All 2020 forecast articles
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In depthOutlook for 2020
For airframers, the year to come holds technical, regulatory and organisational challenges sure to keep management focused – or even awake at night. A turbulent economy is buffeting airlines, while the technology race for military advantage is only speeding up. Assessing ongoing trends and pending trials, FlightGlobal presents our outlook ...
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In depthAirline deals offer hints of a sector in recovery
The year just gone was clearly one of some financial turbulence for airlines – high-profile failures included BMI Regional, Germania and Wow Air in Europe, Avianca Brazil, India’s Jet Airways and, of course, Thomas Cook. And the general backdrop of continued trade tensions hit demand while creeping fuel, labour and ...
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In depthMax crashes prompt regulatory review
Like flashing Master Warning lights on a flight instrument panel, the Boeing 737 Max fatal crashes in the past two years have signalled that an airworthiness certification oversight system that served the world’s most powerful aviation industry well for decades is no longer coping – and needs updating. Meanwhile, silently ...
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In depthHypersonic arms race accelerates
The USA is hurrying to catch up with China and Russia, which could field an operational hypersonic boost-glide vehicle capable of carrying a nuclear weapon as soon as 2020. That urgency has prompted the US Department of Defense (DoD) to spend $2.6 billion on hypersonic weapons research as part of ...
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In depthGremlins in the works
Development of low-cost attritable aircraft could accelerate in 2020 with the US Congress eyeing at least $100 million in its upcoming budget for the new type of aircraft and the US Air Force (USAF) planning several new experiments. Attritable aircraft are unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) designed with limited lifetimes, that ...
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In depthStill struggling to generate lift
On any forecast, the easy way out is to predict a curate’s egg of a year: some bits good and some bits bad. But when dealing with the helicopter industry it is probably an accurate representation of a sector that has not yet fully recovered from a downturn that has ...
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In depthLightning edges closer to striking gold
Will 2020 be the year the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II crosses the finish line? Despite a falling price tag and eight years of continuous aircraft deliveries, the F-35 has struggled to emerge from its engineering, manufacturing and development stage. The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced in October 2019 ...
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In depthBombardier realises its transition with CRJ sale
If all goes to plan, 2020 will go down as the year Bombardier ends a 34-year sojourn in commercial aviation. The company expects to sell its CRJ programme to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2020, handing the last portion of a once mighty regional portfolio to the parent of the company ...
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In depthEmbraer eyes exit from anti-trust limbo
Brazil’s Embraer ended 2019 facing some big tasks in 2020. With the first two members of its new three-aircraft E2 series of commercial aircraft performing well so far and the other in flight-testing, the regional jet manufacturer is anxiously awaiting regulatory approval to split off its commercial aircraft division and ...
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In depthTackling production issues vital for Airbus to face off competition
Airbus turns 50 years old – again – in 2020. While the European airframer chose to celebrate its half-century in 2019, using the partnership agreement signed in 1969 as a starting point, the official formation of the company took place in December 1970. Whether Airbus will be in the mood ...
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In depthDecision looms for F-2 successor
The new year promises to bring greater focus on Tokyo’s plans to develop a fighter to replace its Mitsubishi F-2, with a purely indigenous development or with foreign help. News about the F-3 – also known as the “future fighter” – continues to trickle out. Tokyo prefers leading a programme ...
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In depthIndustry must grasp ‘technology shift’
Obvious to casual observers and enthusiasts alike is the dramatic technological development trajectory of a century of aviation. But while enthusiasts attuned to very fine details may have more to say about recent developments, casual observers will legitimately note that aircraft are much the same as they have been for ...