Category Archives: General News and Airshow Reviews
£317m contract awarded to develop next generation radar for the Royal Air Force Typhoon
BAE Systems and Leonardo have been awarded a contract to develop the Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), the European Common Radar System Mark 2(ECRS Mk2) radar, to a standard ready to be integrated on to RAF Typhoons.
It will sustain more than 600 highly skilled jobs across the country, including more than 300 at Leonardo’s site in Edinburgh, over 100 electronic warfare specialists at the company’s site in Luton, and 120 engineers at BAE Systems’ site in Lancashire.
The ECRS2 is a multi-functional array (MFA) that will give UK Typhoons a world-leading Electronic Warfare capability, in addition to traditional radar functions, including wide band Electronic Attack. It will equip RAF pilots with the ability to locate, identify and suppress enemy air defences using high-powered jamming. They can engage targets whilst beyond the reach of threats – even when they’re looking in another direction – and operate inside the range of opposing air defences, remaining fully protected throughout. This game-changing capability will replace the mechanically-scanning radar that RAF Typhoons are currently equipped with and will ensure the UK retains the freedom to deliver air power wherever and whenever it is needed. It also enables the Typhoons to link up with future data-driven weapons to combat rapidly evolving air defences, ensuring that UK Typhoons can continue to dominate the battlespace for years to come.
Andrea Thompson, Managing Director Europe & International for BAE Systems’ Air sector, said:
“This capability will allow Typhoon to take its place in the future battlespace for decades to come, maturing key technologies for future combat air systems and ensuring interoperability. As well as securing highly skilled jobs, it will sustain the key skills needed to keep the UK at the forefront of the global Combat Air sector. We look forward to continuing to work alongside the Eurofighter nations and our industry partners to ensure Typhoon delivers the needs of today and answers the challenges of tomorrow.”
Mark Hamilton, Senior Vice-President Electronic Warfare, Leonardo, said:
“This contract is great news for the UK, which will get the world’s most capable fighter radar, and great news for British engineering. Inventing, developing and building advanced technology here in the UK allows us to understand and meet the specific requirements of our Armed Forces and to secure export orders all around the world, boosting the whole UK economy.” The new radar will be based on Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) technology and will provide game-changing capabilities based on a revolutionary MFA. It has significantly more Transmit-Receive Elements than other radars, making Mk2 the most capable fighter AESA radar in the world, maintaining the same power and precision of traditional radars but also enabling the simultaneous operation of its wide-band Electronic Warfare functionality. BAE Systems, the UK’s prime contractor for the Typhoon, will integrate the new sensor which will be developed by Leonardo, the UK’s defence electronics champion.
Both companies are currently working as part of a four-nation development programme alongside Eurofighter consortium partners in Germany, Spain and Italy on a baseline version of the AESA radar. The ECRS Mk2 is a completely new approach designed to meet the operational needs of the RAF and future export customers. The UK’s commitment follows a similar commitment from Germany and Spain to deliver their own national requirements for an AESA radar.
Newcastle Airshow KZN Back in 2021
The annual Newcastle Airshow is set to take place in Kwa-Zulu Natal on June 5th 2021 next year.As always Newcastle being one of the great county airshows in South Africa buts on a variety of aircraft in their display program including the South African Air force and many civilian types.
The organisers and sponsors of the annual Newcastle Airshow made a decision today to host the 10th Newcastle Airshow on the 5 June 2021.The decision was taken due to COVID- 19 restrictions.See you in 2021 !
“It’s up to all of us to slow the spread of COVID-19. Everyone, including young and healthy people, should avoid large gatherings during this time. Stay up to date with public health guidelines from sacoronavirus.co.za.
The Newcastle Airshow has been running annually since 2011 and seen many crowd favorites including the Puma Flying Lions Harvards, Pitts Specials,L39s ,C130BZ, Gripen , Agusta A109LUH and many more.
We look forward to next years show and seeing the Champ Marketing team putting on a good show!
Rolls-Royce announces breakthroughs In artificial intelligence ethics and trustworthiness
Rolls-Royce has announced two breakthroughs in artificial intelligence ethics, which could help gain society’s trust of the technology and accelerate the next generation of industrialisation, known as industry 5.0.
The first breakthrough is an AI ethics framework, which is a method that any organisation can use to ensure the decisions it takes to use AI in critical and non-critical applications are ethical. This is the first time AI ethics for industrial contexts has moved beyond theory and into practical application.
Secondly, within that framework, is the first step-by-step process for ensuring the outcomes of AI algorithms can be trusted. This five-layer checking system focuses on the outputs of algorithms, not the algorithms themselves, which are constantly changing. The checking system prevents biases from developing in algorithms undetected and with results being constantly monitored, it ensures they are trustworthy.
The ethics framework and its trust process have been peer reviewed by subject matter experts in several big tech firms, as well as experts in the automotive, pharmaceutical, academic and government sectors. Both will be published in full under Creative Commons licence later this year on the Rolls-Royce.com website.
In a keynote speech at London Tech Week’s AI Summit, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Officer, Warren East, said: “By publishing our findings we want to move the AI ethics conversation forwards from discussing concepts and guidelines, to accelerating the process of applying it ethically.
“There is no practical reason why trust in AI cannot be created now. And it’s only with the acceptance and permission of our society – based on that trust – that the full benefits of AI can be realised, and it can take its place as a partner in our lives and work.
“As a business we are open to collaborative innovation and we will continue to talk to key stakeholders, customers, counterparts and technology leaders to share our work in detail to see how we can help each other progress for the greater growth, wealth and health of our world.”
Rolls-Royce is one of the world’s leading industrial technology companies and we have been applying advanced analytics for more than 30 years, and using artificial intelligence to disrupt the market with our real-time engine health monitoring service since 1999.
These latest breakthroughs have been achieved as a part of our work to apply AI throughout our business, including the use of robotic inspections on critical components. The AI development work is spearheaded by our data innovation business, R2 Data Labs.
Caroline Gorski, Global Director of R2 Data Labs, said: “Rolls-Royce’s AI capabilities are embedded deeply into other companies’ products and services and so aren’t widely known. Rolls-Royce’s AI doesn’t often feature in a consumers’ understanding of how the digital world is changing their lives.
“The current debate about the use of AI is focused on the consumer and the treatment of consumer and personal data. But we believe that what we have created – by dealing with a challenge rooted squarely in the industrial application of AI – will help not only with the application of AI in other industries but far more widely.”
The two breakthroughs were made during work around an internal assurance challenge where robotic inspections were proposed for the inspections of critical components. During the peer review process, it became apparent that both the ethical framework around that decision making, as well as the trustworthiness process, were new and had the potential to be applied across all uses of artificial intelligence.
Caroline Gorski, said: “There is much more still to do. We haven’t solved all of AI’s challenges but we hope that when we make this work freely available, it can help organisations large and small around the world grow using AI for good, ethical outcomes.”
Satellites, aircraft and helicopters at the forefront of fire safety
In full summer, the fire season is at its peak. The flames are also raging this year, in Italy and throughout the world, creating a real emergency adding to the global pandemic of Covid-19 which has gripped the world since the end of last year. Fires, natural or arson, in Italy alone tripled in 2019, as reported by the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) and the estimates for 2020 show a similar view.
In emergencies, as is happening with Covid-19, organisations such as Leonardo prove to be an increasingly important solution in support of institutions which are committed to ensuring the protection of the environment, communities, and resources that may be affected by disaster relief.
In fact, Leonardo has a spectrum of solutions available for fire-fighting which include aircraft and helicopters designed and specially configured for fire-fighting, communication systems for emergency management, sensors and space and satellite technologies for environmental monitoring.
An environment protected from space, the skies and on Earth Environment that is therefore monitored, warded and protected by space, the skies and the earth.
Space. From satellites within the Copernicus programme, coordinated by ESA and with the contribution of ASI aimed at environmental monitoring in its various forms, Leonardo is a leader in the emergency domain through e-GEOS (Telespazio / ASI), with its Earth observation technologies.
e-GEOS leads the Consortium which provides the EMS Rapid Mapping service. The service focuses on rapid response to events, and from 2020 the new Risk and Recovery Mapping service.
Among the various Copernicus sentries dedicated to Earth observation, Sentinel-3, which has on board innovative SLSTR radiometres built at Leonardo plants in Campi Bisenzio (FI), and ASI’s PRISMA (Hyperspectral Hyper-Spectral Predecessor of the Application Mission) satellite which looks at the Earth on a global scale with innovative electro-optical instrumentation.
Furthermore, COSMO-SkyMed, the Earth observation satellite programme of the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence, with its satellites looks with “eyes” which are capable of scanning the Earth from space metre by metre, day and night, in all-weather conditions.
From space to the skies. Leonardo puts out fires and flys with the C-27J firefighting aircraft, it is suitable for the most extreme environmental conditions and the most challenging tactical scenarios; the aircraft is able to land and take-off from unprepared runways. To date this solution has been adopted by the Air Forces of Peru and Romania.
The Romanian Air Force was able to successfully intervene with its C-27Js against the fires that hit Greece in 2018, while the Peruvian FAP has recently acquired full operational capacity in the use of the Caylym “Guardian” system and is ready to intervene in case of emergency within its jurisdiction.
From the fixed-wing to the rotating wing. Out of a worldwide fleet of almost 600 fire and environmental protection helicopters there are almost 120 Leonardo helicopters, most of them new generation spread throughout the world 60% in Europe, more than 20% in Asia and more than 10% in Latin America.
From one continent to another they fly to intervene with key features that are essential in tackling the most challenging scenarios with flexibility and multi-role versatility and providing various configurable models for fire-fighting missions such as: the AW119, AW109 Trekker and the new generation AW169, AW139 and AW189 family of helicopters. In addition to these, the unmanned AWHero 200 kg class remote control helicopter can be used for environmental monitoring and damage assessment.
In addition to prevention, monitoring and intervention, the construction of the infrastructure of the radio communication networks currently in compliance with the DMR (Digital Mobile Radio) standard of Vigili del Fuoco that Leonardo has guaranteed since the early 1990 contribute to fire protection.
Pilatus Strengthens Its Board of Directors With Two Top Swiss Entrepreneurs
Extraordinary General Meeting saw shareholders elect two new well-known members to the Board of Directors – Hansueli Loosli and Lukas Gähwiler. Both have an outstanding track record, making them the ideal persons to continue building a sustainable and strategically successful future for the Swiss aircraft manufacturer.
Hansueli Loosli, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Coop and Swisscom, will join the Pilatus Board of Directors as a new member. Loosli has already won the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the past. He is a full-blooded entrepreneur right down to the last fibre and a perfect fit with Pilatus.
Lukas Gähwiler was also elected as a new member of the Board of Directors. He has been in office as Chairman of the Board of Directors at UBS Switzerland AG since 2017. Before that, he spent over six years as a member of the UBS Group Executive Board. He has acquired exceptional expertise in the field of finance in particular. His professional experience makes him an ideal addition. Gähwiler also is a member of the board of the media company Ringier and brings with him an extensive network of contacts with actors in Swiss economy and politics.
Oscar J. Schwenk, Chairman of the Pilatus Board of Directors, comments on the two new members:
“I’m truly proud to have won two such well qualified members for our Board of Directors. Our Swiss colleagues have all the experience required for the task and will assist us in developing and carrying forward into the future our strategy as an independent Swiss aircraft manufacturer. Together, our goal is to reinforce our commitment to Switzerland as a workplace and strengthen our uncompromising focus on the customer, thereby safeguarding over 2000 jobs at the site in Stans.”
The two outgoing Board members, Gerhard Beindorff and Bernhard Müller, did not stand for re-election for reasons of age. Pilatus thanks both gentlemen for their valuable work on behalf of the company over the past decade and wishes them all the very best for the future.
The new Pilatus Board of Directors will therefore be composed as follows:
Oscar J. Schwenk (Chairman), Gratian Anda (Vice Chairman), Dominik Burkart (member), plus the two newly elected members, Hansueli Loosli and Lukas Gähwiler.
Pilatus plans to add further members to the Board in the coming year.
Flying Legends comes to an end at Duxford
By David Harvey
It was announced today that the Flying Legends Airshow, a staple of Warbird enthusiasts for the past 25 years or more, will no longer be held at the famous Duxford Airfield. Nick Grey of the Fighter Collection, who organizes, runs and participates in the Flying Legends Airshow made the announcement on the Fighter Collection Website. This followed shortly after by a similar announcement by the Imperial War Museum (IWM) who own and run the Duxford Airfield.
There was an obvious outpouring of anger on social media with much of it directed at IWM, however IWM have said that they will be making future announcements regarding airshows at Duxford.
Duxford currently hold three airshows per annum. The May Airshow is a mix of new and old aircraft, Flying Legends held in July is dedicated to Warbirds of the First and Second World Wars whilst the September Battle of Britain Airshow is again a mix of new and old.
Flying Legends is famous for its closing Balboa of the participating aircraft which can number in excess of 30 aircraft flying in a formation over the airfield.
There has been no announcement from the Fighter Collection if the Flying Legends Airshow will take place at another venue however, they have committed to keeping their aircraft hangered at Duxford.
Flying Legends 2019
LSA Gauteng Regionals 2020
As South Africa moves to Level 2 of the nationwide lockdown, people can go out and enjoy their outdoor hobbies again. One of these hobbies is RC Flying. On the 23rd of August, LSA (Large Scale Aerobatics) hosted their Gauteng Regional Competition at the Rand Model Aeronautical Club.
Pilots took off from the various runways at the flying club and then started with their flying routine. 2020 IMAC Known Sequences were flown in all classes with pilots having the opportunity to fly Unknown and Freestyle sequences as well.
Unfortunately with level 2 of the lockdown only allowing for up to 50 people at social gatherings, spectators were not allowed at the event.
Although we know many aviation enthusiast are hungered out for some flying action and are disappointed that most events are still off limits to the public, there is a light at the end of the tunnel…
Airports are starting to open up again with trips to Rand Airport and Grand Central becoming more and more worthwhile. Event planning for 2021 has also commenced. Keep an eye on the Aviation Central Facebook Page to be the first to know about events happening in the near future!
Future of AHRLAC secured as Business Rescue nears completion
This is in line with the business rescue plans adopted by affected parties in October 2019, pursuant to which Paramount Aerospace Industries acquired the businesses of ADC and its subsidiaries in terms of the relevant business rescue plans, which included the sale of the businesses and assets of ADC and its subsidiaries, as well as the assumption of certain liabilities of these entities in accordance with the respective business rescue plan.
As the Business Rescue Plans have now been adopted, the newly formed Paramount Aerospace Industries will bring new management with a wealth of aerospace engineering and aviation industry experience to the programme. The state-of-the-art factory at Wonderboom Airport has been operational for several months under Paramount’s stewardship, with manufacturing being ramped up to ensure the timeous delivery of aircraft to customers around the world. Approximately 85% of the original staff of ADC have been retained.
Paramount has provided and facilitated significant capital as part of these business rescue processes in the form of both post commencement funding, working capital, capital investment and the assumption of liabilities and loan repayments, in accordance with the provisions of the respective plans. Further capital will be injected into the business over the coming months to support both marketing initiatives and manufacturing.
Alison Crooks, CEO of Paramount Industrial Holdings stated: “This is great news for the future of the aircraft, for Paramount, for the South African Aerospace industry, as well as for the global aircraft market. Paramount’s decision, more than a decade ago, to fund the development of the AHRLAC aircraft was a matter of national pride and came at a time when the local aerospace industry was searching for a project that would invigorate the sector. Our passion for the country and for innovation is reflected in the direct investment of almost R1 Billion into the project. We are grateful that this strategic programme is now secured and that we can focus on a brighter future. We are delighted to have retained most of the employees who worked on the AHRLAC programme for years and to have created employment for many capable people through our efforts.”
The aircraft addresses a key global security requirement by performing missions that previously required several different aircraft. It integrates designs from helicopters, surveillance platforms and reconnaissance aircraft, with the ability to carry multiple systems, such as surveillance radar and electronic systems.
Crooks added: “We are very excited about our new management team, made up of leading experts in aircraft engineering, industrialisation and production, who are focusing on the manufacturing of the aircraft and its delivery to customers. We have been encouraged by the global interest in the aircraft and we look forward to making further new customer announcements in the near future. We would like to thank all of our employees who have stood by us and have demonstrated that the resilience, innovative spirit and can-do mentality of South Africans is as strong as ever.”
The aircraft is a smart, innovative ‘command centre in the sky’ that integrates some of the world’s most advanced Multi-Function-Displays, Electro Optical Systems, Electronic Intelligence gathering and compact sensors available in the world today. AHRLAC is purpose-built to be infinitely reconfigurable. This allows the application of the aircraft in multiple roles and missions in response to diverse customer requirements around the world.
The AHRLAC aircraft will be manufactured in South Africa at the state-of-the-art factory on the Paramount Aerospace Campus in Wonderboom, north of Pretoria. This facility is a vertically integrated operation that uses latest-generation machines to fabricate all airframe components and sub-systems directly from a digital model. All fabricated components are brought together with the engine and avioinics on the final assembly line which produces an aircraft ready for flight.
In keeping with Paramount Group’s well-established portable production model, the aircraft could, depending on customer requirements, also be exported in kit format for final assembly in customer countries.
Paramount restated its committed to continue its investment in South Africa, in order to build a strong, sustainable aircraft and aerospace systems capability in the country, and this transaction supports this objective.
OV-10 Bronco Reinvented
Icarus Aerospace, with headquarters in Montreal (Quebec, Canada) and Tampa (Florida, USA), revealed a highly customizable, twin-turboprop which is a multi-role capable aircraft, with a rugged, versatile, and technologically advanced design. The name of the programme is “TAV”, which is an abbreviation for Tactical Air Vehicle. The aircraft which spawned from the programme is called Wasp.
The clean-sheet force-multiplier could be the solution for the world’s security and armed forces. The optionally manned aircraft could fullfil 90% of the mission capability of modern fighter and costs only 15% of a modern combat jet! The Wasp is planned with two 1700shp engines, an 360-degree AESA radar, and is designed to operate near jet speeds while being able to carry up to 8000lbs of payload on eleven hardpoints. It is equipped with and In-Flight Refueling probe and an Automated Aerial Refueling (AAR) system for unmatched loiter and range capability. Quite unique for such a type of aircraft.
Icarus advertises the aircraft for the following missions: Close Air Support (CAS), Counter-Insurgency (COIN), Forward Air Control (FAC), Armed Aerial Scout (AAS), Special Ops Coverage, Combat Search and Rescue (C-SAR), Armed Nation’s capital / City Protection and Border Patrol. It can also be equipped for Armed Coastal and Maritime Patrol, Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti-Piracy missions as well as Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Electronic Warfare (EW), Signal Intelligence (SIGINT), COM/INTEL Relay & Battlefield Management.
The long fuselage could also be designed for Medical Evacuation and Re-arm & Re-supply missions. A special fuel tank can be installed so it can act as a Refueling tanker.
The Wasp measures 51ft (15.5m) wingspan and 52ft (15.85m) in length and can fly up to 36,000ft. Weapons can be attached: Laser guided bombs and rockets, GPS guided munition, up to two torpedoes, sonobuoys, anti-ship rockets, air to air infrared missiles plus conventional unguided bombs and rockets.
Due to the nature of the aircraft and its early stage of development, Icarus reports it must impose restrictions about the communication of technical specifications and performance data. But it is clearly that the company puts this very promising design into the market as a serious competitor for the A-29 Super Tucano, T-6 Texan II and Textron Scorpion as well as with a good sales pitch to countries with a smaller defense budget. Icarus is also known to develop a High Altitude Unmanned (Combat) Aerial System (UAS) named Branta.
Artist impressions: Icarus Aerospace
U.S. donates COVID-19 protective gear to South African Health Services
The U.S. government and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) delivered approximately $340,000 in personal protective equipment to the South African National Department of Health (NDoH), August 15.
The equipment, delivered by a U.S. Air Force C-130J, is bound for Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu Natal, where it will benefit front-line health workers.
AFRICOM purchased the supplies, which include N-95 masks, gloves, gowns and sanitizer, using Overseas Humanitarian, Disaster, and Civic Aid Appropriation (OHDACA) funds after the South African government made a formal request for assistance to the U.S. Embassy.
The command also is supporting the set-up of handwashing stations in Gauteng, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu Natal, contributing $225,000 to this initiative. This brings the total value of U.S. support toward South Africa’s COVID-19 response to more than $46 million.
“U.S. Africa Command is focused on mission and the fight against COVID-19. We’ve been working in close coordination with the Department of State and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to provide assistance where we can to the international COVID-19 response,” Lt. Gen. Kirk Smith, deputy commander, U.S. Africa Command.
“The contributions of critical personal protective equipment and supplies help South Africa and reflect our commitment to partnership in Africa,” he said.
The U.S. has had a long-standing relationship with South Africa. This relationship includes a commitment to improving security and military cooperation to advance peace and security in the region.
On the occasion of the C-130’s arrival, U.S. Ambassador to South Africa Lana Marks said, “We are so proud of our growing partnership with South Africa’s National Defense Forces and our cooperation to ensure peace in the region. This delivery of lifesaving equipment, critically needed here in South Africa, shows how we can leverage the infrastructure of our strong defense cooperation to further bolster the U.S. support to South Africa’s ongoing COVID-19 response.”
Earlier this summer, AFRICOM Foreign Humanitarian Assistance funds provided 11,064 face shields earmarked for the South African Military Health Service and two additional projects provided surgical face masks and protective face shields to assist the South African Government.