torsdag 31. desember 2015

Helikopter - Svenskenes NH90 ASW ble bestilt i 2001..... AIN

Mulig dette er ny rekord i forsinkelse - Legg merke til at svenskene har en utgave av typen som er ca. 30cm høyere under taket i kabinene enn den norske. Det er ståhøyde med andre ord. (Red.)

Swedes Accept First NH90 for ASW after Long Delay

- December 29, 2015, 3:25 PM

The first Swedish NH90 equipped for ASW deploys its sonar during flight tests before delivery. (Photo: Airbus Helicopters)

Airbus Helicopters has delivered the first NH90 in full anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configuration to Sweden, after many delays. The Swedish Defence Material Administration (Swedish acronym FMV) ordered 18 NH90s for troop transport, search and rescue (SAR) and ASW as long ago as 2001. It subsequently ordered 15 UH-60M Black Hawks from Sikorsky for the troop transport role and allocated 13 of the NH90s to SAR. Saab acted as missions system integrator for the Swedish order.

Swedish officials previously expressed much dissatisfaction with the NH90 but have recently signaled greater confidence in the helicopter by awarding the makers a new contract to modify four of the SAR versions already delivered for ASW, so that the future fleet is split equally between the ASW and SAR missions. During a briefing for journalists before the Paris Air Show last June, Swedish air force chief Maj. Gen. Micael Byden said, “TheNH90 has to improve. It’s not doing enough.” At the same briefing, FMV director-general Lena Erixon said she was “more confident today than two years ago” about the NH90, but that full operational capability was still “some years away.”

The ASW version of the NH90 has a higher cabin to accommodate the mission system, tactical radar and underwater sonar. Sweden intends to equip its NH90s with a new, lightweight torpedo. Wolfgang Schoder, head of governmental programs for Airbus Helicopters, said the Swedish ASW NH90s are “specially tailored for the operative environment in the Baltic Sea [and] best suited for the customer’s requirements.” In October 2014, a submarine was spotted in the Stockholm archipelago, but Swedish forces were unable to force it to the surface. Russia denied any involvement.

Airbus Helicopters said that the first ASW NH90 had been thoroughly tested by the Swedish acceptance team at the Donauworth factory in Germany, and over water near the company’s Marignane factory in southern France. “With 260 NH90s already delivered to 13 nations and nearly 100,000 flying hours in operation, this combat-proven helicopter is now confirming its worth at the hands of the most demanding customers,” said Schoder.

C-130J fortsatt populær i US Army

Lockheed Martin To Build 32 Super Hercules Aircraft For US Air Force; Contract Worth $1B

C-130J Super Hercules
A U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules aircraft takes part in a flying display during the 49th Paris Air Show at the Le Bourget airport near Paris June 24, 2011.

The U.S. Air Force has awarded a contract worth $1 billion to Lockheed Martin Corp. for its Super Hercules military airlift aircraft, the U.S. Department of Defense said Wednesday. The announcement comes amid a legal battle between the defense contractor and the Pentagon over a separate deal.

"Lockheed Martin Corp., Marietta, Georgia, has been awarded a $1,060,940,036... contract for C-130J [Super Hercules aircraft] multi-year production aircraft," the defense department said, in a statement. Lockheed is expected to build 32 new Super Hercules aircraft and supply it to the army by April 2020, the statement added.

A320neo delayed due to technical complecities - Curt Lewis

Airbus delays delivery of first A320neo aircraft

Airbus has pushed back the delivery of its first A320neo aircraft to the start of 2016, it said on Wednesday, missing a goal to hand over the revamped version of the jet to its initial customer by the end of 2015.

The A320neo, seen as a profit driver for Airbus and its suppliers in coming years, won safety approval in late November, and Airbus said it was working with its development partners to bring the plane into operation.

"All three partners continue working with all efforts and full focus towards bringing the fuel-efficient A320neo into service within the next weeks," Airbus said in a statement, adding that the problem lay with documentation for the delivery, but without giving any further details.

German carrier Lufthansa became the first airline due to take delivery of the A320neo passenger jet earlier this month, after Qatar Airways voiced uncertainty over the performance of its Pratt & Whitney engines.

Lufthansa said it had agreed with Airbus to delay the delivery to the start of 2016 due to "technical complexities".

Easyjet on wrong runway - Curt Lewis

Easyjet A319 Lands on Wrong Runway (Pisa, Italy)

Date:	30-DEC-2015
Time:	11:11
Type:	Airbus A319-111
Owner/operator:	easyJet
Registration:	G-EZBY
C/n / msn:	3176
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Other fatalities:	0
Airplane damage:	None
Location:	Pisa Airport (PSA/LIRP) - Italy
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Manchester International Airport (MAN/EGCC)
Destination airport:	Pisa-Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA/LIRP)

Narrative:
Easyjet flight U21847 from Manchester, U.K. to Pisa, Italy, landed on the wrong runway at Pisa Airport.
The flight was cleared to land on runway 04L but landed on runway 04R instead, according to the Italian ANSV.

A Notam published on December 23, 2015 stated that runway 04R/22L was available as taxiway only and that 04L/22R was available as runway in use:

Air India with stowaway - A rat - Curt Lewis

Rat on a plane! Air India flight to London returns after rodent sighting

Airline sources said the Dreamliner aircraft which left Mumbai at 7am was in the Tehran airspace when the crew had a 'fleeting glance' of a rodent in the pantry. (HT File Photo)

Nearly halfway into its journey to London on Wednesday morning, an Air India flight carrying around 240 passengers from Mumbai had to return after a cabin crew member spotted a rat on board.
Airline sources said the Dreamliner aircraft which left Mumbai at 7am was in the Tehran airspace when the crew had a 'fleeting glance' of a rodent in the pantry.

According to safety rules laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilot got in touch with the Mumbai air traffic control (ATC) tower and decided to turn back. The flight arrived in the city around 12.50 pm, ATC officials said.

After passengers got off the flight, the aircraft was taken to a remote parking bay for an inspection and a fumigation exercise was prescribed by the safety regulator, airport officials said.

An AI spokesperson confirmed the flight returned to the city as a "preventive measure" but the presence of a rodent on board was being investigated. The passengers were given another aircraft for the journey to London.

Nyttårshilsen til mekanikerne

Nyttårshilsen til de kvinner og menn som holder fly- og helikoptre i orden

Vi husker alle brødrene Wright som kom seg i luften med en farkost som var tyngre enn luft på en strand i Nord Carolina i 1903. Men få husker Charlie Taylor, en mekaniker i brødrenes sykkelverksted i Dayton, Ohio. Allikevel, det var Taylor, som ved å få satt sammen en forbrenningsmotor i støpt aluminium i steder for den vanlige støpejernsmotoren, som bidro sterkt til at flyet, Flyer One, var lett- og kraftig nok til å få brødrene i luften. Det er lett å glemme alt som skal til for å holde fly i luften i dag, og den viktige rollen teknikerne spiller i det hele. Derfor denne hilsen til de trofaste sliterne som sjelden får fortjent honnør for jobben de gjør.
Godt Nytt År!

Kina med det første hjemmebygde hangarskipet - CNN

China says it's building new homegrown aircraft carrier

By Jethro Mullen and Shen Lu, CNN

Updated 1055 GMT (1855 HKT) December 31, 2015

China's first aircraft carrier

Story highlights

The U.S. military has long believed China was working on its own aircraft carrier
Beijing says new ship will bring "improvements in many aspects" on its current carrier
China reiterates that it remains on "the path of peaceful development"

Beijing (CNN)China says it's building a new homegrown aircraft carrier as it seeks to expand its military clout.

Beijing already has one aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which it bought from Ukraine in 1998, spent years refurbishing and put into service in 2012.

The new carrier was "independently designed in China" and is being constructed in the northeastern port of Dalian, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun said Thursday.

The U.S. military and independent analysts have long believed that China has been working on its own aircraft carrier project while using the Liaoning for training purposes.

"China ... continues to pursue an indigenous aircraft carrier program and could build multiple aircraft carriers over the next 15 years," the Pentagon said in its annual assessment of the Chinese military earlier this year.

South China Sea tensions

The new carrier's design and construction is "based on research and experimentation" on the Liaoning and will bring "improvements in many aspects," Yang said in a statement.

19 photos: China celebrates World War II victory

China has been ramping up its military spending to reflect its growing international influence. Naval power is of particular significance, with Beijing locked in a series of territorial disputes with regional neighbors in the East and South China Seas.

It's extensive claims in the South China Sea, where it's built artificial islands to bolster its assertions, have led to some tense encounters with American ships and planes in the region.

Ski-jump takeoffs

It's unclear whether the Liaoning is fully operational yet. In its assessment earlier this year, the Pentagon said aircraft squadrons weren't expected to embark until 2015 or later.

A Chinese J-31 stealth fighter jet takes off for a demonstration flight on November 9, in Zhuhai, China.

The new carrier will have a gross tonnage of 50,000 tons and a conventional power source, Yang said.

It is expected to carry Chinese J-15 fighter jets and other aircraft, he said. Fixed-wing planes will be able to perform ski-jump takeoffs.

The Defense Ministry promised to continue to provide updates on the carrier's progress.

'The path of peaceful development'

But it's likely be a long time before the Chinese People's Liberation Army is able to match the naval capabilities of the U.S. military, which has 10 aircraft carriers in service and two under construction.

In the Defense Ministry statement, Yang reiterated that China will stick to "the path of peaceful development" and "a national defense policy that is defensive in nature."

"We have a long coastline and vast sea areas under our jurisdiction," he said. "It is a sacred duty of the Chinese armed forces to safeguard maritime security, sovereignty over territorial seas and the maritime rights of the country."

But some of China's neighbors vigorously dispute how far Beijing's sovereignty extends across the waves.

Shen Lu reported from Beijing and Jethro Mullen wrote from Hong Kong.

Lekteren er under kontroll kl 14

Foto fra NRK

Lekteren passerte forbi Valhall - Andre rigger kan bli truffet

Lekteren passerte Valhall med 1000m klaring kl 12.40. Andre rigger kan bli truffet, så det er viktig å få lekteren under slep. Et slep under de forholdene som har vært og er i Nordsjøen, høres hasardiøst ut.

Spennende i Nordsjøen - Helikopterevakuering på gang - NRK

– Lekteren driver nå rett mot feltsenteret, så situasjonen har blitt mye forverret for oss, sier pressetalsmann Jan Erik Geirmo i BP Norge til NRK klokka 10.
– Vi har stengt ned produksjonen og vi skal totalavmanne Valhall. Det skal ikke være noen igjen. De 71 som vi har igjen nå flys til Ekofisk-feltet, sier han.
Den 110 meter lange og 30 meter brede lekteren «Eide Barge 33» driver i Nordsjøen, i retning Valhall. BP skal nå totalevakuere feltet. ConocoPhillips har stengt ned produksjonen på to felt, og evakuert 145 arbeidere fra Eldfisk-senteret på Ekofisk, nord for Valhall.
– Det jobbes fortsatt med å stanse lekteren. De forsøker nå å få kontakt med slepet som har røket, og hvis ikke det går har de utstyr til å skyte fast en harpun, sier Ben Vikøren ved Hovedredningssentralen for Sør-Norge.
Lekteren er nå ca 25 kilometer unna Valhall-feltet.

Hundre meter lang og 30 meter bred

Klokka 21 i går kveld fikk BP melding om at en stor lekter hadde slitt seg og drev nordover mot de åtte plattformene på Valhall-feltet, lengst sør på norsk sokkel i Nordsjøen.
Etter at selskapet fikk meldinga satte de i gang beredskapsteamet offshore og på land.
– Etter flere vurderinger startet vi evakueringen. Det første helikopteret var framme på Valhall ca. 02.45. Siden det har fire helikoptre gått i skytteltrafikk, sa pressetalsmann Per Ivar Hansen i BP tidlig torsdag.
I tillegg til BPs plattformer blir også en av Maersk Drillings rigger evakuert.
Lekteren som slet seg under slep er den 110 meter lange og 30 meter brede «Eide Barge 33». Den er ubemannet og eies av rederiet Eide Marine.

Kan treffe torsdag formiddag

Hovedredningssentralen anslår at lekteren kan treffe en av installasjonene til BP Norge torsdag formiddag. Først ble klokkeslettet estimert til 10-tiden, men så sakket farten lekteren. Klokka 10 anslår HRS at lekteren når Valhall om to timer.
Arbeidet med å forsøkte å stanse lekteren er i gang. Blant annet bistår to båter fra Ekofisk-feltet i arbeidet.
I natt var det storm flere steder i Nordsjøen. Det er fortsatt sterk vind i området.
– Nå er det stiv til sterk kuling på Valhall-feltet. Det blåser 17-18 meter per sekund. Det er ganske mye, men ikke ekstremt mye vind. I formiddag skal det løye til 15 meter i sekundet, sier statsmeteorolog Terje Alsvik Walløe klokka 09.

Droner - Sjekk Tokiopolitiets nye opplegg - UAS Vision Video

Tokyo Police Snatch Illegal Drones Out of the Sky

Sjekk video her: http://tinyurl.com/h75bokh

Tokyo police have adopted a new system for dealing
with illegal drones. They now have a fleet of drone
catchers, each equipped with a 10-foot net that can
capture a drone without letting it fall to the ground.

Turbulens - 21 til sykehus - Canada - Curt Lewis

A 'flight from hell': Passengers sent to hospital after turbulence diverts Air Canada flight
Connie Gelber watched as a woman sitting in front of her was violently thrown out of her seat and tossed into the aisle, hours into what was scheduled to be a 14-hour flight from Shanghai to Toronto.
A terrified Gelber heard cries and saw phones, purses and anything that wasn't anchored down hit the ceiling when rough turbulence shook the Boeing 777 and injured nearly two dozen passengers as the plane flew over Alaska.
"It was the flight from hell," Gelber said. "It was frightening. Honestly, we didn't know if we were going to live or die."
Gelber was one of 332 passengers on the flight bound for Toronto that made an emergency landing in Calgary around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday due to extreme turbulence.
When authorities got word the plane was diverted to Calgary, a mass casualty protocol was enacted. Paramedics from outside of Calgary were enlisted at the same time that fire trucks, police cruisers and 15 ambulances rushed to the airport to greet the plane.
Paramedics pushed at least 10 stretchers carrying injured patients wrapped in blankets through the busy departure level of the airport to ambulances that lined the second-level concourse late Wednesday afternoon.
EMS spokesman Stuart Brideaux said emergency responders assessed 25 passengers from the aircraft and ambulances transported 21 people - including three children - to hospitals across the city with a variety of injuries.
"Approximately seven of the patients, all adults, did sustain possible neck and back injuries, but at this time (all injuries) are believed to be non life-threatening," he said, noting none of the injured were crew members.
On Wednesday evening, Air Canada said some of the hurt passengers had already been released from hospital.
An injured passengers with their head covered is transported by Calgary EMS crews after the Shanghai to
The passengers who weren't taken to hospital were eventually booked onto other flights.
Rui Jhao, who suffered minor injuries, caught an 8 p.m. flight to Toronto. He waited in line to check in with large red scrapes above and below his left eye - a visual record of what he experienced during the memorable flight from China.
"I hit the wall and got damaged," Jhao said.
Speaking at South Health Campus, where his 11-year-old daughter Grace was being treated, Chang Wang said the girl received bruises to her head and was suffering back pain after she was thrown into the next row of seats during the journey.
"There was terrible turbulence ... some vibration and then suddenly a huge drop," Wang said. "Things were flying through the air everywhere."
While there was an on-board announcement of heavy weather prior to the incident and a reminder to buckle up, Wang said he understands that his daughter, who was seated with others elsewhere in the cabin, was sleeping and did not hear the warning.
The girl was among several patients being assessed and treated at South Health Campus for their injuries Wednesday evening. A member of the Air Canada special assistance team was at the hospital to assist passengers and their families.
Several passengers praised the 19 crew members' professionalism throughout the incident. They warned passengers in advance, said Toronto resident Gord Murray.
"The pilot said, 'this is going to be a very turbulent area,' " he noted.
Murray said that when the rough turbulence was over, medical professionals who were on the flight jumped in to help the injured passengers.
"We're all happy to be back on the ground safe and sound," he said after departing the plane in Calgary.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, the executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Air Canada acknowledged the experience was "very unsettling" for many aboard the aircraft.
"Safety is always our first priority and so any incident involving the safety of our passengers and crew is of utmost concern," said Klaus Goersch.

Several passengers recalled hearing cries and watching people who weren't wearing seatbelts get thrust out of their seats when the plane began to shake.
"Some guys just flew," said Liu Pinzhou. "It was crazy."
Yi Re, one of the first passengers to exit the plane, said passengers didn't know if the aircraft would survive the turbulence.
(The plane was) moving sideways, up and down ... very violently," he said.
Like many on the flight, passenger Linea He said the experience was something she never wants to repeat.
"I was scared, really scared," she said.
"It was like suddenly the plane was going down."

Patients are transported to hospital from the Calgary International Airport in Calgary on Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015.
"They will see if they can gather enough evidence to understand what happened," said Julie Leroux, spokeswoman with the investigative agency.

onsdag 30. desember 2015

Droner med Sense-and-Avoid - Avionics

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

uAvionix, Draganfly Integrate UAS ADS-B with Sense-and-Avoid

Juliet Van Wagenen

The Ping network at work with Draganfly Innovations' Surveyor GS. Photo: Draganfly

[Avionics Today 12-30-2015] uAvionix Corp. has integrated its Ping Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver with Draganfly's autopilot and surveyor ground station. Integrated on the vehicle itself, the system presents new ways to improve drone and aviation safety by providing the ability to detect full size aircraft and automatically avoid a potential collision, according to the company.

The Ping network uses live aircraft traffic without relying on a connection to the Internet or cellular networks. uAvionix sees this as the first step toward integrating drones into the national airspace using the existing ADS-B infrastructure.

Helikopter - Mi-38 sertifiseres

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Mi-38 Gets Type Certification

Photo courtesy of Russian Helicopters

Russian Helicopters has received type certification of its medium, multi-role Mil Mi-38 and plans to start serial production of the transport helicopter in 2016 for the Russian market, the company said. The Mi-38 was designed by the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant; Kazan Helicopters is assembling fuselages for the serial-production aircraft.

The head of Russia’s Federal Air Transportation Agency, Alexander Neradko, presented the type certificate to Russian Helicopters CEO Alexander Mikheev today during a ceremony at he Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. The helicopter has been designed to Russian AP-29 standards, which the company said equate to European Aviation Safety Agency Certification Specification 29 and U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 29.

Flight certification testing involved two Mi-38 prototypes fitted with Klimov TV7-117V engines, which had achieved certification earlier this year.

Droner - Vil Norge velge denne maskinen? - Teknisk Ukeblad

Forsvaret har siden 2014 testet droner av typen RQ-20A Puma. Foto: Aerovironment

DRONER I FORSVARET

Dette kan bli Norges nye militærdroner

Forsvaret jakter på flere ubemannede fly.

Av Per Erlien Dalløkken

Publisert 26. desember 2015 kl. 16:00

Det norske forsvaret har i dag to typer droner i bruk:

Nanodronen PD-100 Black Hornet og minidronen RQ-11B Raven.

Mens PD-100 er i ferd med å leveres og tas i bruk i løpet av vinteren, har Raven vært i bruk siden 2011 som Forsvarets første operative drone.

Nå er den i ferd med å utfases og vil trolig få en erstatter i løpet av det kommende året.

Flere i testing

Teknisk Ukeblad har besøkt det som gjerne kalles «droneskvadronen» på Rygge. Det er ikke en skvadron i rette forstand, men her på Luftforsvarets flytaktiske skole (LFTS) er det opplæring også for dem som skal operere ubemannede fly.

LFTS har i samarbeid med blant andre Hærens våpenskole en stund hatt et par aktuelle kandidater til testing: RQ-12A Wasp og RQ-20A Puma.

Begge disse dronene produseres av amerikanske Aerovironment som også lager Raven.

Etter det Teknisk Ukeblad forstår, er planen å fase Raven ut i løpet av et år og muligens erstatte den med dronetyper som er henholdsvis noe mindre og noe større enn Raven.

Kampvognprosjektet

Forsvarets logistikkorganisasjon (Flo) vil ikke gå i detalj om hvor langt de er kommet i løypa:

– I forbindelse med UAV i tilknytning til kampvognprosjektet har Flo nå startet en prosess mot amerikanske myndigheter for å anskaffe ubemannede fly. Tidspunkt for kontrakt vil komme som en naturlig del av den prosess som nå er igangsatt, skriver kommunikasjonsrådgiver Simen Rudi i Flo i en epost.

Kamvognprosjektet er som kjent modernisering og nyanskaffelse av 144 CV90 stormpanservogner.

Anders Lie, sjef for UAS-seksjonen i Luftoperativt inspektorat, med en RQ-20A Puma i dronehangaren på Rygge. Foto: Eirik Helland Urke

Dette er RQ-12A Wasp Foto: Aerovironment

Prosjektet inkluderer «eleverte sensorer». Ifølge tidsplanen skal vogner leveres ut 2018 og alle sensorer i prosjektet, inkludert droner, skal leveres i løpet av 2019.

Styrer dem selv

Pål Forus i Forsvarets logistikkorganisasjon (Flo) forteller om da Raven ble anskaffet for over fem over siden.
Det var på bakgrunn av testing tidligere på 2000-tallet med den tyske dronen EMT Aladin. Konklusjonen var at denne typen systemer gir betydelig økt operasjonssikkerhet for egne styrker.
Prosjektet ble gitt prioritet og mini-uas-en Raven ble tatt i bruk av norske styrker som på denne tida befant seg i Afghanistan.

RQ-20A Puma regnes som en av de største dronene som kan sendes ut for hånd. Foto: Sgt Jennifer Cohen

– Fordel med små systemer som Raven er at soldatene råder over ressursene selv. Laglederen styrer bruken av dem. På større taktiske og ikke minst strategiske droner, må man stille seg i kø for å få tilgang. PD-100 går ytterligere et steg ned på stigen. Nå får enkeltsoldaten denne kapasiteten, forklarer Forus.

Forbedringer

Da Raven ble kjøpt inn, hadde den samme dronen blitt levert i rundt tre tusen eksemplarer til den amerikanske hæren. Det var med andre ord velprøvd teknologi. Men nå begynner den å bli avleggs.

Trening med RQ-11B Raven på Rena. Foto: Anette Ask / Forsvaret

Der norske Raven har faste sensorer, har de nye dronene styrte EO/IR-sensorer i gimbaloppheng, forbedret effektivitet og batterier som gir bedre utholdenhet.
Disse kan låse sensorene på et bakkemål og sirkler deretter automatisk over målet.
På Rygge får vi se Puma som med sitt vingespenn på nesten tre meter er blant de største dronene som kan sendes ut for hånd. Den veier 6 kg og er i nyeste versjon i stand til å operere i 3,5 timer opp til 15 kilometer fra bakkestasjonen.
Wasp er langt mindre med en vekt på 1,3 kg og 50 minutters flytid. Begge disse benytter samme bakkestasjoner som dagens Raven.
Både Puma og Wasp er allværsvarianter som også kan lande på vann.