GOODRICH WINS $600M C-5 RE-ENGINING CONTRACTS
AIRLIFTERS Goodrich has won contracts worth $600 million, excluding aftermarket revenue, from Lockheed Martin and General Electric Aircraft Engines to supply pylons and nacelle systems for the US Air Force C-5 Galaxy strategic airlifter Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP). The Lockheed Martin contract calls for Goodrich to supply 36 pylons for nine aircraft in the RERP, while under the GEAE contract it is to supply 196 nacelle systems to house the GE CF6-80C2 engines that will power all 49 C-5Ms in the RERP. Work will be performed by Goodrich's Aerostructures teams in California and Alabama. Each Lockheed Martin C-5M transport aircraft will be powered by four CF6-80C2 engines. The US Air Force plans to re-engine 49 of its fleet of 111 C-5s through the year 2015.
UK TOPS WORLD ARMS SALES LEAGUE
DEFENCE Eurofighter Typhoon sales helped make 2007 the UK's best-ever year for defence exports. In winning £10 billion ($19 billion) in new business, the UK also led the world in exports with a 33% share of the global market, according to figures from the UK Trade & Investment's Defence and Security Organisation. Over the past five years, the top exporters based on cumulative values have been the USA with $63 billion, the UK ($53 billion), Russia ($33 billion) and France ($17 billion), followed by Germany and Israel ($9 billion each). The UKTI DSO says 2007 world figures followed a trend of gradual increases attributable to operations in Afghanistan and Iraq greater spending on homeland security the increase in unit cost of equipment and services the improvement in Russia's export performance and higher spending in the Middle East.
'NO WAY BACK' FOR COLLAPSED SILVERJET
AIRLINES UK all-business carrier Silverjet's management team has abandoned attempts to resurrect the collapsed airline after a last-ditch funding agreement fell through. Silverjet went into administration after being forced to suspend flights on 30 May. A proposed rescue, through a Swiss trust, failed on 13 June and the staff of the London Luton-based carrier were made redundant. Silverjet had been operating Boeing 767s to New York Newark and Dubai.
EXCHANGE RATES DULL ZODIAC'S TURNOVER
RESULTS Revenue growth at French aerospace equipment specialist Zodiac was undermined in the nine months to end May by movements in the dollar-euro exchange rate. Revenue of 1.4 million ($2.2 million) was up just 0.6% - but the firm says growth would have been 10.7% without adverse exchange rate movements.
FACTORY MOVE CONTINUES TO UPSET AEROSONIC
REVENUES Florida cockpit displays and sensors maker Aerosonic lost $236,000 in its first quarter ended 2 May, compared with a $62,000 profit in the corresponding period last year, on revenue down 2.5% to $6.65 million, as the cost of moving production from a Virginia plant to its Clearwater, Florida location continued to take a toll. The move contributed to a $3.4 million loss for the year ended 31 January.
JOINT COMPANY TO VIE FOR EUROPEAN SUPPORT
SUPPORT Diehl Aerospace, Liebherr Aerospace, Safran, Thales and Zodiac are to create a company called OEM Defence Services to provide European armed forces with through-life support solutions for their aerospace equipment. Diehl avionics feature on aircraft including the Eurocopter NH90 and Tiger, Eurofighter, Tornado and A400M.
Source: Flight International