tirsdag 30. april 2024

Helikopter - Nytt Chinook konsept fra Piasecki - AW&ST

 

Det første som slår meg når jeg ser slike konsepter er: Her er mye leamikk som kan svikte. (Red.)



Piasecki Refreshes Hybrid Chinook Concept

 

Credit: GN/AWSTAURORA, Colorado—Piasecki Aircraft says an updated version of long-running concept studies of a radically modified Boeing CH-47 Chinook combining the helicopter’s existing twin-rotor system with a tiltwing and twin tilting ducted fans has become more relevant with the U.S. Army’s growing drive for longer range troop transport and logistics support.

Company President and CEO John Piasecki says a modernized version of the concept would also fit with the service’s recent decision to overhaul its aviation modernization plans following the cancellation of the Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program.

Canceling FARA and the Sikorsky UH-60V Black Hawk has freed up resources for the Army to commit to a multiyear procurement of the UH-60M Black Hawk along with associated upgrades. The service will enter the upgraded CH-47F Block II Chinook into production, with a path to full-rate production.

The Army’s decision to continue as planned with development of the Bell V-280, the winner of the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA), is the real driver for the proposed hybrid Chinook, Piasecki says. He spoke to Aviation Week April 25 at the Army Aviation Association of America’s summit here.

“The Army has expanded its future vertical lift capability with the V280, so you’re going to have to sustain the troops at longer ranges. So, it’s a concept for upgrading the CH-47,” he adds.

In 2008 Piasecki and Boeing revealed they had worked together on a “minimum” modification of the Chinook, called the Tilt Duct CH-47, which included a simplified version of the Vectored Thrust Ducted Propeller flown on Piasecki’s X-49A Speedhawk. Other proposed changes to the basic CH-47 at the time included bigger engines to drive the rotors and props, relocating the fuel tanks under the cabin, streamlining the aft fuselage and fairing the hubs to reduce drag.

Piasecki’s updated vision adds a set of high-aspect ratio tilt wings, each about the length of one of the helicopter’s existing rotor blades. The wings are mounted on pivots located around mid-fuselage. The concept retains the tilting ducted fans which now closely resemble units in development by the company for the U.S. Air Force-funded Aerial Reconfigurable Embedded System (ARES) vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) uncrewed aircraft system (UAS). The tilt ducts are mounted on struts on either side of the aft rotor pylon.

“It takes off vertically with the wings angled down and the ducts positioned vertically. Then it transitions into forward flight and unloads the rotor so you can carry more without damaging the system, and you can go fast so you can get the throughput needed to support troops over much longer distances,” Piasecki says. The added lift from the wing and thrust from the ducts would help delay the onset of retreating blade stall, enabling higher speed flight, he adds.

Like the earlier study, the updated modification would also include more powerful engines. Piasecki says this would see the CH-47’s existing Honeywell T55 turboshafts replaced with the more powerful 7,500 shp GE Aerospace GE38 engine developed for the CH-53K heavylift helicopter.

“These engines have got more power than this drive system can handle. So we would max out the power to the rotors for maximum lift, then we would shunt the excess power output to the fan so they produce lift in hover as well,” Piasecki says.

“The net effect is your useful load is increased, even though you’re putting the wing and thrusters on it. Then you can use the engines to go faster and they’ve got better (performance) specifics,” he notes.

Helikopter - Boeing (Leonardo) selger ytterligere 7 MH-139A til USAF -

 

Boeing secures contract for 7 additional MH-139A helicopters for U.S. Air Force

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Boeing has been awarded a $178 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to produce seven MH-139A helicopters, bringing the total under contract to 26.

The award signifies progress towards full-rate production, supporting the Air Force’s modernisation efforts.

Azeem Khan, MH-139 program director, emphasises the importance of delivering on commitments to enhance national security capabilities. With the first production aircraft undergoing testing and others in production, Boeing remains on schedule to deliver the first LRIP aircraft this summer.

The MH-139A, based on the Leonardo Helicopters AW139, is designed for patrol, search and rescue, and transport missions, equipped with advanced technology for efficient and safe operations.

Regjeringen om nordisk forsvarssamarbeid - Regjeringen

 


 

Anko Van der Werff om fremtiden for europas flyselskaper - AW&ST Routes


SAS CEO Articulates EU’s Competing Priorities; SkyTeam Join Date Firmed

 
SAS
Credit: Ocean Driven Media

Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) CEO Anko Van der Werff is pointing out the EU’s apparent incongruity regarding air travel costs, observing how European regulations are pushing up air fares while EU anti-trust rulings seek to protect consumers against air fare increases.

Van der Werff’s comments came just as SAS finalized its SkyTeam join date for Sept. 1, 2024, as part of its own consolidation with SkyTeam member Air France-KLM. The Franco-Dutch airline group is acquiring 19.9% of SAS as part of a wider consortium. This means SAS will leave Star Alliance on Aug. 31, and Van der Werff is hoping to use the move to explore joint venture opportunities within SkyTeam.

However, the Air France-KLM-SAS deal must first secure EU competition clearance. During an on-stage interview at Routes Europe in Aarhus, Denmark, Van der Werff was quizzed on the European Commission’s (EC) stance on consolidation.

Israel - Lederne av landet kan få arrestordre på seg av den Internasjonale Strafferettsdomstolen - Associated Press

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

mandag 29. april 2024

Israelske styrker. bestående av ultra ortodokse, begikk flere menneskerettighetsbrudd før krigsutbruddet - CNN

 

"Israel har rett til å forsvare seg", lyder temmelig hult nå. (Red.)


US determines 5 Israeli security units committed human rights violations before outbreak of Gaza war

Jennifer Hansler

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

 3 minute read 

Updated 1:58 PM EDT, Mon April 29, 2024

 

In this 2014 photo, Israeli soldiers of the Ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion take part in their annual unit training in the Israeli annexed Golan Heights, near the Syrian border. Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images/File

CNN — 

The US State Department has determined that five Israeli security units committed gross violations of human rights prior to the outbreak of the war with Hamas in Gaza, but is still deciding whether to restrict military assistance to one of the units under US law.

The other four “have effectively remediated these violations,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Monday.

The US is still deciding whether to restrict assistance to the remaining unit – reported to be the ultra-Orthodox Netzah Yehuda battalion.

“We continue to be in consultations and engagements with the Government of Israel. They have submitted additional information as it pertains to that unit, and we’re continuing to have those conversations,” Patel said.

“All of these were incidents much before October 7, and none took place in Gaza,” Patel noted.

According to a source familiar, the Israelis told the US in recent weeks about previously undisclosed actions they’ve taken and the US is reviewing those actions to see whether they are sufficient enough to hold off restricting aid.

Under the Leahy Law, the US cannot provide assistance to foreign security units that are credibly implicated in human rights abuses, but there is an exception “permitting resumption of assistance to a unit if the Secretary of State determines and reports to Congress that the government of the country is taking effective steps to bring the responsible members of the security forces unit to justice.”

In recent weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken repeatedly alluded to having made a determination under the law. He described the Leahy Law determination process as “a good example of a process that is very deliberate.”

“It seeks to get the facts, to get all the information – that has to be done carefully. And that’s exactly how we proceeded as we proceed with any country that is the recipient of military assistance from the United States,” he said last week.

Patel pushed back on the idea that Israel was “being offered unique treatment” by being granted more time to present information to hold off potential punishment.

“There is nothing that I have outlined here that is inconsistent with the Leahy process,” he said.

Patel would not provide details about when the “additional information” was presented to the US. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed immense anger and concern following reports of potential impending action several weeks ago.

“This continues to be an ongoing process. And if at any point remediation efforts or things like that are found to be inconsistent with the standards that we find, there of course will be a restriction on applicable US assistance,” Patel said.

Patel also declined to detail the units or speak about specifics of the remediation process. He said he did not know whether the fifth unit had taken any remediation steps.

“The standard of remediation is that these respective countries take effective steps to hold the accountable party to justice. And that is different on a country-by-country basis,” he said at a press briefing.

This story has been updated with additional details.

Air China kjøper 100 C919 fra Comac - ChinaDaily.com

 


Air China signs deal to buy 100 C919 aircraft for $11b

By SHI JING | chinadaily.com.cn | Updated: 2024-04-29 14:10

Air China announced on Friday night to purchase 100 C919 aircraft from Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC), the plane manufacturer.

According to COMAC's latest price catalogue, this order will cost Air China about $10.8 billion, which includes the prices for aircraft's fuselage, additional components and engines. The new jetliners, which are scheduled to be delivered from 2024 to 2031 in batches, will increase Air China's capacity by 7.5 percent, according to the airlines' announcement.

China Eastern Airlines inked a deal with COMAC in late September to purchase an additional 100 C919 aircraft. In 2021, China Eastern became the first global customer of the homegrown passenger aircraft C919 by purchased five such jetliners. It received all the five planes in early March.

China Eastern's latest C919 order seemed cheaper than that of Air China, as the former only paid $9.9 billion for the same number of planes. But it should be noted that Air China has purchased the extended-range models, which is different from the basic models purchased by China Eastern.

But the 100 C919 aircraft ordered by China Eastern will also be delivered between 2024 and 2031, the same period as that for Air China.

COMAC has been receiving increasing orders for C919 planes.

In late April 2023, HNA Aviation Group signed a framework agreement with COMAC, saying that Urumqi Air and Suparna Airlines, two HNA's subsidiaries, will purchase 30 C919 planes respectively. Suparna Airlines will receive its first C919 plane in the fourth quarter this year, making it the world's first private carrier to fly C919. The rest C919 jetliners will be delivered to Suparna by the end of 2027.

Elon Musks Starlink klar for Hawaiian Airlines - Curt Lewis

 

Low orbit, high costs, sies det om systemet som koster en bakkebasert familie US$ 120/mnd. (Red).



Fastest in-flight WiFi yet? Testing Starlink on Hawaiian Airlines

If you’ve flown recently, you know that in-flight WiFi can be slow, laggy and unresponsive.

But not anymore.

Hawaiian Airlines has been busy installing super speedy Starlink internet on board their planes.

Recently, they brought me on board a flight from Long Beach to Honolulu to check it out.

How do you know your plane has the upgrade? A sticker on the door lets you know. Look for it before you board.

Then, once you’re on, the internet starts the moment you get to your seat. No need to wait to connect.

Immediately, I did a few speed tests and was super impressed with the results.

I got bursts of speed topping 200 megabits per second, and consistent speeds around 100.

That’s similar to a connection at home.

Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram

I was able to stream Netflix, upload and download large files, play Roblox and even stream a Peloton workout (too bad I didn’t have a bike!).

There’s really no need to plan ahead and download anymore. You can just watch what you want on your own streaming services, on demand.

“It is really important for us as a smaller airline to have that distinctive level of service,” said Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram. “If you think about the real earliest generations of connectivity on airplanes… the common theme was… it was terrible.”

“This is amazing,” fellow passenger Adriene Xerri told me. She’s been on flights to Hawaii many times as an employee with the travel company Pleasant Holidays.

“Feedback’s been great… both from guests and flight attendants… they’ve really been impressed with the quality of the signal,” said Evan Nomura, Hawaiian Airlines’ director of in-flight entertainment and onboard products.

My take: this internet is so good that in-flight entertainment systems might go by the wayside.

Listen to more of my experience with Starlink on Hawaiian Airlines on my radio show!

Hawaiian’s CEO told me they will continue to outfit some of their planes with screens so passengers have a choice to bring their own entertainment or watch what’s offered on seatback screens.

Starlink is free… and Hawaiian plans to keep it that way.

“We figured since we were later to the party of providing internet connection on our planes… that we would just jump to offering the very very best and offering if it complimentary and letting the rest of the market try to catch up to us,” said Ingram.

So far, Hawaiian Airlines has outfitted all 18 of its A321neo aircraft with Starlink internet service. Later this year, it plans to expand the service to its fleet of 24 A330 planes and to its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Starlink is a game changer up in the air. While there are no data limits and you can connect multiple devices, they do ask that passengers don’t make voice or video calls, or live-stream from their seats, and offensive content is not allowed.

Boeing med T-7A oppdatering - Boeing

 


Boeing T-7A Red Hawk Triples Progress

- Three development milestones recently completed
- Flight testing continues, including high angle of attack

ST. LOUIS, April 29, 2024 — The Boeing [NYSE: BA] T-7A Red Hawk achieved three recent milestones, propelling the advanced pilot trainer for the U.S. Air Force forward.

Climate Chamber Test: T-7A aircraft APT-3, one of five engineering and manufacturing development aircraft, underwent rigorous testing at Eglin Air Force Base, enduring temperatures ranging from -25°F to 110°F. This test evaluated the aircraft system’s performance, including propulsion, hydraulic, fuel, electrical, secondary power, environmental control, and overall operations in extreme environmental conditions. The aircraft has since returned to St. Louis for testing.

Escape System Test: Boeing and the Air Force conducted a dynamic sled test in February at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico. The test focused on design enhancements in the Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, ACES 5 ejection seat and Pacific Scientific EMC’s canopy fracturing system to reduce the risk of injury. During the test, the team implemented variable timing to slow down the ejection seat, using the drogue chute and investigated canopy fracturing system patterns. The team is now preparing to move forward with the next round of development testing.

Flight Control Law: Boeing completed development in February of a new software flight control law and since then, has flown the aircraft more than 10 times, reaching 25-degree angle of attack. Additionally, three of those flights demonstrated the aircraft’s ability to achieve fine tracking while in high angle of attack, a key capability for pilot training. Incorporation of control law 17.5 clears the path for the Air Force to start high angle of attack and departure resistance testing at Edwards Air Force Base.

“The T-7A Red Hawk is poised to revolutionize pilot training, delivering enhanced safety, performance and adaptability, and completing these three milestones shows significant progress in the program’s development,” said Evelyn Moore, vice president and program manager, T-7 Programs. “We will continue with flight testing and the next round of escape system testing throughout this year and into 2025.”

While the T-7A Red Hawk continues to progress in testing and flight completions, Boeing is also building a new production line for low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the T-7A. The company is slated to load the first forward and aft fuselages for LRIP midyear as suppliers are already underway developing parts for production.

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As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. As a top U.S. exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing's diverse team is committed to innovating for the future, leading with sustainability, and cultivating a culture based on the company's core values of safety, quality and integrity. Join our team and find your purpose at boeing.com/careers.

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