Falcon swoops for Sikorsky S-76Ds
Abu Dhabi charter operator Falcon Aviation Services (FAS) has taken options for four VIP Sikorsky next-generation S-76D helicopters. The S-76D is on track for certification in late 2009. They would become the first Sikorsky aircraft to join the FAS fleet, making it the first operator of the S-76D helicopter in the UAE. FAS has 14 aircraft currently in service and has orders for an additional 23 new helicopters and corporate jets worth $450m.
UK-Italy information accord
The UK’s Defence Manufacturers Association signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Italian Industries Association for Aerospace Systems and Defence (AIAD) at the show. The agreement drives an exchange of information to encourage collaboration between the two organisations.
Galileo meets its Nemesis
Selex Galileo has awarded DRS Technologies a $11.4 million follow-on contract for airborne directional infrared countermeasure (DIRCM) sensors. The Fine Track Sensor (FTS) kits used in the DIRCM transmitters are a key component of Northrop Grumman’s Nemesis system, used to protect military aircraft from shoulder-launched, heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles. The award increases the total value for DRS’s FTS kits beyond $100 million.
Cobham grabs Growler contract
The US Navy’s Boeing EA-18G Growler airborne electronic attack platform is to receive Cobham’s (Hall 3, C11) AN/ALQ-99 low-band transmitter (LBT) antenna groups. The $51 million deal for 36 antenna groups and spare parts was announced yesterday and will add to the 33 shipsets which have already been purchased, bringing the total to $150m.
Blue sky thinking for CFM
Pakistan’s AirBlue has placed a $185 million order for CFM56-5B engines in Tech Insertion configuration to power 14 Airbus A320 aircraft scheduled for delivery from 2009. The airline has also signed an integrated MRO package for the fleet. AirBlue was launched in 2004 and in 2007 carried one million passengers on domestic flights, or about 35% of the nation’s passenger volume.
Source: Flight International
