Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 - (Page 76)

FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 ON THE RECORD— Giovanni Bertolone, CEO Alenia Aeronautica Alenia Likes 787 & C-27J Prospects Italy’s Alenia Aeronautica is rapidly gaining stature on the world stage and will flex its muscles further as new international programs come on stream. The first deliveries of the Boeing 787 will turn on a firehose of revenues as Alenia recoups the investments it made in partnering with Boeing to design and manufacture composite fuselage barrels and the entire horizontal stabilizer. Alenia alone produces 14% of the 787 airframe, but its share rises to 26% when one counts the Global Aeronautica jv with Boeing that assembles 787 fuselages in South Carolina. “This is a huge partnership program with Boeing,” says Alenia Aeronautica CEO Giovanni Bertolone, and it C-27J Spartans, 78 of them for the U.S. JCA program, will be assembled in Alabama. will make a huge impact on 17% to 26%, while the share Alenia’s bottom line. from European activities will drop “Perhaps the order book to 58%, down from 76% now. for the 787 will reach 1,000 Expected this year are two at Farnborough,” he told more decisions that will help shift Show News optimistically. that balance: both Singapore and Alenia’s fortunes became the UAE should decide on their further intertwined with Alenia’s Giovanni Bertolone. North America with the selection last year of the next jet trainer, for which the M346 produced Partners on one hand, divorced on the other. C-27J Spartan by the U.S. Army and Air Force by Alenia’s Aermacchi subsidiary is a leading conWhile Alenia Aeronautica and its Global Joint Cargo Aircraft program, which will involve tender. Its prospects have been enhanced by Aeronautica jv with Boeing are responsible setting up a production line in Alabama for the Alenia partnering with Boeing, which will profor 26% of the Boeing 787, Boeing has just initial 78 aircraft, worth $2.04 billion. “The win vide its international expertise and commercial pulled out of an agreement to jointly prowill help the C-27J enjoy international success strength in these two campaigns. The partnerduce the C-27J Spartan Joint Cargo Aircraft ship could be extended as Alenia aims the M346 for many years,” Bertolone said. in the U.S. “They did not find an acceptable These major programs will be instrumental in at the U.S. market, Bertolone said. business plan,” says Alenia CEO Giovanni Closer to home, Alenia has 21% of the Alenia Aeronautica doubling its revenues from Bertolone. “There are other alternatives.” today’s 1.9 billion euros within the next few years. Eurofighter program (part of the 36% contriRevenues from U.S. programs will jump from bution by Finmeccanica companies), and the Italian company is leading the export campaign in Brazil for an initial 36 and perhaps as many as 100 fighters. Bertolone, current chairman of the Eurofighter supervisory board, said Alenia is well suited to lead the charge into Brazil due Alenia’s growing strength in both technology and Sky-Y now has complete clearance for basic to its long-standing relationship with Embraer revenues is allowing it to fund development of flights and is ready to demonstrate its real misin developing the AMX trainer/attack aircraft, programs in-house. sion capabilities with sensors such as infrared and Aermacchi’s industrial relationship with the Two currently under way are the Sky-X UCAV and radar surveillance. Payloads will be develBrazilian company through manufacturing and URAV jet-powered demonstrator that first oped in collaboration with other Finmeccanica nacelles for the E-170 and 175 regional jets. In flew in May 2005, and the propeller-driven Sky-Y companies, and testing will begin this fall, he said. addition, the Aermacchi MB-326 trainer was eartechnology demonstrator for a medium altitude, Impatient with the politics surrounding Eurolier built under license by Embraer in Brazil. long endurance (MALE) surveillance UAV, which pean collaboration on UAVs, Bertolone said Alenia is also co-leading with BAE Systems first flew in June 2007. Alenia is moving ahead with technology at its the campaign to sell Eurofighters to Japan, Sky-X recently completed a campaign to own expense so as to be in the strongest posBertolone noted. demonstrate fully automated missions with a sible position when collaboration agreements Manufacture and support of 47 Tranche 2 piloted aircraft, and more details will be released are hammered out. Eurofighters for Italy will be worth here at Farnborough, said Alenia Aeronautica “We want to play an important role in any col3.6 billion euros to Alenia between now CEO Giovanni Bertolone. laboration,” he said. and the end of 2012, he added. —John Morris They Agree With Boeing, They Disagree With Boeing Alenia Doing More of Its Own R&D 76 July 14, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008 Contents Thirty More Years CFM Reveals New Engine Boeing Reduces Forecast UAVs’ Quiet Revolution Finmeccanica: U.S. Success A Plethora of AESAs BAE North America Plus L-3 Becomes a Prime Better Late Than Never A Peek Behind the Curtain China’s J-10 Revealed Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner Breaking LM’s Hegemony

Farnborough Show News - July 14, 2008

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