AEROSPACE CLUSTERS GET FRENCH TAX BREAKS
REGIONS French prime minister François Fillon has pledged extra support for the country's aerospace small- and medium-sized enterprises in a bid to foster closer co-operation between France's three aerospace-related "clusters". Speaking in Marignane, home to Eurocopter, Fillon described aerospace as a sector for which "the battle of the grey matter" is "obviously a decisive factor". Underlining the importance of composite development, particularly for Airbus's A350 XWB programme, Fillon promised that SMEs operating in the composite field would benefit from around €100 million ($142 million) over the next five years from public tax credits. The government will also devote €50 million to tailored IT initiatives and will give SMEs with more than 250 employees access to loans. Financial investors and the industry's big players will provide nearly €100 million of funding for this stage initially, Fillon said.
TITANIUM SPECIALIST WINS RESEARCH GRANT
PRODUCTION Australian aerospace manufacturer Production Parts has secured a A$970,000 ($875,000) grant from the Australian government to develop its manufacturing process, particularly in titanium. The company plans to work with local research institutes on ways to improve estimates of component processing times and tool life. The project is initially targeting manufacturers and suppliers of components and subsystems for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme, with which Production Parts has contracts including machining and assembling titanium centre fuselage airframe structures for Northrop Grumman and engine components for General Electric. The Melbourne-based company makes titanium-based alloy components for military aircraft, space vehicles, aircraft engines and airframes, with defence and aerospace accounting for 70% of company turnover.
AVIC I CONSOLIDATES AVIONICS EXPERTISE
CO-OPERATION China Aviation Industry Corp I (AVIC I) has established a dedicated avionics company in Beijing run by Lu Guangshan, previously AVIC I vice-president of airborne systems and the former president of AVIC I's electro-optical equipment research centre. The new unit will liaise with Western avionics companies and be involved in Chinese aircraft programmes such as the AVIC ARJ21 regional jet and the Xian MA60, both of which use avionics systems from Rockwell Collins. Lu Guangshan's operation may also be involved in Xian Aircraft's forthcoming MA700 70-seat turboprop project.
RANGER EXPANDS ROTORCRAFT OPERATIONS
ACQUISITION Texas aviation industry investor Ranger Aerospace has bought helicopter air conditioning and video systems maker Integrated Flight Systems and helicopter maintenance and modification company Platinum Aviation Group in a combination of asset purchases and stock investments of undisclosed value. IFS and Platinum are based in Nevada, and will be integrated with rotorcraft operations owned by Ranger in Fort Worth, Texas. IFS and Platinum president LeRoy Aday will remain in that role.
LIBERTY BORROWS TO FUND XL-2 PRODUCTION
FINANCE Florida-based Liberty Aerospace, maker of the XL-2 two-seat piston single, says it has closed a "major" debt financing to support production, certification, sales and marketing to meet growing US and international demand. The financing was arranged by Kuwait Finance House (Bahrain), which manages Liberty's major shareholder, Fernas Europe.
Source: Flight International
