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Latest Manufacturer news

Airbus concedes some A400M problems are 'home-made'

MoD poised to award £2bn Apache deal to Boeing in new blow to UK defence industry

The Ministry of Defence is poised to hand another major deal to a US company, with a £2bn contract for new Apache helicopters set to be awarded to Boeing. Leonardo, the Italian aerospace manufacturer until recently known as Finmeccanica, had been battling to land the deal, which would...

Russia developing kamikaze drone that hits target & detonates - report

One of the drone models used by Russia is to be modified to be used as a kamikaze, Russian media said. Such drones can be used to suppress enemy air defenses or to provide tactical-level air support to units in the field. “A drone which would act similar to a fire ship is being developed no...

How long can Britain's combat aircraft industry fly high for?

The silhouette of one of the British Army’s Apache attack helicopters in the skies over Afghanistan is a reassuring sight for coalition forces on the battlefield. Its ungainly shape projects a menacing power that foes are unlikely to stand up to – if they haven’t already fled at the sound of its approaching rotors. But this symbol of British military power won’t be quite...

Airbus Helicopters denies gearbox may have caused Norway crash

Airbus Helicopters has acted to allay concerns over the safety of its Super Puma aircraft after Norwegian investigators declined to rule out a repetition of past gearbox problems being the cause of a crash that killed 11 oil workers and two pilots. Norway's accident investigation authority AIBN said in a preliminary report on Friday that it was examining three possible causes for the April...

Lockheed Martin Corporation May Resume Production of F-22 Aircraft

The US Air Force’s Chief of Staff, General Mark Welsh, announced the possibility of adding Lockheed Martin Corporation’s F-22 aircraft to its fleet at an event hosted by the Air Force Association. The announcement comes at a time when the defense contractor is already focused on the F-35 program. When Lockheed Martin discontinued the program five years ago it was subjected to s...

German RepRap Comes Through for Airbus Helicopters Again

While a helicopter serves many purposes, one of the most common is aerial surveillance and/or video and photography. How many times have you turned on your local news and watched a slow pan across rush hour traffic, or looked on in horror as the national news presents you with a birds-eye view of the latest natural or man-made disaster? Of course, now there are drones moving in to the aerial...

Has industry been unfair to Bombardier?

It was 1994, and Airbus was already becoming more than a mere nuisance to Boeing. Tensions spiked at the Farnborough air show, when then-Boeing president Ron Woodard accused his opposite number at Airbus of lying: “I’ve watched him and his nose does grow when he talks.” Airbus repaid the Pinocchio-themed insult almost 18 years later, publishing an advert ahead of the 2012 Farnbor...

Why helicopter airliners haven’t happened – yet

Airports are expensive things to build. And they require vast amounts of space, enough for all the runways and hangars, terminals and luggage depots, parking and other services needed to keep us in the air. They create an enormous amount of noise too – this was even more of an issue during the great civil aviation boom of the 1950s and 60s, when travelling by plane suddenly became within...

Trent XWB: the Rolls-Royce and Airbus A350 jet engine up close for the first time

Fuel efficiency is good for the environment, but it also saves airlines money. That doesn't mean the price of travel is falling. But it does mean a lot energy goes into advancing jet engine technology. Rolls-Royce says its Trent XWB is one of the most fuel-efficient jet engines in the world. The "XWB" stands for "extra wide body," and you can see why. Up close, this thin...

Russian Defense Ministry to receive 5 combat copters for Arctic operation

The Russian Defense Ministry will receive five Mil Mi-8AMTSh-VA (Terminator) helicopters in 2016-2017 for operation in the Arctic, Russian Helicopters Group told TASS on Wednesday. "Under a state defense contract placed with Russian Helicopters, the rotocraft group will deliver another five Mi-8AMTSh-Va helicopters to Russia’s Defense Ministry in 2016-2017," the company said....

Bell Helicopter signs with Sichuan Xiangyun General Aviation Co., Ltd. for Bell 407GXP

Bell Helicopter announced the sale of a Bell 407GXP to Sichuan Xiangyun General Aviation Co.,Ltd. The aircraft will be outfitted for VIP transportation and helicopter tours. Sichuan Xiangyun joined Bell Helicopter in their chalet at the Asian Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (ABACE) to sign for the aircraft: Pictured Left to Right: Mr. Yi Yang, general manager o...

European Premiere: Pilatus Presents the PC-12 NG “2016 Model”

Pilatus presented its latest PC-12 NG, the 2016 model, at this year's European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva. Already an extremely versatile machine, the PC-12 NG has been improved even further for 2016. The best-selling single-engine turboprop new boasts a fiveblade composite propeller and a variety of aerodynamic enhancements resulting in a hig...

Embraer Private Jets to Feature Skylights

We were enthused to learn that a private manufacturer is actually putting skylights in its planes! This might sound crazy but the best part of air-travel has got to be the view. Whatever class you’re in, and no matter whether you’re flying in a private jet or not, the view is amazing. Having said that, most planes have tiny portholes masquerading as windows, wasting the poten...

Airbus files revolutionary patent for 3D printing an aircraft's exterior in its entirety

French aerospace firm Airbus has filed a patent for a revolutionary new 3D printing process that would make it possible to print out an entire aircraft's exteriors in one go from multiple metals – a feat that is definitely not possible today. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is a new technology that enables industries to manufacture materials much faster than the tra...

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