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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 2219.PDF
HEADLINES AIR TRANSPORT Miami firm offers missile defence Nearly invisible, pyrotechnic- based flares are the heart of a missile protection system for commercial aircraft submitted for US Federal Aviation Administration certification. Miami-based start-up Aviation Protection Systems (APS), founded by Elta Systems and Israel Military Industries, intends to offer the Flight Guard system mostly to VIP aircraft and busi ness jet customers, starting in the second quarter of 2005, pending the FAA's approval. APS is also positioning itself in the US market in case defensive systems against shoulder-fired missiles are mandated for com mercial transport aircraft. Flight Guard is designed to mitigate against the numerous concerns about operating flare- based systems in commercial airports. The system's chaff-and- flare dispensers are activated only after the aircraft has climbed to S0ft-100ft (15-30m) reducing the risk of showering an active runway with burning flares. A "dark" flare technology makes the pyrotechnic material nearly invisi ble - crucial to prevent panicking passengers during false alarms. The high false-alarm rate of flare-based systems prompted the Department of Homeland Security this year to reject the technology for a two-year devel opment programme, which instead sefected two laser- based jamming systems. But Omer Regev, president of APS, says tests on Flight Guard show the system only produces one false alarm for every 1,000 flights. The system is half the cost of a laser jamming turret and can be maintained for less than $20,000 a year The system is based on a pulse-Doppler radar. The pilot is responsible for turning on the system's main power switch after engine start-up. The radar activates automatically upon rotation, while the flare dispenser comes online a few seconds later GENERAL AVIATION BRENDAN SOBIE / ZHUHAI China starts working on large helicopter design Researchers plan advanced medium utility aircraft that could rival Agusta/Bell AB139 China has launched a project to develop a 6,000kg (13,2001b) civil helicopter that may compete against the new Agusta/Bell AB139. The China Helicopter Research and Design Institute (CHRDI) is designing the advanced medium utility helicopter and it displayed a model of the aircraft for the first time last week at the Zhuhai air show. The director of CHRDI's interna tional co-operation department, Huan Lan, says so far the helicopter is based entirely on indigenous Chinese technologies, although it resembles the AB139. Huan says CHRDI is considering proposals from several Western and Chinese engine manufacturers and will later consider partnering a Western heli copter manufacturer to help develop core parts. "If necessary we will be looking for a foreign partner to develop the helicopter, provided both sides are willing and there is a co-operative agreement," Huan says. Western manufacturers expect China will need help developing the rotor blades, gearbox and drive system and believe Eurocopter may China hopes its helicopter project will produce a rival to the AB139 have already provided some tech nology. But Huan says CHRDI has not yet decided which parts, if any, will be developed jointly with Western manufacturers. AgustaWestland chief executive Amedeo Caporaletti says Agusta is open to co-operating on the pro ject despite the similarities with the AB139. "The 139 is a unique heli copter. Nobody can reverse engi neer such a helicopter," he says, adding that to develop an aircraft like the AB139 would take eight to nine years. Huan says the helicopter will fly in three to four years. CHRDI par ent China Aviation Industries II has not yet formally decided which of its factories will manufacture the new helicopter, but it is expected to be Harbin. Sales will be targeted at operators in the transport, offshore oil, medical evacuation, maritime patrol and search and rescue sec tors. The advanced medium utility helicopter would be China's fourth indigenous civilian helicopter fol lowing the 2,000kg Z-ll, 4,000kg Z-9 and 13,000kg Z-8. SEE ZHUHAI SHOW REPORT P14 BUSINESS JULIAN MOXON & JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON Snecma merger fails to shine Shares in French telecommunica tions firm company Sagem lost 10% of their value last week after news of its merger with propulsion giant Snecma left analysts unimpressed. The merger was agreed late last week by Snecma's board, following a similar agreement by Sagem chiefs in late October. The two- stage merger will lead to the long- awaited privatisation of Snecma and will create a combined aero space, defence, electronics and communications group worth more than €7.3 billion ($9.3 bil lion). However, analysts accuse the French government of promoting French ownership over industrial focus and Sagem shares on the Paris stock exchange fell from over €80 a share before the news on 29 October to a low of €68 on 4 November. The merger plan calls for savings of €160-190 million from elimina tion of duplication in the third year of any merger, a figure few analysts believe is achievable given the lack of obvious synergies in a deal that brings together France's largest aerospace propulsion and equipment company with the third largest European company in defence and security electronics. Snecma and Sagem claim, how ever, that it will create a "major industrial and technology group that is competitive on the global stage and enjoys strong positions in growth sectors". They say the merger will create better financial stability because of the "comple mentary operating cycles" of the two which significantly reduces exposure to the US dollar exchange rate fluctuations. Snecma president Jean-Paul Bechat is expected to be named leader of the joint company. Bechat will be welcomed as a mastermind of much of the consolidation of some of France's biggest aerospace names into the Snecma propulsion and equipment portfolio. 6 9-15 NOVEMBER 2004 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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