Steve Nichols
This is Honeywell's first European show since its merger with AlliedSignal and the company is keen to show customers this side of the Atlantic that it means business. "A very large number of our OEMs and customers are in Europe so it's good for us to be here and to show off the connectivity of our products and the success of our merger," says Bob Johnson, president, Honeywell Aerospace.
"At Farnborough we are showing how we can add connectivity to aircraft and how we are helping to improve supply chains. We also hope to announce some new wins for our company, both in terms of service and solutions."
Our new AS900 engine for regional jets is on schedule, has passed its first blade-out tests and is delivering the performance we expected. Our new avionic suites have been selected by Swissair and Virgin Atlantic for their A300/340-600 aircraft and Sikorsky is currently testing our Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System on the S-76. "And our new generation of TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System) provides a 180km (100nm) range yet is smaller and more compact than ever before," he adds.
The company is also going through certification for the Pegasus FMS (Flight Management System) on the Boeing 767 and Airbus A340. It is also delivering the first F124 engines for use on UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles).Honeywell is also showing a new range _of jamming-resistant voice and data UHF and VHF radio equipment for military aircraft.
Promises
And Johnson promises that Honeywell will announce some strategic partnerships and customers for the company's own e-commerce project MyAircraft. "We're very excited about the health of the industry in general too," says Johnson. "With flights at good capacity and flying rates up, plus delivery rates up at both Boeing and Airbus, we find the industry is very positive, even though it is under pressure to cut costs, he says.
Johnson says Honeywell is well placed to work on the Airbus A3XX project. "Airbus, EADS and their partners were very helpful in helping us to obtain approval for our merger with Allied Signal. We hope to have a lot of equipment on the new aircraft," he says.
The company has seen a lot of change this year but Johnson thinks there is even more to come. "The industry is now in a continuous period of change and that change is demanded by things that are going on around us including delays, new platforms, regulatory changes and supply chain issues. But at the same time we have new tools too such as e-commerce and virtual communications" Johnson says.
"We are at a place in history where the aerospace industry has a chance to make even more rapid changes than before, both in economies of scale, assets and our infrastructure. "We're excited because we have the merger behind us and we now have integrated products. People who make aircraft and engines are coming to us and asking us to help them with new solutions," he concludes.
Source: Flight Daily News
