News in brief

Radome

• On 15 June, the US and European Union agreed to suspend the long-running 17-year old WTO trade dispute over subsidies and state aid to manufacturers Boeing and Airbus. Tariffs imposed by the dispute have now been suspended for five years.
• Rolls-Royce has officially opened its newest and largest test cell for commercial jet engines. The £90m Testbed 80, at its HQ in Derby, was opened on 27 May after three years of construction. The smart facility, able to capture more data from engines than ever before, is set to test R-Rs new high-bypass UltraFan in 2022.
• France has launched a joint study to assess the compatibility of 100% unblended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The VOLCAN (VOL avec Carburants Alternatifs Nouveaux) project involves Airbus, Safran, Dassault Aviation, ONERA and the French Ministry of Transport. Airbus will analyse the effect of 100% SAF on ground and in-flight emissions from an A320neo. 
• Start-up US aircraft developer Electra.aero has unveiled a new distributed electric propulsion regional aircraft design. The as-yet-unnamed hybridelectric aircraft is fitted with eight propellers and uses blown lift to enable take-off and landing in distances of only 100ft. 
• The UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has announced the shortlisted companies being invited to tender for a new UKSAR2G tenyear search-and-rescue contract due to begin in 2024. The winner is expected to be announced in mid-2022 with the transition from the current contract to take place from September 2024 to the end of 2026. 

• Irish regional airline Stobart Air, which operates regional flights on behalf of Aer Lingus, ceased operations on 12 June due to the impact of the Covid-19 on the carrier.
• Figures published by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) show that African carriers made a collective loss of $10.21bn in 2020. The number of passengers transported by African carriers fell by 63.7% from 2019 to 34.7m.
• The US FAA has downgraded Mexico’s aviation safety rating from Category 1 to Category 2, placing restrictions on airlines opening new routes. The move comes after an evaluation of the country’s safety standards which the FAA said ‘identified several areas of non-compliance with minimum ICAO safety standards’. 
• Qatar Airways is reported to have halted deliveries of Airbus A350 jets due to alleged issues relating to the paint finish on the aircraft. According to the airline, the surface below the paint on some of its A350s has been degrading at an accelerated rate. Qatar was to have received two A350-1000s in June, one in July and one in November. 
• Struggling Hong Kong-based carrier Hong Kong Airlines is to cut staff even further and switch to focusing on cargo with a handful of aircraft as part of a survival plan. The airline is set to ground its fleet of 34 except for eight A330s, which will be configured for belly freight. 

• An independent report and assessment by PwC has found that the UK’s Team Tempest future fighter programme could deliver up to £26.2bn in economic benefits each year between 2021 and 2050. The study estimated it would support 21,000 jobs a year, with 70% of the value of the programme coming from the north west, south west and the east of England.
• The first two prototypes of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber for the USAF are now complete, ahead of a planned first flight in 2022. The first two examples are ready at the company’s Plant 42, in Palmdale, California where they are set to undergo ground testing. Deliveries of the first B-21s are expected in the mid-2020s.
• The UK MoD has selected the Lockheed Martin AGM-179 Joint Air-to-Ground Missile (JAGM) for the British AAC fleet of 50 Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian helicopters, beating the MBDA Brimstone 3.
• Croatia has selected the Dassault Rafale as its next fighter – beating off rival offers from the Gripen and F-16s. Under a €999m deal, Croatia will acquire 12 ex-French Air Force Rafales from France, with deliveries to commence in 2024. The Rafales will replace ageing MiG-21s after a previous deal to acquire ex-Israeli F-16s in 2018 was blocked by the Trump administration. 

• On 17 June, China launched the first crew of three taikonauts to its new Tianhe space station core module, which was launched in April. The trio are set to spend three months on the station.
• At the G7 Leaders Summit in Cornwall, UK, nations have pledged to work towards the safe and responsible use of outer space – the first time space has been mentioned in a G7 communiqué.
• NASA and ESA have announced three new science missions to the planet Venus – the first in decades. NASA will launch DAVINCI+ (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging, Plus) and VERITAS, (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) in 202830. Meanwhile, ESA’s EnVision probe will launch at the end of the decade to arrive in orbit at Venus in 2034/35. 
• A $48m joint programme by the US Space Force and US Air Force plans to develop the shipment of military equipment around the world using large commercial rockets. The Rocket Cargo programme intends to utilise commercial heavy-lift launchers to deliver up to 100t of cargo to anywhere in the world within short timelines. 

• Embraer’s urban air mobility arm, Eve, has won an order for 200 of its eVTOL aircraft from UAM and helicopter operator Hero as its launch partner. First deliveries are expected in 2026 with initial services targeted at the US and UK. The two partners are aiming to bring eVTOLs to London under the CAA’s ‘Innovation Sandbox’ initiative. Eve has also won a deal for up to 50 aircraft from Latin American operator Helisul Aviation.
• With uncertainty about the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the UK on 21 June, the annual Flying Legends Air Show has been the latest event to be cancelled. The warbird air show had been set to take place at Sywell Aerodrome on 9-11 July, the first year since parting company with its historic Duxford venue.
• US-based Aerion, which was developing the AS2 supersonic bizjet, has ceased operations after reportedly running out of cash to build its SST. The AS2, which was planned to fly in 2024, had built up a backlog of some $11.2bn in orders from business operators, with Aerion teasing a larger 50-seat airliner as a follow-on.
• Eleven US aviation organisations are protesting against new rules proposed by the FAA relating to flight training policy for limited category, experimental and primary category aircraft. The FAA has stated that a flight instructor operating these types of aircraft that is carrying a person receiving instruction for payment is acting contrary to regulation 14 CFR §91.315 which prohibits carrying people or property for compensation or hire.