Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 15, 2008 - (Page 18) FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 Meggitt Wins Major A350 XWB Contract Why ‘Cost-Effective’ Does Not Mean ‘Affordable’ BAE Systems has done a good job in forging long-term support contracts with the Royal Air Force (RAF) that have saved money and boosted front-line availability. However, cutting costs is not enough if there isn’t enough money to go around in the first place—and that is the UK’s biggest problem. Steve Nicholl, BAE Systems’ director military requirements, has detailed information on how much money his company’s various longterm (10-year) support deals are contributing to the RAF—a £1.3 billion saving in reduced Tornado support costs, the equivalent of 11 additional Harriers available for operations and a 40% increase in Nimrod availability (to name but three). Says Nicholl, “For the last three years we have Steve Nicholl. had no difficulty in proving cost-effectiveness to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), none whatsoever. The new way of doing things is much cheaper than the old way. But being cost-effective is not the same as being affordable when it comes to overall national budget priorities.” On top of that he adds, “The big 10-year deals are actually squeezing the remaining budget for the remaining ‘ordinary’ programs that are still trapped in the regular two-year MoD budget cycle. And with all the problems we’ve had this year that actually turned out to be a one-year cycle.” —Robert Hewson Meggitt PLC (Hall 3, Stand C8) has been awarded a contract from Airbus to design, develop, manufacture and support the fire protection system on the new A350 XWB. Meggitt CEO T erry T wigger said, “This contract further strengthens Meggitt’s position as a leading supplier of safety-critical equipment to Airbus, building on our previous successes on the Airbus A380 and A400M.” China Buys More Diamond Aircraft The Civil Aviation University of China (CAUC) has placed an order with Diamond Aircraft for 40 single-engine DA40s and 10 twin-engine DA42s manufactured in Austria, Canada and China. The aircraft will be used primarily for commercial pilot training at a new school in Chaoyang scheduled to open later this year. This is the fifth flight school in China to choose Diamond aircraft for training. Shandong Bin Ao Aircraft Industries Co. Ltd. operates a Diamond manufacturing facility in Binzhou. Diamond Aircraft Balks at Thielert Bidding Restrictions, omissions and incomplete information in the summary description provided by Dr. Bruno M. Kuebler, Thielert Aircraft Engines’ insolvency administrator, along with limitations specified in the non-disclosure agreement, have caused Diamond Aircraft to withdraw from the bidding process, according to Michael Feinig, DA managing director. He claims the summary description omits “relevant facts regarding the TAE engines, the TAE customers and the competitive market forces” and that the confidentiality agreement's provisions “effectively preclude the obtaining of factual and objective information about TAE and its engine development and production.” C-27J Spartan U.S. Joint Cargo Aircraft Flies The first C-27J Spartan for the U.S. Armed Forces has made its maiden flight from Alenia Aeronautica's Flight T Centre est at Turin-Caselle. The airplane will complete some 70 flight hours and 180 ground-test hours, including those carried out in the United States at L-3 Communications, in Waco, Texas, for the integration of avionics and systems. Delivery to the U.S. Army is slated for Sept. 25. The Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) program, valued at $ 2.04 billion, will see 78 C-27Js delivered to the U.S. military. Alenia Aeronautica is at the Finmeccanica Pavilion: OE1 & OE2. P&W Picks Woodward Governor Fuel Nozzle Pratt & Whitney has chosen Woodward Governor Company as its exclusive supplier of fuel nozzles for the company’s Next Generation Product Family.This family includes the new Geared Turbofan engine (which targets double-digit reduction in fuel burn, environmental emissions, engine noise and operating costs). The Geared Turbofan is being designed for both the Mitsubishi Regional Jet and the Bombardier CSeries single-aisle aircraft families. Woodward Governor will also supply fuel nozzles for the new Advanced Turbofan engine being developed for the Cessna Citation Columbus Business Jet. The agreement extends a long-term business arrangement between Pratt & Whitney and Woodward Governor. Pratt currently accounts for 15% of Woodward’s sales of components for use in turbine systems. FSI Course Supports Gulfstream PlaneView FlightSafety International is introducing a new training course supporting Gulfstream aircraft using Honeywell’s PlaneView advanced cockpit technology. The one-day course, which is typically taken before or after a recurrent training course, includes three hours of ground school, detailed preflight briefing and four flight simulator sessions. FlightSafety has been the authorized training provider for Gulfstream for over 30 years, providing professional pilots, maintenance technicians and cabin attendant training utilizing 23 full-flight aircraft simulators and other training devices. 18 July 15, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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