Dassault’s Falcon 8X Makes Debut at the Show
Dassault Aviation new flagship, the Falcon 8X, featured at this year’s Singapore Airshow, the largest aerospace and defence show in the Asia Pacific region. It was the first appearance of the ultra-long range Falcon 8X at the six day event, which was on from February 6-11 at Changi Airport.
The 8X was presented alongside a Falcon 2000LXS twinjet. All Falcons, and in particular late generation models like the Falcon 8X and 2000LXS, draw on Dassault’s extensive experience with combat aircraft — a heritage unique among business jet manufacturers. Falcons and fighters are designed by the same engineering teams and built on the same production lines to the same exacting quality standards. Falcons also benefit from the advances in aerodynamics, structural design, digital flight control and the man-machine interface conceived for Rafale fighters, keeping them on the cutting edge of executive aircraft technology.
The exceptional flexibility, operating economy and comfort of Falcon business jets make them ideal for a region that is known for its many small hard to reach airfields. Currently, over 90 Falcons are based in the Asia Pacific region, half of them late generation models. The fleet includes all current production Falcons – the Falcon 8X, 7X, 900LX, 2000LXS and 2000S – as well as legacy models.
The first Falcon 8X was delivered to the Far East last fall and the 6,450 nm/ 11,945 km range trijet is now operating in all major business markets, including the US, Brazil, Europe, Russia and the Middle East. And thanks to the high level of maturity of its onboard systems, its market introduction has been incredibly smooth.
Operational capability has been further reinforced with recent approvals to fly in severe crosswind conditions and to operate at London City Airport, one of the world’s most restrictive airports. Feedback from operators has been extremely positive, in particular with regard to cabin comfort, flying stability and cabin sound level — the best in the industry.
The 8X is available with Dassault’s award winning FalconEye Combined Vision System, the first head-up display in the industry to combine synthetic and enhanced vision capabilities.
The Airshow also featured Dassault’s new Falcon Immersive Practical Training module, which uses 3D virtual reality technology to facilitate maintenance training for engineers and technicians. The module is intended as a complement for those undertaking certified practical training for Falcon business jets at the Dassault training centre.
Russian Helicopters and Datagate Signed Memorandum on Cooperation for Aftersales
Russian Helicopters and the Thai company Datagate Co. Ltd. signed a memorandum of intent on cooperation in organization of the maintenance service centre for Russian-made helicopters in the framework of the Airshow.
The document was signed by Deputy General Director on Aftersales of Russian Helicopters, Igor Chechikov and Director of Datagate Issary Benjarattanaporn.
Among the areas of cooperation identified in the memorandum is assistance in organization of the centre for servicing Russian-made helicopters in the Kingdom of Thailand. It is anticipated that the centre will be able to provide all kinds of maintenance and repair, troubleshooting and replacement of components.
Also, the parties identified an opportunity to supply spare parts and provide the repair of components of the civil helicopters under separate contracts. For instance, a contract for repair of components for Russian Mi helicopters was signed at the exhibition.
“This memorandum outlined the basic agenda and those items on which we intend to cooperate with our Thai partners. We agreed to explore all available prospects and opportunities and to develop a joint plan in the future,” said General Director of Russian Helicopters, Andrey Boginsky.
The memorandum is effective from the date of its signing by the parties and will be valid for one year. Also, the document provides a possibility of renewal of the memorandum upon mutual agreement of the parties.
Airbus Opens Commercial Drone Services in Asia-Pacific
Airbus launched the Asia-Pacific operations of its ‘Airbus Aerial’ commercial drone services at the show. The newly established regional base of Airbus Aerial adds to two existing hubs based in Atlanta, US and Munich, Germany.
“We have chosen Singapore as the headquarters for our Asia-Pacific operations because it is a well-established regional hub with excellent connectivity to key countries such as Australia, India, Japan and China,” said Head of Unmanned Aerial Systems at Airbus, Jana Rosenmann. “It is also a great centre for innovation and potential partnerships, enjoying strong support from the local government for start-ups as well as the development of smart technologies.”
Initially focussing on the development of new imagery services, Airbus Aerial leverages the latest software and aerospace technologies to provide actionable data and analysis of information provided by drones, satellites, high altitude aircraft and other sources. With its imagery services, Airbus Aerial targets a range of applications for industries such as insurance, agriculture, oil and gas and utilities, as well as state and local governments.
During its first year in operation, Airbus Aerial played a critical role in the US, helping several major insurance companies assess damage and process claims faster than ever before. These results were achieved by providing before-and-after satellite imagery of affected areas and real-time imagery collected by drones during fly-overs. These images were then blended with proprietary Airbus data analytics to help insurers assess damage and prioritise resources.
These initial services were provided in 2017, following Hurricane Harvey in the Houston, Texas area and Hurricane Irma in southern Florida and, more recently, after the devastating wildfires in California.
The Asia-Pacific base of Airbus Aerial is led by Bernard Leong, who joined Airbus in January 2018. Previously, he was Head of Post Office Network and Digital Services at Singapore Post, with an extensive business and technology management background, including drone delivery and autonomous vehicles within the Asia-Pacific markets.
The first target of the Singapore team will be to explore potential within the Asian regional insurance market and extend Airbus Aerial’s footprint from the US and Europe to the Asia-Pacific region. It will gather information to provide relief and recovery in disaster prone regions with dedicated disaster management support, and also identify local possibilities including agriculture, critical infrastructure monitoring like power lines and railroad, and oil and gas mining where the business model may fit.
Airbus Aerial Asia also aims in the next years to offer cargo drone services with autonomous logistic systems, applying the principle of supporting an open ecosystem while seeking strong partnerships with technology providers and drone operators in the Asian region.
HENSOLDT Expands Business in APAC Region
HENSOLDT, the leading independent sensor house, is boosting its business in the APAC region by establishing one of its five global sales hubs in Singapore.
“We are considering the APAC region as one of the most promising growth regions for our business”, explains HENSOLDT APAC general manager, Nathan Manzi. “This fits with our ambitious growth plans, as the needs of military and security authorities for situational awareness in all domains are growing at a tremendous pace. So, we consider our portfolio of powerful sensors in the areas of reconnaissance and platform self-protection as well as coastal surveillance, air traffic control and counter-UAV very well positioned to increase our market share.”
HENSOLDT is sharing its new 250-square metre premises in downtown Singapore with British radar specialist Kelvin Hughes which was acquired by HENSOLDT in 2017. Its current workforce of 15 staff is expected to be expanded in the short term. HENSOLDT with its predecessor companies and Kelvin Hughes are well-known sensor suppliers in the region having delivered naval and land-based radars, self-protection systems, air traffic control equipment and optronic devices to countries such as India, Australia, Singapore, South Korea and the Philippines.
Rolls-Royce Launches IntelligentEngine
Rolls-Royce on February 5 launched its pioneering IntelligentEngine vision at the show.
With more people flying than ever before and an increasing demand for more efficient travel, Rolls-Royce has defined a vision for the future of aircraft power that will help deliver passengers more reliably and more efficiently than ever before.
The IntelligentEngine vision is based on a belief that the worlds of product and service have become so closely connected that they are now inseparable. This trend was first identified when Rolls-Royce introduced the market-defining TotalCare service in the Nineties and, since then, advancements in digital capability have accelerated this change and further blurred the boundary between the two.
The coming together of product and service, supercharged by digital technology, offers Rolls-Royce a wealth of opportunities to improve the way it provides power to its customers.
Rolls-Royce, Director, Customer and Services – Civil Aerospace, Dominic Horwood said, “We are determined to pioneer the power that matters for our customers and our IntelligentEngine vision will allow us to do this. We have the right people, the right skills and the right infrastructure to grasp this opportunity and deliver world-beating digital insight, helping us to deliver even greater value for our customers.”
The IntelligentEngine vision enables Rolls-Royce to find new ways of pioneering power, whether that is through its engines installed today, through its future UltraFan engine design, or even through the hybrid-electric concepts of the future.
Rolls-Royce’s R2 Data Labs, an acceleration hub for data innovation launched in December 2017, will play a key role in achieving the aims of the IntelligentEngine. Using advanced data analytics, industrial Artificial Intelligence and machine learning techniques, R2 Data Labs develops data applications that unlock design, manufacturing and operational efficiencies within Rolls-Royce, and creates new service propositions for customers.
HENSOLDT Presents Extensive Sensor Portfolio
HENSOLDT, the leading independent sensor house, presented its broad range of sensor technologies at show. HENSOLDT has been formed from the security and defence electronics activities of Airbus and develops innovative products for reconnaissance and intelligence, the protection of soldiers and information superiority.
“As a sensor solutions provider we make the most of the fusion of different sensor technologies to give our customers superior situation awareness,” explained CEO HENSOLDT, Thomas Müller. “Gathering reliable information over the whole signal spectrum is at the basis of sound decision making and finally protecting our citizens’ lives.”
HENSOLDT presented its latest developments in the area of radar, electronic warfare, optronics and situational awareness. The company displayed its next-generation airport surveillance radar ASR NG, the most powerful sensor for military and civil air traffic control. HENSOLDT supplies customers all over the world with air traffic control and identification systems for military and civilian applications. The company received orders for a complete approach control system for the Swiss Air Force as well as for different versions of the ASR to be supplied to Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS), UK, Australia and Canada. Excellent detection capabilities demonstrates the TRML-3D mobile air defence radar which is in service, among other countries, in Malaysia.
The protection of helicopters, wide-body and fighter aircraft is the main purpose of the portfolio of self-protection devices including the MILDS and MILDS F missile approach warners and the self-protection suite AMPS. The Xpeller counter-UAV system also on display is able to reliably detect small drones at various distances, thus protecting critical infrastructures, large events or military installations. The modular Xpeller product family includes various sensors such as radar, camera and radio frequency detectors as well as direction finders and jammers.
In the area of Optronics, HENSOLDT displayed its ARGOS-II HD A1 multi-sensor system for airborne Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which can be fitted with High Definition (HD) infrared and daylight cameras as well as laser rangefinders and laser illuminators. Also, on display was the GOSHAWK II airborne observation system providing stabilised images from UAVs, light aircraft or helicopters.