Aviation Week reports, “With some 75% of the new single-aisle engine market and the worst post-pandemic supply chain issues in the rearview mirror, CFM International’s focus is now on increasing the time on wing of its Leap engines … CFM CEO Gaël Méheust told Aviation Daily that the durability of the Leap is set to meet the standard set by the previous generation CFM56.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
Tag: aircraft
Unmanned Valkyrie X-58A Joins F-35s in Electronic Attack Demonstration
Defense Daily reports, “An XQ-58A Valkyrie autonomous unmanned combat aircraft equipped with an electronic attack payload successfully demonstrated suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) capabilities with two F-35 fighters in a recent live flight test event at Eglin AFB, Fla., Kratos…”
Full Story (Defense Daily)
Stratolaunch TA-1 Hypersonic Test Vehicle Makes First Powered Flight
Flying Magazine reports, “Stratolaunch has completed the first powered flight of its TA-1 test vehicle, marking what the company called a ‘major milestone in the development of the country’s first privately funded, reusable hypersonic test capability.’”
Full Story (Flying Magazine)
KC-46 RVS, Refueling Pod Fixes Delaying Test Process
Aviation Week reported that the Pentagon’s operational test and evaluation office “has collected all the data it can on the Boeing KC-46A Pegasus, as it awaits two key fixes to the tanker – a revamp of the aircraft’s wing refueling pods and the long-awaited redesign of its Remote Vision System.”
Full Story (Aviation Week – Subscription Publication)
Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick, Guy Norris Report on Bleeding-Edge Aerospace Technologies
Aviation Week reported, “From hydrogen to nuclear fusion, Aviation Week’s Graham Warwick and Guy Norris report on the bleeding-edge aerospace technologies that were discussed at the recent AIAA SciTech forum.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)
JSX Plans to Add Over 300 Hybrid-Electric Aircraft to Charter Fleet
Aviation International News reports that on Tuesday, public charter operator JSX “announced its intention to acquire more than 300 hybrid-electric aircraft from three different manufacturers as part of its efforts to decarbonize its US regional air services.” The fleet expansion plans “cover up to 332 aircraft, including a letter of intent with Electra for 82 of its nine-passenger eSTOL aircraft (32 firm orders and 50 options), up to 150 of Aura Aero’s 19-seat Era model (50 firm plus 100 options), and up to 100 of Heart Aerospace’s 30-seat ES-30 (50 firm and 50 options).” According to JSX, it “aims to start operating the first of the new aircraft in 2028, without saying which of the three new types will be delivered first.” The Texas-based company’s fleet currently “includes 48 of Embraer’s 30-seat ERJ145 aircraft, providing up to 120 public charter flights daily under DOT Part 380 and FAR Part 135 rules to 24 US destinations.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Dassault Falcon Jet Announces $100M Expansion in Little Rock, Arkansas
The AP reports that on Tuesday, Dassault Falcon Jet “announced a $100 million expansion of its facility in Little Rock that the jet manufacturer said will add 800 new jobs. Dassault announced it had selected Little Rock for the expanded completion center for the development and delivery of its new Dassault Falcon 6X business jet and future Falcon programs. The company already has 1,400 workers at its two facilities in Little Rock.”
Full Story (Associated Press)
Dassault’s First Falcon 6X Business Jet Enters Service
Aviation International News reports Dassault announced that on November 30, the company’s “Falcon 6X began flying for its new owner. … Dassault did not reveal the identity or location of the 6X launch customer.” The 6X, with a maximum range of 5,500 nm, was launched in February 2018 “after the 5X program was canceled due to problems with the in-development Safran Silvercrest engine. The 6X is 20 inches longer than the 5X, to accommodate the 6X’s more powerful Pratt & Whitney PW812D engines.”
Full Story (Aviation International News)
Japanese Authorities Hand Over Pieces of Wreckage from USAF Osprey Crash
The AP reported, “Japanese authorities handed over pieces of the wreckage from an U.S. Air Force Osprey that crashed off southwestern Japan to the U.S. military on Sunday, as the search continued for seven missing servicemembers.” The wreckage “had been collected by a ship from the regional coast guard headquarters and by fishers from the town of Yakushima since the CV-22 aircraft crashed into the water near the town Wednesday during a training mission to Okinawa.”
Full Story (The AP)
Airbus Creeps Towards Full-Year Delivery Goal with 18% Year-Over-Year Increase for October
Reuters reports that Airbus “needs to deliver 161 aircraft in the last two months of the year to reach its full-year delivery target, fractionally below the performance seen in the closing stages of last year.” Airbus’ monthly bulletin “confirmed it had delivered 71 aircraft in October, up 18% from the same month last year and bringing the total for the first 10 months to 559 jets.” In the final “two months of 2022, Airbus delivered 166 jets.” Agency Partners analyst Sash Tusa “wrote in a note that the company was not expected to change its full-year delivery target of 720 aircraft despite pressure on supplies of Pratt & Whitney engines.” Airbus last year “lowered and eventually abandoned its delivery goal due to supply constraints and started 2023 on a weak note, before deliveries accelerated over the summer.”
Full Story (Reuters)