B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 2 - (Page 38)

N B A A 2 0 07 Swedish Missile Defense Debuts At NBAA Sweden’s Saab is making its NBAA debut this year with a new product for the increasingly important aircraft self-defense and protection market. Saab has extensive know-how in developing defensive systems for military aircraft. Thousands of these are already in service with air forces around the world, including in the U.S. Now Saab Avitronics (Booth 2755) has taken this expertise and applied it to the civil market, with a particular emphasis on VIP aircraft. Saab has become the first company to apply for a civil certificate for an anti-MANPADS (shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles) system at the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The Swedish system, known as CAMPS (Civil Aircraft Missile Protection System), is on display and sales executive, Saab Avitronics. Saab Avitronics’ countermeasures dispenser systems are already combat proven on military aircraft, and the new CAMPS fit, which is based on this well-established technology, has been specifically developed to protect civil aircraft. CAMPS can be integrated on a wide range of aircraft including VIP, head of state, general aviation, special mission and other military aircraft. The system consists of a missile approach warning system, an electronic control unit, which processes sensor information, and a countermeasure dispenser system (known as BOA). BOA ejects a specially developed combustible area decoy, which in turn lures the incoming infra-red homing missiles away from the aircraft. The CAMPS design has a heavy emphasis on safety and minimal operational costs, which led Saab to select pyrophoric decoy flare technology and electromechanical dispensing. The pyrophoric material is developed by the Chemring group. All parts of the system have been subjected to flight trials in South Africa, the UK and in Sweden. An important milestone was a successful demonstration together with Naturelink Aviation in South Africa in mid-March this year, where the system was installed on an Embraer 120 aircraft. —Robert Hewson System is adaptable to numerous aircraft. Saab Avitronics’ CAMPS demonstration aircraft. for the first time at NBAA 2007. “ We n o w h a v e a s y s t e m m a t u r e enough to present to the market. We face great interest among operators and users and have had a lot of inquiries,” says Göran Karlström, senior marketing Midcoast Aviation to Build a Narrowbody Completions Hangar Midcoast Aviation plans to break ground this month for a 145,000-sq ft narrowbody aircraft completions center. The new hangar, scheduled to open in about a year, will boost Midcoast Aviation’s footprint at St. Louis Downtown Airport to nearly 650,000 sq ft. The MRO said the narrowbody business aircraft market has grown 15% annually over the past four years. Between 18 and 20 green aircraft enter the market annually, according to Midcoast. “Along with our recently completed 119,000 sq ft hangar, the new building will allow Midcoast to centralize completions activities in two hangars. Midcoast then will have five hangars dedicated to supporting our significant maintenance business, which is growing at 12% annually, twice the industry rate of 6%,” said Kurt Sutterer, president of Midcoast. The MRO also has two paint hangars there, which will be expanded to accommodate the larger aircraft. Midcoast is spending $17.5 million to build the new hangar and make necessary ramp improvements, and the state of Ill. is providing a $4 million investment package. —Lee Ann Tegtmeier/AviationWeek.com Atlantic Aviation Houston is one of 61 FBOs in the pack-leading chain. Growth Spurt at Atlantic With the acquisition fever in the FBO community running rampant, Atlantic Aviation (Booth 439) comfortably leads the pack with a total of 61 U.S. sites after the recent absorption of 26 Mercury Air Center and San Jose Jet Center facilities. And they’re not through yet, at least according to company CEO Lou Pepper. “We will remain opportunists when it comes to future plans because there are still a number of general aviation destinations that would fit nicely into our strategy,” he said. The Dallas, Texas FBO chain expects to complete the process of re-branding its new properties within the coming 12 to 18 months. If you’re in the FBO business don’t be surprised if you feel the cross hairs. 38 September 26, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 2

Contents Spectrum Stresses Freedom Adam Shows A700 Cabin User Fee War of Words Execujet Boosts Services Saab's Got Your Back CAE Covers the Field London Airports Roundup Pratt & Whitney Canada Another Show! A More Digital Jeppesen CMC Rides Bizjet Wave Thales Weighs In We Fly the Eclipse 500

B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 2

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