TIM ROBINSON FRAeS, STEPHEN BRIDGEWATER, BELLA RICHARDS and KATIE PRESTON provide a look at some of the most exciting news and highlights ahead of the first trade day at the Farnborough Air Show 2024.
New GCAP configuration revealed
An all new look for GCAP features an F-16U Block 70-esque delta wing. (BAE Systems)
Major news on the first day of the air show is the unveiling of a new configuration of the tri-national GCAP (Global Combat Air Programme) future fighter by the UK, Italy and Japanese partners.
The new concept model of the future, on display at the show, features a revised configuration with a new, larger wingspan delta wing, hinting at increased fuel capacity and, therefore, longer range as well as potentially higher payload and weapon-carriage. The appearance of the Boeing F-15QA at Farnborough with 12 AMRAAM missiles, shows how future-proofing a fighter with excess thrust and wing area can pay dividends decades later. However, it is critical to bear in mind that this is still an aircraft in the design and concept phase, so the final production outer shape of the aircraft may differ. Still, this wing planform, which bears a striking similarity to a proposed delta wing F-16U Block 70 from the 1990s offers clues as to input from the partners and the balance between agility, range and performance that informs all aircraft design.
There will, undoubtedly, be more news about the GCAP project this week at the show.
Aerospace sector grows 50% in ten years
The 2024 growth is expected at about 1% in the UK, whereas economies like Brazil, China and India are fairing significantly better in the near term. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
In a pre-Farnborough press briefing, ADS Group, the UK’s trade association for aerospace, defence and space, provided some key updates about the health of the industry. The good news is that in 2023, the sectors added £38.2bn in value to the UK economy in 2023 – showing 50% growth in the last ten years. Furthermore, the figures showed there has been £88.4bn in turnover in 2024, a 40% increase over the past ten years, with exports growing 32% and direct employees boosting 29% over the last decade.
“Looking at our figures, you can tell we are actually in pretty good health”, Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS said at the briefing. “The UK stands at a crossroads. The growing global competition and proliferating international security challenges, the rapid pace of technological developments and the pressing need, as we’ve seen in this election, to develop a more resilient and sustainable economy – these are challenges that must be addressed by the next government.” Furthermore, Craven said these figures, while healthy, are held back by workforce challenges.
Meanwhile, although the figures presented by ADS are positive, especially amid the woes of a global pandemic, the UK’s growth is a “mixed picture”, Chief Economist, Aimie Stone, told the press. “For the UK, 2023 was a pretty bad year [compared to 2019] … The 2024 growth is expected at about 1%, whereas economies like Brazil, China and India are fairing significantly better in the near term”. However, this isn’t all bad, and Stone says that because those nations are ordering a lot of jets, their growth will subsequently impact the UK, especially as more tourists travel and spend more money. Furthermore, Stone says the UK sectors are likely to pick up with lower inflation.
One of the more positive points to emerge from the outlook is the increase of widebody orders. Stone claimed that this directly impacts the UK as it holds a significant portion of widebody component exports. Stone explained that the backlog has increased by 28%, with a backlog of more than 500 aircraft. During the pandemic, there were ongoing discussions about widebody aircraft being a thing of the past. With many Airbus A380s being grounded due to low travel demand and the higher amount of single-aisle aircraft being purchased between 2020-21, this concept seemed true. However, as travel boomed again post-pandemic, and has begun exceeding 2019 levels, widebody aircraft have remained prevalent, especially within Middle Eastern regions.
Airbus A321XLR gets certification
Airbus’ A321XLR will be one of the stars of the flying display at FIA. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
A highlight in commercial aerospace will be the Airbus A321XLR prototype – the latest long-range model of the European airframer’s best-selling A321 type, which continues to dominate the single-aisle market. Just ahead of the air show, on 19 July, the aircraft, which is powered by CFM LEAP-1A engines, received Type Certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), as it soars towards service entry by the end of the summer. Launch customer, Spain’s Iberia, is set to fly the jet commercially for the first time in mid-November. Some other large customers of the aircraft so far include IndiGo, American Airlines, United Airlines and Wizz Air.
Vertical rolls out new VX4 but misses FIA
The second prototype of the VX4 was unveiled just days before the show. (Vertical Aerospace)
Just four days before the start of FIA 2024 Bristol-based eVTOL manufacturer Vertical Aerospace unveiled what it referred to as the “most advanced and powerful full-scale VX4 prototype.”
The company had previously committed to fly the VX4 at the show, a feat that would have been fitting as Farnborough has never featured a flying eVTOL – let alone a British-built one – but sadly, that will now not be happening and, at the time of writing, it was unclear if Vertical was even taking a mock-up to the show.
The new VX4, which is a replacement for the first prototype that was lost during testing, is described by Vertical as “a key step towards certification of [the] aircraft” and features technology (60% in total) from strategic aerospace partners GKN Aerospace, Hanwha, Honeywell, Leonardo, Molicel and Syensqo.
According to the manufacturer, the ‘next-generation VX4’ has a 20% increase in the power-to-weight ratio compared to the first airframe and, crucially, the vehicle will see the first use of Vertical’s proprietary battery technology, designed and built in the Vertical Energy Centre, with rapid charging and claimed to offer a cruise speed of up to 150mph.
In a statement, Vertical said the latest VX4 airframe had “successfully completed systems and aircraft testing and commissioning” and that it was now working with the CAA as it “rigorously evaluates the engineering, design, test data and aircraft ahead of issuing a Permit to Fly.” It referred to this as a “mini certification” programme.
F-15QA set to dominate the Farnborough skies
Boeing’s F-15QA Eagle during its Friday display at RIAT. (Craig North)
If Boeing’s F-15QA Eagle demonstration at RIAT is anything to go by, the jet is going to be one of the ‘must see’ elements of the FIA 2024 flying display.
The F-15QA Ababil is destined for the Qatari Emiri Air Force and 34 aircraft will be built in total. Incorporating more powerful engines than the legacy Eagle as well as a digital fly-by-wire system, advanced radar and additional weapons pylons, it is one of the most advanced variants of the F-15 every produced. The new fly-by-wire system has increased the aircraft’s manoeuvrability and allows aerobatic manoeuvres including a tail slide.
Embraer’s Eve unveils completed prototype
The new prototype is an experimental test aircraft. (Tim Robinson/RAeS)
First out the gate for a press briefing on the Sunday of the show was Embraer’s Eve, whose CEO, Johann Bordias, revealed its full-scale Eve eVTOL prototype. The lift-plus cruise air vehicle, which will be flown remotely, is a non-conforming test aircraft, which will be used to develop and refine the FBW system – particularly in the critical area of transition, where the aircraft shifts from a hover to forward flight and back again. After this, the company will begin building the first of five conforming prototypes of its yet unnamed air taxi – although it has a certification designation of Eve 100.
While financing is becoming challenging for other eVTOL developers, Bordias says that Eve is not fully funded until 2027 – extending its runway. The company now has 2,900 orders or commitments in its backlog, representing $14.5bn worth of future business.
Meanwhile, Eve has also been paving the way for the introduction of eVTOLs and urban air mobility by conducting research into public perceptions of noise and visual pollution, using VR and AR headsets to let people experience a busy city with air taxis overhead. With the Eve eVTOL expected to be 60% quieter, surprisingly it is visual pollution that is now becoming more important, according to Eve.
Rolls smooths engine durability concerns
Trent XWB in the test cell at Derby. (Rolls-Royce)
Ahead of the show, Rolls-Royce has unveiled new upgrades to its Trent XWB aero-engine family designed to address the durability issues encountered by customers in the Gulf and Middle East caused by a combination or abrasive sand and high temperatures. The upgrades to the most critical hot sections form part of a £1bn improvement initiatives for the Trent XWB family that that will address these issues. Briefing the press, Simon Burr, Group Director for Safety and Engineering gave an unusually frank view of where R-R (and other engine companies, to be fair) had slipped up, noting that “the price in terms of fuel efficiency has been durability”.
To rectify this, Roils is now rolling out a number of improvements to its Trent family in the high-pressure turbine (HPT) section, from revised aerodynamic design, more cooling and perhaps the crown jewels, a new HPT disc alloy that it has been working on in secret for the past decade. The Trent XWB-84 which powers the Airbus A350-900, is set to get an extra 1% in fuel efficiency thanks to better cooling – which also increases durability. This will be available from new engines from 2025. Said Burr of the 1% gain in efficiency: “I’m ecstatic about that engine”.
Meanwhile, the XWB-84 and the XWB-95 which power the A350-100, are set to be enhanced by a new turbine disc super-alloy. Burr found it difficult to contain his excitement, claiming “this is just a game changer”, which he said represented a shift in Rolls’ more conservative mindset to embrace technology right on the bleeding edge – “we’re going to leapfrog that”. The new R-R 1073 alloy can be run 50 Kelvin hotter – translating into higher performance or more time on the wing. It is set to be introduced in 2025.
Meanwhile, the company has also been working on addressing the complaints from the Gulf and Middle East carriers about the XWB-95 with rig testing to develop new sand-resistant coatings and a ceramic matrix composite (CMC) seal. The ground testing saw various grades of sand and grit injected into an XWB-95 on the UltraFan test cell at Derby to replicate the dusty conditions.
Finally, the Trent 1000, which powers the Boeing 787, is also getting attention after the company admitted poor reliability had cost them market share, with a new, more durable HPT blade that is already available on the Trent 7000, with flight testing to commence in August.
Some of these upgrades, involving a small number of parts, will be rolled out as retrofits under standard maintenance and initial results are already highly encouraging, with Burr saying that they are “on track to double time on wing as expected”.
Eyes on space with Raytheon UK
RTX acquired NORSS in 2022 and has made rapid advances wit its LOCI project. (RTX)
Speaking to AEROSPACE on the eve of FIA 2024, the new CEO for Raytheon UK, James Gray, was keen to emphasise the UK-centric nature of the branch of the RTX business.
“In 2022, we announced that we had acquired Northern Space & Security (NORSS), a UK-based specialist in all things space domain awareness and orbital tracking,” said Gray. “We have now completed the integration and the former head of NORSS [Sean Goldsbrough] now runs our space division. Our focus has been on becoming the UK experts in low-Earth orbit observation and we now have a capability in which we can combine open source data with observable data that we create at very low cost.”
This is possible due to the deployment of its Low-Earth Orbit Optical Camera Installation (LOCI), which was built and developed in the UK. “When we took over the project, there was LOCI installation in Kielder Forrest [in Northumberland] but we now have them across the world in place such as the Sierra Mountains in California and Perth in Australia,” confirmed Gray. The system is now providing valuable space domain awareness for the UK Space Agency objects in low-Earth orbit, including space debris, defence assets and commercial spacecraft.
“While it is already a very cost-effective solution, we are moving to incorporate more data analytics, AI and machine learning into the system to further automate the system,” he added. “We are very proud that Raytheon UK is able to deliver this service to the UK Space Agency with a British developed and built system.”
Aerodynamics back in fashion
Short haul widebody concept from the University of Delft. (Tim Robinson/RAeS)
Ahead of the show saw a major high-conference on aerodynamics take place at the Royal Aeronautical Society HQ in London. Opening the conference and placing aerodynamics in its context in achieving net zero for aviation was Prof Frank Abbink FRAeS who observed that many airlines are actually using the wrong aircraft on the wrong routes. While manufacturers always like to promote the maximum range as an important selling point, the majority of airliners were not being flown to these distances regularly – and thus airlines were flying heavier, over-specified aircraft on shorter routes and, thus, incurring a fuel burn penalty. For example, a 250-seat airliner designed for 6,000nm but only flying 3,000nm would burn 32.5tonnes of fuel compared to one optimised for 3,000nm – which would only burn 21tonnes. What was needed and what is currently missing from manufacturers’ line-ups, he said, was a short-haul widebody – optimised to carry the maximum number of passengers on the most popular routes. This, he said would also help address the constrained airport and capacity slot issue that is expected to increase in the future.
Meanwhile, another presentation from Dr Paige Raby, Project Manager for UK Aerodynamics, Airbus, explained how “aerodynamics feels like it is coming back in fashion” noting that future wing will provide equal benefits to efficiency as to propulsion. With Airbus now working on ultra-efficient wings with folding wingtips and aeroelasticity – “span enablement is key” says. Furthermore, the challenges of future hydrogen-powered airliners also bring novel challenges – with Raby saying: “It’s an exciting time to be in aerodynamics”.
Axe drops at RIAT
The SkyFly Axe debuted at RIAT 2024. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
Just two years after it was formally announced, the SkyFly Axe eVTOL made its world debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo, on the weekend before FIA 2024.
The brainchild of Michael Thompson and CTO Bill Brooks FRAeS, the prototype of the kit-built, two-seat recreational vehicle has now received E Conditions test approval from the UK CAA and is due to begin flight testing in “the next couple of months,” confirmed Brooks, speaking to AEROSPACE at the show.
“We will approach the flight test regime from both ends of the envelope,” he continued. “VTOL and hover tests will evaluate the flight controllers, but at the same time, we will begin performing short ‘hops’ down a long runway in conventional flight mode. Once we know that we have stable control we will begin work on the transition.”
Brooks said that extensive evaluation of a 1/3 scale development vehicle has shown that transition from the hover to forward flight is “pretty seamless”, whereas the return to the hover is more complex. “Being a canard design, it is longitudinally stable and the canard wants to stall first, forcing the nose to drop. So as you raise the nose to transition into a hover the flight control system will take over below around 60mph to provide the necessary lift to the front rotors to stabilise the hover.”
Brooks reports that the prototype is “a little over the target empty weight, as is usual with development aircraft”, but he is confident that there is sufficient performance for testing. “We’ll probably remove eight [of the 16] batteries for fixed wing testing, but we need all 16 to produce the 120kW needed for VTOL flight. In the 90kt cruise we only really need about 45kW.”
What about hydrogen? Brooks admits that they’ve considered it, saying: “We could take out 24kW of batteries and replace with a fuel cell or generator, but that introduced another level of complexity and at the moment we are trying to derisk the project as much as possible.”
SkyFly is marketing the Axe at recreational owners and not the aerial taxi market but, Brooks confirmed that interest has been expressed “by nations such as Ukraine” for uncrewed and autonomous variants.
Although SkyFly was originally collaborating with the Light Aircraft Association and British Microlight Aircraft Association, Brooks confirmed that the initial permit to fly application will now be made directly with the CAA.
Bill Brooks, who has now designed almost 20 light aircraft (including the popular Pegasus Quantum and Quik microlights) will be one of the speakers at the RAeS President’s Conference 2024: Design, Build, Fly on 15-16 October.
RAF to fly cutting-edge AR headset in Hawk
Red 6’s AR headset is to be trialled in an RAF Hawk T.2. (BAE Systems)
The Royal Air Force is to test fly a revolutionary augmented reality (AR) helmet in a BAE Systems Hawk T.2 trainer in October as part of a concept to evaluate this technology for fighter pilot training.
The system from US-start-up, Red 6, uses AR goggles to inject virtual 3D aircraft, missiles and even gun tracers into the real world, allowing formation flight, basic fighter manoeuvres and even air-to-air refuelling to be practised – without the need for other aircraft. Early trials have already been encouraging with the estimated potential to increase throughput of pilots by 50%. Ten flights are planned to be flown with a Hawk T.2 from RAF Valley. If approved, it could enter service as soon as 2026.
Founder of Red 6, Dan Robinson, a former RAF fighter pilot and F-22 instructor, revealed that the Hawk T.2 trials will use a new standard of HMD with proprietary optical head tracking, giving an even higher standard of accuracy. As well as the RAF and BAE Systems, Red 6 is also working with other advanced trainer manufacturers such as Boeing (T-7A), Lockheed Martin/KAI (T-50A) and Leonardo (M346) on their aircraft.
Air India brings A350 amid strong half-year traffic
Air India A350 on the ground at Farnborough ahead of the show. (Tim Robinson/RAeS)
Air India is showcasing one of its newly-delivered Airbus A350 aircraft at the airshow, and it comes at a time when the nation’s domestic aviation industry is soaring. The Indian aviation industry is reporting the highest domestic traffic results for a half year, beating out the previously held record in 2023. The latest data by India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) showed that from January to June, the nation reported a record of 7.93m passengers, compared to the 7.60m during the same period last year. Furthermore, Indian aviation is surging beyond pre-Covid levels, as current figures are 12.3% higher than 2019. Significantly, its growth over the past decade has more than doubled.
The report also revealed the winners and losers of this growth, showing IndiGo and the Tata Group airlines, which includes Air India, Vistara, Air India Express and AIX Connect, are leading the market growth. The four airlines currently hold a collective market share of almost 30%, while IndiGo’s market share has stabilised at about 60%. Meanwhile, SpiceJet continues to plummet amid ongoing financial struggles, and by the end of the second quarter of 2024, the airline had a market share of just 4.2%.
Public wants cleaner travel, but still hesitant about eVTOLs
Would you fly in an eVTOL? Lilium’s research shows general apprehension. (Lilium)
More people are relaxing to the idea of the future of eVTOLs and flying taxis. In a report released on the first day of the air show by Lilium, one of the German pioneers of advanced air mobility (AAM), 71% of the UK who participated in the survey are enthusiastic about cleaner forms of air travel. However, there is still largely an apprehension towards flying an eVTOL. The company, developing the zero-emissions Lilium Jet, surveyed 1,000 people from England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales in July with insight agency Opinium.
While just over 70% of respondents were interested in cleaner modes of travel, only 59% expressed they would fly an eVTOL if it was available to them. Interestingly, 82% of participants who “have an understanding of eVTOL aircraft”, according to Lilium, would fly one. This hints at the ongoing challenge the AAM industry is facing, which is that the public simply does not have the correct information about future flight technology. Therefore, the survey is a timely reminder that the sector must be proactively arming the public with knowledge about eVTOLs – the good, the bad and the ugly.
Furthermore, Chief Commercial Officer of Lilium, Sebastien Borel, believes that once eVTOL aircraft are commercially flying, the numbers shown in the surveys will increase.
Meanwhile, 74% of participants are concerned with the impact of aviation on pollution and climate change. Those from Wales and the West Midlands are concerned about the damage to the rural environment (from 77%-80%), which was higher than the national average.
RAF ‘connect and play’ distributed simulation gets set to trial all-domain LVC
Cobra Warrior in September which will involve Live/Virtual Constructive (LVC) training for the first time. (RAF)
Ahead of Farnborough saw the RAF brief media with progress of its Gladiator synthetic training system, which provides an ‘Xbox Live’ style secure multiplayer environment capable of simulating everything from all-out war to space domain and even cyber ops. Developed by Boeing UK and run by the RAF’s Air Battlespace Training Centre (ABTC) at Waddington, this allows bases and facilities to dial in remotely and connect their own simulations – whether they are Typhoons, helicopters, RC-135s, SAM sites or even warships – and also supports multinational exercises at different classification levels. This means that instead of pilots getting to go to Red Flag style-complex exercises once a year, these can now be run virtually every month – saving money and honing the edge. This capability, unique outside the US, also has enough flexibility and capacity to allow squadrons or flights to connect and train on short notice, for example, if technical issues or weather prevents real world flying. IT can also simulate high levels of EW and GPS jamming and spoofing – something impossible in the real world.
Having already conducted ten international exercises, including Spartan Warrior in 2023, which replicated an all-out war, the next milestone, says Grp Capt Mark Still, OC ABTC, will be Cobra Warrior in September which will see for the first time, Live/Virtual Constructive training, with real-world Link 16 data being fused with virtual friendly and enemy forces.
Interestingly, says Grp Cp Stil, Gladiator is not just an all-domain training tool, but is also being used to test and trial new technologies and novel tactics such as one-way attack drones and jamming UAVs. This, undoubtedly, will feed into evaluations around requirements for the RAF’s recently published drone strategy and the upcoming defence review.
Skyports debuts Pyka Pelican
The Pyka Pelican is an eCTOL cargo UAV. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
On display at RIAT on the days immediately before FIA 2024, this Pyka Pelican cargo UAV is being operated by UK-based Skyports Drone Services for heavy payload operations.
Speaking to AEROSPACE at RIAT, Skyports Michael Merritt said the company has already been contracted by US Aid to operate in the Congo, delivering 25,000 vaccine doses to 60 hospitals each week and has approval in Norway to fly BVLOS drone operations to 21 oil rigs using a variety of VTOL drones.
Closer to home, the electric CTOL Pelican has recently been undergoing trials here in the UK. “It can take off in about 15m and I’ve personally seen it land in just 88m!” Merritt proudly proclaimed. “Having electric motors gives instant power and also instant reverse power to arrest a landing.” Initial rollout in the UK will be in Cornwall, delivering cargo on behalf of the Royal Mail as part of the Open Skies Cornwall project – one of four UK Research & Innovation funded projects won by Skyports in 2022.
The aircraft has also been involved in trials delivering blood supplies for the MoD and was recently involved in the Royal Navy’s Heavy Lift Challenge programme. The Pelican being used for trials is currently flying on a US registration and Merritt admits that “getting design verification and type certification is ‘not trivial’, so we are currently starting operations with low-risk Tier 1 and Tier 2 type operations and depending upon customer demand we will then evaluate whether to pursue type certification in the UK.”
Although they will not have a Pelican on display at FIA 2022, Skyports can be found on the Innovate UK stand all week.
Supernal brings S-A2 eVTOL mock-up to FIA
Supernal’s A-A2 is an FIA 2024 debutant, albeit in mock-up form. (Supernal)
Making its Farnborough debut in 2024, Supernal’s S-A2 eVTOL mock-up will displayed in its main chalet. The company, which is Hyundai Motor Group’s Advanced Air Mobility company, is also hosting an ‘Advanced Air Mobility: The Disruptive Force Transforming Aviation’ forum in association with the World Economic Forum on Tuesday and also plans to announce a strategic pilot training partnership with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University during the show.
UK air power on the precipice as underfunding comes home to roost
A handy primer on air power. (Tim Robinson/RAeS)
Decades of underfunding and misplaced optimism have now left the UK armed forces on the precipice, according to a new pamphlet by the UK’s Air and Space Power Association, which calls for a strategic renaissance in UK defence – with air and space at the forefront.
The new pocket pamphlet, called ‘UK Air and Space Power in a more dangerous world’, which is also available as an e-book, is intended to act as brief primer and explainer for non-expert audiences and decision-makers, as well as a handy refresher for air and space power professionals to explain the complex and mysterious world of military aviation that is often opaque and riddled with acronyms and jargon – as well as a wake-up call why airpower is needed more than ever in these dangerous times.
Get the e-booklet ‘UK Air and Space Power in a more dangerous world’ here.
UK aerial flying lab to conduct contrail research in 2025
The FAAM Airborne Laboratory at RIAT. (Tim Robinson/RAeS)
Seen on static at Fairford at the Royal International Air Tattoo, was the UK’s FAAM Airborne Laboratory – a flying atmospheric research lab that is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
The FAAM, based at Cranfield, and operated by the Economic and Social Research Council, conducts atmospheric science research missions and is based on the prototype BAe 146, which first flew in 1981. Outfitted with specialised sensors, it is now about to be upgraded in a £49m mid-life upgrade. It is the largest science research aircraft in Europe by payload.
Interestingly, next year it will join other global research efforts to study the effects of human-made contrails in flights over the Alps and Ireland, in projects sponsored by the UK’s Jet Zero Council, according to Eleanor Dixon, FAAM Airborne Laboratory Mid-Life Upgrade Communication Officer for the ESRC. Experts, such as the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Greener By Design group, have proposed that by managing persistent non-CO2 contrails, aviation could slash its impact on the climate by as much as 50%.
Collaborative Combat Drone maker aims to boost UK presence
Anduril’s CCA could be precured in enormous numbers. (Anduril)
Meanwhile, ahead of the show, US-based Anduril, which was recently awarded a contract by the US Pentagon to develop a Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) which could be procured in the 1,000s as an unpiloted combat drone to fly alongside piloted fighters, revealed it is aiming to significantly grow its presence onshore in the UK.
The firm – which was founded by Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs and features an Iron-Man style ‘Jarvis’ style operating system, enabled by AI, that can control surveillance towers (already in operation on the UK’s South Coast looking for illegal Channel crossings), loitering munitions and interceptor drones, is looking to grow its UK footprint. While UK successes so far for Anduril have focused on surveillance and counter-drone systems, it also sees significant potential in the RAF’s ACP drone strategy and C&C with its Lattice OS connecting the services to enable all-domain warfare. Production of Anduril drones in the UK is also being considered, with the firm already looking for areas in Britain that could fit the new government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda and create skilled jobs for this tech defence disrupter.
GASCC: US, UK & Canada further air and space co-operation
US Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman (left), RAF Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton (middle) and USAF Chief of Staff Gen David Allvin sign a Shared Vision Statement on Combined Air and Space Power. (USAF)
Ahead of the Farnborough Air Show, the RAF hosted the Global Air and Space Chief’s Conference in London. During the event, leaders of the US Air Force, US Space Force and the RAF renewed their commitment to co-operate on bolstering the integration of air and space. U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton signed a Shared Vision Statement on Combined Air and Space Power in the 21st century, in efforts to grow resilience, redundancy and interoperability between nations. Three lines of effort were included in the Shared Vision Statement, focusing on operational harmonisation, capability integration and system resilience, according to a statement from the USSF.
It comes as the US Air Force announced in January it was integrating space into all of the 16th Air Force’s warfighting functions “to enhance integrated deterrence”, with the aim of utilising space for information warfare.
‘Dramatic increase’ in zero-emission investment needed, says ICCT
Will SAF enable aviation to get to net-zero? (AirBP)
In a damming report, the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has stated that, in order to achieve ICAO’s goal of net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, all new aircraft delivered after 2035 will need to emit zero CO2 emissions throughout their operational lifetimes.
It also says that aircraft manufacturers need to dramatically increase their investment in new technologies if goals are to be met, and it predicts a market of at least 10,000 new hydrogen, electric, hybrid or 100% SAF aircraft through to 2042.
“It’s high time for manufacturers develop new aircraft that don’t need fossil fuels,” says Dan Rutherford, ICCT’s Senior Director of Research. He suggests this can be achieved in three ways: 1) by burning 100% SAF (not blends), 2) by accelerating efforts to develop zero emission aircraft, especially those powered by hydrogen and, 3) by establishing stringent targets for ‘value-chain emissions’. The latter refers to the lifetime of a product’s use by its customers and ICCT figures indicate that aircraft already in service by 2023 are expected to emit 9bn tonnes CO2 before they are retired. “A typical aircraft is in service for about 25 years,” says Supraja Kumar, lead author of the study. “So, if airlines are going to be at net-zero by 2050, we need ‘planes that burn zero fossil fuels throughout their lifetimes starting around 2035.”
RTX to support rotorcraft test lab
Airbus Helicopters has selected Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace to support the development of a hybrid-electric propulsion system of its PioneerLab demonstrator. (Airbus)
Airbus Helicopters selected Pratt & Whitney and Collins Aerospace to support the development of a hybrid-electric propulsion system as part of its PioneerLab demonstrator. The PioneerLab was unveiled in September 2023 during the German National Aviation Conference in Hamburg, and will facilitate tech demonstrations on the twin-engine, based on the H145 platform. The helicopter’s existing engines will be replaced by a new hybrid-electric propulsion system, comprised of a P&W PW210 engine derivative joined with two Collins Aerospace 250 kW electric motors. Test flights are planned for 2027 in Donauwörth, Germany.
Hanwha to debut homegrown engine for KF-21
Hanwha is expected to unveil the prototype of the engine it is developing for the KAI KF-21 fighter. (Hanwha Aerospace)
South Korea’s Hanwha Aerospace will unveil the prototype of a homegrown 15,000lb/thrust-class turbofan engine during FIA 2024. On par with GE Aerospace’s FE414 powerplant, the new engine is expected to power future tranche’s of South Korea’s KF-21 fighters as well as uncrewed combat aircraft.
The company is the only manufacturer of aero gas turbine aero engines in South Korea and achieved a major milestone in April when it delivered its 10,000th engine. It is also at the forefront of the nation’s space programme and will be displaying a mock-up of its KSLV-II Nuri three-stage space launch vehicle at FIA 2024 along with SpaceEye-T, which it claims is the world’s highest resolution commercial earth observation satellite thanks to the 0.3m imagery capabilities. In addition, Hanwha Systems will showcase its small synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, which has been in orbit since December 2023.
GE Aerospace to roll out new MRO inspection and repair processes
From Monet to saving money – GE believes artwork forensic science can be used to lower MRO costs. (GE Aerospace)
During a pre-FIA 2024 media visit to its facilities in Ohio, GE Aerospace demonstrated new inspection and repair technologies that are about to be rolled out across its MRO shops around the globe.
These shops will soon have a new inspection process to improve the way they inspect metal parts, using the same technology scientists rely upon to help identify forged artwork.
Developed in partnership with Bruker, the new system will use a non-destructive open beam x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) inspection device that is capable of detecting microstructural variations in metal parts.
In the art and conservation world, XRF is used to image and see aspects of an art object’s chemical composition that can tell you about the history of its origin and how to restore it or, in some cases, whether the piece is real or fake.
For metal part inspections, the XRF provides a view of the part’s chemical composition that can help a service engineer more-readily spot anomalies. GE hopes that as well as improving the quality of part inspections, this new technology will also reduce engine operators’ costs by more clearly assessing airworthy repaired parts that can be returned to the field in lieu of replacing them entirely with new parts. In turn, this will help reduce the global supply chain constraints that have been crippling the sector in recent years.
It will be the first deployed at GE Aerospace’s new STAC facility in Cincinnati, which opens in September.
Korean Air looking to buy big
Korean Air already operates a fleet of Boeing 777s but is tipped to be placing an order for the 777X. (WikiCommons)
While Boeing’s commercial aircraft presence is missing, it looks like the company is still working hard to secure large trade deals. According to sources speaking with Reuters ahead of the show, the US-based manufacturer is in talks with Korean Air over a potential $4-$6bn deal for two dozen 777X jets. The sources claim that the new order could involve up to 30 of the long-range wide body.
The carrier operates a fairly split number of aircraft between the two major manufacturers, including Airbus’ A220s, A321s, A330s and A380s, and Boeing’s 737s, 777s, 747s and 787 Dreamliners. However, its long-haul fleet is dominated mostly by Boeing’s 777s, with the company operating over 40 of the type. But in March, Korean Air placed a surprise order for 33 A350s, amid Boeing’s ongoing manufacturing turmoil. Therefore, the potential deal with Boeing, that is set to be finalised at the airshow, hints that Korean is still confident in its relationship with the US manufacturer, which was further confirmed in April when Chairman Walter Cho told CNBC that Korean was a “satisfied customer of their 777s”.
MBDA demonstrates Orchestrike AI
A dramatic demonstration of Orchestrike awaits visitors to the MBDA stand. (MBDA)
Since missile developer MBDA announced its Orchestrike system at the 2023 Paris Air Show, the European consortium has been making rapid advances with the development of this AI-enabled system. In particular, work has focused on refining the AI algorithms, advancing missile-to-missile datalinks and on integrating both elements together.
At Farnborough, the company will be providing a very visual digital-twin simulation of the system and has announced that its SPEAR family of weapons will be the first to be integrated into the Orchestrike programme.
In the future Orchestrike will be extended to SPEAR EW and other MBDA munitions with network-enabled datalink capabilities, using advanced AI algorithms to calculate the ‘importance’ of various targets within a scenario and prioritise them according to their strategic value. Whereas previous generations of missile have been able to communicate with their launch platform or other ground, sea or air-based systems, Orchestrike enables the weapons to communicate and collaborate with each other.
Speaking to AEROSPACE at a media briefing ahead of the show, MBDA’s Tactical Strike Mission Lead, Greg Nunn FRAeS, demonstrated a simulated scenario where four SPEAR missiles were launched against four very different targets in a similar geographical area. The situation saw two of the four ‘virtual’ missiles downed by defensive fire and the remaining two SPEARs retasking to neutralise the most important of the targets.
“SPEAR is a network-enabled weapon,” explained Nunn, “and Orchestrike expands this to allow missile to missile communications, missile to platform communication and also third party communication. So it’s not just the weapons talking to themselves – it’s how the whole network of communications is shared amongst the various nodes that are in the particular strike scenario.”
However, MBDA is keen to emphasise that this AI-enhanced collaboration van only work with a human operator in the loop, explaining that “The missiles will only ever operate within the boundaries of operator input, ensuring legal and ethical utilisation at all times.”
“Orchestrike works on the basis of ‘Three Cs’” continued Nunn. “These are coordination, collaboration and cooperation. Cooperation is what is delivered by the weapon-weapon communication and the other two can be delivered through weapons-to-platform, or weapons-to-third party comms channels. When it comes to changing targets, the weapons will only reallocate themselves to targets they’ve been predefined in the mission planning. They don’t and won’t reallocate themselves to entirely new targets.”
Military visitors to the MBDA stand at Farnborough can witness the Orchestrike digital-twin simulator in action in a unique simulated raid where the missiles react collaboratively to the developments of a tactical situation.
RAeS urges new UK government to focus on aerospace matters
A question of priorities. The RAeS has published a position paper urging the UK government to focus on a number of aviation topics. (Crown Copyright)
With the start of FIA 2024 coming less than a month after the Labour Party comes to power in the UK (and less than a week after the King’s Speech and state opening of Parliament) the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) is urging the new UK government to focus on a number of aviation related issues.
Aerospace and aviation connect people, business, and countries, whilst generating value for the nation, creating high-value jobs, and contributing to the protection and security of its citizens. In a position paper published by the RAeS and available to download free of charge here the organisation emphasised that the government has a vital role in keeping the UK globally connected and secure by maximising the value of UK aerospace and driving sustainability, air power and space, innovation, and upskilling.
The paper calls on the incoming government to focus on five key aerospace areas:
1. Modernisation of aviation infrastructure with safe and secure, sustainable, and innovative technologies
2. Increase air power and space capability
3. Accelerate regulatory frameworks for future flight technology
4. Maximise economic benefits
5. Develop future and existing talent
Speaking ahead of FIA 2024, RAeS Chief Executive, David Edwards FRAeS said: “From the outset the new government should continue to invest in essential air power capability, enable the sustainable growth of aviation through research with alternative fuels, invest in new airport infrastructure and airspace modernisation, optimise the economic potential of future flight vehicles and satellite and space technology, and help maintain a steady flow of diverse talent in the industry. With the active support from, and in partnership with, the government the aerospace sector can help achieve these goals and assure the UK’s leading position in air connectivity, maintaining international competitiveness and keeping the country secure.”
The Royal Aeronautical Society at Farnborough
Call by the Royal Aeronautical stand at FIA 2024. (Tim Robinson/RAeS)
The Royal Aeronautical Society will also be out at force during the week, with President David Chinn out and about catching up with Corporate Partners and Members, plus the RAeS stand (in Hall 4, Stand 4726) to find out more about membership, accreditation, events, our global network, careers advice and more.
And finally…
In a quest for added range and performance Boeing unveiled the new four-engined variant of the F-15 during RIAT on Friday. (Stephen Bridgewater/RAeS)
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