Sukhoi plans to supply 30-odd combat aircraft this year and sell more than $1.5 billion worth of its products, said Mikhail Pogosyan, the company’s general director. He added that various models of the Su-30 aircraft will be delivered to Malaysia, Algeria and Venezuela. In addition, aircraft component packages will be supplied for ongoing licensed production of Su-30MKI fighters in India.
Paris Air Show » June 20, 2007
June 11, 2007 - 11:31am
The Solar Impulse project has made significant progress toward its aim of being the first solar-powered aircraft flying at night. The team initiated by psychiatrist and famous aeronaut Bertrand Piccard began construction of the 200-foot-wingspan prototype late in April. Flight tests should start next year.
June 11, 2007 - 11:25am
Will flying one day be as taboo as smoking is today, at least in most of Europe? Will it become socially unacceptable in the future to travel by air? Experts who see an unprecedented attack on air transport’s environmental footprint are posing these questions, challenging the industry’s growth for the first time in several decades.
June 11, 2007 - 11:20am
This year marks the 100th birthday of the helicopter, but it is actually difficult to be sure who deserves the title of “first to fly a manned rotorcraft.” Frenchmen Louis Breguet, Paul Cornu and Maurice Léger all achieved some sort of takeoff in 1907, but in reality this branch of aviation began more than a century before.
June 11, 2007 - 11:02am
Bental Industries, an Israel-based manufacturer of motion systems, is launching its hybrid engine for unmanned aerial vehicles here in Europe, having already introduced it to the U.S. market. Designed for mini to mid-size UAVs, the system combines the benefits of an electric motor and a fuel engine.
June 11, 2007 - 10:58am
Delivery of the 561st Airbus A300 next month marks completion of the European manufacturer’s long march to becoming a successful competitor to its U.S. rival, Boeing, in the commercial aircraft market. It has developed, certified, marketed and completed profitable production of its initial design and embarked on a successor project.
June 11, 2007 - 10:29am
The future of composites may lie in carbon nanotubes. Nano composites have already found their way into cars and sports gear, and now specialists in this technology are looking for aerospace applications.
June 11, 2007 - 10:17am
Three years after they merged, Air France and KLM say the combination has paid off. At a press conference to announce the 2006-07 result here in Paris last month, chairman Jean-Cyril Spinetta reported strong increases in revenue and income. The joint French/ Dutch operation is profitable, and the share price has risen 70 percent this year. “By every standard, it’s been successful,” added vice chairman Leo Van Wijk.
June 11, 2007 - 5:41am
The U.S.-led Joint Strike Fighter program represents an important opportunity not only for large Italian aerospace companies, but also for medium-size firms that are playing a significant role in developing the F-35 Lightning. Among these is Milan-based Aerea, whose engineers are directly involved in the aircraft mission equipment integrated project team (IPT) at Lockheed Martin’s main facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
June 11, 2007 - 5:33am
As the U.S. equips its fighter aircraft with active electronically scanned array (aesa) radars, Europe’s avionics industry is working hard to put similar technology into its three “Euro-canard” fighters–the Gripen, Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon. This effort was highlighted last month by the first flight of a Typhoon with an AESA radar installed.
