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Aviation History
2000
2000-1 - 0357.PDF
Bombardier launches CRJ900 BOMBARDIER has begun low-risk, fast-track develop ment of the 86-seat CRJ900 fol lowing board approval to launch die stretched derivative on die back of tentative orders for 50 aircraft, including commitments from Air Nostrum and Tyrolean Airways. The Canadian manufacturer is targeting the first flight of a CRJ900 development aircraft within 12 months. It hopes to com plete testing and secure initial Transport Canada type certifica tion by the third quarter of 2002 and deliver die first production air craft by the end of that year. "This is not earth-shattering in terms of development," says Steve Ridolfi, Bombardier president regional aircraft. "We've kept die same partners and are keeping it simple. The CRJ700 was the big mid-platform change transitioning from a small to a big jet; the CRJ900 is an incremental jet." Bombardier is projecting a total development cost of C$200 mil lion ($135 million) for the regional jet - considerably less than was spent on redesigning and stretch- Bombardier CRJ Series 900 changes FLIGHT from CRJ Series 700 igJggSgtgBB Wing generally strengthened Forward fuselage plug 2.29m GARETH BURGESS OO GE CF34-8C5 engines with thrust increase Additional third seat rail gives 2+1 seating capability Forward underfloor baggage hold volume increased Additional forward fuselage baggage door Two additional overwing exits Strengthened main landing gear and upgraded wheel brakes ing the CRJ700. It hopes to steal a lead by having the CRJ900 in ser vice two years ahead of the rival, all- new Embraer ERJ-190 and Fairchild Dornier 92 8JET models. The announced commitments comprise 12 for Tyrolean and eight for Air Nostrum - both CRJ200 operators - along with a recently announced order from GE Capital Aviation Services for 10 aircraft and 20 options. The Austrian and Spanish deals are each subject to airline board approval. "There are others we hope to have in place shordy," says Ridolfi. Work on the aircraft is already under way, with Bombardier hav ing completed a joint definition phase widi its partners and frozen the design in May. The forward and aft fuselage plugs, measuring 2.3m (90in) and 1.6m respectively, have also been completed and will be Thomson Racal wins Eurof ighter MSS deal THOMSON Racal Defence has won a contract to start development of the mission sup port system (MSS) for the Euro- fighter. The deal is expected to be worth more than £20 million ($30 million). Racal, a wholly owned UK sub sidiary of French electronics con glomerate Thomson-CSF, will be responsible for the mission plan ning and briefing (MPB) part of the system, which will provide auto matic route suggestions from base to target and the return leg, a three- dimensional fly-through, target planning and briefing. Racal has developed mission planning systems for Royal Air Force Boeing Sentry AEW1 air borne warning and control plat form, BAE Systems Nimrod maritime patrol aircraft and Panavia Tornado GRIBs. • Rotorcraft production set for major increase MORE THAN 9,200 rotor-craft, worth more than $74.5 billion, are expected to be built in the next decade, according to a forecast released at the show by the US-based Teal Group. This total includes 4,712 civil machines worth $12.3 billion, and 4,494 military helicopters valued at $62.2 billion. Teal Group analyst Richard Aboulafia says: "These numbers represent a great improvement over the previous 10 years [1990-1999] when produc tion totalled 8,229 machines worth $51.3 billion." The forecast, which provides a comprehensive look at the rotor- craft industry, including tiltrotors, says that the five main rotorcraft manufacturers, Bell, Boeing, Eurocopter, Sikorsky and Agusta/ Wesdand - "when the merger is finally cemented" - will hold 92% of the world's rotorcraft market during the 2000-9 forecast period. Aboulafia adds: "Further indus try consolidation would be an excellent idea, but European techno-nationalism and over-zeal ous US regulators basically rule out any further serious consolidation for now, no matter how useful and necessary." He says that a tie-up between Agusta/Westland and Bell in the next decade, for example, would give the new company a market share of more than 30%. "The. prospect of this happening is undoubtedly hastening talks between Sikorsky and Boeing." • mated with a CRJ700 test aircraft to create the prototype CRJ900. A second, all-new CRJ900 development aircraft and the first to be powered by the General Elec tric CF34-8C5 growth engine, will roll out in mid-2002. "The modi fied CRJ 700 will fly as an aerody namic prototype, while the second aircraft will basically clean up and test systems," says Ridolfi. The line-up of partners and sup pliers is essentially unchanged from the CRJ700, with the exception of Gamesa building the vertical and horizontal stabiliser in place of Avcorp. Shorts will supply the mid-: fuselage, Mitsubishi the aft fuse lage, GKN Wesdand the tail cone, Hamilton Sundstrand the flaps and slats, and Bombardier will produce die rest of the main structure. In addition to the extra fuselage barrels and uprated 14,5001b (65kN)-thrust powerplant, the principal changes centre on a rein forced wing, an additional under floor baggage door, a second pair of overwing exits, an aft service door and strengthened main landing gear and upgraded brakes. • NEWS IN BRIEF • INFLIGHT ALLIANCE European space company Astrium and Sextant have entered the crowded in flight communication mar ket with the launch of a joint project to develop in-flight e-mail and internet-based services for commercial air transport aircraft. • QUIET SAABS Swedish regional Golden Air has converted a letter of intent into a $750,000 order for UK company Ultra Electronics' UltraQuiet Active Noise Control (ANC) system to retrofit its nine Saab 340s. Golden Air is the launch customer for the retrofits. The Saab 340 ANC system reduces cabin noise to a level equivalent to that in a modern regional jet. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 25 - 31 J luly 2000 9
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