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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 0008.PDF
HEADLINES Embraer studies EMB-145 range The EMB-145s for Continental Express are being rolled off the line changes, says Embraer engineer ing director Luis Carlos Affonso. Additional fuel would be housed in the wing centre-section and take-off gross weight would be increased. The existing 20,600kg (45,4001b) extended-range version of the EMB-145 is now regarded as die baseline variant of the 50-seat regional jet, Embraer says. The Brazilian manufacturer plans to re-certificate the EMB- 145 early in 1997 with a maximum Mach number of 0.78, after flight- testing revealed better than expect ed performance. US certification GKN Westland floats comp< DOUGLAS BARRIE/LONDON floats compound EH101 N I The EH 101 could sprout wings to go that little bit further faster GRAHAM WARWICK/SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS EMBRAER IS STUDYING a long-range version of the EMB-145 regional jet, with uprat ed engines and increased fuel capacity. The aircraft would have a 3,000km (l,600nm) range, com pared with the present 2,400km, and is intended to meet demand from US regional airlines for increased sector lengths. The aircraft would be fitted with versions of the AE3007 turbofan providing 15% more thermo dynamic power, but flat-rated to that same 33.2kN (7,4301b) take off thrust as the current engine to simplify certification. Fan diame ter would be unchanged, with the thrust increase achieved through hot-section and digital-control Two finalists selected in EELV competiton COMPETITION for the $1.4 billion contract to build the US Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) fleet has been reduced to two companies, with Lockheed Martin and McDonnell Douglas each being awarded $60 million contracts on 20 December to pro duce final design proposals. The EELV programme will replace the Atlas, Delta and Titan fleets of military boosters with vari ants of a common vehicle which will fulfil all small, medium and large launch requirements starting in 2002 (Flight International, 11-17 December, 1996). Up to 200 military launches will be required to 2020, says the US Air Force. Using current vehicles would cost an estimated S20 bil lion, and the goal of the EELV pro gramme is to reduce this by at least $5 billion. MDC's Delta IV proposal is based on the existing Deltall/III fleet, while Lockheed Martin's Adas 2 AR form the basis of its pro posal. Boeing and Alliant Tech- Systems were eliminated from the final competition. A single con tractor is to be selected in June. • GKN WESTLAND is pursu ing an advanced compound- helicopter design which could potentially be "retrofitted" to the Westland/Agusta EH101 military utility helicopter. The company is working on a concept using a fuselage-mounted wing to provide additional lift and control. Westland says that the work is continuing. Previous research into the compound design had been carried out in conjunction with the UK Defence Research Agency, with Ministry of Defence (MoD) funding. The current phase of the project is being independently funded by Westland. Rolls-Royce has also been involved. The company views the concept as a less-radical "alternative to the tilt-rotor", with the wing offering performance improvements in "speed, range, and handling, with improvements in the level of vibra tion". Westland is also a partner in the European Eurofar tilt-rotor consortium. A compound design would allow the aircraft to be flown at speeds up to 250kt (460km/h), rather than at around the 150kt ot conventional helicopter designs. Westland says that, if it pursues the development of the technolo gy, it will be used on existing, rather than new, designs. "If tliis technol ogy is to go ahead, then it will feed into an existing product," the com pany says. Design and development work remains at the computer-model ling stage, with the company say ing that the ".. .next stage would be to move toward aerodynamic test ing, using windtunnel models for proof-of-concept work". This would eventually lead to using either a modified EH 101 or in December 1996 was based on the original estimate of M0.76. The additional speed will close die gap with Bombardier's competing Canadair Regional Jet, Embraer says. The company has already par ticipated in a "fly-off' at Comair, which already operates the Regional Jet, and says it achieved block times almost identical to those of the Canadian 50-seater. Embraer industrial vice-presi dent Satoshi Yokota also reveals that the company is studying both larger and smaller derivatives of the EMB-145. A 70-seater with new four-abreast fuselage could be available in four years, he says, while a 30- to 40-seater based on the existing three-abreast fuselage could be available sooner. No deci sion to launch either derivative has been taken, he emphasises. • Lynx airframe as a full-scale demonstrator. The company says that it does not envisage this occur ring before the turn of the century. Westland will not fully develop the compound concept unless it has a customer for a compound lift variant of the EH101. "We need a customer to fund die project with the company," the company says. The emergence of an MoD requirement for a helicopter with a greater lift and range capability would provide the impetus to launch the project. As yet, however, no such defence-ministry require ment exists. • 6 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 1 - 7 January 1997
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