News in brief

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AEROSPACE

Airbus has announced it is to expand its single-aisle US production line in Mobile, Alabama, adding a third assembly line and 1,000 jobs. The move is aimed at raising the monthly production rate of A320-family airliners to 75 by 2025.
Stratolaunch’s Roc carrier aircraft carried out its fifth test flight on 5 May. The five-hour sortie was the first time the aircraft had carried the large pylon, created to release the company’s Talon-A hypersonic vehicles. The aluminium and carbon-fibre pylon takes up 14ft of the Roc’s 95ft wing-centre section and includes a winch system that will be used to load the Talon vehicles from the ground. The company plans to begin flight testing the rocket-powered, autonomous, reusable Talon-A vehicles in 2023. They are designed to carry customisable payloads at speeds above Mach 5.
Australian company Aviation H2 is to convert a Dassault Falcon 50 to fly partially on ammonia. The test aircraft will have one of its three engines converted to run on the fuel.
Boeing has confirmed that the first delivery of its new widebody airliner, the 777X, has been delayed to early 2025. Production of the 777-9 will now be paused in 2023 to avoid a build-up of excess inventory. The aircraft was originally meant to have been handed over in 2020 but has been hampered by the pandemic and tougher certification scrutiny in the wake of the 737 MAX crashes.

AIR TRANSPORT

Colombian airline Avianca and Brazil’s GOL have agreed to a merger to create a pan-Latin American airline network. Both carriers will retain their independent brands but will operate under a holding company structure named Abra Group.
Qatar Airways has lost a legal battle to force aircraft manufacturer Airbus to keep producing A321neos for it, after the airframer unilaterally cancelled the order for 50 airliners over a dispute with the airline. The unprecedented action by a manufacturer of cancelling a customer’s orders was the result of an escalating spat between Airbus and Qatar over defects on the surface paint of its A350 which the carrier claims has safety issues. The ruling, by a UK court in London, means that Airbus is now free to market these aircraft to other customers.
In early May, Etihad conducted 42 ‘EcoFlights’ over five days, including 22 contrail prevention flights. Using an Airbus A350, the trial evaluated operational efficiencies, technology and procedures that will reduce carbon emissions. Tests included optimising flight paths and working with UK-based SATAVIA to avoid flying in areas where water vapour from engines forms contrails and ice crystals.
Textron Aviation delivered the first Cessna SkyCourier twin utility turboprop to launch customer, FedEx Express on 9 May. The airframe is the first of 50 freighter versions that the global logistics firm has ordered with options for a further 50. The clean-sheet aircraft achieved FAA type certification in March 2022.

DEFENCE

After 45 years, on 27 April, the last USAF F-15C Eagles departed from Europe to be replaced by F-35A Lightning II fighters. The 48th Fighter Wing Eagles were based at RAF Lakenheath for almost 30 years in the air superiority role.
China has tested a new naval vertically-launched anti-ship ballistic missile. The YJ-21 or Eagle Strike 21, which has a range of over 600nm, was fired from a Type 055 missile destroyer and is a ship-launched variant of the land-based DF-21 ‘carrier killer’ ballistic missile.
Hungary is to procure 12 Aero Vodochody advanced jet trainers with deliveries to commence from 2024. The air force will use them for lead-in pilot training for its Gripen C fighters, as well as reconnaissance. The L-39NG is an updated version of the L-39 trainer with a new Williams engine, modern cockpit and five hardpoints.
The USAF has announced that its next AEW&C platform, taking over from its legacy E-3A AWACS fleet, will be the Boeing E-7 Wedgetail. The E-7 is already in service with Australian, Turkish and South Korean air forces, as well as being procured by the Royal Air Force. A contract award will be announced in 2023, a production decision in 2025 and the first rapid prototype to be delivered in 2027.

SPACEFLIGHT

The UK MoD has announced that its Prometheus-2 mission will be the first British satellite launched from British soil this summer. The Prometheus-2 mission will be launched by Virgin Orbit’s 747/Launcher One system which will take off from Spaceport Cornwall airport in Newquay. The mission, which involves international partners, including the US NRO, features two technology demonstrator CubeSats equipped with radio transmission sensors and imagers.
On 6 May, four astronauts from the International Space Station (ISS) safely splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance. The mission was the first flight for the Endurance Crew Dragon capsule, one of four used to support the ISS.
Horizontal space launch provider Virgin Orbit is to add two more converted Boeing 747s to its fleet to act as launch aircraft for its LauncherOne rocket. L3Harris will undertake the conversions which will bring Virgin’s small sat launch aircraft fleet to three.
The US Vice-President Kamala Harris has announced that the country will cease testing of kinetic anti-satellite missiles in a move designed to encourage other countries to follow suit. The US, India, China and Russia have all carried out direct-ascent ASAT tests in the past which have caused potentially dangerous space debris – with a Russian missile test in November 2021 creating 1,632 fragments.

GENERAL AVIATION

In a surprise announcement the FAA has decided to ‘modify its regulatory approach’ towards the certification of eVTOL aircraft. Previously, developers had been aiming to certify eVTOLs under Part 23 regulations for light aircraft. Now the FAA says it plans to certify these new craft as powered-lift aircraft – an existing category within FAR 21.17(b) – and eventually develop additional regulations.
Bristow Group is to acquire British International Helicopters (BIH) to strengthen its government services’ portfolio. BIH currently operates SAR services for the UK MoD, FOST (Fleet Operational Sea Training) for the Royal Navy and support services in the Falkland Islands.
The 110 members of the US-based Avgas Coalition have written to the Department of Transportation and FAA to ensure the availability of low-lead 100LL aviation fuel until an orderly transition to unleaded fuel can be accomplished.

Corrections

In the May 2022 issue of AEROSPACE it was stated in a picture caption that the simulator was at the University of Sheffield. This particular Merlin MP521 simulator is actually at Sheffield Hallam University. On the BLUEPRINT page in the same issue, it was stated that the crusing altitude was ‘30,000lb’. It should have, of course, have been ‘30,000ft’. We apologise for any confusion caused.

ON THE MOVE

Rachel Gardner-Poole is the new head of the UK’s Zero Emission Flight (ZEF) Delivery Group.
Campbell Wilson, currently CEO of SIA low-cost subsidiary Scoot, has been named the new Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director of Air India.
Marco di Mario is the new Senior Vice President of Fuels at airport services specialist Menzies Aviation.
Tyler Painter has joined advanced air mobility company Wisk Aero as its new CFO.
Aircraft painting and coatings company MAAS Aviation Group has appointed Andrew Hoad to Non-Executive Director.