World AirNews June 2018

ILA BERLIN
FUTURE COMBAT
AIR SYSTEM
A
IRBUS AND Dassault Aviation have decided to join forces
for the development and production of Europe’s Future
Combat Air System (FCAS), which is slated to complement and
eventually replace current generation of Eurofighter and Rafale
fighter aircraft between 2035 and 2040.
The partnership, sealed in Berlin by Dirk Hoke, Airbus Defence
and Space Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Eric Trappier, Chairman
and CEO of Dassault Aviation, represents a landmark industrial
agreement to secure European sovereignty and technological
leadership in the military aviation sector for the coming decades.
“Never before has Europe been more determined to safeguard
and foster its political and industrial autonomy and sovereignty in
the defence sector. Airbus and Dassault Aviation have absolutely
the right expertise to lead the FCAS project.
Both companies are already co-operating successfully on Europe’s
medium altitude long endurance new generation drone programme,”
said Dirk Hoke, CEO of Airbus Defence and Space. “FCAS
takes this successful cooperation to the next level and we are
absolutely committed to tackling this challenging mission together
with Dassault Aviation.
“The schedule is tight, so we need to start working together
immediately by defining a joint roadmap on how best to meet
the requirements and timelines to be set by the two nations. It is
therefore of key importance that France and Germany launch an
initial joint study this year to address this task.”
Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation, said: “We
are convinced that by deploying our joint expertise, Dassault
Aviation and Airbus can best meet the operational requirements of
the Forces in the development of this critically important European
programme. Both companies fully intend to work together in
the most pragmatic and efficient manner. Our joint roadmap will
include proposals to develop demonstrators for the FCAS programme
as of 2025.
“I am convinced that European sovereignty and strategic autonomy
can, and will, only be ensured through independent European
solutions. The vision that France and Germany have set forth with
FCAS is a bold one and it’s an important signal in, and for, Europe.
DASSAULT RAFALE
Landmark industrial agreement to secure European sovereignty
World Airnews | June 2018
— 42 —
The FCAS programme will strengthen the political and military ties
between Europe’s core nations and it will reinvigorate its aerospace
industry.”
Airbus Defence and Space and Dassault Aviation agree on the importance
of efficient industrial governance in military programmes.
This also includes the involvement of other key European defence
industrial players and nations based on government funding
and on the principle of best contribution.
Overall, FCAS defines a system of systems combining a wide
range of elements connected and operating together, including
a next generation fighter aircraft together with Medium-Altitude
Long-Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), the existing
fleet of aircraft (which will still operate beyond 2040), future cruise
missiles and drones flying in swarms.
The overall system will be interoperable and connected in a
larger perimeter with mission aircraft, satellites, NATO systems and
land and naval combat systems. Q
Airbus Defence AnD spAce chief executive
Officer (ceO) Dirk HOke seals tHe Deal witH
Dassault aviatiOn cHairman
AnD ceO eric trAppier
AIRBUS EUROFIGHTER
ILA BERLIN
A
IRBUS, WHICH showcased
its “Flight Lab”
BLADE demonstrator aircraft
for the first time at a major
air show, has signed an accord
with numerous stakeholders to
mark the joint success of bringing
this unique programme
to fruition, but also to affirm
their desire to build on this
programme in the European
framework of Clean Sky.
The stakeholders along with
Airbus CEO, Tom Enders, at the
ceremony during the recent
ILA Berlin Air Show, included
members of the European
Parliament, the European Commission,
the German Government,
European Member States
and industrial partners across
Europe.
The BLADE project, which
stands for “Breakthrough
Laminar Aircraft Demonstrator
in Europe”, is part of the first
phase of Clean Sky – a 1, 6-billion
Euro programme which has
been running since 2008.
BLADE has been tasked with
ILA BERLIN
assessing the feasibility of
introducing laminar flow wing
technology on a large airliner.
It aims to improve aviation’s
ecological footprint, bringing
with it a 10 percent aircraft
drag reduction and up to five
percent lower CO2 emissions.
Airbus worked with a team of
more than 20 key partners and
around 500 contributors from
all over Europe. Moreover,
due to its size and complexity,
this project was only possible
O
N THE eve of the ILA Berlin Air Show 2018, Airbus and
Eurofighter GmbH submitted their offer to the German
Ministry of Defence for a replacement of the Bundeswehr’s ageing
Tornado combat aircraft, developed in the 1960s, with the Eurofighter
as its ideal successor.
Currently, the German Air Force is planning to phase out the
Tornado from 2025 onwards and to transfer capabilities to another
weapon system. As the Eurofighter system is already in use by
Germany, this system could seamlessly adopt the capabilities of
the Tornado aircraft. In addition, increased use of the same type
of aircraft would result in considerable cost savings in terms of support
services and training costs due to economies of scale, which
would also reduce per-hour flying costs within the German Armed
Forces.
“The Eurofighter is already the backbone of the German Air
presenting . . .
‘Flight lab’ blaDe
test aircraFt
World Airnews | June 2018
— 43 —
thanks to the European Research
initiative Clean Sky.
In September 2017 Airbus’
A340 laminar-flow Flight Lab
test demonstrator aircraft
(A340-300) made its successful
maiden flight and since then
has been engaged in successful
testing to explore the wing’s
characteristics in flight.
The test aircraft is the first
in the world to combine a
transonic laminar wing profile
with a true internal primary
structure.
On the outside the aircraft is
fitted with two representative
transonic laminar outer-wings,
while inside the cabin there
is a highly complex specialist
flight-test-instrumentation (FTI)
station.
The extensive modifications
to the A340-300 test-bed
aircraft took place during the
course of a 16-month working
party in Tarbes, France, with
the support of the numerous
industrial partners across
Europe.
In terms of the testing technology,
notable ‘firsts’ included
the use of infrared cameras to
monitor the laminar flow transition
points and the acoustic
generator which measures
the influence of acoustics on
laminarity.
Another first is the innovative
reflectometry system which
measures overall deformation
in real-time during flight.
To date the Flight Lab has performed
66 flight hours. Flights
will continue until 2019, dedicated
to exploring the influencing
factors on laminarity. Q
teaM eUrOFighter presents OFFer tO
gerManY
Force and is therefore the logical option to adopt the capabilities
of the Tornado in the medium term,” said Bernhard Brenner,
Head of Marketing and Sales at Airbus Defence and Space. “We
have an excellent aircraft; its production secures important aircraft
construction know-how in Germany and, at the same time,
strongly supports European sovereignty in defence. The successful
continuation of Eurofighter production could also lead to further
co-operation with other European nations such as Switzerland,
Belgium and Finland.”
Volker Paltzo, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH CEO, said: “I am
confident that Eurofighter Typhoon can provide a cost effective
and attractive solution for Germany, which will deliver every capability
and perform every mission the German Air Force needs.”
In the medium term, the further development of the Eurofighter
will provide the technological basis for the next generation of
European combat aircraft. The intent of collaboration was agreed
between France and Germany in July 2017. The aircraft are currently
expected to enter into service around 2040. Q