All Analysis – Page 16
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AnalysisKopter continues refining AW09 configuration, with new rotor blades to arrive in 2022
Kopter is progressing with tests of its AW09 light-single in a new aerodynamically improved configuration and will also test new main rotor blades in the new year, but there is continued uncertainty about when it may gain certification.
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AnalysisNH90 operators will see availability boost by end-2022: NHI president
NH Industries (NHI) believes operators of the NH90 helicopter will see a significant improvement in aircraft availability over the next 12 months as concerted efforts by the airframer and its partners begin to pay dividends.
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AnalysisWill airlines change course and explore single-pilot operations?
Could single-pilot commercial airliner operations become reality? Manufacturers and regulators want to know if removing a crew member from the cockpit is feasible – but unions are unconvinced.
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AnalysisIs Boeing heading for much-needed recovery?
After more than 30 miserable months, could the airframer be about to put the Max grounding behind it and restore its prior formidable reputation?
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AnalysisUS Air Force to advance stealthy successor for F-22
Details of the US Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter are top secret, but some hints about its key technologies are beginning to appear.
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AnalysisWill Russia’s MC-21 break Airbus/Boeing narrowbody duopoly?
Can the MC-21, set to enter service in the next year, break the Airbus/Boeing narrowbody duopoly in an era of increasing Western hostility to Moscow?
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AnalysisNew big-twin freighters square up for heavyweight contest
One of the most interesting battles between the big two airframers in 2022 will be in new-build large twinjet freighters, with strong offerings on the market from both.
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AnalysisSupersonic anniversary will drive on developers with a need for speed
It will soon be 75 years since mankind broke the sound barrier. With a huge focus on cutting carbon, is there a market for supersonic commercial jets?
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AnalysisIs Seoul’s KF-21 fighter an export star in waiting?
The KF-21 is South Korea’s boldest aerospace development. Can Seoul turn the home-grown fighter into a key defence asset and export success?
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AnalysisWhy aerospace industry mergers could take off again in 2022
Covid-19 put a halt to a feast of mergers over recent years, but signs are that appetites for acquisitions are growing as the industry recovers.
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AnalysisWhat awaits the aviation sector in 2022?
Our special package of forecast articles looks at a dozen topics which are likely to be in the headlines during the coming 12 months.
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AnalysisUAE, Finnish orders intensify fighter rivalry
A late flurry of fighter competition activity as 2021 drew to a close saw the United Arab Emirates (UAE) sign a surprise deal to acquire 80 Dassault Rafales and Lockheed Martin triumph in Finland’s 64-aircraft HX process.
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AnalysisLoss of Qantas and Air France-KLM deals to Airbus highlights Boeing’s competitive gaps
Defections of two long-time narrowbody customers – Air France-KLM and Qantas – to Boeing’s arch-rival in Toulouse does not mean the 737 Max is a worse aircraft than the A320neo, but the comparative strength of Airbus’s single-aisle strategy appears to be a winning formula.
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AnalysisFrom The Blades to Excalibur: how 2Excel became a ‘mini-prime’
UK engineering services provider 2Excel Aviation has signed a new five-year strategic partnership with Leonardo, with the pact including joint work on a flying testbed to support the nation’s Tempest future combat air system programme.
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AnalysisHow CSG21 deployment proved UK’s reborn carrier strike credentials
The first operational test of the UK’s reconstituted carrier strike capability has been a broad success, with its embarked F-35Bs performing in combat and working alongside US Marine Corps assets.
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AnalysisHow Afghanistan’s fall reshaped World Air Forces inventory
Afghanistan returning to Taliban control saw its military aircraft inventory drop to zero and tested the international community’s ability to rescue at-risk civilians, during another busy year for defence.
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AnalysisHow Rolls-Royce’s Spirit of Innovation went from ‘flighty thoroughbred’ to electric record breaker
Hard by the sweeping emptiness of Salisbury Plain, Boscombe Down airfield in southwest England is the home of experimental flight testing in the UK. It houses the Qinetiq-run Empire Test Pilots’ School (ETPS), and, as a board located on the site reminds you, the facility was also the location of ...
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AnalysisEngine makers GE and P&W race to boost efficiency as net-zero carbon goal looms
With the USA recently committing to net-zero emissions from aviation by 2050, the country’s top turbofan manufacturers are each pursuing multi-path strategies aimed at improving engine efficiency. Those paths involve maturing several technologies simultaneously, with the goal of bringing various advances together into a new powerplant for narrowbody aircraft in 10 or 15 years.
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AnalysisIndigo, Air Lease and Akasa drive Dubai air show order commitments past 500
Major commitments for Airbus aircraft from airline investor Indigo Partners for its low-cost carriers and Air Lease, as well as from Indian start-up Akasa Air for Boeing Max 8s drove the bulk of the more than 500 aircraft order and option commitments announced during the first three days of the Dubai air show.
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AnalysisCOP26 aviation declaration should be positive for SAF momentum
A declaration signed by the newly created International Aviation Climate Ambition Coalition at COP26 on 10 November appears to be positive for the airline industry, even if it is light on detail.