All Aircraft programmes articles – Page 4
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NewsChinese Y-12F commuter turboprop secures European certification
Chinese manufacturer Harbin Aircraft’s Y-12F commuter transport has secured European certification, seven years after obtaining US approval. The Y-12F is a 19-seat high-wing twin-turboprop, a development of the Y-12 which first flew over four decades ago – although the latest variant differs substantially from the original. It is powered by ...
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NewsIndonesia’s TransNusa to operate ARJ21’s first international flight
Indonesian carrier TransNusa is set to operate the Comac ARJ21 regional jet on flights to Kuala Lumpur, marking the type’s first international route since it entered commercial service seven years ago.
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NewsEnvironmental airline start-up plans to retrofit turboprops with hydrogen-electric engines
Entrepreneurs behind environmental ventures in the UK are aiming to set up a Scottish-based carrier operating turboprops powered by hydrogen-electric engines. The would-be carrier, branded Ecojet, aims to use 70-seat and 19-seat aircraft types, retrofitted with the necessary powertrains. It has indicated that De Havilland Dash 8-400s and DHC-6 Twin ...
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NewsComac delivers second C919 to China Eastern and firms up Hainan leases
Comac has delivered a second C919 to launch customer China Eastern Airlines, as the carrier looks to ramp up operations of the type.
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NewsCologne research centre analyses hydrogen combustion under realistic engine conditions
German aerospace laboratory DLR has carried out trials of hydrogen combustion under realistic aircraft engine operating conditions, through a European Union research programme. DLR has been co-operating with US powerplant manufacturer General Electric on the combustion of 100% hydrogen in engines. GE Aerospace supplied a new system designed for direct ...
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NewsThales expands avionics line by acquiring Cobham radio and satcom arm
French aerospace firm Thales has entered exclusive negotiations to acquire cockpit radio and satcom specialist Cobham Aerospace Communications for around $1.1 billion. Cobham Aerospace Communications – also known as AeroComms – is based in Paris, and has 690 personnel with annual revenues of $200 million. Thales says it aims to ...
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NewsAirbus formally inaugurates new Toulouse A320neo-family assembly line
Airbus has formally inaugurated a new A320neo-family final assembly line at its Toulouse manufacturing facility, which will support the airframer’s single-aisle ramp-up strategy. The assembly line will be capable of producing variants including the A321neo, which has recently become the most-ordered aircraft variant in Airbus’s range. It has already commenced ...
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NewsA350 orders edge into four figures a decade after maiden flight
Orders for Airbus A350s have passed 1,000 for the first time, after nearly 60 of the twinjets were added to the backlog during the Paris air show. Airbus unveiled the aircraft as the A350 XWB in July 2006, and formally launched the programme in December, replacing an earlier concept which ...
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NewsA321neo overtakes original A320 as Airbus’s most-ordered model
Thirty years after the Airbus A321’s maiden flight, the A321neo has just taken over as the airframer’s most popular individual model across its aircraft range. Airbus’s half-year backlog figures show the A321neo has accumulated orders for 5,163 aircraft – overtaking the 4,763 for the original A320. The A321neo had already ...
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NewsHuge Indian orders take Airbus half-year net total into four digits
Airbus’s large orders from Indian carriers have taken the airframer’s net orders into four figures for the first half of this year. IndiGo’s agreement for 500 aircraft – unveiled at the Paris air show – currently comprises 375 A321neos and 125 A320neos, according to Airbus’s backlog data to the end ...
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NewsAirbus's second 'Wing of Tomorrow' to undergo structural tests at new Filton facility
Airbus is preparing to conduct a destructive test of an experimental wing as part of a technologies initiative, as it opens a new facility at its UK site in Filton dedicated to future wing research. The facility – known as the Wing Technology Development Centre – will focus on constructing ...
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NewsAirbus rolls out sixth and final BelugaXL transport
Airbus has rolled out the sixth and final example of its BelugaXL high-capacity transport, designed to fly aerostructures between the airframer’s manufacturing facilities. The BelugaXL – formally designated the A330-700L – is a heavily-modified A330, developed to replace the older A300-600ST Beluga fleet. Airbus operated five Belugas and originally intended ...
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In depthFive years an Airbus: How the ‘little’ A220 transitioned to the big league
For an aircraft originally dismissed by Airbus as having no business case, the A220 has defied sceptics not only by settling snugly into the airframer’s line-up but also by emerging as a potential successor to the ubiquitous A320.
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NewsRussian-built composite-laying robot developed to produce MC-21 wings
Russian aerospace firm AeroKompozit is introducing a domestically-built robot designed to lay composite fibres for the Irkut MC-21 twinjet’s wings. The machine – created in co-operation with the South-Russian Platov state polytechnic university in Novocherkassk – is intended to replace foreign-built equipment, unavailable owing to sanctions imposed over the Ukrainian ...
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NewsRussian civil aviation regulator grants life extension to An-148
Russia’s federal air transport regulator has granted life-extension approval for the Antonov An-148 regional twinjet, increasing it from 10 to 30 years. Rosaviatsia says the work to extend the type’s life has been conducted in “strict accordance” with regulations and international practice. The An-148 was originally developed by Ukrainian design ...
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NewsGerman laboratory to convert Dornier 328 into hydrogen-fuel testbed
German aerospace research laboratory DLR is to convert a Dornier 328 turboprop into a hydrogen fuel and propulsion testbed. The aircraft will be stationed at the research centre in Braunschweig. DLR says it will be used to explore “disruptive” hydrogen technologies under a decarbonisation programme known as UpLift. Deutsche Aircraft ...
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NewsSiberia’s Yakutia could turn to Tu-214s for fleet modernisation
Siberian carrier Yakutia could introduce Tupolev Tu-214s as part of its fleet modernisation programme, under a governmental agreement. The government of the Sakha republic has formally expressed interest – through an agreement at an international economic forum in St Petersburg – in acquiring the type for Yakutia. Yakutia has indicated ...
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NewsNASA to end all-electric X-57 programme without flying prototype
NASA is to end its experimental X-57 all-electric aircraft project without flying the prototype airframe, citing a shortage of time to address technical issues. But the US aeronautics agency insists the project – which will begin closing at the end of September – has provided valuable research findings on electric ...
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NewsStart of new ERA for Safran Helicopter Engines with Aura Aero agreement
Safran Helicopter Engines is to collaborate on the development of the hybrid-electric propulsion system for Aura Aero’s Electric Regional Aircraft (ERA).
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NewsAustralian start-up Dovetail taps Hyundai unit HTWO for fuel cell systems
Dovetail Electric Aviation has picked Hyundai for fuel cell systems to be used in electric powertrain trials.