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Aviation History
1998
1998 - 2552.PDF
Farnborough 98 was the Airbus show - its huge outscoring of Boeing in orders only served to re-emphasise the disarray its US rival has found itself in recently. Andrzej Jeziorski, Guy Norris, Paul Lewis, Max Kingsley-Jones, Howard Gethin, Kate Sarsfield, Graham Warwick, Andrew Chuter and Carol Reed report. Photography by Mark Wagner. Production by Alexis Rendell and Chris Thornton AlliedSignal launches AS900 ALLIEDSIGXAL has launch ed the full-scale development of its next generation AS900 turbo- fan for business aircraft and region al airliners. "We are fully committed to this programme and obviously we would not be going ahead if we did not have good prospects of selling the engine," says AlliedSignal En gines Commercial Propulsion vice- president, Dominique Hedon. Although no launch platforms have yet been announced, the engine maker appears confident that the initial 7,5001b-thrust (3 3 kN) member of the AS900 fam ily will soon have customers. "The development of an engine takes longer than that of an aircraft, so we need to start early compared to the application. We are there fore taking some risk," acknowl edges Hedon. The engine is aimed mainly at super mid-size business jets and regional jets such as the Avro RJ-X. Although officially it is still in com petition with Pratt & Whitney Canada's PW308, it is believed the US company is close to signing a memorandum of understanding with British Aerospace Regional Aircraft. The first business aircraft appli cation is widely expected to be a new generation super mid-size development due to be announced by Bombardier at next month's National Business Aircraft Association meeting in Las Vegas. AlliedSignal plans to develop the engine with risk and revenue shar ing partners. Two "major" partners constitute around 30% of the pro gramme, while a group of smaller partners will account for a further 5%. One of the major partners is Aerospace Industrial Develop ment Center of Taiwan, which is already linked to AlliedSignal through its jointly held Inter national Turbine Engine company. AIDC will make the fan module which accounts for 14% of the pro gramme's value. The fast-paced programme calls for first engine to test in July 1999 with certification expected in the first quarter of 2001. Entry into service is expected by the third quarter 2001, "depending on the application" says Hedon. Although the engine incorpo rates technological innovations, advanced materials and aerody namic design, the main emphasis is on low cost of ownership and reduced maintenance. "The prime target is a very low cost engine with a reduced parts count, low cost materials and a low development cost," says Hedon. Many of the advances were built into a demon stration core which first ran last December. Unusually, the engine is also being offered from the start with an on-condition maintenance pro gramme, and operators will be offered the option of fixed inspec tion intervals set at 3,500h for the hot section and 7,000h for the compressor area at maturity. Future developments may include a 9,0001b-thrust version with a larger fan and added low- pressure compressor stages, and smaller variants of around 5,0001b- thrust and upwards. 3 ATR and Embraer to decide on 70-seater by year-end ATR AND EMBRAER expect to decide by the end of the year whether to launch new 70-seat size regional jet developments. At the same time, the companies are con tinuing to seek partners and jointly discuss a possible collaborative programme in what is fast becom ing an overcrowded market. The Brazilian manufacturer says it will complete a worldwide airline survey within a month, assessing die demand for either a 70 or 80- seat jet and preferred choice of cabin cross section, as well as trying to analyse anticipated market and economic changes. "We have to look at the external environment, how the airline market will be affected and if it makes business sense to go into a new programme now," says Embraer president Mauricio Botelho. ATR simultaneously is again considering launching the shelved Airjet in the wake of British Aerospace's departure from the former Aero International ATR is considering bringing the Airjet down from the shelf (Regional) consortium. The Franco-Italian partnership plans to submit a proposed business case for the aircraft to the company's board by late October. "We have to reassess and reaffirm the market. We also have to look at the avail ability of partners," says AFR chief executive Antoine Bouvier. Contacts have been re-estab lished with several potential ATR partners including the Aerospace Industrial Development Center of Taiwan and the Korean Com mercial Aircraft Development consortium, which had signed a memorandum with AIR to take a risk sharing stake. According to Bouvier, China has also "asked questions." Embraer has also been in discus sion with possible partners in China, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal, South Korea as well as LTV, Northrop Grumman of the USA and ATR. "We've been hold ing discussions with ATR...they are looking for a partner," confirms Satoshi Yokota, Embraer vice- president industrial. The company acknowledges that a decision is urgent, given the launch of the Fairchild Dornier 728JET and scheduled first flight of the competing Bombardier Canadair CRJ-700 in early 1999. Meanwhile, Embraer has an nounced $2.5 billion in new orders, including 75 ERJ-135s and 75 options from American Eagle, in addition to its earlier commitments for 42 ERJ-145s. Continental Express has or dered another 25 ERJ-145 s, increasing its fleet to 75, plus 25 options. Other deals include four ERJ-145s for National Jet Sys tems, five for Luxair and another eight ERJ-135s for Flandre Air. Elsewhere in the regional mar ket, Atlantic Southwest Airlines hasordered 15 Canadair CRJ-200s and 12 -700s worth $575 million. Bombardier has sold has sold another 10 -200ERs to Atlantic- Coast Airlines, increasing its orderbook to 33 aircraft. Midway Airlines has converted seven -200ER options increasing its firm orders to 20 aircraft. • 8 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 16 - 22 September 1998
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