Indonesians Boost CN235 Sales after Pact with Airbus D&S

PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) has stepped up its marketing of maritime versions of the CN235 and is completing assembly of its first C295. The moves result from the collaboration agreement that PTDI signed with Airbus Defense & Space in 2011. That deal also transferred production of the smaller C212 transport to PTDI’s facility in Bandung.

 

Arie Wibotwo, PTDI’s vice president of marketing, told AIN that PTDI is bidding for several maritime patrol requirements in the region. “We have been selected by the Philippines government to supply two CN235 ASWs. A contract is expected to be signed this summer, with delivery taking place 26 months afterwards,” he said. Working with PTDI as a mission systems supplier will be Raytheon Systems, marking the first time a U.S. company has partnered with the Indonesians.

 

Several other CN 235 MPA/ASW proposals are on the table “but the mission systems will be flexible, completely the choice of the customer,” Arie added. “Malaysia prefers Thales, Vietnam wants the Airbus D&S Fully Integrated Tactical Systems (Fits) or a Swedish SSC system, while Thailand and Brunei seem fairly relaxed over the systems they want.” This means that PTDI could find itself working with several different systems integrators from Europe and the U.S. if these countries opt for the CN235. In 2011 and 2012 PTDI worked with Israel’s Elta on the Korean Coast Guard deal for four CN235-220MPAs.

 

Having recently delivered a CN235 to Thailand’s parapublic Kaset organization, with options on another two, PTDI feels it is well positioned to provide the Royal Thai Navy with a solution for its ASW/MPA requirement for up to four aircraft.

 

Domestically, PTDI will shortly deliver a second CN235 MPA to the Indonesian Navy as part of its Marpat 1 maritime patrol program. These aircraft are equipped with the Thales Amascos system and include the FLIR Systems Star Safire sensor turret. “Another two CN235MPAs are contracted by the Navy as part of Marpat 2 but the radar system will come from Telephonics,” Wibotwo revealed.

Meanwhile, PTDI is assembling the first of two C295s for the Indonesian air force.

 

Airbus D&S previously delivered seven C295s from its production line at Seville, Spain. The two being assembled at Bandung complete the order.

Airbus CEO Says Turkish Delay in Taking A400M Threatens Ramp-Up

Airbus Group NV (AIR) Chief Executive Officer Tom Enders said he’s frustrated by Turkey’s failure to accept delivery of the third production A400M airlifter, even though two planes are flying successfully with French forces.

 

Enders said today that his company is “still bargaining” over the delivery process with Turkey, which has 10 A400Ms on order and is one of seven so-called core customers that signed up for the military transport plane almost 11 years ago.

 

“The aircraft is ready to go,” the CEO said at a press conference. “It’s the same aircraft that we delivered to the French Air Force that has been instantly operational and fit for flight. I find the situation increasingly unacceptable.”

 

Airbus is ramping up A400M production following years of delays and cost increases that mean the program won’t make a profit unless additional orders are won beyond the 174 already secured. The company’s travails with the model underscore shortcomings in military activities that last month prompted it to adopt the name of its jetliner unit and drop the European Aeronautic, Defence & Space Co. identity after 13 1/2 years.

 

Airbus should deliver 10 or 11 A400Ms this year while working on upgrading the turboprop to its full capabilities, according to Enders, who said the first planes have performed well in ferrying French troops to Mali to combat insurgents.

 

Support Sought

 

Enders declined to go into detail about the spat with Turkey, saying: “I constrain myself to one word. Bargaining.”

 

He added: “In a multinational program that’s really a problem. How can you efficiently ramp up production if you have no certainty that your customers are taking those aircraft?”

 

Airbus will seek “support from other nations very soon” in pressing its case, Enders said. The other core buyers for the A400M, which fits between Boeing Co.’s C-17 and Lockheed Martin Corp.’s C130J, are Germany, France, Spain, the U.K., Belgium and Luxembourg, with Malaysia as the only export client.

 

Turkey is a 5.5 percent shareholder in the A400M program, with Turkish Aerospace Industries supplying fuselage and wing parts for the plane to Bremen in Germany and Filton, England, for integration before final assembly in Seville, Spain.

 

Murad Bayar, head of Turkey’s Defense Industry Undersecretariat in Ankara, wasn’t available when calls were placed to his office.

 

Eurofighter Concern

 

Enders said he’s also “not very optimistic” about securing further deals for the Eurofighter combat jet needed to sustain production once outstanding orders have been fulfilled.

 

“We do hope we can still score one or two other successes in exports,” he said. “But we also have to prepare for a scenario -- due to lack of export orders plus cancellations from others -- that we’ll have to ramp down production of this otherwise very impressive aircraft sooner rather than later.”

 

The Eurofighter, a venture between Airbus, BAE Systems Plc (BA/) and Finmeccanica SpA (FNC), suffered a blow last week when Germany indicated it would halt deliveries at 143. The country has canceled the last tranche of 37 planes, Social Democrat defense spokesman Rainer Arnold said, citing the Defense Ministry.

 

Airbus’s defense-side woes contrast with its success in building a bulging airliner orderbook which helped boost earnings before interest, tax and one-times items 21 percent last year and should result in further gains in 2014, according to an earnings statement today. The Toulouse, France-based company will accelerate production of A320 narrow-bodies to 46 a month in 2016 to meet demand, four more than current output.

Indonesia has taken delivery of two Airbus Military C295 aircraft

Indonesia has taken delivery of two Airbus Military C295 transport aircraft ordered in February this year. The aircraft are the first of nine to be delivered to the Indonesian Ministry of Defence under the terms of a contract signed by  Airbus Military and PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI).

The delivery took place in the Airbus Military San Pablo site in Seville, where the C295 final assembly line is located, at a ceremony attended by the Indonesian Vice Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. (ret) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and Airbus Military Vice President Head of Programmes Light & Medium and Derivatives, Rafael Tentor.

The aircraft will be operated by the Indonesian Air Force and known in service as the CN295. It will perform a wide variety of roles including military, logistical, humanitarian and medical evacuation missions throughout the huge territory of Indonesia, which includes around 17,000 islands. The delivery of the ninth and last aircraft ordered is scheduled for summer 2014.

Rafael Tentor said: “The delivery of these aircraft is an important step in Airbus Military´s collaboration with the Indonesian aerospace  industry and we greatly look forward to increasing our level of co-operation in the years ahead.” To date, Airbus Military has sold 114 C295s. After the entry in service of these aircraft there will be 88 C295s in operation in 15 countries all over the world.The attached photograph shows the delivery ceremony held in Seville.

About C295

The new generation C295 is the ideal aircraft for defence and civic mission to the benefit of society, such as humanitarian actions, maritime patrol, and environmental surveillance missions, amongst others. Thanks to its robustness and reliability, and with simple systems, this medium sized tactical airlifter provides wide versatility and flexibility, necessary for personnel, troop and bulky/palletized cargo transportation, casualty evacuation,

communication and logistic duties or certified  air-dropping capabilities.  Its mix of dual technology civil/military equipment ensure success on demanding tactical mission, growth potential for future equipment as well as compatibility with the latest civil airspace environment. The C295 is part of Airbus Military’s family of light and medium airlifters which also include the smaller C212 and CN235 platforms.

Colombia orders another Airbus Military C295

Colombia has signed a contract with Airbus Military for the acquisition of an additional C295 aircraft in a tactical transport configuration. Delivery is scheduled for February 2013.

The aircraft will be operated by the Colombian Air Force on military transport and humanitarian aid missions.

This new C295 will strengthen the capability of the Colombian Air Force by joining the fourstrong C295 fleet that the CAF has been operating since 2008. The CAF also operates three Airbus Military CN235-200 transport aircraft.

“We are very proud of this  repeat contract with Colombia  which clearly demonstrates the satisfaction of our customer with our aircraft”, said Antonio Rodríguez-Barberán, Senior Vice President Commercial. “This  latest  order  underlines Airbus Military´s leadership in this segment after achieving more than 100 orders worldwide”, he added.

This new deal means that 114 C295s have now been ordered, with 86 currently in operation in 14 countries.

About C295

The new generation C295 is the ideal aircraft for defence and civic mission to the benefit of society, such as humanitarian actions, maritime patrol, and environmental surveillance missions, amongst others. Thanks to its robustness and reliability, and with simple systems, this medium sized tactical airlifter provides wide versatility and flexibility, necessary for personnel, troop and bulky/palletized cargo transportation, casualty evacuation, communication and logistic duties or certified  air-dropping capabilities.  Its mix of dual technology civil/military equipment ensure success on demanding tactical mission, growth potential for future equipment as well as compatibility with the latest civil airspace environment. The C295 is part of Airbus Military’s family of light and medium airlifters which also include the smaller C212 and CN235 platforms.

Transaero buys Sukhoi planes

Russia's second-biggest airline is buying four Airbus A380 superjumbo planes worth $1.7 billion at list prices, and has placed an order for Russian-made Superjet-100s.

­Deliveries will begin in 2015 said Transaero CEO Olga Pleshakova. The long-haul A380 jets can carry up to 700 passengers, will operate on Asian, Central American and European routes, she said.

Transaero also agreed to buy six Sukhoi Superjet-100 planes, with deliveries in 2015-2017, worth $212.4 million, and also signed an option to acquire 10 more.

The plane, built using Western technology, is Russia's first civil aircraft designed after the fall of the Soviet Union.

A Sukhoi Superjet crashed during a demonstration flight in Indonesia last month killing 45 people, which industry experts said could hamper the plane maker's plans to secure more orders.

However, the airliner had no apparent technical problems, United Aircraft Corporation President Mikhail Pogosyan said on Thursday.

“According to the available data… there were no failures in the systems’ operation,” he said, adding that preliminary analysis of the on-board flight recorders has been completed.

Indonesian and Russian officials have confirmed the aircraft experienced no technical problems up until impact, but insisted it was still premature to say if pilot error caused the crash.

(Would YOU fly in a Russian made airplane?)

Unique formation flight of five A400Ms together

At the unique occasion of having the five Airbus Military A400M flight test aircraft in Toulouse all at the same time, the Airbus Military Flight Test team put in place a formation flight including all five aircraft, after which each aircraft continued its specific flight test activity.

This unique formation flight provided some impressive visuals, of which the photo included above. More visuals will be made available on the Airbus Military and Airbus websites by the end of the day. Visit us at www.airbusmilitary.com or www.airbus.com. This technical flight of the five Grizzlies, MSN1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, was crewed with Airbus Flight Test teams and no particular manoeuvers or tests were undertaken. Following the formation exercise, the different aircraft continued on their daily activity: MSN1 continued with handling quality tests, MSN2 with air-to-air refueling wing pods hose stability tests, MSN3 with engine performance tests, MSN4 with pressurisation and oxygen tests and MSN6 with function and reliability tests.

About the A400M

The A400M is an all-new military airlifter designed to meet the needs of the world's Armed Forces in the 21st Century. Thanks to its most advanced technologies, it is able to fly higher, faster and further, while retaining high manoeuvrability, low speed, and short, soft and rough airfield capabilities. It combines both tactical and strategic/logistic missions. With its cargo hold specifically designed to carry the outsize equipment needed today for both military and humanitarian disaster relief missions, it can bring this material quickly and directly to where it is most needed. Conceived to be highly reliable, dependable, and with a great survivability, the multipurpose A400M can do more with less, implying smaller fleets and less investment from the operator. The A400M is the most cost efficient and versatile airlifter ever conceived and absolutely unique in its capabilities.

Airbus Military growing its product line

Airbus Military is growing its product line with new developments, such as gunships and airborne early warning aircraft, and is improving its existing offerings, such as the C295, as it adapts to changing market conditions.

Airbus Military, at its annual Trade Media Briefing in Spain, attended by defenceWeb, said that the military market for transport, special mission and tanker aircraft is a very irregular one with plenty of ups and downs and is compounded by shrinking military budgets, especially in the wake of the global financial crisis. “Last year was a very difficult year for the industry,” said Antonio Rodriguez Barberan, Senior Vice President Commercial. “There are many challenges but with the right products, the right strategy...we’ll get through.”

Airbus Military’s strategy is to offer highly versatile aircraft, as these have the best chance of obtaining market success. Head of Airbus Military Domingo Urena-Raso said that his company’s product line was growing and that despite challenges, Airbus Military remains committed to delivering new aircraft.

Barberan pointed out that although defence budgets were shrinking, militaries were still seeking new transport/tanker aircraft but trying to extract greater value for money by obtaining multipurpose aircraft that were highly reliable and had a high availability rate. “Customers are looking for versatility...they are no longer purely interested in single mission aircraft.”

As a result, Airbus Military is improving its product line (C212, CN235, C295, A400M and A330MRTT) and creating new variants of its aircraft. With regard to continuous improvement, the C295 is benefiting from several structural and manufacturing changes. By the beginning of next year Airbus Military plans to flight test new winglets on the C295, which will reduce drag and improve takeoff, climb and cruise performance.

The company is currently offering customers higher rated engines, which will be certified in the coming months and which increase payload by 1 700 kg at 25 000 ft. The improved Pratt & Whitney engines offer improved operation at high altitudes with minor influence on powerplant maintenance costs.

Other improvements on the C295 include the addition of the Marte anti-ship missile (to be flight tested in the third quarter of this year), the addition of a head up display, the addition of an onboard inert gas generation system (to be flight tested in the fourth quarter) and a third generation Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) mission suite, which is also compatible with other Airbus Military mission platforms. In addition, a streamlined production process saves around 30 hours on the construction of a C295.

Airbus Military touted the versatility of its CN295 and CN235 aircraft, which are offered as maritime patrol aircraft or for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions with palletised sensors. The company is also offering aerial spraying and air-to-air refuelling equipment for its products.

New developments include the C295 AEW platform, being developed as a low cost airborne early warning aircraft in conjunction with IAI, which is developing the radar. Airbus Military is in discussion with three potential customers for this version and will speed up development once an initial customer is found. The radar will be an active electronically scanned array (AESA) unit, able to cover 360 degrees.

In addition, Airbus Military is offering a gunship variant to potential customers. One variant will feature removable equipment such as an electro-optical/infrared targeting turret, 30 mm cannon and other optional weapons depending on customer specifications, such as missiles, laser-guided rockets etc. The company is also proposing a dedicated gunship version with its fire control system and weapons integrated with surveillance sensors and mission system.

Part of Airbus Military’s strategy is to focus on emerging markets, including Africa, the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, as budgets are growing in the Middle and Far East. “Africa is going to rapidly start growing, especially regarding light and medium aircraft...So we are going to be in Africa,” Barberan said. “We want to become global. We need to be closer to the customer.” As a result, Airbus Military is opening up new offices around the world, including in Jakarta and Singapore and will shortly be opening up an office in Mexico. In addition, the company is very willing to pursue industrial partnerships with other nations and customers. It has started marketing the A400M overseas and anticipates export orders in the coming years. The A400M has been to Asia and Latin America, while last month the C295 went on a demonstration tour through Africa. South Africa may buy a number of the aircraft to meet its maritime patrol and transport requirements, while Gabon and Ghana may order the type.

Airbus Military, SA put A400M debacle behind them

For Airbus Military, the focus regarding South Africa is now in the light/medium aircraft category, for both transport and maritime patrol. This was confirmed on Tuesday evening, in Toulouse, France, by Airbus Military CEO Domingo Urena.

He also affirmed that his company and South Africa had agreed to draw a line under the country's cancellation of the A400M military airlift aircraft and look forward, not backward. The two sides had different views on the cancellation. "I still believe South Africa needs the A400M," he said. "If the South African government gives us the opportunity to compete, we will. But the past is past."

South Africa is looking for new light/medium transport aircraft and wants to use the same airframe for the maritime patrol aircraft. This latter mission has become increasingly important owing to the spread of Somali-based piracy into south-east African waters.

Urena stated that he believed that South Africa needed the Airbus Military C295, originally developed as a transport aircraft and now also available in unarmed and armed maritime patrol versions.

The C295 is the largest Airbus Military aircraft in the light/medium category, the others being the CN235 (from which the C295 was developed) and the C212, which is the smallest of the three. The South African Air Force operates the C212 and until recently also operated a single CN235.

"In the medium and light category, we're going to continue to deliver, on time and on cost," he said.

He also assured that there would be further development of mission systems, for environmental protection and maritime law enforcement as well as military roles. "In mission systems, we are the leaders today."

He asserted that the CN235 and C295 "are delivering" and that they display the company's ability "to tailor the aircraft for each customer .... We continue to evolve these products".

He cited the airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) version of the C295, now under development (the aerodynamic prototype first flew last year). Airbus Military hopes this aircraft will make AEW&C capability available to countries which need it but, until now, could not afford it.

Then there is the A400M. "We are going to continue to say, around year end, [or] the start of 2013, we're going to deliver the first [production] A400M," he averred. "So, we're on track."

Long-lead items for aircraft number 19 have now been ordered.

"There are still a lot of challenges before the first delivery. We need these aircraft to perform by a certain date. We're working with the French Air Force and OCCAR [the European defence acquisition agency] to make this happen." The French Air Force will be the first customer to receive the A400M.

Nevertheless, "this year we decided to start marketing the A400M."

The plane has already been taken to the Feria Internacional del Aire y del Espacio air show in Chile (as well as doing high altitude tests in Bolivia and Peru) and to Indonesia and Thailand (in addition to Malaysia, which has already ordered the A400M). "We hope to be in India this year. And some other countries."

Airbus Military's other product is the A330 multirole tanker/transport aircraft, which has entered service with the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Air Force.

Airbus Military A400M Type Certification Seen in July

Airbus Military expects to receive the A400M type certification in July with the start of the key functional reliability testing merely “a question of days,” company program chief Cedric Gautier says.

Despite delays in starting function and reliability testing because of problems with the TP400D engine, Airbus Military still believes it can deliver the first A400M airlifter to the French air force (MSN7) this year. The delivery process is to start in November, following a first flight nominally planned on August 23.

The delay in F&R testing was due to an engine change because of high vibration, which was linked to a problem in balancing the powerplant. Gautier sees that incident as a minor issue.

Of greater concern is a propeller gearbox failure that caused an engine shutdown on MSN4. The failure is different than one last year on the same component that set back flight testing. The root cause of the new event is still underway, but Gautier does not see the issue delaying first aircraft delivery.

The company has a contractual requirement to hand over the first aircraft before April 2013, but Gustavo Garcia Miranda, vice president for market development, says “we are pretty confident” delivery will take place this year.

That view is echoed by Antonio Rodriguez-Barberan, senior commercial vice president, who suggests it could be a “late, late” 2012 handover.

With testing now topping 3,200 flight hours and development of the baseline system due to wrap up in the coming months, the company also has begun ramping up export sales activity. As part of that effort, in the next 2-3 months the aircraft is due to visit Turkey, Spain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Belgium and Algeria. Additional country visits in the second half of the year are expected.

The French air force will have two French crew (four pilots) trained, with the total  grow to 12 by June 2013. Initial training is being done on the A400M, with crew also getting some A380 simulator time to better understand the Airbus cockpit philosophy.

MSN7 is now progressing through its build phase, with first flight planned in the third quarter. MSN8 also is at the Seville final assembly line with first flight planned in the fourth quarter..

Assembly of MSN9, the first aircraft for Turkey, is now starting with parts arriving for a formal start of that work in mid-June.