MIDWEEK UPDATE 20 AUGUST 2014

THIS WEEK IN MIDWEEK UPDATE


1 Plan your weekend
2 Forthcoming events
3 AHRLAC achieves its first flight
4 Boeing wins $296 million initial deal for 12 more P-8 spy planes
5 Northrop Grumman selected to modernize Black Hawk Cockpit for US Army Black Hawks
6 Kenya Airways begins flying Dreamliner to Far East
7 Rate Card


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PLAN YOUR WEEKEND


23 August: CANCELLED Klerksdorp Airshow. Contact Cliff Lotter E-mail: exodus@telkomsa.net or 082 855 5550



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2014 FORTHCOMING EVENTS


12 -14 September:
POSPONED EAA Chapter 322 Sun 'n Fun at Brits airfield. E-mail karlpix@icon.co.za or phone Karl at 082 331 4652


13 - 14 September: SAC Gauteng regionals and Judges Trophy - Vereeniging. Contact Annie Boon E-mail: change@mweb.co.za


17 -21 September: Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD2014) AFB Waterkloof South Africa. E-mail: info@aadexpo.co.za


25 - 28 September: Cirrus Migration to Namibia CDC Aviation. Contact Deon Wentzel 011 701 3835 or E-mail:
sales@cdcaviation.co.za


27 September: Stellenbosch Fly and Braai. For more info phone 021 880 0294 or E-mail
accounts@stelfly.co.za




27 September: PASASA TMG fly-in Parys airfield. Contact Marietjie van Niekerk Cell: 082 765 66

3 October: Petit Pilots Post Classic Aircraft Fly In. Contact Ivan 082 375 9180 or John 079 192 5866


3 - 4 October: Upington airshow Tel: 060 424 5065. Contact Kgomotso Modiragale 083 704 3020 or E-mail: kmodiragale@gmail.com

4 October: SAPFA Grand Central fun rally: www.sapfa.org.za . Contact Mary de Klerk mary@expandingbranding.co.za


4 October: SAAF Museum flying training and open days. Contact Capt. Kobus Kapp 012 351 2342 or E-mail: webmaster@saafmuseum.org


18 October: Parys Time Trials warbirds through the ages and formation competition. Contact Scully Levin e-mail: flyboys@global.co.za


24 - 25 October: Port Elizabeth airshow. Contact Dr. Crystal Watson or E-mail: cwatson@mweb.co.za


25 - 26 October: SAC KZN aerobatic regionals - Ladysmith. Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.co.za


1 November: SAAF Museum flying training and open days.Contact Capt. Kobus Kapp 012 351 2342 or E-mail: webmaster@saafmuseum.org


8 November: SAPFA Peter Hengst memorial Brits airfield. Contact Mary de Klerk mary@expandingbranding.co.za www.sapfa.org.za


14 -15 November: Mafikeng fly-in and hangar dance. Contact: Connie Conradie 018 387 1425 or E-mail: info@mafikeng-flyingclub.co.za


6 December: SAAF Museum flying training and open days. Contact Capt. Kobus Kapp 012 351 2342 or E-mail: webmaster@saafmuseum.org


6 - 7 December: SAC ACE of Base Aerobatics - Baragwanath airfield. Contact Annie Boon e-mail: chunge@mweb.c



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AHRLAC ACHIEVES ITS FIRST FLIGHT


Paramount Group, Africa's largest privately-owned defence and aerospace company, reached a momentous occasion on August 13th, with the first public flight of its Advanced High-Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft (AHRLAC), at the Wonderboom Airport in Pretoria. AHRLAC is the first military fixed wing aircraft to be fully designed, tested and developed in Africa.

The aircraft, a global first, addresses a key industry need by performing the combined tasks that previously required four separately configured planes. It integrates designs from attack helicopters, surveillance platforms and reconnaissance aircraft with ability to carry surveillance, weapons, radar and electronic warfare systems. This has brought advanced operational solutions, historically requiring more costly aircraft or complex unmanned aerial surveillance systems.



AHRLAC has been specifically designed for both civilian and military tasking © Paramount Group

MG 5820Paramount Group Executive Chairperson, Ivor Ichikowitz, says: "AHRLAC is a home grown, world class capability that will enable developing countries and advanced nations to strengthen and diversify their security infrastructure. It offers the global industry a new, very cost effective and multi-role solution that will change the way global air forces procure and structure their air fleets. AHRLAC is a solution shaped for today's modern threats like insurgencies, piracy, poaching and terrorism."

AHRLAC is a ground-breaking example of what Africa is capable of producing and will be a key solution to bolster Africa's capability to deal with its security issues. However, AHRLAC is not only a solution for Africa but for defence forces around the world, whether from developing countries or from nations with advanced and sophisticated defence capabilities.



The innovative and ground-breaking project is currently undergoing a rigorous flight testing programme. Photo copyright Willie Bodenstein

Ichikowitz adds: "The emergence of Africa as an increasingly important global economic power brings with it the expectation on the world stage that Africa must itself play a greater role in avoiding and controlling the perpetuation of violence and conflict on the continent. The solution is to build African capabilities to solve these African challenges. What is often not recognised is that the African defence and aerospace industry is more than up to that challenge. Leading-edge defence solutions like AHRLAC presents African states with the opportunity to build up their own intelligence, militaries and national police to combat the continent's insurgents and extremists."

The development and production of AHRLAC is expected to provide a significant job and skills boost to the African aerospace industry as many local subcontractors will be involved in equipping the aircraft with a range of systems. Key local suppliers will include: Paramount Advanced Technologies, CSIR and Denel. Key global suppliers include Pratt and Whitney, Cobham and Zeiss.

AHRLAC has been specifically designed for both civilian and military tasking, and features a variety of configurations thanks to its innovative pod system design. These include patrol and reconnaissance with typical missions encompassing intelligence gathering and close air support. The aircraft can also be configured for training, cargo and light attack capabilities. This enables the aircraft for multi-role use which include disaster management, internal security, border control, maritime patrol and environmental protection. AHRLAC also has the ability to carry a comprehensive weapons suite for specific mission applications.



The aircraft integrates designs from attack helicopters, surveillance platforms and reconnaissance aircraft. Photo copyright Willie Bodenstein

The aircraft was designed and built by over 60 engineers and technicians. One of the most innovative aspects of the construction phase is that 98% of all 6 000 parts of the aircraft were designed and produced locally by the engineering team. Since the launch of the project in September 2011 the team spent 315 000 labour hours completing detailed designs and manufacturing the first prototype.

Dr Paul Potgieter, CEO AHRLAC Holdings says: "Every single part of the aircraft was pre-designed on a computer which allowed it to have a jigless construction. This means that every part fits together, much like a Meccano set, which saves vast amounts of money and time - especially when exporting globally"

"The jigless manufacture was made possible by parts being pre-drilled and machine made, allowing for accuracy, reduced need for hand skills and therefore less time to build.

"We have made all the tools for production for all sheet metal pressings and composite parts so it enables us to hit production much quicker than other aircraft," adds Potgieter.

This innovative and ground-breaking project is currently undergoing a rigorous flight testing programme which will prove flight characteristics and test the aircraft's performance.

"AHRLAC is creating the next generation of engineers on the continent, and is an excellent reflection of the capabilities of the African engineering fraternity. There are a number of skills challenges in South Africa and beyond our borders, but the incredible progress made by local engineers has put them at the forefront of global aerospace innovation. Their joint expertise has turned them into pathfinders, who are proudly setting new milestones, through continuous innovation that we can export to the world," concludes Ichikowitz.


4

BOEING WINS $296 MILLION INITIAL DEAL FOR 12 MORE P-8 SPY PLANES



Boeing Co has won an initial contract worth $296 million to buy parts needed for production of 12 more P-8A spy planes, including eight for the U.S. Navy and four for the government of Australia, the Pentagon announced Thursday.

The contract, which kicks off funding for a second batch of full-rate production jets, runs through April 2018



The aircraft, based on Boeing's 737-800 commercial aircraft, will replace the U.S. Navy's P-3 spy planes, which have been in service for more than 40 years © Boeing

Boeing won a $2.1 billion contract in February to build the first batch of 16 P-8A Poseidon long-range maritime spy planes for the Navy, which came on top of $300 million in funds awarded earlier for certain materials that take longer to procure, such as titanium.



5

NORTHROP GRUMMAN SELECTED TO MODERNIZE BLACK HAWK COCKPIT FOR US ARMY BLACK HAWKS


Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected by Redstone Defense Systems to supply and integrate mission avionics equipment for a digital cockpit upgrade of the U.S. Army's UH-60L Black Hawk helicopters.

Northrop Grumman will provide a scalable, fully integrated mission equipment package for the UH-60L cockpit and will replace the older analog gauges with digital electronic instrument displays. The new designation for this upgraded aircraft will be UH-60V. The system virtually replicates the newer UH-60M pilot-vehicle interface, providing a common training environment.

Northrop Grumman's design solution has already been demonstrated through a flight test on a UH-60L helicopter. The system features a centralized processor with a partitioned, modular operational flight program with an integrated architecture that enables new capabilities through software-only solutions rather than hardware additions. The architecture maximizes the UH-60L platform performance and reliability while minimizing total life cycle cost. The system is also smaller in size, lower in weight and requires less power than legacy processing systems.



An estimated 700 to 900 aircraft are expected to be modified under the UH-60V digital cockpit upgrade. Photo copyright Northprop Grumman.

"We are committed to this critical upgrade program that will prolong the life of the UH-60 while keeping warfighters safer by enhancing their situational awareness," said Ike Song, vice president, Situational Awareness Systems, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. "Our integrated mission avionics solution is built on mature, proven technology and an open architecture approach for superior performance, affordability, growth potential and reliability."

The next generation avionics system is aligned with the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE™) standard and supports integration of off-the-shelf software and hardware, enabling rapid insertion of capabilities while reducing cost and risk for system integration and upgrades. Northrop Grumman is providing full, unlimited government purpose rights to technical data and software, providing the customer with unprecedented flexibility while eliminating vendor lock and mitigating obsolescence issues.

An estimated 700 to 900 aircraft are expected to be modified under the UH-60V digital cockpit upgrade, which represents the first fully integrated avionics system for Army utility aircraft.


6


KENYA AIRWAYS BEGINS FLYING DREAMLINER TO FAR EAST

The Dreamliner will be operating on the Nairobi-Bangkok-Guangzhou route; and the Nairobi-Bangkok-Hong Kong route. The maiden flight by the Dreamliner to the Far East departed from Kenya Airways' hub at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi at 2359 hours and landed in Bangkok at 1335 hours. It will proceed to Hong Kong and back to Nairobi via Bangkok.

Speaking during an event at the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport to launch the Dreamliner's flights to the Far East, Kenya Airways' Director of Fleet and Asset Development, Frederick Sine said that the deployment of the state-of-the-art aircraft on the two routes would significantly enhance the experience of guests on the route.

"We are in the midst of an exciting fleet renewal programme at Kenya Airways in which we are acquiring Dreamliners and 777-300ER aircrafts. This will distinguish our fleet as the youngest and most modern in Africa, thus delivering a world-class experience to our guests across the world. At the moment, we also have the largest network of destinations in Africa," added Mr Sine.



The deployment of the state-of-the-art aircraft on the two routes would significantly enhance the experience of guests on the route.© Kenya Airways

The event was also attended by the Ambassador of Thailand to Kenya, His Excellency Ittiporn Boonpracong; Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Kenya to Thailand, Peter Owiti; Ronald Schipper, Kenya Airways' Board Director; and Julius Thairu, Kenya Airways' Regional General Manager.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will operate Kenya Airways' flight KQ886 to Bangkok and on to Guangzhou, every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. On each of these days, it will be departing from JKIA in Nairobi at 2310 hours, and arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok at 1250 hours (local time +1 day). It will then connect onwards to Guangzhou at 1505 hours, arriving at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 1905 hours (local time).

The return flight 887 departs from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 2135 hours, arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok at 2330 hours (local time). Then, it will connect onwards to Nairobi at 0035 hours (local time +1 day), arriving at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 0605 hours (local time +1 day).

On the Nairobi-Bangkok-Hong Kong route, the Dreamliner will operate flight KQ860 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It will depart from the JKIA at 2359 hours, arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok at 1335 hours (local time +1 day). Then, it will connect onwards to Hong Kong at 1505 hours, arriving at the Hong Kong International Airport at 1900 hours (local time).

The return flights depart from Hong Kong International Airport every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 2150 hours, arriving at the Suvarnabhumi Bangkok International Airport in Bangkok at 2330 hours (local time). Then, it will connect onwards to Nairobi at 0035 hours (local time +1 day), arriving at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi at 0605 hours (local time +1 day).

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