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    Air International 09 2023

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    the ct Enc) The elm om eek TAO Little Bird en) its mark THE. FUTURE INDUISTRY eta ee os eR ese Seu eam Cod PO ese ee cag eee ea) for the industry's trailblazers and innovators Ree em Ca cet ea ‘opportunities and close winning deals. www.dubaiairshow.aero | f in @ W Strategic partners: pypay dans BOOK YOUR SPACE ORO 7 None 13-17 NOVEMBER 2023 DWC, DUBAI AIRSHOW SITE hings started s0 positively afew years ago when | fead an RAF future outing bie handed to me during ‘a media vist It described the new types that would possibly be entering service ‘and as well as those inline to replace Aircraft then in service. What impressed ‘me was the numbers lavolve« The potenti figure of up to 40 new helicopters to replace the Pura, Bel 212, ‘and 412 foots soomed Viable, and fe E-7 \Wedgetals would replace the E-3 Sentry that \%0Uld soon be rtrng, It briefly appeared that the UK Goverreent had fray gots ‘act together and had bucked the trend of reducing the defence budget ~ an easy targot {or poltical parties over the years to cover faltres in other departments, while asking ‘mar ofthe RAF and the ether mitary ams, ‘And ere we aren 2023, with global treats ‘nove higher. Thares a warn Europe, and while analysts debate whether Russa wil go ‘beyond Uraine's borders f the opportunity alons, it appears, for now, that this won't ‘be the case. The ‘bloody nose’ that Russias miltary is experiencing on the batts ‘makes the prospect of further expansion Lnikey But the treats there, and ta counter any treat, thers has tobe deterent — id personnel and the latest equipment ‘Across NATO, the UK has baen held in high regard in terms of what ican do wit, altimes, ted resources the ‘make do ‘ned make t etiecte atttude has often wen through. But as ballet technology has ‘developed, what has previously been theory ‘and digital demonsvatons is now being pul into practice onthe groundlin Ukraine ‘The time has come fora more robust sophisticated and capable detent. thas. to be accepted that wee onthe treshotd cl another Cold War and wil for mary daly routines won't change, for thse in uniform, particu cn the fronting, they have exer bean busir. RAF Typhoons regularly Irteroapt Pussian acrat heading towards the UK's ar ienification zone. As someone \who remembers seeing F Phantom GRA ‘soramblas from RAF Coningsby, commented ‘upon by the late-Raymond Baxter, | baleve were very much in that era agan, ony with foront acraft on our side at oat) Against this backcop, thas emerged that the UK villreuce is E77 Wedgetal at from five acraft to jst three. Given te intended rale ofthe E:7 goes far beyond the oid E-8 ‘Sentry, becoming not only Brain's jes in the sky but also a battlefield command Centre for mitary operations til gather information, analyse and share it with ther ‘ny tree E7 Wedgtas wil nw ena sevice with to RA with te fst aera expected to reac IC 2024 now cover: {AE Systems’ nw Falconer department wl focus on developing the technloy for nex gneation a dominance using revolutionary new ‘roduc techniques and procedures 85s Units, awhethorin the aon the ground or fat sea, Wit the UK's global interests and ‘commitments, wrich were often stretched to breaking point at peacetime, the Government wil now ask the RAF to do even more with lees ina fer higher treat ernronment. And the counterargument so often thrown back that now technology means you don't ned ‘as many assets’ has been proved wreng tne ‘and time again. ‘perfect example isthe steady reduction Inthe number ofthe new medium helicopter type to be acquied. Italy quoted as 40, the latest VOD repens now put the anipatod number tobe acquired as low as 20. Who wil tll an ary commander that his assault fowoe cant al be carried n one lit auing a time crea campaign? With the UK's commitment to having Intuance bath inthe West to combat Russa ‘and inthe indo-Pactfc region to counter the ‘expansion of China k's a simple ogi forthe Government to sop wasting time and money by continual changing ts min on whats ‘odd: | think curent purse sting hldors and decision makers need to look back to the 1980s to see how effective detarence canbe and gia the RAF the assats it needs inthe numbers that will be ‘operationally effective in ™ these turbuent tes, 14 Glenn Sands Eaitor September 2023 AA wteracrl| 3 Spiele pets mas it prepares for tal cial space sector Mark Broadbent explores what's Airlines has had a to years, but its CEO remains Bernie Baldwin isses the importance of positive. Alan Dron aske [NR bteatora 50 m Killer Boeing's ‘AH-6 is the platform of choice for the USSOCOM. Glenn ‘Sands sat down with Boeing to discuss what the future holds for the Little Bird 62 Turk A spa Jon Lake reviews the wealth of military aviation programmes recently developed by Turkey 72 avial essionals What's. the job market lke for pilots, cabin crew? Bemie Baldwin finds out 80 Shaping th ture BAE ‘Systems has launched a new air division. Jon Lake explains. 86 Alex Preston provides a roundup of the latest developments of inflight entertainment on display at two recent trade shows 94 Eight Sam Sprules, managing director of ‘AeroProfessional, talks to Air International ‘Septerrber 2023 AR itemainal| 5 Is the Hokum here's ite question that Wester intoligance ‘analysts have been heavily ‘monitoring Russia's ‘special mitary operation in Ukeaine, evaluating all ‘aspects oftheir equipment and tactics. The West's presumed military operating doctrine betore 2022 is actively being revised regarding how a broader war in Europe would look and the ‘operational capabilty ofthe equipment that Western armed forces would face, Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, there was a tendency for Western analysts to over-hype some of the equipment entering Fussian service, from the T-14 ‘Armata to the Sukhoi $u-57. What information had been released through ‘open NATO sources is that the latest kt is, in some cases, stil aot on par with ts ‘Western equivalents and that nether are the combat tactics being employed. “There is no more clearer indication of this than the current hetcopter war taking place over Ukraine, The Russian Air Force has taken heavy losses from the outset _site Oryx, which has been tracking fence systems (MANPADS), wile the ofthe campaign and many Western ussian equipment losses, since helicopters Frequently operate with less ‘observers have been surprised by the tol February 2022 there have been 39 Consistent top cover from combat jets taken on the Kamov Ka-52 Hokunn-B. Ka-52s destroyed out of 309 helicopters than they would expect under Russian “The uncorwertional coaxlal rotor ofall types that have been lost since the military doctrine” platform has been tasked with armed contct bogan. According to UK defence What must be taken into account reconnaissance, close-ar support during sources, the number of Ka 62s lost is that Ka-52s are being tasked with assaults, comoy protection and armed represents 25% of the Fussian Air Force's missions that in the West would be patroling, roles which saw the Ka-52s in in-service fleet of 90 airraft, but ths later entrusted to a faster-ying ground-attack se from the fist fw hours of the inasion, proved inaccurate and is more Ikely 19%, et, where the chances of Surviving over during the assault on Antonov Aiport in according o other experts. Nevertheless, the target are far higher than a slower Hostomel, northwest of Kyu. During this _'s a staggering number. attack helicopter. i's a practice that ‘operation, one Ka-62 was shot down, with Aquote from a UK MOD inteligence —-—_~Russian commanders pursued “as one the crew both eecting. twas a taste of report revealed: “Russian attack Of the few options available to provide things to come for Hokum crews helicopters have ikely suffered particular close support for troops in combat,” ‘According to the Dutch apen-source attrition from Ukrainian man-portable air according to the MOD report. But issues with the Ka-52 go beyond how i's ing flown in Ukraine and the losses the platform is taking. It took ‘manufacturer Kamov 14 years to supply the 100+ Ka-628 to the Russian Air Foroe, and with the production of miltary aircraft decreasing, according to Western ‘accounts, making good on the Ka-52 losses may take far longer than expected, Looking atthe current technology fn the Ka’52s, their use of precision: ‘guided missles requires the crew to ‘olmb and hover, making them highly vise to Ukrainian ground troops armed with wester-suppled MANPADS. The problem is that the Ka-82is currently the only piatform capable of fring Russia's premier ant-tank missile, the 9K121 Vikhr {NATO designation AT-16 Scation) alaser bbearcing weapon with low jamming susceptibilty, However, to ensure the 6 September 2023 AR rtaratioal target is struck, the Ka-62 must face it land hever for several seconds to ensure the laser beam remains on target. ‘Although this ean ocaur ata distance Of around six kiometres, with the Ka-52 pinpointing a target betore fring the ‘misala, the Ka-S2 can't move until it has ‘been struck, which is where the Hokum 's proving most vinerable, Footage ‘leased of Ka-52s being downed has inevitably shown them inthe hover when struck, with atleast two examples shown vath their undercarriage lowered during presumed pre-missle stk position or Using its sensors for reconnaissance, Based on this footage, one forme Western attack helicopter plot was ‘quoted as saying: “ASlong as the Russian ‘Ar Force in Usraine favours precision application of the vikhr missile over the ‘survival ofthe Ka-52 fring it, the attack helicopter crews face extreme risk and a shockingly shot life expectancy.” To improve the capabities and ‘survivabilty ofthe Hokum, the Pussian ‘Army recelved the fist of 30 upgraded Kamov Ka-52Ms in January 2028. ‘The upgrades include a modernised GOES-451M electro-optical targeting tune with an increased range, stronger undercarriage wheels and improved ‘cockait ergonomics, with batter ‘adaptation to NVGs. The LMUR misste, ‘light multi-purpose guided rocket has now been added to the Hokus armament options. Several new radar ‘ypas are also being considered, whi a ‘naw sol protection system vil replace the ‘current L370-5 Vitebsk. Las, the Ka-62M wil be adapted to work within a new battlefield command and contol system. According to Russian state Information company TASS, this new ‘upgraded version has been tested in Ukraine, although nether side has released any operational detals on the upgraded Ka-S2M or commented on its atfectveness, ‘ne of he many K-52 that have bon downed ‘over Ukraine, is etately inact examol ely ‘ound its way tthe West tbe examined by various Imetigence agencies Theres speculation based on videoclips showing excessive wbrating of tho a 52 stb wings tat ‘mechanical sues ae impactig thee and ‘ausng teal ares. Reonld -ssion Ka tate have ben to attack Utrainin Targets at stances 0 fief ten lomo, ‘though is requres hem to rman statonayt> fui th mise os target "on can deny ter raver but are Wok ‘rows beng puta unnecesory sk 02 por ‘operational command stuctre ‘September 2028 AR neratinal|7 7 een | ee) ea ta) Reem it eee een tener tre eter cater Cogemnn nme ie ea ey kc le eee See ce res ee ohare err eee a ete ener iene eerie kata! Seen te 9 its eee try ate ea Pee! eae ee Se ena nor) target a SAM threat. And then the operator ee mural eee ad the treat, at times, the human would tr eee Prenat r tete Stele edto eters eet Cees alos yee ee eos Deane cn eee ee et eye tae ee eee cea Cee tee eed) machine leaning, autonomous if youre not erent en ae ee oe ee ae Tate nr hk enema cence ee ea peerette Cee aoe eee ere: Se Sea ears eee ey ieee een Pee un ca po gar Cece earns eae et ees Cee ay . pooner era ec ee he kd een eet) eee See tl Le eee cee ee ere ee ener ttre) creer her Rus eaeert eee The eee nee aS * Act like humans es eee , Ithas not eee ee ee Cee ns Se ene etry Dens ee ee aeccberehties err eee ee r eo to point out this has not been reached, Se eee Ce eee fence systems are within the ‘imited Genny | ee an et Sa eet Comer or} bbehind on this new, erica! technology Oras Pere rtni eee een eer e ee ey ean ee ree een processing cu gh satelite image ‘and drone video feeds in Ukraine, whic is helping the miltary to understand better Po tance) mal ee a ee hereto nat part ofthe process or in control eer rena Sele eee Le Pee ¥ i Cee nctaricn " .Y Cranes Cd eared ott are a eee gerd Pristhcmcemiaeent ee ener ad eee eee innovation on the batlfild with not just Cee eC eee en ts es location, This is pushing miltaries towards Peete ER eas eat te citer Sear hares Cee nach eee oe eee aay eee erences Se Eee nu el ee Pees Re ey eens boing called for before re en rear cn et ema Pe tan Pe ay oes ee ir al O The commercial aviation industry was brought to its knees during COVID-19, but one sector remained steady throughout and is now wiser, more profitable and in-demand: aircraft leasing. Michael Doran spoke with leading players as to how ‘they achieved this t / # ec {'s hard to think of any part of aviation that has emerged ftom the coronawirus pandemic stronger, more in demand or more altractive than sicraft leasing, While aiines faltered with their grounded aircraft, lessors kept ploughing ‘on, financing new aieraft and keeping investors ‘on ther side. Prior to COVID-19, around 559 of the global commercial fleet was financed by lessors, but that has grown to about 66% ancl looks likely to ‘cimb even higher in coming years. Lessors have demonstrated resiience by managing ther way through the crisis and simultaneously keeping ‘many customers in business, “The sector has an extremely bright future, {ivan its large order books for now aircraft, largo fleets of curent-generation planes, dversitied portfolios and access to imvestment-grade finance. Air International wanted to examine ‘how this strong postion came about and, given continuing uncertainty, why the future is So rosy Avolon International leasing company Avoion owns and ‘manages a fleet of §78 aircraft, wth commitments {or another 297 in hand. ts portfobo is operated bby 149 customers in 65 countries, giving the lessor an excellent perspective on how the ure aircraft leasing market is performing, In June The irs AsOne0 i proving poplar cross the sector mth a sre of dy £2023, Avolon published its World Fleot Forocast zane asa wt erie of = Return to Growth, which claimed the global 2123 Pat A Show ‘vation feet will almost double over the next Altus ‘Soptrber 2008 AR ternal] 14 20 years, totaling nearly 47,000 aircraft by 2042. Perhaps the most relevant part of the report for this story is that more than $4 tllon wil have tobe found to finance the 44,200 new passenger aircraft to be ‘dalvered in the next two decades. ‘The report was co-authored by ‘Avolon's chiat risk officer Jim Mocison, ‘who, in an interview with A Intemational, ‘explained that around $120 billon in ew acraft deliveries will naed to be financed each year: “Utimataly, that's ‘allarge amount of capital, and aviation is going to need to be abie to draw that {rom differant sources, whether private funding sources or public markets. There ‘are aifines worldwicie who are relying ‘more and mare on lessors to provide that capital” In genera, aifines emerged from the pandemic with weaker balance sheets ‘and burdened by debt. While profitabity has returned, it wil take time for those ‘accounts to recover fuly. This comes at a time when demand for new, fus-eficient aircraft is at an all-time high, with OEM production slots filed years in advance. Morrison said that airines are coming to lassors both forthe avaiablity of 12] September 2023 AR rtaratoal aircraft — whether that's from used aircraft Or thet slots for new alrraft as well as for the financing that comes associated with those aircraft: "We're seeing demand from our aiine lessees to extend aircraft we have on lease or take used arcraft that we may have avalable to re-market. It ‘also means new technology aircraft Sots we have booked with Arbus and Booing are in strong demand, so i's a favourable ‘market environment fora lessor such as. Avalon.” While no one in aviation escaped the pandemic unscathed, it soems the leasing markat has done better than ‘most by emerging stronger and more resilent. During COVID-19, lessors financed around 66% of aircraft dalveries ‘compared to around 50% pre-pandemic and provided substantial relief to airine lessees to help them survive when revenues cried up, while keeping up with their nancial obligations. Morrison ‘noted: “Before the pandemic, there ‘were eight investment grace lessors, and now there are sil eight investment ‘grade lessors. On average, the rated airlines were downgraded by two or tree rtches, which indicates the rastience of ‘our business and the strong investment opportunities we ote” “There have been some high-profle issues recenty where local courts in India and Vietnam have blocked aircraft repossession from operators in financial distress. As Avalon operates in 65 countries and must be aware of all the risks it faces, it strongly supports, the Cape Town Convention and the ‘Aviation Working Group (AWG) that ‘monitors compliance. Morison said that Understanding and managing jurisdictional Fisk is core to Avolon's risk managemant ‘approach. It works collaboratively through ‘Organisations tke the AWG to advance the opportunities the convention brings to local economies: “By adopting the Cape “Town convention, gavernmenis ensixe their airines have access tothe lowest cost of capital, so we're strong promoters Of that. The ongoing issues in Inia are leading to a momentum towards the Inckan pariament fuly adopting the Cape “Town Convention, of which we ae fully supportive” ‘While leasing brings the money and the aircraft, it also gives significant fexbilty {0 an airine when comparod to outight, Lessors and OEMs ‘the owners of more than al of the abel commercial ara et, the lessor community isan essential customer for ‘Aus and Boeing. Apart rom ordeng aire theron ight, essa are also nove in ae an esseback and ‘Ate ond of Jun, Abus and Boeing reported total unfiled orders of 13,546 aircraft ith around 14% 1,951 ara booked fram lessors. ‘Unsurprisingly, the order books are Aominated by singl-aislenarowbodies, such asthe 737 and A320 family aieraf. ‘ious had a total backog of 7,967 aieraft, comprising 7,275 A220, A320 and A321 sngle-aisle aircraft, 208 ASGOs and 484 A350s. Of those unfled orders, lessors account for 1,390 or 17% ofthe ‘ota, including 1,275 narrowbodies, 44 ‘4330s and 11 AS5Qs. Tere are seven lessors with more than 100 aircraft in ‘the Abus backlog though that ist Is dominated by Ar Lease Corporation, which has 250 unflled orders. The others ar Avoion (167 on order) CALC (120), BOC Aviation (115), MBC Aviation Capital (106), rap (101) and NAS Aviation Services (10) Meanie, Boeing has reported ‘otal unfled orders of 5,579 aircraft, comprising 4.379 737s, 112 767s, 438 777s and 649 787s. The repr ists 630 scraft deed by lessors, with only ‘AerCap and Air Lease Corporation breaking ‘the 100 aircraft on order mark. Again the bulk ofthe unfiled orders for single ase arcraf, with 737s making up 95% of th lessor orders. The lessor listed re ‘AesCap (137A Lease Corporation (105), ‘Aol (73), 80C Aviation (73) and SMBC ‘Aviation Capita (6). “These numbers are what Arbus and Boeing identi as coming from lessors ‘and were unflle at the end of June 2003. Bath OEMS report many orders for “unidentified customers’, and with orders stretching out years in advance, who pays ‘or thom can and does change. Top urt ‘rol signed an Mo for 20 tus ASSO in ‘hie ise op cat ‘ew technology arate the Arbus ASCILR aro In tign demand ices ‘owmership, mainly when the aircraft is no longor required. Aifines can fine-tune their capacity up or down, hand an aitiner ‘back at the end ofthe lease and access ‘a global trading platform if the aicratt becomes surplus to thet fleet profile e-marketing ara isan important revenue earner, but having access to new aloratis vital toa lessor, 80 ‘Avalon curtontly has orders for nearly 300 aircraft. Pinning precise numbers in this dynamic environment is dificult, but atthe end of June order reports ‘rom Airbus and Boeing paint part of the pictur. Airbus reported that Avolon had Lnilled orders for 167 alrraft, cornpxsing 129 A320ne0s, 34 ASZIne0s and four ‘AgGOn20s. However, uring the Paris Air ‘Show in June, Arbus announced that ‘Avalon had signed a memorandum of Understanding for 20 A330-900s, which will no doubt show up in the reports in due course, The comparable unflled order report with Bosing showed that Avolon had 71 ‘737 MAX and two 787-9 Dreamiiners in the pipeline. Whatever the exact number, these slots are a valuable commodity when OEMS are struggling to it production rates and airraft are in short ‘supply. As Morrison observed: “Uttmatey, ifthe manufacturers aren't able to delver the new technology aicraft as fast as the market would demand, then area curently in service will have thei ite ‘extended. But the fastest way for aviation to bring carbon emissions down is with ‘new areatt, and we think our order book (of nearly 300 aircraft means Avalon wil play a key ole in fleet renewal” TrueNoord With a focus on 50-160 seat aircraft, Netherlands-basad TrueNoord specialises In the regional market, covering turboprops and jes. It isa ful-service ‘company that provides cents with leasing and lease management services from iis ‘Amsterdam headquarters and offices in London, Dublin and Singapore. While TrueNoord specialises ina particular ‘market niche, its portiofo contains a diverse fleet of 69 airratt, comprising ton ‘commercial types including variants from ATR, Airbus, Emiraer, MHIPJ and De Haviland, ‘trough many regional operators managed to keep their aircraft in the ‘Septebe 2005 AR nteraonal] 13 “Isa favourable market environment foralessor such as Avolon” Jim Morrison, Chief Risk Officer, Avolon air for most ofthe pandemic, it was still a dificult time for alllessors, who often had to work individually with clients to find a way through the crisis. Now that the recovery isin full swing, itis time to reflect on how the leasing sector survived COVID-19 and what sort of heath itis today. ‘Anne-Bart Tieleman, CEO of ‘TrueNoora, believes that while COVID: 19's impact on aviation may have been transient, some of its effects are here to stay and that's @ good thing for the leasing sector. Speaking to Air International, he explained thatthe sector has proven its resilence and ability to manage @ crisis, making it attractive to a wider pool of investors: “Leasing companies have proven that this is a robust business, and that's important for not only equiy investors but also for debt providers and the debt capital market investors to see that this is an industry that delvers and can actually survive. | think that wil affect the leasing industry 0g forward.” Teleman also betioves that i is becoming cheaper for some airtines to secure an alroaft via a lessor than by financing it themselves, as the lower risk profie facitates lessors to finance these aircraft more cheaply. The nature of leasing various arcratt types to a poo! of different operators diversfes the risk for investors compared to funding an aircraft to1an aitine, Before the pandemic, just ‘over hatf ofthe global fleet was owned by lessors, and that was considered to be the sweet spot in the mix between owned or leased aircraft. Having weathered the 14 Septoriber 2028 AR rteretorl storm 80 wol, Teleman betieves that ‘may well change in the post-COVID era: thas only strengthened the leasing business case, and think we should not bbe surprised to see leasing companios ‘own up to two-thirds of the global fleet in the future. | think we wal only bull on the 50% going forward, and the leasing industry will become biggec” The shift to using new-generation rnarrowbodies on longerrange routes is ‘also trickling into the regional market, where aiines want to add more frequencies with full planes on medium: haul fights. This is particularly true in the above 100-seal market, where the Embraer family of jets and the Airbus ‘A220 are gaining more traction, which is hare TrueNooed is most active. The opportunity is there fo use these lower-capacity aircraft but offer higher frequencies, thereby managing yield and ‘operating costs by virtue of using the ‘more fuel-efficient naw-goneration jets. The extended range of the Embraer E2s {and the Airbus A220s pushes them into routes previously flown by A320 or 737 types, which Tieleman says is a game- changer: “Instead of fhing one of two: hour cycles, these aircraft can delver four or five-hour cycles, which changes the business an airine can offer with that asset think airlines are starting to see that you can stil ty the one- or two- hour cycles, but the aircraft gives a lot of flexibility “TrueNoord sticks very much to the 50-150 seats class of aircraft for clear strategic reasons. Tieleman said it's a Fiche market because the bigger Trueood speciaes n aera tom 80°50 seats "hated Sopternber 2008 AR iternationa | 15 lessors need to focus on the significant transactions and view this class of aircraft ‘as non-core assets: “There is also an ‘operational side, as there are airines: that only operate these smaller aircraft ‘because that's the markets they are in, and @ 737 oF A320 is not what they need fr can operate for the runways or regions where they operate. I's that combination Of factors that creates the market niche that we serve.” ‘OEMs are stl raising supply chain issues as they clamber to fila bucketful of orders, unsettling the balance between supply and demand for new aircraft. Wit inflation and capital 16] September 2023 AR rtaratoal costs rising, lease rates will inevitably start to clo, Tieloman observed that ‘manutacturers cannot deliver what they would tke to deliver or what the market demands, which affects aircraft lease rates. A flow-on effect is that some airines have placed orders well before they usually do: “You already see airines starting to secure aircraft on the longer term right now, rather than thinking they will take care of that next year or the year after. They see what is happening and will secure aircraft for the next six or eight years, because then they know they will have the assets when they need them.” What is the Cape. Town Convention? Recent event in Russia, nia and ena nav shown that recovering teased scat rom a defaulting operator ‘snot alvays seghiforwar. That's why ICAO joint developed the 2001 Convention on nterationalItrests in ‘Mobile Equipment on Mates Specific to ‘rrat Equipment. Generally refered to as the Cape Town Convention, his is @ global treaty signed to reduce a lessor rik by allowing them to resister thelr interests inlemationaly and guarantee their claim against other partes when an ‘operator defaults or becomes insolvent. In taightforward terms, it means that, in default, it allows a lessor to lawfully request an aircraft be removed from te host country’ aircraft register, placed onan international register, and recovered, The aim st remove ‘uncertainty around a lessor’ rights when challenged in local cours, which ‘may have fering laws on how assets are treated in insolvency situations. However as with many international twats, not every country has signed ‘up and that’s where tings can become mess. The Aton Working Group (AWG) is a UKentity that monitors fancing laws {oc OEMs and lssorsn Api, it placed eam on its watchlist ter lca curt Diocked the repossession of fur ara. The lease was under the jurisicton of Uk cours, which granted the appropriate ders and Vietnam's aviation rut agreed to de-regite the panes. However, after one ofthe aine's shareholders challenge the oder, coutin Han quashed the action. ‘nna, various lessrs flowed the process to recover more than 40 arcraft after aifne Go First fl ino franca ifn Sti, local barkruptey cout froze the asses, with he lessors now ppeaing that decision. The Cape Town Convention aims to reduce creditors risks and allows aitnes and operators to access cheaper finance, often withthe assistance of export agency credit. For example, GAO said that artines of states that adopt the convention may receive a 10% discount on export credit premiums. The bottom in is that counties which donot adoot and follow the protocol wl see ther aines face higher leasing costs due tothe increased uncertainty and risk, hampering access to new-generation aircraft and engines. Air Lease Corporation ‘Another standout in ara leasing Is ‘Ar Lease Corporation (ALG) with more than 520 ovmed and managed aera valued at around $29 blion in use wth ‘1B anes in 63 counties ts portfolio is spi evenly between Altus and Boeing, Supplemented with Embraer arcraf and nas an average weighted age of 5 years, At the end of March, the lest vas pitino 749% single -ailes and 26% twin ases, wth 40% placed in Asi/China, 209% in Europe and 9% inthe Middle East and Atria, Thits Investor resentation io March 21, 2023, ALC said it hag 276 ara on Corder and had placed 2% of ts order ook through 2024 on long tam leases One ofits key operating stateges is to pace aircraft with operators 18-96 ‘months ahead of delvery, anf had $5205 billion in commited rentals, This includes $16.3 billon from te exising fleet and $14.2 billon in mnwmum future rental payments fom aera delivered {tom 2028 trough 2028, 2022, ALC med toal revenue of $2: ilion and $5618 millon nthe fest quarter of tis yea, with 96% of ts revenue coming from long-term ease agreements ‘A goad example of the strategy came in January when ALG announced long, tom lease placements for sx Abus ‘4208 with Croatia Airines, incking four A220-00s and two A220-100 aircraft are scheduied to be doivered from next year to 2025 and come out of ALC’s Arbus order book. Having these faircratt ordered well in advance means that ALC has a lot of flexibly, such as delvering two new A220-B006 to (Cyprus Aways almost immediately. In ‘June, the lessor announced a long-m lease deal with new customer Cyprus ‘Airways and, according to Arbus, the ‘wo A220s wore dalvered in the same month, In the second quarter, ALC ‘olvared 19 new airratt from its order book, wit just two 737-95 and one 787-9 ‘coming rom Boeing, while the Airbus Celveries included three A220, two ‘Aa20na08, seven AS2Ineos, two ASIOS ‘and two A508. The lessor entorad into ‘approximately $900 milion of nancial transactions in the quarter and sold eight aircraft, with sales of approximately $600, milion. ALC typically retains an owned icra forthe frst third of ts useful fe fad, inthe frst quarter of 2023, had an aircraft utlisaton rate of 99.0%. Al The “Acombination of factors creates the marketniche that we serve” Anne-Bart Tieleman, CEO of Truenoord ‘September 2028 A nteratinal | 47 SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Reales Glenn Sands Td ee Re eek eae eee ee au Wea Reet Ae ne Snare un kc Ue ae ee aco Tee Te eee Uke Cae eu eat future of aviation and make the present much better and safer. Look no further than your monthly De Re ie eee at De nn eet er acl iy INTERNATIONAL AUTHORITATIVE REPORTING & COVERAGE OF THE FULL SPECTRUM OF AVIATION. SUBSCRIBE & RECEIVE THE SPACE aa PRINT O ONLY £43.99 Ee by annual Direct Debit a Please quote: Al0923 when ordering ORDER DIRECT FROM OUR SHOP shop.keypublishing.com/aisubs or Call +44 (0)1780 480404 Lines open 9.00-5.30, Monday-Friday GMT) ay SOTAROne lal adds up to airworthiness (( | eee ceremony ton pe 20] Septoniber 2028 AR tered The repair and overhaul of components has increased in importance, helping operators avoid the cost of new components. Bernie Baldwin discusses some that provide this support and the technologies and applications involved ‘Sopterber 2008 AR iterntiona 2 engineering division, AJW Technique Engineering, building on the group's, 1ada-based engineering operation, the final quar headquarters in the UK. The scope of work wil cover services such as cabin interiors design, engin fication, repair and manufacturing for both ‘commercial and VIP sectors, P2F cargo ‘THs PAse rom TOP: spn pt 30 ping at AFL Es Parts production at wing the 30 printing/ative ‘manufacturing procs 30 prin prt raced by AL Et 22] September 2023 AR irtaratioral ‘Techniques, processes and procedures nce component sbeen processes such as thes, removedtrom space of mils and grinders are used operation and ares at in several ways. These ‘elIRO provider. hefist inoue removing damaged ‘ingto dois toe nyo wor material that wil problems tatneed fing.A later be replaced by welding visu inspecton te ntal_ and material deposton ste in hat paces but Machining is aso used components and parse aftr such prooesses to leaned hercughy ensure that a components before tat Cimensions meet ihe Engine components, inexact requirements forts particular are often covered operational purpose. ‘wth ol, grease carbon Welding isa regular epost and corrosion so process forthe deposton they need era attention of material ring rpaic at the cleaning stage. work. Tungsten net gas Inadton to physica (16 welcing isa common Cleaning, metalic materials choice when repairing can also be cemicaly aircraft components, sit leaned But is mustbe offers precise application one carfily asthe wrong of filer metal That makes cleansing agent may 90 it sutable forthe repair deeper int some surfaces of racks as wel asthe ‘han required, whetherby _buld-upof new material on selection orconcentraon. _suraces. “Ten comes the lctron beam welding Inspection. The“Mark One mets material to frm cyetal'(as twas called fusion weds, thai, ty the late, great, aviation those that donot use a journalist |M Ramsden) is filer metal. An essential ‘he fst too to be used. And requirements that the while thas considerable surfaces ofthe wel joint owes of detecton, otter being brought together Tools are needed to detect must bea god ft. This type some ofthe service-elated wear and tear, corrosion of welding is cared out in a vacuum chamber, wich and perhaps even handling helps to prevent material aap istorion Borescopes, magnifying Material depostion can insruments, fee and depth also be achieved va the gauges, and otherto's then thermal spray process, come int play. These aid in which the adhesion infinding dfectssuch 2s ofa coating is achieved wea, corsion and dents, by spraying molten of ‘aswell as missing or broken _semi-molten particles ements. Dimenstral onto a substrate. Materials inspectons aso ep nthe of al types ~ metalic, tdscovery process. nonmetallic and even Nondestructive testing composites ~ can provide (WOT) aso reveals flaws such coatings. and inconsistencies, The surface ofthe some of which may substrate must, ofcourse, ‘cause components to fail be abe to take the depos, Identifying these without so careful preparation fs ‘damaging components ital. This relates tothe furter is crucial, so ‘leaning and machining ‘techniques such as processes mentioned ‘uorescent penetrant eae. However that does inspection (FP) ultesonic not necessarily mean a inspection, eddy current’ smooth surface is required, testing and X-ray imaging a slighty rough surface is ae all employed. ten better at accepting the ‘With problems identified, deposit rom the spray. parts and components ‘Ancther deposition ‘move onto the repair process plating, most stage. Here, machining ‘commonly using chromium and nickel, withthe former ‘sed for its hardness and wear-resistant properties, Plating canbe use to bud ‘up material ayers to restore ‘mensions after machining ‘and provide a smeot irish, ‘whether itis applied with loctroplating or electroless plating. The panting also comes ‘under the coating umibreia, protecting the components’ suraces from corasion. Paint is applied chiey using spray techniques ‘ator repair work at APOC- (RS, nich has recent Been ‘warded EASA Part 148 approval {oad tis component tis ‘pat potoo #02 ina pecially ventilated atea fr operational saety. Depending on the surtace tobe pained andthe ‘components rol, the pains used can ange from varish to ceramic and epoxy resin-based materia Final inspections take place before a restored ‘component i released back into sence. structural repair \With the new division able to offer Part 21J Design services, including the development and aporoval of rmodifcatons and repairs, a8 well as ensuring compliance with industry regulations and safety standards, the it makes AJW Group even more of a ‘component MRO provider. ‘According to AJW, "the dvision’sskiled Design Organisation Approval (DOA) an Production Organisation Approval (POA) team will work closely with customers 1 provide talored design solutio that optimise aircrat performance and fenhance passenger experience” Siti, a relatively new provider of MRO in this field is APOC Component Repair ‘Shop (APOC-CRS), based between ‘Amsterdam Schiphol and Rttorcam airports. Ithas just extended its service offering by achieving EASA (European ‘Aviation Safety Agency) Part 148 approval for Aifous and Boeing narrowbody NCd battery MRO, an essential adcition to its ‘component repair portato, The Part 145 approval took 18 mont toachiave, with APOC-CRS now ‘complementing the APOC Aviation group's Ccore business ofthe trading ana leasing ‘of modem narrowbody aircraft parts 'APOC-CRS wil now move on to Seek US FAA Federal Aviation Administration) ‘approval inthe sacond half of 2003 ‘September 2008 AR nteraicnal| 23 and, from there, on to CAC (Civil vation ‘Adiinistration of Chine) approval ‘With the global supply of parts and ‘components from the OEMs (erigina equipment manufactures) strugging ta meet demand, the value of having repaired components available cannot be overremphasised, Aircraft need to be in the air to earn revenue; if certain parts of the ‘collection’ are absent, money is lost With such challenges and the industry emerging from the recent tough few years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, 8 trend of customers asking repair shops ‘bout the development of repairs is Lnsurprising — not just to have access to ‘components, but to have that at prices lower than brand new parts One of the aforementioned big players, Air France Industries KLM Engineering & i: ‘Component ropa work at AW Tocniqu in Canada. The AW Group has jus announced UK-based ASW Tcinigue Engineering wtih il cary et ‘omponent overt and eps and much more an Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), confirmed that “cost savings and pressure on prices ‘are always inthe heart of negotiations with customers, especially with inflation rates experienced over the ast two years ‘A company spokesperson noted that all opportunites to reduce costs, primarily through repair development, fare sought by customers, particularly (on new-generation fests: “In addition, ‘some customers wish fo be accompanied in ther industrial development so that they can partially support themselves in ther operations, especialy regarcing fast-moving items Ske wheels, oxygen systems, batteries and so on, the spokesperson said “Repair development isa strong mark of our sustanabilty strategy ~ avoiding scrapping and using components which ‘can be repaired. More and more, this 24] September 2029 AR irteratoal ‘approach matches with the market ‘expectations ‘South Wales-based Caecdav describes itself as one of the UK's “only truly independent, fuly approved and certified MRO organisations", Known intially as Cardiff Aviation, it gained some early headlines associated wit its founder and cchaieman, Bruce Dickinson. A commercial pilot and passionate about aviation, he is ‘also the lead singer of Iron Maiden, a rock band with sales of more than 130 milion albums, ‘A Its MRO facility known as “Twin Peaks, Caerdav’s lead product is base maintenance, but i also offers ‘comprehensive aircraft modifications, engine changes, tool hire, parking and storage options, alongside a fl aviation ‘consultancy service to a wide range of the necessary qualifications and meeting the requirements are hurdles that Caerdav must consider fit ever wants to be a ‘component specialist, “tink from our point of view, it would be dificult to set up the capabity to perform this type of work as we would ‘need to gain Part 21 approval for design ‘and particular C ratings to carry out ‘component overhaul and repair” Nash ‘admitted. “Also, a8 an independent MRO, we would have to wrestle with the OEMS for access tothe relevant component data, which imagine would be dificut. “The tikes of Ryanair, TU, British Airways, or any other major aitine would likely not have as much difficulty ‘owing to the large numbers of arcratt they order, soit would be in Booing or Airous's interest to assist them with the == global customers". However, it pecforme some component overhaul and repair work, particularly on composites, though it has yet to devolop a spacialst ctfering, Paul Nash, the company's base ‘maintenance manager, explained: "We have seen that many ofthe anes that cary out thair own maintenance lke to ty and keep as much as possible in-house to reduce casts and turnaround times. However, this & becoming more cificut as the orginal manufacturer of a particular item ~it could be a water baler, wasta sensor, or even ar stairs —'s starting to restrict acoass to the latest manuals Without the latest revisions, you cannot perform the work” Indeed, many regulatory requirements are needed to design and offer component repairs rather than replacement, bath at an infastructure level and for personnel too. Attaining all information they need," he added. Nash highiighted how for Caerdav to set up the tooling and necossary staff ‘would also require an excellont business ‘case, which would need a definte pipeline (of work. Not having that is why becoming ‘a component avechaul specialist is tricky and also why it doesn't feature in Caerdav's plans ~ atleast, nt currently, ‘At AFI KLM E&M, where a pipeline cof work is avallablo via the company’s attachment to a major ane group, an organisation has been put in place that is able to design minor repairs under an EASA Part 21J DOA, ‘According tothe company spokesperson, a head of design ‘organisation (HD) leads the AFI DOA. “Then, each business unit - components, engines, arcraft~ has a head of design Unit (HDU) and a decicated team in charge of designs (design engineers \ {and compliance verification engineer, Regarding global compliance, the DOA Is under the control of an airworthiness Cffce the focal point for the EASA The spokesperson noted that all the teams who are part of this DOA ‘organisation have the necessary skils and are appropriately trained, as per Part 21, aviation authorities requations. ‘As might well be expected, adcltions to a company’s component repair programme, whether they are processes, techniques or materials, continue to be developed and included in the portale. ‘These, of course, must help the rine customers bottom line, cut casts or improve processing times ~ even better it combination ofall three can be achieved, The AFI KLM E&M spokesperson said the company’s repair designs are focused ‘on OEM repair process extensions, with asignificant step forward in expanding the group's capabilities and enhancing its ability to deliver comprehensive engineering solutions Christopher Whiteside, AJW Group chairman ‘competencies in avionics, mechanics ‘and compostes. One technology helping those repaits is addtive manufacturing, often called 30 printing nthe past 12 months, we have Increased our capacty and are using ‘daltive manufacturing for tooling and pats." The spokesperson added that “itwillhelp our company secure anc reduce cost and TAT [turnaround time] (on plastic pars in areas such as cabin ‘maintenance’ ‘Any company investing in adctive ‘manuifacturing/3D printing will expect the technology to bring cost efficiencies to component repairs and other parts of the business, too. AFI KLM EBM uses additive manufacturing processes in three ‘Significant ways ~ the frst for prototyping, ‘second for tooling and the tid for parts (both repair and production "AM —addtive manufacturing/sD ‘Septebe 2008 AR nteraicnal| 25 printing is an opportunity to reduce costs and delay on plastic paris, with significant postive results,” the spokesperson Confemed. “The second interesting aspect of AM parts is the abilty i provides for us to introduce improvements in ther designs withthe integration of our feedback, Repairs and improvements will help us to decrease the consumption of raw material and parts, This wil consequenty make the system more sustainable. “From an industrial perspective, and especialy for the repair of major stuctwal composite parts, those processes alow us to design and produce ~ more ‘Quickly than inthe past - light and robust tools compared to traditional tools. The reductions in cost and TAT to obtain those too's allow us to develop more tools and to do more repairs, and fnally brings. significant savings in the total cost and ‘TAT of repas,” the spokesperson sei. Of course, components come in ‘many guises, not simply physical or ‘mechanical. Electrical and electronic ‘components need to be considered for repair work, too. Advances in testing and repairs are also introduced requlaly by AFLKLM E8M “Within the repair and development ‘organisation, a specific department is dedicated to electronic test bench development. The progress in flactronice and information technology allows the development of more efficient test benches, Improving productivity and the precision ofthe tests," the spokesperson added. Caerdav has not yet invested in adiive ‘manufacturing. Within the component repair and overhaulit does carryout, there Isa strong focus on quatty and cost. Nash elaborated: “The best thing we ccan do as an independent MRO is to offer ‘our customars batter services regarding composite repairs, which is a major part of our ongoing business strategy. We're ‘now finalising the process of being able ‘Components ame in many shapes and sz, 35 ‘shown hee at oer’ fey ene rc (Caerdav provides 2 madlcum of compenent overaus and ropats werk alone ey Dase "atanance work Sout) Was ‘car 26) September 2029 AR rteratoral to oven-treat our own metal to fabricate parts, alongside the abilty to paint ‘components like panels, fying control surfaces and larger sections of the aircraft to give a better finish” When it comes to helping the aitine customers bottom line, Nash sai “The aifines would always prefer the MRO to {do as much as possible, as the cost of third-party work is both high and time: consuming. So, aifines always seek the best vaive for their investment with external maintenance and repair we were {0 get to the point where we can work on alrrat that are not undergoing ‘maintenance in our fact, t would ‘benefit us and them: Meanwhile, Caerda is always looking for new technologies that can aid the company in developing new repairs: For the composite repairs we carry ut, this isan ever-changing discipline with advances in materials and many ther areas,” said Nash. “As a business, we don't see much change on the horizon for ‘standard SAM repairs’, but ‘our tained technicians obviously keep abreast ofthe latest equipment avaiable (on the market, and we wil aways endeavour to provide them with the best eit to work with.” ‘With new technologies and techniques ‘emerging, component repair and ‘overhaul are set to deliver even greater benefits, including cost savings and better repairs. Al this will ensure that the combined ‘unit’ ~ usually called an aircraft is fully aieworthy when brought together with all the other requisites at a particular ime, A MULTI-MISSION ee lied RWS etna Ct eC ua oe ey Coe ese sine euch acu eeu ee CR uc} Denese eee em Neen eee EL} ee 9 Ba) 10) Rese R eee rc is Reach » for the st Advanced and solutions m ience and technology projects, products, services, tling British commercial ke up the bu Mark Broadbent explores what's out there Te ened See a eed Pee ees er Seer ee ed See eet) ed Coe toe ‘Ariss impression of he Skyrora L013 The UR SKINET-6A sat ave tauren tas Aus Dele ad pce Photo shemale of Project IYCHE $I The Styrora engine ets run te engine or 250 seconds, the same length of tine as an actual Taune ‘tyro putting one of sockets trough its paces torts are undernay o provide satelite ‘eanmuntstons capables fo support Moon 90] September 2023 AR rtaratoal BBy setting clear goals, pirites anc standards, the UK is set to become ‘2 global leader in space innovation, diving economic growth and addressing p sng issues such as climate change national security in the process." In February 2022, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) issued the UK‘s inital Defence Space Strategy, laying out an ‘ambitious programme forthe UK to develop space capabiltes, operations ‘and partnerships, The Royal Air Force ‘Space Command became operational in ‘Apri 2022 Spaceports Despite the dieappointment of the failed Virgin Orbit launch attempt in January 2028, UK opportunities for launch ‘ctvtes remain optimistic ‘According to the UK Space Agency “The UK is the mast attractive destination in Europe to host commercial small satelite launches, offering the right ‘geography, the ight business and regulatory environment and the right industrial capability to support @ range of spacefight activites. “Being geographically advantageous, the UK's long coastine and island location make it urique in hosting different launch services easily. Sotland is the best place n the UK to reach in-demand satelite orbits with vertically launched rockets. Spaceplanes and other ‘space transportation can be launched at several arfllds around the UK, each with their own individual geography and local frastructure ‘Spaceport Comwall was due to ho: further Virgin Orbit launches. However spring 2023, Vegin Orbit was put nfo bankruptcy protection to find nvestors, but it was lator announced that the fms assets were baing sol. Nevertheless, Sera Space, tho 6 cf tha Dream Chaser spaceplar identtied Spaceport Comwal favourable potential sie for its vehicle, In Febcuary 202 port Cornwall CEO Melissa Thorpe confirmed that v, (on a dataied Dream Chaser concept of launch operators in the pipeline ‘Another step forward for Spaceport Cornwall in March 2023 was the opening of a Space Systems Operations Facilty nsisting of laboratories and office Scotland and Wales [A the other end of the LIK is SaxeVord UK Space Port at Lamba Ness on the le of Unst in the Shetiands, which offers vertical launches to Sun-synchronat suborbital, orbital and polar orbits, A fst launch is planned for later n 2028 ‘ABL Space Systems, Rocket Factory ‘Augsburg and Hylmpulse have signed up for launch, SaxaVord also has @ rinership with space engineering satety ‘specialists Plastron UK to develop a satalite payload processing facil ‘Meanwhile, Sutherland Spaceport formerly Space Hub Sutheriang} on t ‘AnMhGine peninsula in Scotland plans to Other spacepors are planned at host the first-ever UK mainland vertical Prestwick and Machrinanish in Scattand « Forres ‘and Spaceport Snowdonia in Wales. rocket and space services company (Orbex will use Sutherland to launch Prime, ts 18m-1ong rocket designed launch small satalits into polar and Sun: ‘synchronous arbits. The company has contracts fen commercial satelite customers and plans up to 12 annual launches, ‘Small satellites iford-based Sure nologies Lid (SSTL) is owned Arous Defence and Si abish work at Sutherland 028 satelite. Professional Andrew Cawthorne, SSTUs business site, wif (COTS) parts in ‘airy different prce- performance point built satlites, notin replacement to those but to complement ther. Taking that route to build satelites at a much lower price, tomers} get constellations of ‘acilies. Jacobs has experie managing and operating th highly regulated space indus vious projects at NASA's Kennedy ace Center ‘September 2008 A nteratonal| 34 satelites, better coverage, and so on that you may not be able to get with one-off traditional satelites. Consteations offer reslience, You've got redundancy. SSTL had eight spacecraft in various dsign/build stages by mid-2022, Cawihome said. In 3 2023, is next launch is the 100g THEOS-2 satelite for the Thailand space agency GISTDA (Goo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency) Project TYCHE, the UK Space Commane's frst intaligance, survaltance and reconnaissance (\SR) satelite, Is scheduled to launch in 2024, This 150k9 satelite is part of the MOD's MINERVA programme to develop a UK space: based ISR constellation. According to.a UK government statement, Project TYCHE will prove “a robust Understanding and analysis of the integration activites, test environments, and interfaces required to establish and maintain UK MOD rights to operate a space-based ISR capability realy.” MINERVA ise is one elemart of the UK government's wider [STAR] Programme, described as “a mut satelite system to support greater global survellanca and inteligence for mitary operations: HydroGNSS and CarbSAR SST is also bulding HydroGNSS, a S5kg small sailite funded by the European Space Agency's Scout programme, and CarbSAR, a technology demonstrator designed to prove a synthetic aperture radar for near to medium-term UK defence ISR strategies. HydroGNSS wil ‘measure hydrological climate variables, including sol moisture, reeze/thaw state Cover permafrost, inundation and wetlands, ‘and above-ground biomass, using global navigation satelites such as GPS and Galileo as radar signal sources, CarbSAR 12] September 2023 AR rtaratoal is partfunded by SSTL along with the "National Security Investment Fund, the UK government's corporate venturing farm for national security and defence technolog ‘Andrew Cawthome sald: “The point of SAR] is two-fold: one, to prove that a ‘new antenna that Oxford Space Systems has developed wil workin space, and wo, to quali the X-band radar payload wll work in conjunction withthe antenna. I's not an operational mission, but about proving the technology.” Lunar Pathfinder ‘further notable SSTL projact is the Lunar Pathfinder, a communications ‘olay satelite for Moon missions. Gawthorne explained: “There's a lot of interest in the Moon at the moment, with Artemis and plans for exploration. \With all that increased traffic, missions will need services, so what wie have proposed ~ and [the] European Space Agency has part-funded ~ is a ‘communications relay satelite “Lunar Pathfinder wil orbit the Moon, providing communications serves for landers and other orbiters. I they've ‘gone to the far side, they will never soo the Earth, and the only way they can get ‘messages to and from those missions is by an otbting spacecraft. Similaty, if youre on a polar mission, you don't have @ continuous view of the Earth sometimes, it dips out of view ~ so having {an ofbiter helps maintain coverage. you are on the naar side, you don't necessarily have to take a transmitter to ‘communicate with Earth, You can take a ‘much smaller transmitter In parallel with Lunar Gateway, the UK Space Agency allocated £50 milion in late February 2023 to assist UK ‘companies in developing services forthe European Space Agency (ESA) Moonlight project, which proposes putting a ‘constalation of satolites around the Moon from 2028 to provide a shared ‘commercial telecommurications and navigation service, ‘Customers increasingly want to do ‘more withthe data, linking to the wider trend of artificial intligence, which has recenty grabbed headines in multiple ‘areas. Cawthome sald: "Customers are ‘almays looking for more resolution in imaging, We started off with a cisa ‘monitoring constellation delivering 30m resolution, but we're now building precision payloads with a 0.5m resolution, ‘Some ofthe throughput on imagin systems is now geting 60 large it ‘doesn't make any sense for people to look at each of these images manual Itmakes more sense for some kind of ‘automated inteligent process to extract the data, We're seeing more of that kind of request” 3D-printed rocket Returning to launch activities, Skyrora hhas a deal with SaxaVord to conduct its inital orbital launches trom the Shetland Islands. Skyrorais curently undertaking full-duration tests ofits 7OKN engine twill Use ints forthcoming Skyrora XL rocket The company 3D-rinted the engine Using its Skyprint 2 machine, which it says manufactures approximately 66% faster and at a 20% lower cost than the previous method. ‘Alor a second-stage test at Maohrihanish, various parameters wil bo evalvatod, including life-cycle and full ‘operational envelope. At the same time, the engine runs for 250 seconds, the ‘same amount of time it wil operate in an factual launch, A successful test will be inicated by nominal chamber pressures ‘and thrust vals with no damage to the hardware. An article iteation consisting of data analysis, design adjustments ‘and manufacturing can be completed in ‘approximately three weeks, ‘Skyrora says XL will become the first ‘ever cormmercial engine o use a closed ‘oyele staged combustion system run on a propellant combination of hydrogen peroxide and kerosene. Orbital cleaning The problem posed byt space junk has ‘been in the news in rocent years and efforts are underway to develop new technologies for debris removal. The UK subsidiary ofthe Japan-headquartered, Astroscale, together with OneWNeb, SatixFy and Celestia UK, received funding via the ESA Sunrise Programme to develop a system called ELSA-M to remove multiple retired satlites from ttt in a single mission ‘Along with newer companies such as Astroscale and Skyrora, established ‘aerospace OEMs are also involved in space technology in the UK, most significantly Airbus Defence and Space UK (Airous DS}. The company has for decades been a significant player in European space activities with satelite desigrumanufacturing (under ts STL subsidiary), with facilities in Stevenage, Portsmouth and Hawthoen, Recent achievements include the creation of ESA's flagship Solar Orbiter and the ExoMars Rosalind Frardlin rover, the latter due to launch in 2028, Airbus DS is working on the MOD's next-generation SKYNET A miltary ‘communications satellte under a ful service contract to design, develop, manufacture, assemble, integrate, tast ‘and launch the satelite. A spokesperson says SKYNET 6A, based on its Eurostar Neo telecommunications satelite, ses “the unique Airbus military ‘communications payload, adopting the latest digital processing to provide more capacity and greater versatity than previous SKYNET satelites ‘critical design reviow of SKYNET 6A was passed in 2022. Complete satelite integration wil take place at Aitous facies in the UK, folowed by testing Using RAL Space facitios at Harwel in (Oxfordshire, before being launched in £2025 on a SpaceX Faloon 9, Looking further ahead, in June 2027, ESA wil launch another Arbus Ds- manufactured satelite, FORUM, to ‘measure Neat emitted from the Earth into space. Al ‘Abus wi produce the FORUM state to measure ‘heat ented trom the Eat int space ops pce {LSA.A is designed to remove mule tied {Salles rom ait n 9 single mister UkSone oe A static reo the SkyroraX rocket engine ‘ra _Syrra ie tetng its XL rocket engin in Mlotan safe ‘September 2008 A nteraicnal] 33 HILL’s fyecegeeooler TT Technical progress Coola (a Sana Hill HX50, the rel alcuarcaley Geveloprent in the UK, Mark Broadbent Coigre te it) acToMLe CBee Sells powered, three-bade composite heicopter to bring performance and luxury to private aircraft ownership. The company says its approach has ently reimagined!" how to get an all-new ircraft to the market at an afford price It says: “Light helicopter owners fll into two broad categories — private and commercial users, While an aircraft may ‘mest performance requirements for both, private owners demand far more modem technology, greater luxury, frequent product refreshes and notably difere Support compared to their commercial ‘operator counterpart The company says its Oual Role Approval Model “allows us to serve best the needs of both distinctly diferent user bases with two variants of the seme 96] September 2023 AR rtaratoal cuocianse row Ler Proton of gut low-cost srostuctures 2 ay focus othe project ‘i Hooper haa masse 65 orders or ts ‘gh sramined once ay 2023 ‘econ component development work ince ‘optimising bade roquonces on he compressor ia ‘he 50 engine aircraft”. The baseline HX5O serves private ‘owners, while an HO5O version to be doveloped later will focus on commercial applications. Both versions are essentially identical leach meeting the latest European Union| Aviation Safety Agency OS-27 and US Federal Aviation Administration Part 27, Certification standards for smallnorral category rotoreratt. “The HX50 wil not have a type certificate, Instead, it ill have a UK (vil Aviation Authority (CAA) Permit to Fly (equivalent to CS-27/Part 27), with customers receiving an amateur-buit airworthiness approval fr their helicopt raft wil be factory-buit in IK, with oeners participating in 58 itself during a 1 two-week course at Hil Helicopters’ facil, (though owners wl not be involved in assembjing the airrame, engine, rotor bk Hil Heicopters says this 2 which it calls General Aviator tenable the HXS0 to be faster than a normal ceriied aircraft and at an attractive price for private owner ‘The company says: "GA 20 provides a roadmap that promotes the design of sircraft that are more desirable, powerful ‘and cost-effective, with fll long-term ‘support forthe private owner built into their purchase The fallow-on HOSO commercial variant willbe offered with a tractiona type tiicate, with the intial certifeation fom the UK GAA and subsequent type validations folowing worldwide, Hil Helicopters explained: “By fusing the best elements ofthe cetfication process with those af recreational aviation, GA 20 makes owner-operaters the focus ofthe general aviation industry and, together with HX50, wl tigger @ ong overdue renaissance in private aviation, Ina mid-July 2023 presentation, the company disclosed it had amassed ‘comprising 702 H) ‘Carbon is amazing’ ‘Advanced carbon-f commercial airiners such as the Bc 787 Dreaminer and Airbus A360 — but notin helicopters. “The HX50 uses a single-piece fuselage faka monolage) made from composites. During a July 2023 webinar, Hil Helicopters’ founder and chief executive officer, Dr Jason Hil, sid: "Carbon is really good for aircraft” The carbon laminate Hil Helicopters nas developed forthe HX50's tll boom consists of a single ply of carbon, a honeycomb core and another single of carbon. The resuting material is exceptionally sti, strong enough to withstand the full weight ofan adit jumping up and down on it and yet “ludicrously igh’, Dr Hil said. Using ‘carbon means the Hx50s tall boom weighs 20g all in, he pointed out fe explained more about exactly why carbon is so well suited to aerespace ions: "Because it's essentially made up of lots of citferent load paths ‘and bathed in a resin that passes the load ‘rom one fibre to another, t's full of natural crack stoppers: Dr Hil contin: From the pont ot view ofa helicopter, where the main rotor is permanent shaking te thing is very Gifcut for cracks to propagate. For our ‘apptcaton, [arbor] an increible materi i's dificult to ma ‘composite parts, but once you can do it, you can make the sist, strongest and most

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