Tag: aeronautical engineering

US Air Force Upgrades F-35A Gas Tanks to Protect Against Lightning Strikes

Air Force Times reports that the F-35A “could start flying near thunderstorms again soon, once the Air Force finishes upgrading its first jet for extra protection against lightning strikes.” The F-35A was banned “from flying within 25 nautical miles of lightning or thunderstorms after finding that a crucial system may not function correctly if hit by a bolt.” A team making repairs to the F-35A found damage to the Onboard Inert Gas Generation System (OBIGGS), “which injects nitrogen-enriched air into the jet’s fuel tanks.” Faulty inert gas tubes “showed up in more than half of the 24 airframes that were inspected.” Lockheed Martin “has installed an improved version of OBIGGS onto all F-35As delivered since November.”
Full Story (Air Force Times)

Lockheed Martin Exceeds its 2021 F-35 Delivery Goal

Breaking Defense reports that Lockheed Martin “delivered three more F-35s than planned in 2021, handing over a total of 142 Joint Strike Fighters to US and international customers as the company continues to rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.” In a statement to Breaking Defense, Bridget Lauderdale, Vice President of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Program, said that the company “was able to exceed its goal of 139 F-35s for 2021 due to the ‘efforts and dedication’ of its suppliers and workforce ‘combined with the efficiencies of digital engineering.’” Lockheed Martin spokesman Brett Ashworth said that the “three additional jets delivered in 2021 will count towards this year’s production goal, which remains at 151 to 153 jets.” Meeting its delivery goal for 2021 is a “good news story for Lockheed, which was forced to slow F-35 production in summer 2020 after COVID-19 upset the jet’s global supply chain.”
Full Story (Breaking Defense)

Embraer CEO Says New Customers Change Business Jet Market Dynamics

Aviation International News reports that Embraer Executive Jets CEO and President Michael Amalfitano described at Corporate Jet Investor Miami 2021 how the increase in first-time business aviation users is changing the aircraft industry’s dynamics. Amalfitano said, “When you look at that growth at the bottom, the access is growing. You have to start thinking about what are they, what do they want? Who are these people? And you recognize they’re getting younger. We’re talking to millennials, X, Y, Z, and the seeds in terms of generation.”
Full Story (Space News)

Volocopter Exhibits eVTOL at Fiumicino

Aviation Today reports that Volocopter “is exhibiting a scaled version of its VoloCity eVTOL at Fiumicino Airport this week as part of a new partnership with Atlantia and Aeroporti di Roma that seeks to bring electric air taxi operations to Italy in the next 2-3 years.”
Full Story (Aviation Today)