2012. It used smaller, single-aisle planes to fly between Iceland and many destinations in the US and Europe, and carried 3.5 million passengers last year.

It comes after six months of negotiations in an attempt to sell it to its main rival Icelandair, and then to Indigo Partners, a US private equity firm that has stakes in several airlines, including Hungary’s Wizz Air. Indigo and Icelandair both walked away in recent days, leaving Wow Air scrambling for a financial restructuring with bondholders and other creditors.

Its deteriorating finances forced the loss-making airline to more than halve its fleet from 24 to 11 aircraft and to reduce its destinations in recent months. Mogensen wrote in a letter to employees: “I will never forgive myself for not acting sooner. Wow was clearly an incredible airline and we were on the path to do amazing things again.”

ROLLS-ROYCE TESTS HYBRID POWER SYSTEM

Rolls-Royce has conducted ground tests of a hybrid-electric propulsion

system built around an M250 turboshaft engine, and plans to start flight trials of the equipment in 2021. The UK manufacturer intends to employ the system, which it calls “M250 hybrid”, across a range of “transport platforms”, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicles, general

aviation aircraft and helicopters, it says. Rated at 250shp (190kW), the M250 is

mostly employed on helicopters such as the Bell 407, but is also used on fixed-wing aircraft including the Britten-Norman BN2T Islander and in-development GippsAero GA10 Airvan. R-R says it selected the engine – originally developed by Allison during the 1960s – “for its maturity, power density, ease of maintenance, and high reliability”.

R-R plans to develop a system with power ranging from 500kW to 1MW

In addition to the turboshaft engine, the hybrid system comprises high-energy-density battery cells, electric generators, converters and an advanced power management system. The ground tests at R-R’s US facility in Indianapolis covered the system’s performance in three operating modes – series hybrid, parallel hybrid and turbo-electric – and evaluated the behaviour of each individual component. In series-hybrid mode, the gas turbine exclusively charges the battery, which supplies power for propulsion and onboard systems. Parallel-hybrid operation sees both the turboshaft engine and electrical system provide thrust, while other equipment is powered by the battery.

In turbo-electric configuration, the battery is redundant – the engine operates as a turbo-generator supplying electricity for propulsion and onboard equipment. R-R says the tests covered simulated take-off, cruise, landing and taxi operations and confirmed that the system would be suitable for potential eVTOL vehicles weighing up to 2,000kg (4,400lb) with a range of 870nm (1,600km). At the 2018 Farnborough air show, R-R unveiled an air taxi concept for up to five passengers, featuring six rotors on tilting wings to enable vertical take-off and landing operations.

Together with Airbus and Siemens, R-R is separately in the process of developing a 2.5MW hybrid propulsion system based an AE 2100 turboshaft engine, to be tested in flight on a modified BAe 146 regional jet from 2020. Under that project, named “E-Fan X hybrid2”, the manufacturers plan to initially replace one of the four-engined aircraft’s turbofans with an electrically driven fan powered by a hybrid-generation system inside the fuselage. R-R says the two projects are complementary and points out that the M250 hybrid is addressed at smaller aircraft.

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The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given its approval for

extension of time and scope for revival and development of un-served and under-served air strips of State Governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Civil enclaves, CPSUs, helipads and water aerodromes at the total cost of Rs.4500 crore with the budgetary support of Government of India.

Impact:As an outcome, small cities/towns shall be connected on commencement of operation of flights to under-served/un-served airports and it will further boost the economic development in these as well as surrounding areas in terms of job creation and related infrastructure development.

Details:The Ministry has received overwhelming response from the airlines in two rounds of RCS Bidding held so far. In the first round of UDAN

bidding, 128 routes were assigned to five airline operators for 43 un-served/underserved airports/airstrips on 31.03.2017. The response from airline operators have considerably improved in second round of RCS bidding wherein 86 proposals involving 325 routes were awarded to 15 selected airline operators in January, 2018.

During RCS-UDAN version 1.0 & 2.0, 66 airports were identified and 31 heliports (28 unserved heliports and 3 unserved airports). During UDAN version 3.0, to increase the tourism potential at the coastal areas, Tourism routes in coordination with Ministry of Tourism and Seaplanes for connecting Water Aerodromes were included.

Background:Finance Minister in his Budget Speech 2016-17, inter-alia, announced making adequate provisions for revival of unserved and underserved airports. The Union Cabinet approved the proposal for revival of 50 un-served/under-served airports/airstrips of the State Governments, Airports Authority of India (AAI), Civil enclaves and Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs). The Revival of airstrips/airports will be 'demand driven', depending upon firm commitment from airline operators as well as from the State Governments for providing various concessions as Airports will be develop without insisting on its financial viability.

India has a vast coastline of approximately 7500 km and is dotted with numerous water bodies which can be exploited for establishment of Water Aerodrome. A network of Water Aerodromes along with land based airports will improve air connectivity and be particularly useful for localized short-distance travelling. Therefore, it was decided to develop/operate Water Aerodromes in India with aviation expertise of AAI and cooperation of State Government.

Regional Connectivity

REGIONAL AIR CONNECTIVITY INFRASTRUCTURE GETS A BOOST


Drones Interview

1. What is your offering for the Defense industry and HLS sector? What news can we expect from Mobilicom this year?

Mobilicom designs, develops and markets turn-key solutions for mission-critical and remote mobile private communication networks without the need for, or use of, any existing infrastructure.Mobilicom’s products and technology are based on an innovative approach that merges 4G communication with Mobile MESH technologies into a unified solution, with a number of product families that have been commercially deployed. Mobilicom develops in-house and fully owns all assets for its unique technology and solutions, including: 4G modem, MESH networking, radios, HW & SW applications, among others. The technology is backed by its patent holding and know-how.

Mobilicom assures optimal, resilient and secured wireless communications where others do not.

In 2019, Mobilicom will continue the release of system solutions with a customized, end-to-end approach. These solutions will provide not only communication component but also SW applications, management tools, controlling and viewing terminals and more.

2. How is Mobilicom handling the security challenge, in reference to drones and drones communications?

Security is one of the key elements that Mobilicom already identified two years ago as critical for the drones’ market scalability. During the last two years, we have been constantly educating the market, explaining companies, governments and enterprises why they must use a secured solution rather than simple off-the-shelf communication modules.

Mobilicom technologies and solutions include secured communication, high-end encryption and

cyber protection. Just recently, Mobilicom has

Interview with Mobilicom CEO, Oren Elkayam

Exclusively for Aviation Update


Drones Interview

received a 1.2 million USD grant from the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israel Innovation Authority, for the development of a unique technology using AI that will mitigate the risk of cyber-attacks in drones & robotics. Within the scope of this project, Mobilicom will develop an anti-hijacking and anti-spoofing system for commercial, government and enterprise drones and robotics that will enable autonomous drone cyber security without intervention by an operator in real-time. Mobilicom’s innovative solution will mitigate cyber security risks and as a result, enable the acceleration of commercial drone market scalability. This program reinforces Mobilicom as a holistic provider of equipment, software and solutions for unmanned platforms, and will become a game-changer for commercial drone deployment, as well as drones in security, public safety and federal operations.

3. How does Mobilicom targets the commercial and industrial drones' sector?

Mobilicom already realized that the commercial and industrial sectors are different than the enterprise and government sectors. This is why Mobilicom launched the SkyHopper entity. SkyHopper brings all the key components that make "just a drone" into a "smart drone", integrating all the important pieces that are valuable for the drone's creation in the commercial and industrial sectors. Our portfolio consists of 4 types of solutions now: communication data links (SkyHopper PRO, SkyHopper ONE), video processing & analytics (SkyHopper PRO V), content consumption systems (SkyHopper VU) and controlling systems (SkyHopper ControlAir). With its proprietary encryption mechanism, lightweight and built-in flexibility to optimize to customer needs, SkyHopper is ideal for mining and process industry, security and surveillance, infrastructure inspection and delivery applications.

SkyHopper's technologies are fully owned and developed by Mobilicom, and are patented and proven in all of the verticals in which Mobilicom is active. Looking forward, the next aspects SkyHopper will be tackling are 5G and cellular networks, as well as Artificial Intelligence and cyber security solutions which are critical for the success and the scalability of drones.

4. How do you think that regulation changes will affect the growth of the drone industry?

Regulation can stop, hold or delay the growth of the drone industry, but can also accelerate it dramatically. Until recent years, the growth of this industry was under the burden of regulation, that didn't allow deployment of drones and robotics in the commercial and industrial sectors on a larger scale. Regulation is changing now, and beginning to loosen. Many countries such as the US, UK, Japan and others are slowly opening their skies for drone testing as well as for certain applications to be executed through drone operation such as delivery, infrastructure inspections and more. We anticipate that 2019 will be the year when a bigger change in regulation for this industry will occur.

5. What are the leading trends in the drones' segment that you think can shape up the Indian industry in coming years?

In addition to regulation changes, there are four additional elements that I believe will affect the Indian Drone industry in the coming years.

The first one is security and cyber protection. No one will allow mass use of drones and robotics in the commercial sector if they are not safe, cannot be fully trusted or with the risk they might be hijacked. Also, to allow the scalability of this revolution, platforms will have to be fully autonomous. We are taking the pilot out of the loop, thereby needing the assurance that the platform be secure and safe.

The second element is Autonomous Drone Systems. A drone that decides where to fly and when to fly, without relying on a human for instruction. What sounds like something out of the future is happening right now – we lose the pilot and rely on the machine, and it allows for many additional drones to take flight simultaneously. However, due to the lack of human control, these systems must be extremely reliable in order to ensure their missions will be accomplished successfully and safely. Their hardware and software components must be of the highest quality and performance, they must be highly secure and encrypted to protect from cyber-attacks and must utilize

artificial intelligence and self-operation algorithms for their operation.

The third element is Fleet-Management & Swarm Operations. Today, most drones are controlled by an operator. In the near future we will see one operator that controls a fleet of drones, and sets of drones that are operating together as one. With the idea of simultaneously operating a fleet of drones, enabling communication between drones, or seamlessly handing off a drone between control stations, operations that up until now have been operated by a single pilot and a single drone will become scalable and reach a broader base of targets – and therefore allow the Indian industry to rely more on drones and robotics for delivery, area scanning and protection, logistics and other missions.

The fourth element is cloud-based operations. Today, most drone operations are conducted line-of-sight or very close to line-of-sight. However, if we would like to use drones and robotics in order to perform missions further away, we have to do so over cloud computing. They streamline drone operations by simultaneously controlling multiple drones in various locations and enable more data to be captured simultaneously. This will allow nation-wide drone deployments, for example.

6. Where do you see the drone industry in 2025?

I think that drones and robotics in general, will share the same type of revolution as the mobile technology revolution in 1997. Just like we couldn't anticipate the scalability of the mobile phone revolution back then, people don’t understand yet how significant the revolution in the drone industry is, and how it will affect so many aspects of our daily lives. The significant revolution will start with the commercial and industrial sectors that will benefit from drones and robotics in streamlining their operations and reducing their costs. We believe that drones and robotics will influence every aspect of our lives: From delivery of items to higher security and patrol missions – most will be performed by robots and drones instead of people. The impact will be enormous - much like the mobile phone and the internet revolutions.


COVER STORY

With an aim to depict a vast plethora of aviation products and services to business leaders, wealth creators, entrepreneurs along with key decision-makers, Asian Business Conference & Exhibition (ABACE) 2019 is scheduled to be held at the Shanghai Hongqiao International

Airport from April 16-18. The event is an outcome of a partnership between the Shanghai Airport Authority (SAA) and will be co-hosted by NBAA-ABACE China Limited along with ABACE LLC as well as the Asian Business Aviation Association (AsBAA). ABACE 2019 shall see more than 50 countries representing, thus garnering multi-nation media coverage.

Why exhibiting at ABACE countsABACE not only stands to be a premier marketplace for buyers but it also emerges as a base point to drive synergy and growth for the aviation industry in Asia. As an exhibitor one is entitled to many benefits at ABACE:

Creating your brand persona and raise awareness

Touch base with the existing customer base and reach new leads for your business

Great platform to unveil new products or prototype models

Know your stand in the market as you get to witness key industry players

Exhibitors galore across Asian aviation space

2019


COVER STORY

ABACE exhibitors have always found the platform to be a worthy stage to introduce themselves to the market and more precisely to the target customer groups.

What’s in there for an attendee?

ABACE not only opens up opportunities for vendors but also has a lot to offer to visitors as well. As a visitor at ABACE, one can not only establish contact and build great network but also get the right ally as where they stand in the aviation space. It’s a great marketplace to find new vendors or connect with similar players. Also, the coming together of many likeminded professionals offers tremendous scope to keep oneself abreast of industry trends and happenings. Each exhibitor company has their stall to provide you with technical info about the products and services which you might embrace in the long run.

Reportedly, “All the world's major business aircraft manufacturers will attend ABACE with their flagship aircraft. Among all other nations, there is tremendous potential with China

leading the way. Speaking of which, service providers in fields such as leasing, maintenance and professional training will go because China is "the market they can't miss." Also, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) will be present at ABACE to bring industry leaders and professionals together to share experiences and absorb such experiences in developing its aviation industry.

As told to Xinhuanet, NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen made a statement saying "We expect the Chinese aviation industry to grow with its own characteristics. That will make the global aviation industry more diversified and be good for mutual learning and better cooperation," Bolen said.


Special Interview

At the recently concluded Aero India 2019, you announced the rebranding of AXISCADES as a digital company. What does it mean for the company and what can the industry expect?In today’s technology disruption times, there is no other way but to re-invent. It can’t be ‘business as usual’. If you take some of the top NASDAQ listed legacy companies — they

had to reinvent themselves and go digital to remain relevant and be in the game. By embracing and adoption to new age digital technologies and making Data work for us — using methods like Al, ML, 3D design tools. Today the more we are able to extract value from existing data bases and provide meaningful insights to customers — we will be able to differentiate from the competitive

market. So, going Digital is a well thought out strategy of AXISCADES — to take on the competition head on.

Our digital strategy is to provide a good combination of electronics and mechanical solutions to the aviation and aviation in defense segment. While the aviation world was largely dominated by a lot of mechanical engineering, it has moved towards digital in the last decade which includes lot of embedded electronics, be it in terms of avionic systems or the structure of engine control.

We have been offering services on the aircraft development, maintenance, repair, overhaul and operations management and aircraft upgrade. In all these things, we have extended our services to include the digitization which starts from applying loT into the scheme of things, deliver a lot of automation and simulation into the services. There is also AR/VR coming into play in different sectors from design to post production and after sales activities and also there are a lot of other services which depends on cloud and big data.

Secondly, it’s very important for AXISCADES to carry forward ourselves along with the platform into maintenance of aircrafts which is gradually moving to digital platforms. This is in order to maintain aircraft lifecycle of more than 50 years —25 years of its primary service and another 20-25 years of extended service after a mid-life upgrade. Also, it is very important to follow our clients who are increasingly moving towards digital platforms.

In this endeavour, we have extended our services to include all these additional offerings for our clients i.e. the global OEMs, who have been demanding these additional add-on services in line with their necds . demand. We have created different practices where we have our loT practice, simulation practice, AR/VR practice and additive manufacturing practice for prototyping and others services. All these services are making us to excel in this domain and provide these additional services.

You have signed an MoU with Virtual Reality Media for the production of flight simulator and expanded existing relationship with European players. Can you share details on this?

Aviation Update Editor Kartikeya Interacted with AXISCADES Chief

Executive Officer (CEO) Sharadhi Babu


Special Interview

We, being a pioneer in flight simulators, have offered many computer-based simulators and static simulators to help critical platforms provide realistic feeling, either to the trainees or in understanding of the services. The training or application of the equipment always comes with a very strong application of a simulator. This becomes highly imperative as some of the defence and aviation systems are very complex and involve high cost.

We have offered many such simulators to the Indian defense and global OEMs and are also an add-on where we are providing full-fledged simulators to the aircraft trainers. We have been working on both military and civil aircraft, transport and fighter aircraft.

This opportunity is specific for a military transport aircraft and the data of this aircraft is possessed by couple of European OEMs. Hence, it was very important for us to tie up with VRM technologies, which possess good amount of data on the aircraft and we also have an opportunity to fly the aircraft with instrumentation and add-ons to collect additional data and actually build a full level-D simulator. With this global partnership, we are bringing all these technologies to India and we have a significant workshare in this project where we are able to deliver all these critical systems from India.

India is gradually emerging as the fastest growing aviation industry and MRO hub. What kind of opportunities do engineering services companies like you expect to come by?

India is one of the fastest growing aviation and MRO markets in the world and provides the one of the most cost optimised manpower compared to any other location in the globe. This ushers in a lot of opportunities in the maintainence domain of these aircrafts. As maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations are split across the globe, there is always a great demand from the growing Indian Aviation industry to posses native MRO hubs where the aircrafts can actually fly in, get their services done and then fly back to their respective destinations. This will also attract airlines operating out of India as well.

By 2037, we have a prediction of more than 2,437 aircrafts being added to the fleet where we are working with the OEMs

in expediting their delivery and India has a significant market share in that. AXISCADES is well placed to offer MRO services as we have over 2 decades of experience in working with the OEMs on aircraft design and development and makes it a very natural progression for us. While today we are not into MRO, we have a very strong roadmap to be present in the MRO domain within next 3-5 years. Within the MRO segment, 40% is engine service, 29% is components while rest is all avionics etc.

What are the new technologies emerging in the aviation industry and how is it helping players increase their efficiency in this hyper competitive industry?The Aviation industry today is facing multiple challenges of having a large order book and servicing them at the quickest time possible. This means that they have to expedite all their deliveries including assembling aircrafts faster, the quality of maintenance and provision of after sales service.

These opportunities can be captured with emerging technologies like robotics, automation, AR/VR and simulation to expedite the complete aircraft manufacturing process efficiently. Post manufacturing, there are technologies that we apply mainly on the cloud and big analytics that scans all the logs, complaints, suggestions and requests received from an aircraft user and quickly categorizes them and address them. Digital twin is another technology extensively being adopted by manufacturers to accurately predict the current state and future of physical assets by analyzing their digital counter parts. It collects industrial internet of things (IloT) data from deployed assets and then model asset performance across the fleet—based on operational data over many time periods in order to optimize the performance and reliability of products. Using this data, prescriptive analytics then provide value through condition-based maintenance, availability, and safety adjustments.

By implementing Digital Twins, organizations can gain better insights on product performance, improve customer service and make better operational and strategic decisions based on these insights. For

example, even before the first physical design, a new machine can be completely

digitally designed and its full functionality can be checked by virtual test runs. This saves companies time to market, especially

in cases where assembly is complicated or costly.

Which are the regions AXISCADES is currently focusing on and what will be their contribution in your overall growth?Our geographic presence is spread across Europe, North America and Asia Pacific region. While Europe will continue to be a key growth market, going forward, AXISCADES aims to expand its footprint in US which is a market with robust demand. The company has a focused strategy in place to increase footprint into newer accounts and a dedicated account management team for existing key large accounts. This strategy will help in creating significant value to the customer and in turn gaining market share. In terms of portfolio, the company is strategically moving up the value chain keeping in view the growth drivers from solutions perspective. During the year under review, we expanded into embedded, which has been identified as a high growth area. AXISCADES would further like to extend into adjacencies like knowledge PLM and IP/Platform based solutions.

Historically, AXISCADES has expanded business through a combination of organic growth, acquisitions and strategic alliances in targeted areas of verticals or products with customers. In order to expand its skill-sets and capabilities, the company seeks out the best in the world by making successful alliances, collaborations and JV’s, and once the learning, knowledge and mastery has been attained, the solutions are in-sourced and can be leveraged to expand into other verticals/clients. This strategy, along with complementary acquisitions, has been the one of the key factors that has governed the company’s success and growth.

Spokesperson: Sharadhi Babu, Chief Executive Officer, AXISCADES


AVIATION Careers

IntroductionWhen you see an aircraft flying, it is not just the aircraft which is flying, there is a complete ecosystem which is making the aircraft fly. The Ecosystem includes Airports, Airlines, Manufacturing companies, Travel Agencies, IT and Engineering services and so on. The Ecosystem includes Aspirants, First Time Job seekers, experienced candidates, veterans and corporate. Aeromate aims to bring the complete ecosystem under one roof. The speed with which the Aviation and Aerospace industry is booming requires at least 4Million Jobs just in India. Hence, the need of Aeromate arises.

Aeromate is a Collaboration Platform built to address the pain points of the Aviation and Aerospace

Aeromate is an Innovative startup founded by Kishore Kumar Maley who comes with an incredible Aviation and Aerospace experience of more than 17+ Years in the Fields of Airlines, MRO, Aviation IT, Consultation, Strategy and Innovation. His both National and International experience with an Aerospace MBA from IIM Bangalore and Toulouse Business School has helped him identify the need of the hour and help Make in India and Skill India successful by bridging the gaps in the Aviation and Aerospace Market.


Ecosystem. All the important problems faced by Candidates and Employers are addressed with this offering. Aeromate is the Future of Aviation and Aerospace in India as It built to take on the current and future requirements of the industry which is growing at a very fast pace. It is a First of Its kind platform. I would say globally for a specific Industry.

Aeromate offers the below services:

1. Advanced Job Portal (Aeromate)

2. Aero Labour Market Information System [In Collaboration with Aerospace and Aviation Sector Skill Council]

3. Training and Consulting Services

4. Company Listing (Aeromate - Guru)*

5. Aviation and Aerospace e-commerce (Aeromate e -Kart)*

About the Digital Aero-LMIS:Aero- LMIS is an online platform to capture the current availability and future requirements of skilled manpower for the Aerospace & Aviation industry. It will immensely help students, Job seekers and professionals who want to up-skill and get connected to the approved AASSC Training partners and companies. Additionally, it also can be used to identify the missing gaps in the existing trainings, incorporate changes as part of continuous improvement initiatives across the ecosystem.

Aero LMIS acts as a bench mark for Industry Skill Power requirements and its YOY growth for comparative Analysis which helps in decision making for many organizations. Aero LMIS helps transform the Market Information to Market Intelligence for AASSC and others and make suitable strategies. Aero LMIS acts as a Key Contributor to Make Skill India and Make in India Successful

AVIATION Careers


Induction of Chinook Helicopters in Indian Air Force

On 25 March 2019, the IAF formally inducted the CH 47 F(I)- Chinook heavy lift helicopters into its inventory at Air Force

Station Chandigarh. Air Chief Marshal

BS Dhanoa PVSM AVSM YSM VM ADC, Chief of the Air Staff was the Chief guest and the event was attended by various dignitaries.

IAF had signed a contract with M/s Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 15 Chinook helicopters. The first batch of four helicopters has been delivered on schedule and the last batch is to be delivered by March next year. These helicopters will be deployed in the Northern and Eastern regions of India.

The addition of heavy-lift CH 47 F(I) helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Force’s helicopter fleet. The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and capability roadmap. The helicopter has a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, advanced cargo handling capabilities and electronic warfare suite that

complement the aircraft’s performance. The helicopter is capable of airlifting diverse military and non military loads into remote locations.

DEFENSE & MILITARY

Rear Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, takes over as Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area

Rear Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, VSM has assumed the charge as the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area on

25 Mar 19. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy in Jan 1987 and is an Anti-Submarine Warfare specialist. His notable sea appointments include Executive Officer of missile corvette INS Kirpan and missile destroyer INS Mysore and command of missile corvette INS Kora, missile frigate INS Shivalik and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.

His staff assignments include tenures as Joint Director in the Directorate of Staff Requirements, Joint Director in the Directorate of Personnel, Principal Director in the Directorate of Net-Centric Operations and Principal Director in the Directorate of Personnel.

He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, Naval War College, Karanja, and Naval Command College, Newport, Rhode Island, USA and holds a Masters Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.

On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral in Feb 2016, he was appointed as the Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Int–A)

at HQ IDS, New Delhi, and subsequently as the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at Headquarters Western Naval Command. The Flag Officer is a recipient of the Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service.


DEFENSE & MILITARY

Young Scientist Programme (Yuvika) – Online Registration

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched a special

programme for School Children called “Young Scientist Programme” “YUva VIgyani KAryakram”) from this year. The Program is primarily aimed at imparting basic knowledge on Space Technology, Space Science and Space Applications to the younger ones with the intent of arousing their interest in the emerging areas of Space activities. ISRO has chalked out this programme to “Catch them young”. The residential training programme will be of around two weeks duration during summer holidays and it is proposed to select 3 students each from each State/ Union Territory to participate in this programme covering state, CBSE, and ICSE syllabus.

Those who have just finished 9th standard (in the academic year 2018-19) and waiting to join 10th standard (or those who have started 10th Std just now) will be eligible for the programme. The selection will be based on the 8th Std marks. A few seats are left for the programme from various states. The interested students can register online from 25th March 2019 (1800 hrs) to 03rd April 2019 (1800 hrs). The selection is based on the academic performance and extracurricular activities. Students belonging to the rural area have been given special weightage in the selection criteria.

The list of the provisionally selected candidates from each state will be announced on 06th April 2019. The provisionally selected candidates will be requested to send the supporting documents through E-mail to ISRO. This Email ID will be intimated to selected candidates. After verifying the relevant certificates the final list will be published on 13th April 2019. The progamme is planned at 4 centres of ISRO during the second half of May 2019.

Third Test-Firing of Guided Pinaka Successful

Guided Pinaka developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was successfully test fired at Pokhran ranges after two successful trials

on Monday, March 11, 2019. All the three trials met mission objectives.

The consecutive successful missions of Guided Pinaka proves the efficacy, reliability and high precision capabilities of the weapon system.


DEFENSE & MILITARY

Dr. A.K. Mohanty takes over as Director BARC

D r. A.K. Mohanty, distinguished Scientist and Director, physics group of the Bhabha Atomic

Research Centre (BARC) and Director, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata today took over as Director, BARC from Shri K.N. Vyas, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy. Dr. Mohanty graduated from the 26thbatch of the BARC Training School and joined Nuclear Physics Division of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in 1983. During the past 36 years, Dr. Mohanty has worked in several areas of nuclear physics covering collision energy from sub-Coulomb barrier to relativistic regime.

Dr. Mohanty is the recipient of Young Scientists Award of Indian Physical Society (1988), Young Physicist Award by Indian National Science Academy (1991) and Department of Atomic EnergyHomi Bhabha Science & Technology Award (2001).

While taking over as Director-BARC, Dr. Mohanty has expressed gratitude towards his predecessors in Physics Group who have helped him in understanding finer nuances of low and high energy nuclear physics. He also gratefully acknowledged the efforts put in by his seniors which have helped in completion of projects of national and international importance in which he could contribute,and said he is committed to continue further the work of BARC in the fields of societal importance.

PSLV-C45 successfully launches EMISAT and 28 customer satellites

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C45)

successfully launched EMISAT and 28 international customer satellites from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR in Sriharikota. This flight marked the first mission of PSLV-QL, a new variant of PSLV with four strap-on motors.

PSLV-C45 lifted off at 9:27 Hrs (IST) from the Second Launch Pad and injected India’s EMISAT into a 748 km sun-synchronous polar orbit, 17 minutes and 12 seconds after liftoff. After separation, the two solar arrays of EMISAT were deployed automatically and the ISRO Telemetry Tracking and Command Network at Bengaluru assumed control of the satellite. In the coming days, the satellite will be brought to its final operational configuration.

Following the separation of EMISAT, the vehicle’s fourth stage engines were restarted twice to place the 28 international customer satellites precisely into a sun-synchronous orbit of 504 km height. The last customer satellite was placed into its designated orbit 1 hour and 55 minutes after lift-off.

About 3 hours after lift-off, the fourth stage (PS4) of the vehicle was moved to a lower circular orbit of 485 km after two restarts to establish it as an orbital platform for carrying out experiments with its three payloads. EMISAT is a satellite built around ISRO’s Mini Satellite-2 bus weighing about 436 kg. The satellite is intended for electromagnetic spectrum measurement.

The 28 international customer satellites, together weighing about 220 kg, are from four countries, namely, Lithuania (2), Spain (1), Switzerland (1) and USA (24). These foreign satellites were launched as part of commercial arrangements.

The payloads carried by PS4 are Automatic Identification System from ISRO, Automatic Packet Repeating System from AMSAT, India and Advanced Retarding Potential Analyzer for ionospheric studies from Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology.

ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan congratulated the launch vehicle and satellite teams involved in the mission.

“Today’s PSLV mission was unique in several ways. It was a four strap-on new variant, the vehicle achieved three different orbits and for the first the PS4 stage is powered by solar panels,” Dr Sivan said. He added that a new PSLV team executed today’s mission.

Dr Sivan also placed on record the significant involvement of the industry in this mission. So far, PSLV has launched 46 national satellites, 10 satellites built by students from Indian Universities and 297 international customer satellites, including the satellites launched.

In its next mission, PSLV-C46 will launch RISAT-2B in May 2019.


DEFENSE & MILITARY

Boeing Receives U.S. Navy Multiyear Contract for F/A-18 Production

W ith a three-year contract award for 78 F/A-18 Block III Super Hornets, Boeing will play a vital role in the U.S. Navy’s fleet modernization efforts.

The Block III configuration adds capability upgrades that include enhanced network capability, longer range, reduced radar signature, an advanced cockpit system and an enhanced communication system. Boeing will begin converting existing Block II Super Hornets to Block III early in the next decade. The fighter’s life also will be extended from 6,000 hours to 10,000 hours.

This new multi-year contract benefits the U.S. Navy and Boeing by allowing both to schedule future production and Navy officials estimate this multi-year model saves a minimum of $395 million on this contract valued at approximately $4 billion.

“This multiyear contract will provide significant savings for taxpayers and the U.S. Navy while providing the capacity it needs to help improve readiness,” said Dan Gillian, vice president of F/A-18 and EA-18G programs. “A multiyear contract helps the F/A-18 team seek out suppliers with a guaranteed three years of production, instead of negotiating year to year. It helps both sides with planning, and we applaud the U.S. Navy on taking the appropriate steps needed to help solve its readiness challenges.”


Business Aviation

Bombardier’s Challenger 350 Aircraft Outperforms Industry as World’s Most Delivered Business Jet in 2018

B ombardier’s best-selling Challenger 350 business jet continued to outperform the competition in 2018 as the world’s most

delivered business aircraft, leading in the super mid-size segment deliveries. As detailed in the General Aviation Manufacturers Association’s (GAMA) annual shipment and billings report published in the first quarter of 2019, Bombardier also led deliveries in the super mid-size segment for a second consecutive year with a total of 60 Challenger 350 aircraft, representing 58 per cent of deliveries in the super mid-size segment.

Bombardier also delivered 23 of its large-segment Challenger 650 business jets in 2018, and the first in a much-anticipated string of Global 7500 business jet deliveries expected to follow in 2019. The GAMA report revealed a 3.8-per-cent jump in overall business jet deliveries for the year.

“This is the second consecutive year that our best-selling Challenger 350 business jet has led the pack in the super mid-size segment and in business jet deliveries worldwide across all segments,” says Peter Likoray, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing. “With its unmatched reliability and economics, unrivaled cabin comfort and ultra-smooth ride, this aircraft offers customers an unbeatable value proposition. As business jet shipments show continued strength, we are confident that the Challenger 350 business jet will remain the

leading choice of knowledgeable and experienced operators across the globe.”

This latest success builds upon a remarkable tradition of leadership for the popular Challenger 300 platform. In the last decade, the Challenger 300 series aircraft accounted for more deliveries than any other business jet platform in the industry. The tried and true Challenger 300 aircraft series continues to maintain a brisk pace of deliveries, surpassing the 700-delivery mark worldwide in 2018.

Challenger 350 aircraft: Designed with a no-compromise approach, the Challenger 350 aircraft effortlessly blends powerful performance and sleek styling to deliver a class-leading private jet experience. Industry-leading connectivity, immersive sound and ergonomically-positioned touch screens are seamlessly integrated to create an intuitive and incomparable cabin experience. Paired with impressive high-performance attributes, the Challenger 350 aircraft is designed to access challenging airfields, climb faster and cruise efficiently while providing a smooth ride.

Dassault Expands Falcon Presence In Malaysia and the Asia Pacific Region

D assault Aviation is acquiring ExecuJet's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) business at Subang Airport in

a move that will considerably reinforce its aftermarket support capability in Southeast Asia.

ExecuJet Malaysia is part of ExecuJet's global MRO network, which Dassault agreed to purchase earlier this year. The network includes operations in Africa, Europe and the Middle East as well as the Asia Pacific region.

The 64,000-square-foot Subang facility is the largest business aviation MRO in Malaysia and supports aircraft from a number of different manufacturers, based both within and outside the region. Following its acquisition by Dassault the facility is in the process of adding Falcons to its already impressive list of supported models.

ExecuJet Malaysia will provide Falcon customers a choice of service facilities and complements Dassault's pre-existing support network in the region, including authorised third party service centers and a regional sales office in Kuala Lumpur.

"Malaysia is an important center for business aviation and is our largest Southeast Asian market. It is expected to achieve further growth," said Dassault Aviation Asia Pacific President Jean-Michel Jacob. "To anticipate this growth, Dassault Aviation decided it was important to have a factory-owned service centre in the region."


Business Aviation

Daher unveils the TBM 940

D aher introduced the latest version of its single-engine very fast turboprop aircraft – the TBM 940 – which sets new standards

with the integration of an automated throttle and automatic deicing system, along with enhancements to style and ergonomic elements inside the cabin.

Succeeding the current TBM 930 as the upper-end product in Daher’s TBM family, the TBM 940 marks important steps forward in further upgrading aircraft performance, safety and comfort. The TBM 940’s launch was announced today during the Safety Seminar meeting of the TBM Owners and Pilots Association (TBMOPA), held in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA.

"The TBM 940 redefines the ultimate private aircraft: user-friendly, safe and efficient for both pilots and passengers," said Nicolas Chabbert, Senior Vice President of the Daher Airplane Business Unit. "This newest TBM family member underscores our firm commitment

to constant improvement for the ownership and operational experience with our very fast turboprop aircraft.”

Certification of the TBM 940 by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is expected to be received at Aero Friedrichshafen 2019, the largest European airshow for general aviation, allowing new aircraft deliveries late spring this year.

GULFSTREAM REINFORCES COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABLE ALTERNATIVE JET FUEL WITH FIRST SALE TO CUSTOMER

G ulfstream Aerospace Corp announced its first sale of sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) to a Gulfstream operator. The customer,

a U.S.-based multinational corporation, purchased 20,000 pounds of SAJF from Gulfstream’s Long Beach, California, facility for its Gulfstream G550.

“This sale is a direct result of our efforts to increase the visibility and availability of sustainable alternative jet fuel for our customers,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. “We are committed to helping promote increased use of SAJF throughout the industry. We’ve been using the fuel since 2016 with our corporate, demonstration and Flight Test fleets, and we’re now proud to offer it to operators as well. We look forward to the day this fuel is commonplace in our industry and we are all doing our part to reduce emissions worldwide.”

Gulfstream announced at a recent SAJF event, Business Jets Fuel Green: A Step Toward Sustainability, at California’s Van Nuys Airport, that it would offer SAJF this year to customers using its Long Beach facility. The SAJF is available earlier than expected. Also, Gulfstream will start using it on large-cabin aircraft completions flights departing from Long Beach Airport.

Gulfstream has used a 30/70 blend of low-carbon, drop-in SAJF and Jet-A in operations at its Savannah headquarters since 2012. California-based World Energy, which has a refinery approximately 10 miles from Long Beach Airport, produces the SAJF Gulfstream uses.

The Federal Aviation Administration has confirmed SAJF is safe to use. SAJF meets the same fuel specifications as conventional Jet-A and offers equivalent performance. Each gallon of SAJF burned achieves more than a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, relative to petroleum-based jet fuel, on a life cycle basis.

Dassault Selects Global Jet Services for Classic Falcon Technical Training

G lobal Jet Services has been selected by Dassault Aviation as an authorized technical training

provider for out-of-production Falcon aircraft, including the Falcon 10, 20, 20-5, 50, 50EX, 2000, 2000EX, 900 and 900EX models.

The agreement will increase the options for technicians seeking to improve their knowledge and skills for maintaining ‘Classic’ Falcon aircraft. Global Jet Services specializes in on-location aviation maintenance and professional development training.

“We welcome Global Jet Services to the Falcon Family,” said John Loh, Vice President, Customer Service for Dassault Falcon Jet. “We have nearly 1,000 Classic Falcon aircraft operating around the world, many of them in service since the 1960s and 1970s. Global Jet Services will play a key role in ensuring the overall support that our passionate Classic Falcon operators expect of the Dassault worldwide customer service network.”

The three-year Training Service Level Agreement covers practical and theoretical mechanical and avionics training for Dassault customers, employees and affiliates. Global Jet Services is headquartered in Avon, Connecticut, and has been in operation since 1992. Their Falcon-focused team of instructors has about a century of combined experience on the Classic models.


GULFSTREAM EXPLORES SYMMETRY FLIGHT DECK DEVELOPMENT, INNOVATION IN ALL-NEW DOCUSERIES

G ulfstream Aerospace Corp premiered the first episode of its all-new documentary, “Creating Symmetry,” a series that

showcases the making of the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight DeckTM the industry’s most technologically advanced flight deck, currently in service on the clean-sheet Gulfstream G500.

“Viewers can expect a captivating look into the extraordinary commitment and effort involved in developing a true clean-sheet design — something truly innovative,” said Jeannine Haas, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Gulfstream. “The series features a host of past and present industry leaders, all of whom went to great lengths to revolutionize aircraft technology.”

The Symmetry Flight Deck features electronically linked active control sidesticks, the most extensive use of touch-screen technology in the industry, and Gulfstream’s third-generation Enhanced Flight Vision System. For the advanced technology introduced on its flight deck, the G500 received Aviation Week’s 2017 Technology Laureate Award, a 2019 Editor’s Choice Award from Flying magazine and Business Intelligence Group’s 2019 Innovation Award.

Segment-defining Bombardier Challenger 350 Aircraft Celebrates its First Delivery in Belgium

B ombardier Business Aircraft announced that the Luxaviation Group, one of the largest business aircraft operators

worldwide, now operates the first Challenger 350 aircraft delivered to a customer in Belgium. This new addition to the Benelux market joins Bombardier’s robust business aircraft fleet in Europe. Bombardier’s more than 600 aircraft in service in the region represent the largest share of the industry’s total European fleet.

“We are very pleased that Bombardier’s best-selling Challenger 350 business jet has joined Luxaviation’s fleet of aircraft,” said Christophe Degoumois, Vice President, Sales, Europe, Russia and CIS, Bombardier Business Aircraft. “With its impressive high-performance features, superior economics, unmatched cabin comfort and entertainment technology, the Challenger 350 aircraft is ideally suited for the European market.”

“We’re delighted to welcome this exceptional aircraft to Luxaviation’s fleet in Belgium,” said Hervé Laitat, CEO of Luxaviation Belgium. “At Luxaviation, we have always set the bar very high for international business aviation operations, and our facilities in Belgium are a true reflection of this. Our ExecuJet Brussels Fixed Base Operation (FBO) was the first to be certified by the International Standard of Business Air Handling (IS-BAH) in the country, and we’ve just achieved IS-BAH Stage II certification, proving our team’s

dedication to safety and service excellence. We’re looking forward to extending our renowned offering to the owner of Belgium’s first Challenger 350.”

Business Aviation


Helicopters

Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 DEFIANT™ Helicopter Achieves First Flight

T he Sikorsky-Boeing SB>1 DEFIANT™ helicopter achieved first flight at Sikorsky's West Palm Beach, Florida site. This

revolutionary aircraft, developed by Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin Company and Boeing will help inform the next generation of military helicopters as part of the U.S. Army's Future Vertical Lift program.

"DEFIANT is designed to fly at nearly twice the speed and has twice the range of conventional helicopters while retaining the very best, if not better low-speed and hover performance of conventional helicopters," said Dan Spoor, vice president, Sikorsky Future Vertical Lift. "This design provides for exceptional performance in the objective area, where potential enemy activity places a premium on maneuverability, survivability and flexibility. We are thrilled with the results of today's flight and look forward to an exciting flight test program."

With its two coaxial main rotors and rear-mounted pusher propulsor, DEFIANT is unlike production rotorcraft available today. It represents a leap forward in technology to achieve the U.S. government's desire for vast increases in speed and range, while improving maneuverability and survivability in a cost-effective way. DEFIANT aircraft's use of X2™ Technology will allow the Army to penetrate from strategic standoff and exploit gaps created in complex Anti-Access Area Denial systems against near-peer adversaries.

"The design and development of DEFIANT has revealed the capability advancement that is truly possible for Future Vertical Lift," said David Koopersmith, vice president and general manager, Boeing Vertical Lift. "Clearly, the performance, speed, and agility of DEFIANT will be a game changer on the battlefield and we look forward to demonstrating for the U.S. Army the tremendous capabilities of this aircraft."

The helicopter is participating in the Army's Joint Multi-Role-Medium Technology Demonstrator program. Data from DEFIANT will help the Army develop requirements for new utility helicopters expected to enter service in the early 2030s. This flight marks a key milestone for the Sikorsky-Boeing team, and is the culmination of significant design, simulation and test activity to further demonstrate the capability of the X2 Technology.

X2 Technology is scalable to a variety of military missions such as attack and assault, long-range transportation, infiltration and resupply. DEFIANT is the third X2® aircraft in less than 10 years.

Airbus confirms order for Canada’s first H160

A irbus has signed an order for an ACH160 with an undisclosed Canadian customer. The customer, who has vast experience

in corporate aviation, has opted for the aircraft to be delivered with a custom-made interior.

“We are proud to announce the sale of the first H160 in Canada where we have seen strong interest in this game-changing aircraft. The H160 has received considerable attention from private and business aviation, air medical services, and passenger transport operators,” said Romain Trapp, President of Airbus Helicopters Canada. “The H160’s breakthrough design, low sound levels, smooth flight at high speeds and the product maturity at entry into service, meet and often exceed the premium standards set by operators in high-demand markets.”

The selection of the H160 followed a flight demonstration during the H160’s 2018 North American tour, which demonstrated passenger comfort and the next generation-technology firsthand.

The innovative medium twin-engine H160 is the first member of the H generation. From its inception, the complete design of this helicopter has revolved around the creation of an aircraft with added value for customers in terms of performance, economic competitiveness, safety and comfort. In addition, there is increased

external visibility for pilots through the enlarged windshield, lateral and floor level, combined with the aircrafts’ cameras which show one of four multi-functional displays in the cockpit.

Airbus’ digital helicopter avionics suite, Helionix, as well as the 4-axis autopilot, further contribute to the H160’s safety by significantly reducing pilot workload. Along with the integrated automatic functions, Helionix allows the pilot to concentrate on the mission at hand.


Helicopters

World's first AW609 Tiltrotor and us AW169 helicopter simulators to expand advanced training services

L eonardo announced at Heli-Expo 2019 in Atlanta the start of production of the world’s first AW609 tiltrotor Level D Full Flight

Simulator (FFS) and the intention to introduce the first US-based AW169 Level D Full Flight Simulator. Both will be installed into the new Training Academy being developed at the Company’s helicopter facility based in Philadelphia and will be in service in 2020.

The AW609 simulator is developed in collaboration with CAE and based on the CAE 3000 Series FFS that features CAE’s revolutionary roll-on/roll-off cockpit design, enabling cockpits representing various Leonardo helicopter types to be used in the full-motion base simulator. Leonardo and CAE will also develop an AW169 simulator cockpit to be made available and used in the CAE 3000 Series simulator. Both the AW609 and AW169 simulators for the new Training Academy in Philadelphia will be operated by Rotorsim, the joint venture owned equally by CAE and Leonardo.

The AW609 simulator will deliver the most advanced level of training to all customers undertaking the AW609 Type Rating for their operations worldwide, as well as for recurrent training for rated pilots. Pilots in training will be able to practice all the required operational tasks and procedures for the AW609 tiltrotor in both normal and emergency conditions, both flight and mission related in all phases of flight. The AW609 FFS perfectly replicates the unique

tiltrotor flight conditions, operating environments and the real aircraft behavior with the possibility to also use Night Vision Goggles for night missions. The FFS will complement a full package of training services dedicated to the tiltrotor and offered by customers trained at the new US Training Academy. The AW169 simulator will meet the growing demand for new generation light-intermediate helicopter model training for crews in US and across North and Latin America.

The introduction of these two advanced simulation systems in US is a major milestone for Leonardo for the delivery of training services as the AW609 mass production is starting in Philadelphia and the AW169 success across the entire region grows further for a range of missions including VIP/Corporate transport, emergency medical service, utility and law enforcement. The supply of training services based on advanced technology and customer proximity is fully in line with the Company’s Industrial Plan.

EMBRAER X UNVEILS FIRST EVTOL CONCEPT

E mbraer X, an Embraer organization dedicated to developing disruptive businesses, unveiled its first electrical Vertical Take-

Off and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft concept. The unveiling was made during Uber Elevate 2018, in Los Angeles, California. Embraer X is engaged in several projects, including the development of eVTOL concepts through cooperation with Uber and other companies to explore business opportunities within the Uber Elevate ecosystem.

“We have excelled in our near-50-year journey by introducing innovations into the aviation industry and delivering true value to

customers,” said Paulo Cesar de Souza e Silva, President and CEO of Embraer. “We are relentless in our quest for constant growth and through Embraer X we will drive disruptive innovation and accelerate the creation of new businesses with the potential for exponential growth. Urban mobility is ripe for transformation and we are committed to having a major role in this key market.”

The eVTOL concept presented at Uber Elevate 2018 represents an aircraft with a mission to serve passengers in an urban environment, based on the key design drivers of safety, passenger experience, affordability and a very low footprint for the community, in terms of noise and emissions.

“We are developing solutions to bring on-demand air transportation to urban areas to improve quality of life for millions of people. Our collaboration with key stakeholders will accelerate the arrival of this new ecosystem,” said Antonio Campello, President & CEO of Embraer X.

“This is one example of how Embraer X is committed to exploring a range of disruptive products and services that could revolutionize the business of air transportation.” Embraer X’s first eVTOL concept unveiled last week is the outcome of extensive interaction with potential urban air travelers about their desired experience, combined with the expertise of Embraer’s teams and the collaboration with various companies and institutions. Embraer X will continue to engage with communities to expedite the development of desired solutions for this new market.


Helicopters

Airbus Helicopters unveils H160 air medical cabin concept by Metro Aviation in North America

T he next-generation H160 is debuted a new air medical interior concept at this year’s Heli Expo trade show, with

a cabin-mock up on the Airbus Helicopters booth completed by Metro Aviation. Metro, a longstanding partner of Airbus, developed this specific cabin concept design with needs of North American air medical operations in mind.

“At Metro Aviation, we spend a large amount of time pouring over designs to ensure any configuration that leaves our facility is one that exceeds expectations and eases the burden of air medical professionals who are already faced with a stressful job,” said Metro Aviation Managing Director Milton Geltz. “This EMS cabin concept designed for the H160 was laid out to ensure medical crews have the room and flexibility they need to work efficiently with the right equipment at their fingertips. We are excited about the possibility of completing this aircraft in the future."

Some key features of the Metro concept interior include machined aluminum cabin floor allowing multiple configurations; four track and swivel medical attendant seats; a Modular Medical Rack (MMR); and an overhead communication panel with radio, audio and touch screen controls.

The H160 is the next generation medium twin-engine helicopter destined for offshore transportation, business and private aviation, public services, and commercial passenger transport. Its entry into service is planned for 2020.

“We are excited to see the wide range of H160 configurations begin to take form, as we gear up for the much anticipated entry into service of this next-generation aircraft,” said Chris Emerson, president of Airbus Helicopters, Inc. and head of the North America region. “Metro Aviation is a trusted partner and performs completions on the entire range of Airbus products. We are impressed with their initial concept and look forward to expanding on its development.”

Airbus Helicopters announces 43 orders at Heli-Expo 2019

A irbus Helicopters wraps up the 2019 edition of Heli-Expo with 43 orders from worldwide customers announced for

the whole Airbus civil product range - H125, H130, H135, H145, H160, H175 and H225. Twenty-one helicopters of the 43 orders announced at the show were from longstanding Airbus Helicopters customer Air Medical Group Holdings (AMGH), which unveiled a contract for a mix of single-engine H125s and twin-engine H135s.

Major highlights included the launch of a new version of the H145 providing increased performance, comfort, simplicity and connectivity to the twin-engine best-seller. This new H145 secured launch customers in key market segments with orders for 10 units being announced at the show, as well as retrofits for nine helicopters.

“Heli-Expo is always a great opportunity to meet with our customers and to show them first-hand how we strive to bring innovations that meet their needs, like the five-bladed H145 we unveiled this year,” said Bruno Even, Airbus Helicopters CEO. “Our teams are thrilled to see the market reacting so positively to these efforts, and I’m thankful to all the customers who placed their trust in our products in services”.

Airbus performed daily demonstrations of the new digital support and service offerings that were unveiled at the show such as digital log cards, with CHC Helicopter’s newest H175 to become the first helicopter to be delivered with the new system, and the new Flight Analyser data analytics. Key contracts from the HCare support portfolio were signed such as the first HCare Infinite in North America for Superior Helicopters and a global support contract for the 19 helicopters of the National Police Air Service (NPAS) of the United Kingdom, highlighting Airbus’ commitment to delivering efficient support to its customers worldwide.


Helicopters

V-22 OSPREY MARKS THREE DECADES OF TRANSFORMING MILITARY AVIATION

D uring the thirty years since the V-22 Osprey first flew the tiltrotor aircraft, built by Bell Helicopter, a Textron Inc company, and

Boeing, has fundamentally changed how the U.S. Marine Corps and Air Force operate in combat and support humanitarian operations. The V-22 has become one of the most in-demand and reliable aircraft in military service with its unique vertical maneuverability combined with the speed, range and fuel efficiency of a fixed-wing airplane.

So far, more than 375 V-22 aircraft have accumulated more than 450,000 flight hours across a spectrum of missions. Soon, the U.S. Navy will begin using a new V-22 variant to deliver personnel and cargo to its aircraft carriers, becoming the latest operator leveraging the aircraft’s unique capabilities.

The V-22 has deployed to operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait, and participated in humanitarian operations, including earthquake relief in Haiti and Japan and hurricane response in the United States. Military leaders continue to find new uses for the V-22. The missions it performs include airborne command and control, airborne fleet logistics, combat search and rescue and special operations support, among others.

The V-22’s unique tiltrotor design means the aircraft takes off and lands like a helicopter and flies as a propeller-driven aircraft. These characteristics offer the tactical flexibility to deploy with a smaller logistical footprint and without a runway to access areas that are unreachable with any other aircraft. Major production locations are Philadelphia and Amarillo, with Rolls-Royce producing the aircraft’s two engines in its Indianapolis facility. The V-22 industry team is not only producing new aircraft, but it is also working with the Marine Corps to reduce the number of aircraft configurations and simplify designs for readiness improvements for the active V-22 inventory.

LEONARDO: WORKING TO BRING THE AW609 TILTROTOR TO THE JAPANESE MARKET

L eonardo and Nakanihon Air Service, Co., Ltd. of Japan (Nakanihon Air Service) signed at Heli-Expo a Memorandum

of Understanding (MoU) to establish a joint working group that will study requirements for introducing the AW609 commercial multirole tiltrotor into service in Japan. Leonardo already supplies a range of advanced rotorcraft technology to the benefit of Japanese civil and government users.

The AW609 represents the next generation of aircraft transport under the all-new, rigorous power lift civil certification category being set by FAA, and is now entering the series production phase at Leonardo Philadelphia facility. In line with market interest, the AW609 first Full Motion simulator will be available in 2020.

The AW609 excels at reaching people in hard-to-access areas including densely populated city-centers; high mountains, coastlines, and far-flung islands; and low population regions where the nearest hospital is many miles away—all with unprecedented performance and all-weather capabilities.

Thanks to turboprop-like speed, a 25,000 ft altitude and 2000 km maximum range, users will benefit from unique flying capabilities above adverse weather and a pressurized cabin for maximized comfort and patient medical treatment, while maintaining rotorcraft vertical take-off and landing / hovering versatility.

Nakanihon Air Service said: “At Nakanihon Air Service we operate about 80 aircraft, both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and we are very interested in the new tiltrotor category. Through this joint working group with Leonardo, we would like to explore the applications of the AW609 to future aero medical services, disaster emergency response and news coverage as well as new areas of business.”


RNI No. : TNENG/2014/59266

Postal Regn No: TN / CH(C) / 505 / 15-17, Publication Date: 1st of Every Month.Postal Permission Date: 5th or 7th of Every Month


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