Cirrus is offering the Avidyne Entegra Release 9 integrated flightdeck system as an option on selected new SR20 and SR22 light aircraft.

® Avidyne

A380’s stellar performance undermined by ongoing technical issues: operators

Two years on from its service debut, operators have told Flight International that the Airbus A380 has proved itself to be a crowd pleaser from a passenger point of view but suffers some frustrating technical problems.

In our exclusive in-service report, launch customers Emirates, Qantas and Singapore Airlines provide no-holds-barred overviews of the double-decker’s performance, while Airbus, Engine Alliance and Rolls-Royce give feedback on their experiences.

® Airbus

Most advanced Allied air forces now have operational fleets of fourth-generation fighters (defined by attributes such as being fly-by-wire, highly unstable, highly agile, net-centric, multi-weapon and multi-role assets).

These Western types include the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, Eurofighter Typhoon and Saab Gripen NG. The Boeing F-15E and Lockheed Martin F-16 have an older heritage, but their latest upgrades give them similar multi-role mission capabilities. Of the above group, only the Super Hornet and Rafale M are capable of aircraft-carrier operations.

As these fourth-generation fighters’ weapons, sensor systems and net-centric capabilities mature, the likelihood of export orders for such an operationally proven package becomes much more realistic.

Photo: Dassault Aviation

- Saab and Boeing have consistently been engaging in a negative campaign about Rafale

- The contents of the French proposal  reported in the media are incorrect and distorted

- France is not engaged in selling an off-the-shelf product but rather a solution or system of systems

- Unlike the US proposal,  France is totally committed to full technology transfers

- One of the principal objectives of the French Minister of Defense Herve Morin is to further discuss the issue of price reduction with Nelson Jobim.  France has guaranteed Brazil that the FAB would pay the same prices paid by the French Air Force

- Rafale’s higher price tag is the price of independence according to Admiral Guillaud

_ He also reiterates the perception in France that this is not a trade deal but a strategic partnership with an emerging regional power

- Rafale is the best option for the FAB based on capabilities and range.  Gripen NG is referred to as a project that does not exist, only on paper, and F-18E is described as being no more than a flying club aircraft without weapons at the end of its life cycle

- Admiral Guillaud raises strong reservation regarding the US policy vis-a-vis weapons control, technology and source-code access

- The first six Rafales will be assembled in France with the remaining 30 will be locally produced in Brazil and confirms the exclusivity for sales in Latin America.

There you go,  a Saab or Boeing rebuttal(s) anyone please?

FX-2: O que dizem os franceses

Boeing is pointing more and more to a late December first flight target for the 787, and definitely more than a month away as I suggested in my previous (admittedly late night) blog post. As the company points out, the side-of-body modification is not yet complete on ZA001, and preparations for flight remain on hold until validation tests on static test airframe ZY997 are finished.

Video from Airbus (click on Photo)

Airbus Video

In what appears to mark a major shift in Chinese military and arms control strategy, the head of the PRC’s air force has said in an official interview that military operations in space are an “historical inevitability.” General Xu Qiliang said that, “As far as the revolution in military affairs is concerned, the competition between military forces is moving towards outer space… this is a historical inevitability and a development that cannot be turned back.”

A leading travel insurer has warned that British holidaymakers could be stranded abroad this winter as a number of airlines face bankruptcy.

International Passenger Protection (IPP) says that at least 32 airlines have collapsed this year, but claims this number could rise over the holiday period due to a combination of rising fuel prices, increased Air Passenger Duty (APD) and the wider global recession.

Flight Reports:

The EADS-led A400M airlifter has suffered its first orders blow since the programme ran into development difficulties, with South Africa having cancelled its order for eight of the aircraft.

Saab Photo

Flight Reports:

Saab’s Gripen Demo aircraft has made its first test flight since receiving a key technology on offer to potential export customers including Brazil, India and Switzerland.

Airbus Photo

US Navy Photo

Hardnews Article

As the world commemorates the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, it’s probably an apt time to ponder over the nature of future war and its impact on India.

High cost
By its very nature, modern limited war will be airpower intensive. Airpower is the most capital intensive means of war. A modern fighter jet now could cost several hundred crores of rupees and the prices seem to be rising exponentially. A budget of Rs 42,000 crore has been provisioned for 126 Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) proposed to be acquired. This suggests a price of about Rs 330 crore each.