Northrop Grumman, Bell Helicopter to Develop, Demonstrate New Medium-Range Vertical Unmanned SystemFire-X

martes, 4 de mayo de 2010







Adds Cargo, Range, Payload Capabilities to Proven Fire Scout Architecture

U.S. war fighters will be able to keep tabs on their enemies for longer periods of time, communicate more easily with their commanders, and deliver more cargo to more remote locations using the new Fire-X medium-range vertical unmanned aerial system (VUAS) unveiled today by Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) and Bell Helicopter, a Textron Company (NYSE:TXT).

The two companies have joined forces to develop and demonstrate the new rugged, high-capacity unmanned aerial system based on the four-blade, single-engine Bell 407 helicopter. First flight of Fire-X is expected by the end of 2010. The new system also represents Northrop Grumman's entry in an anticipated U.S. Navy competition in 2011 to demonstrate a new medium-range UAS.

"The Fire-X system integrates Northrop Grumman's proven unmanned systems know-how with a proven, FAA-certified helicopter airframe that's been in service since 1996," said Gene Fraser, sector vice president and general manager for the Advanced Programs and Technology division of Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "The result will be an affordable, fast-fielding system that delivers the maturity of the unmanned systems architecture developed by the U.S. Navy's MQ-8B Fire Scout program, while giving military services the extra UAS cargo, payload and endurance they seek."

Reporters got their first look at the new VUAS concept today in Northrop Grumman's booth at the Navy League Sea-Air-Space Exposition in National Harbor, Md.

"Bell Helicopter brings to the Fire-X development more than 50 years of experience producing and supporting U.S. military helicopters across the full rotary-wing aviation mission spectrum, including armed reconnaissance, attack, utility, and MedEvac," said Jeff Lowinger, executive vice president of engineering for Bell Helicopter. "We're also backing this new offering with Bell's unmatched global logistics support, training, and industry-leading customer service."

Fire-X will incorporate Fire Scout's modular, field-proven architecture that accommodates a variety of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and communications payloads. It also provides complementary capabilities for missions that demand larger payloads (up to 3000 pounds), longer endurance (more than 14 hours) and robust cargo hauling (up to 2646 pounds external). 

Fire-X is being designed to operate with nearly any type of current or future military standards-based control segment. It will communicate as easily with shipboard controllers using the Navy's Tactical Control Station (TCS) as field commanders using the U.S. Army's field-proven One System® ground control station.

Fire-X is the latest in a long line of tactical UASs from Northrop Grumman, a leader in developing, integrating and testing unmanned systems for more than 60 years. In addition to using Fire Scout's unmanned systems architecture, it will draw on the company's systems integration and testing expertise acquired through developing targets for the Navy, the Army's MQ-5A Hunter fixed wing UAS, and the company's new line of scalable Bat™ unmanned aircraft systems. 

Fire-X also takes full advantage of Northrop Grumman's proven ability to "unman" or optionally man a manned helicopter – i.e. replace the in-vehicle pilot with the appropriate avionics, software and ground control station to accurately and reliably duplicate the behavior and performance of the air vehicle. 

The Bell 407 helicopter currently serves the commercial human transportation requirements of corporations, hospitals, news organizations, movie studios and law enforcement agencies worldwide, with nearly 1,000 systems in service and more than 2.5 million accumulated flight hours. Bell's customer service has been rated number one for the last 16 years running. 

Bell Helicopter, a wholly owned subsidiary of Textron Inc., is an industry-leading producer of commercial and military, manned and unmanned vertical lift aircraft and the pioneer of the revolutionary tiltrotor aircraft. Globally recognized for world-class customer service, innovation and superior quality, Bell's global workforce serves customers flying Bell aircraft in more than 120 countries. More information is available at www.bellhelicopter.com.

Textron Inc. is a multi-industry company that leverages its global network of aircraft, defense, industrial and finance businesses to provide customers with innovative solutions and services. Textron is known around the world for its powerful brands, such as Bell Helicopter, Cessna Aircraft Company, Jacobsen, Kautex, Lycoming, E-Z-GO, Greenlee, and Textron Systems. More information is available at www.textron.com.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is a leading global security company whose 120,000 employees provide innovative systems, products, and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, shipbuilding and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.



Quotes:

  • "Fire-X will be an affordable, low-risk, fast-fielding system that delivers the maturity of the unmanned systems architecture developed by the U.S. Navy's MQ-8B Fire Scout program, and the extra UAS cargo, payload and endurance that military services seek." – Gene Fraser, sector vice president and general manager, Advanced Programs and Technology Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems


  • "Bell Helicopter brings to the Fire-X development more than 50 years of experience producing and supporting U.S. military helicopters across the full rotary-wing aviation mission spectrum, including armed reconnaissance, attack, utility, and MedEvac." – Jeff Lowinger, executive vice president for engineering, Bell Helicopter.


  • "Fire-X builds on more than 60 years of Northrop Grumman experience designing, developing and producing unmanned systems. It is the latest in an evolving family of unmanned systems with Northrop Grumman Know-How on board." – Gene Fraser, sector vice president and general manager, Advanced Programs and Technology Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
  • "The Fire-X demonstration will illustrate how a marriage of manned and unmanned technologies can increase the capability, reduce the risks, and extend the utility of commercially available helicopters." – Jeff Lowinger, executive vice president for engineering, Bell Helicopter.


  • "Fire-X delivers what military planners want, and what war fighters need: a reliable, low-cost vertical unmanned system that's versatile enough to support the diverse ISR, cargo, and communications requirements of land and sea forces, while being rugged and persistent enough to stay in the fight until the mission is complete." –  Gene Fraser, sector vice president and general manager, Advanced Programs and Technology Division, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems
http://www.irconnect.com/noc/press/pages/news_releases.html?d=190323

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Publicidad: OVB, asesora financiera

Saludos a todos:

Me llamo José de Bustos y os escribo con la intención de dar a conocer en qué puedo ayudaros.

Me explico: soy asesor financiero, experto en economías domésticas. Trabajo para una compañía alemana con más de tres millones de clientes en toda Europa y más de 40 años de experiencia en el sector financiero.

Si una vez al año vais al médico a un chequeo anual, al menos una vez deberáis venir a verme a ver cómo de salud están vuestras finanzas. Es un servicio gratuito y personalizado, dónde podremos charlar y me contareis acerca de vuestras hipotecas, seguros, ahorros, deseos... y comprobareis las formas en que os puedo echar una mano.

Todos aquellos interesados en mejorar su situación económica, que se pongan en contacto conmigo. Esta es mi dirección de correo electrónico: jose.bustosmolina@gmail.com

Muy atentamente, José de Bustos.

Asesor financiero de OVB.

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Aviones con piloto opcional

http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20100504/aviones-piloto-opcional/329971.shtml



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Sener completa la compra del 100% de la ingeniería mexicana III

http://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=369949


El grupo vasco de ingeniería Sener ha completado la adquisición del cien por cien del capital de la empresa mexicana III, con la que mantenía una alianza estratégica desde 2005 y de la que ya tenía, desde 2007, el 40 por ciento de las acciones.

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China on runway for jet takeoff

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China_Business/LE04Cb01.html

China may, by the end of the year, start deliveries of the ARJ-21 Xiangfeng (Soaring Phoenix), its first indigenously designed and developed commercial regional jet. According to the Chinese media, the fourth domestically-produced ARJ21-700 plane completed its maiden flightsuccessfully in Shanghai on April 13. 

Although the project itself is relatively modest in ambition and scope, the significance of the ARJ-21's deliverance is that it could be the precursor to the development of an entirely new industrial sector in Asia. The ARJ-21 series of large passenger jets offers serious competition to a field that is currently dominated by just a handful of firms in the Western hemisphere.

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Aprobadas ayudas de 15 millones de euros para Eurocopter y Aernnova

http://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=370107


El Ejecutivo concede 11,2 millones a Eurocopter como ayuda a su inversión de 45,13 millones de euros, con los que creará 254 puestos de trabajo que, sumados a los que tiene en la actualidad, elevarán su plantilla hasta los 529 trabajadores.


Otorga además una ayuda de 3,4 millones de euros a Aernnova Composites, que va a invertir 42,5 millones de euros en la instalación de una planta industrial en Illescas (Toledo), que creará 271 puestos de trabajo.

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Boeing Announces Formation of AirLift and Tankers Division


Boeing [NYSE: BA] today announced the formation of the Airlift and Tankers (A&T) division within its military aircraft business unit. The new division will lead the company's sustained pursuit and execution of U.S. and international tanker and fixed-wing mobility aircraft business.
The A&T division will assume program management responsibility for the C-17 Globemaster III and international and U.S. tanker programs.
Chris Chadwick, president of Boeing Military Aircraft, said that the organizational change would allow the business to "increase productivity to enhance Boeing's competitive position and offer the best available capability, price and risk value proposition for its customers."
"Aligning large, fixed-wing aircraft capabilities under one leadership team will intensify our focus on the warfighter's needs and introduce efficiencies that will result in cost savings for taxpayers," Chadwick added.
Boeing has named Jean Chamberlin as vice president and general manager, Airlift and Tankers, reporting to Chadwick. Chamberlin will be responsible for providing direction and oversight for airlift and tanker programs from advance program development through customer delivery. She will continue to lead Boeing's effort to capture the U.S. Air Force KC-X program, also serving as program manager, USAF Tanker Program.
Rick Heerdt has been named vice president of the C-17 Program -- which will continue to be based in Long Beach, Calif. -- and will report to Chamberlin. Heerdt will be responsible for working with U.S. and international customers to capture new orders, as well as developing and producing cost-effective future airlifter capability.

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General Atomics-ASI Introduces Sea Avenger UAS for UCLASS Carrier Operations

The Sea Avenger will likely compete against the Northrop GrummanX-47B



Carrier-based Predator C Derivative Offers Navy Low-risk Strike & Surveillance Solution

NAVY LEAGUE SEA AIR SPACE, WASHINGTON – 3 May 2010 – General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), tactical reconnaissance radars, and surveillance systems, today introduced Sea AvengerTM, a carrier-based derivative of its Predator® C Avenger® UAS, to fulfill the U.S. Navy’s need for an unmanned carrier-launched airborne surveillance and strike (UCLASS) system. The company formally proposed Sea Avenger to the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) via a Request for Information (RFI) submitted on 30 April.

“Sea Avenger fulfills the Navy’s need for a carrier-based unmanned aircraft system that offers long-endurance, proven ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] and precision-strike capabilities,” said Frank Pace, president, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Like Predator C Avenger, Sea Avenger presents a low-risk, high technology ready procurement option as it leverages more than 18 years of Predator-series UAS development, manufacturing, and system support, along with one million flight hours of operational experience. In addition, many Predator-series elements, components, and subsystems already provide mature, proven, and affordable mission capabilities desired by the Navy for a UCLASS system.

Anticipating a future requirement for a carrier-based UAS, GA-ASI designed specific features into its Predator C Avenger to facilitate subsequent development of an aircraft uniquely suitable for carrier operations that would also integrate seamlessly into the carrier air wing. These include a highly fuel-efficient engine and inlet design, retractable electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensor, internal weapons bay, and folding wings. The aircraft’s structure was also designed with the flexibility to accommodate carrier suitable landing gear, tail hook, drag devices, and other provisions for carrier operations.

“Sea Avenger is an affordable and transformational technology that will provide commanders with enhanced situational awareness and time-sensitive strike,” noted J. Neal Blue, chairman and CEO, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.

Sea Avenger is based upon its predecessor, Predator C Avenger. Predator C is designed to perform high-speed, multi-mission persistent ISR and precision, time-sensitive strike missions over land or sea. The current configuration features a 44-foot long fuselage and 66-foot wingspan, is capable of flying at 400 KTAS for 20 hours, and can operate up to 50,000 feet. Avenger incorporates a pure jet power plant and carries a Lynx® Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), various EO/IR camera systems, and up to 3,000 pounds of internal ordnance, as well as other sensors. The aircraft is based on an open, modular architecture that provides “plug and play” system configuration, configuration management, and significant flexibility for rapid, controlled change, adaptation, and growth. Developed on company funds for near-term military use, Predator C Avenger is successfully continuing through its planned test program, with a second aircraft currently under development and expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The U.S. Navy has experience operating both Predator and Predator B aircraft manufactured by GA-ASI.


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FIVE EUROPEAN COMPANIES RECOGNIZED WITH FLYING SAFETY AWARDS

Geneva, Switzerland, May 3, 2010 – The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) today announced the recipients of the 2010 EBAA Flying Safety Awards, given to five organizations for outstanding safety records. The awards were presented on May 2 at the Bombardier 4th Annual Safety Standdown Europe reception.

Dassault Falcon Service received the 2010 Platinum Safety of Flight Award (50 years or 100,000 hours without an accident) for its ongoing exemplary flight record. Other companies honored were: Tyrolean Jet Services and Abelag Aviation, recipients of the 2010 Gold Safety of Flight Award (40 years or 80,000 hours without an accident); Tyrol Air Ambulance, recipient of the 2010 Silver Safety of Flight Award (30 years or 60,000 hours without an accident); and VistaJet Luftfahrtunternehmen, recipient of the 2010 Bronze Safety of Flight Award (20 years or 40,000 hours without an accident).

The Flying Safety Awards represent the highest standards of aviation maintenance and flight operations in safe hours flown. "Safety is certainly the top concern for the people in our industry, and we've got the data to prove that we are seriously committed to achieving the highest safety standards possible," said Brian Humphries, EBAA president and CEO. "These outstanding companies are examples of how this dedication to safe operations adds up to exemplary records."

"Our organizations work throughout the year to facilitate development and dissemination of best safety practices for business aviation operations, and part of this effort is to honor and recognize the records of achievement in maintaining safe flying operations that these five organizations exemplify," said Ed Bolen, NBAA president and CEO.

Humphries added that "safety requires a year-round focus, and we at EBAA work daily with government and industry officials to enhance our already good safety record. We represent the business aviation community before the European Aviation Safety Agency, or EASA, which will soon be the only authority for safety regulation in the EU."

In addition, he said EBAA also works with the International Business Aviation Council to develop safety management systems and other industry standards of best practice.

Offered by Bombardier in partnership with NBAA and EBAA, the 4th Annual Safety Standdown Europe is a non-commercial effort to improve business aviation safety by combining skill-based training with knowledge-based training. It is held annually in conjunction with the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), to be held this week from May 4 to 6 in Geneva, Switzerland. Learn more about these events at www.ebace.aero.

# # #

About EBAA
The European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) was founded in 1977 to defend the interests of business aviation. Today, more than 500 business aviation companies (direct members or members of associate organizations) rely on the EBAA to protect their business interests. It is the only voice to represent business aviation among the European institutions. For more information, visit www.ebaa.org.

About NBAA
Founded in 1947 and based in Washington, DC, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is the leading organization for companies that rely on general aviation aircraft to help make their businesses more efficient, productive and successful. The Association represents more than 8,000 companies and provides more than 100 products and services to the business aviation community, including the NBAA Annual Meeting & Convention, the world's largest civil aviation trade show. Learn more about NBAA at www.nbaa.org.



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LA BRASILEÑA TAM HARA UN VUELO DE PRUEBA CON BIOQUEROSENO EN EL SEGUNDO SEMESTRE

http://biodiesel.com.ar/3363/la-brasilena-tam-hara-un-vuelo-de-prueba-con-bioqueroseno-en-el-segundo-semestre



Para el vuelo se empleará la jatropha

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Sin licencia para volar tras más de 10.000 horas de vuelos comerciales con un carnet de piloto falso

http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20100503/sin-licencia-para-volar-tras-mas-10000-horas-vuelos-comerciales-carnet-piloto-falso/329791.shtml

Era fotógrafo pero desde pequeño sonó con pilotar aviones. Gracias a un amigo hizo un año de prácticas en un simulador. Como en Europa no hay un permiso único de pilotos, falsificó el suyo y obtuvo su primer trabajo.

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Otra nube de ceniza volcánica vuelve a amenazar el cielo europeo

Otra nube de ceniza volcánica vuelve a amenazar el cielo europeo
http://www.actualidadaeroespacial.com/index.php?view=noticias&id=4bdfb341e2460&viewTemplate=1

Volcanic ash closes Irish air space again
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/05/04/341461/updated-volcanic-ash-closes-irish-air-space-again.html

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Lufthansa recibe su primer A380 en junio; operará las rutas con Tokio, Pekín y Johannesburgo

http://elblogdelvuelo.es/lufthansa-recibe-su-primer-a380-en-junio-operara-las-rutas-con-tokio-pekin-y-johannesburgo.html




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Air Force: KC-X contract start date is Nov. 12

http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/05/airforce_tanker_contract_date_050310w/

The Air Force has changed its KC-X Request for Proposals to list a contract start date of Nov. 12 despite previous Pentagon announcements that the award for the $35 billion contract would be made in the early fall, according to an April 29 modification to the KC-X Request for Proposals posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website.

This comes about a month after the Defense Department announced that EADS would be granted an extra 60 days to put together a solo bid on the tanker. At the time, the Pentagon insisted that it would be accelerating its evaluation period in order to stick to the original target for a contract award.

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Las empresas vascas facturan 18,5 millones de euros en proyectos espaciales

http://www.defensa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1757:las-empresas-vascas-facturan-185-millones-de-euros-en-proyectos-espaciales&catid=56:industria&Itemid=164


El Espacio supone para las empresas integradas en la asociación Cluster de Aeronáutica y Espacio del País Vasco HEGAN una facturación de 18,5 millones de euros, según los últimos datos de la Asociación correspondientes al  año 2008. Esta cifra supone aproximadamente el 1,5 por ciento de las ventas obtenidas por las compañías vascas en el ámbito conjunto de aeronáutica y espacio durante el citado ejercicio, lo que equivale a su vez el 3,3 por ciento sobre el conjunto de la facturación de las empresas del Estado en este campo

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