Bombardier Sells an Additional 15 CRJ1000 NextGen Aircraft to Air Nostrum

PARIS, FRANCE--(MARKET WIRE)--Jun 14, 2009 -- - Airline also confirmed as previously unidentified launch customer for CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft
- Air Nostrum's cumulative orders for Bombardier aircraft since 1998, now total 100, including 35 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft
Bombardier Aerospace today confirmed that Air Nostrum of Valencia, Spain has now placed firm orders for a total of 35 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft including:
- A new firm order for 15 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, being announced today. This firm order was previously announced by Bombardier on February 19, 2007 as a conditional order for 15 CRJ1000 aircraft by an unidentified customer. Delivery of these 15 aircraft will start in 2014 and continue through 2016;
- A firm order for 15 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, previously announced by Bombardier on February 19, 2007 as a firm order placed by an unidentified launch customer;
- A conversion of five remaining CRJ900 aircraft to CRJ1000 NextGen jets from a firm order for 16 CRJ900 aircraft placed by Air Nostrum in 2004. The other 11 ordered CRJ900 aircraft have been delivered to the airline.
Based on the list price for the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, the new firm order for 15 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft announced today is valued at approximately $ 793 million US. The total value of Air Nostrum's orders for 35 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft is approximately $ 1.75 billion US.
"Air Nostrum is proud to be a launch customer for the CRJ1000 NextGen regional jet, which promises the same qualities as the CRJ200 and CRJ900 aircraft that we currently operate," said Carlos Bertomeu, Chief Executive Officer, Air Nostrum. "Bombardier's products have propelled us to our position as one of Europe's largest and most prestigious regional airlines. We fully expect our new CRJ1000 NextGen airliners - and especially their outstanding economics - to help us continue to grow and prosper."
"We are delighted by Air Nostrum's selection of the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft to meet their regional jet requirements for the future," said Gary R. Scott, President, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "Air Nostrum has been a valued Bombardier customer since 1998, and has now placed orders for a total of 100 CRJ and Q-Series aircraft. Air Nostrum's recognition as one of Europe's most outstanding airlines, is a testament to its operational expertise, customer satisfaction, and to the performance and reliability of these Bombardier commercial aircraft."
An independent airline, Air Nostrum operates as IBERIA regional. It flies to more than 120 domestic and international destinations with approximately 153,000 flights a year that carry about 5.2 million passengers.
As of today, Bombardier has recorded a total of 64 firm orders for the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft.
About Bombardier Commercial Aircraft
Bombardier Commercial Aircraft is a world leader in the design and production of aircraft that seat up to 145 passengers. Its mission is to provide a complete range of commercial aircraft optimized for best-in-class efficiency with the highest level of customer service. The product portfolio is comprised of three commercial aircraft families: for short-haul operations, the 70- to 80- seat Q400 NextGen airliner is a fast, fuel-efficient and lower-emission large turboprop. For medium-haul applications, the CRJ NextGen family of aircraft is a benchmark for regional jet efficiency in the 60- to 100-seat segment. For longer routes, the 110- to 130-seat CSeries airliners are the world's newest and most advanced single-aisle aircraft designed specifically for comfort and setting new standards in technology, fuel efficiency and reduced environmental impact.
About Bombardier
A world-leading manufacturer of innovative transportation solutions, from commercial aircraft and business jets to rail transportation equipment, systems and services, Bombardier Inc. is a global corporation headquartered in Canada. Its revenues for the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, were $19.7 billion US, and its shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). Bombardier is listed as an index component to the Dow Jones Sustainability World and North America indexes. News and information are available at www.bombardier.com.

AIRSHOW-Eurocopter sees military orders down in 2010

* CEO says military orders to feel crisis impact in 2010
* Says sees civil backlog suffering in 2010, 2011
By Maria Sheahan
PARIS, June 14 (Reuters) - Eurocopter, the world's biggest civil helicopter manufacturer, expects a downturn in orders from the military sector from 2010 as the economic crisis cuts into budgets, the company's chief executive said.
"2010 will be a difficult year for Eurocopter," Lutz Bertling told journalists in remarks embargoed for Sunday.
The subsidiary of European aerospace and defence group EADS (EAD.PA) gets just over a third of its orders from the military sector, for which it makes the NH90 and Tiger choppers.
But large orders to be finalised by the end of July will add some 2.5 billion euros ($3.5 billion) to the company's backlog and help offset weak orders for civil helicopters in 2011 and 2012, he said.
"We are entering this gloomy tunnel of 2010, but we are already seeing a sunny end of the tunnel," he said.
According to Eurocopter, in 2008 it delivered 45 percent of new helicopters coming onto the global market, making it the leading manufacturer ahead of rivals such as United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) unit Sikorsky and Textron's (TXT.N) Bell.
In the civil sector, the global economic crisis had an "immediate" impact starting in September last year, Bertling said. Shortly after, demand from the public sector fell as governments had less tax income or suffered from low oil prices.
"There is a very significant impact on the civil side of the business in the bookings that we are seeing now," Bertling said.
ORDER CANCELLATIONS
He said that while the company's order backlog would remain largely stable in 2009 from last year, the economic crisis would start to bite in 2010 and 2011 if public groups, corporations and the super-rich kept a tight hold on their purse strings.
The company would cut production levels if necessary, depending on how demand in the civil sector, in which the company sells Ecureuil and EC135 helicopters, developed in 2010.
Like the commercial airplane sector, Eurocopter is seeing order cancellations, but the company has so far been able to reallocate most of the heklicopters with other customers.
"We have had roughly 70 cancellations, but the net booking on the civil helicopters is roughly 100 helicopters up to now," Bertling said, adding Eurocopter's market share has slightly increased as it stood its ground in a shrinking market.
Eurocopter booked a net 715 orders in 2008, down from a record 802 in the previous year which marked the peak of the aerospace cycle, due in part to a drop in big military tenders.
"There will clearly be lower production levels (in 2010) than we have now. But to predict how the market will behave is extremly difficult. We need to wait a bit longer in the year to get more precise figures," Bertling said.
Eurocopter, which posted 4.5 billion euros of sales in 2008, will present its new EC175 civil helicopter at the Paris Air Show. It expects the chopper's first flight to be at the end of 2009, Bertling said. ($1=.7108 Euro) (Reporting by Maria Sheahan)

Hamilton Sundstrand's Boeing 787 Team Supporting First Flight and Entry Into Service

PARIS, June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PARIS AIR SHOW -- Hamilton Sundstrand is supporting the Boeing 787 team and its launch customer as the aircraft prepares for first flight and entry into service. Hamilton Sundstrand is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: The Hamilton Sundstrand support team, led by Dennis Klapperich, Technical Support vice president, is a key player in Boeing's 787 flight test program. Currently, Hamilton Sundstrand has Technical Support personnel on site at Boeing's Seattle, Wash., facility to offer support and answer questions regarding Hamilton Sundstrand's 787 systems as the aircraft progresses through its flight readiness process. Hamilton Sundstrand technicians have also initiated meetings with All Nippon Airways (ANA), the 787's launch operator, and will be present to provide expert guidance and address all technical questions to ensure a smooth entry into service when the airline takes delivery of its first aircraft.
"To support the aircraft and operators, we will leverage our best-in-class customer service network of engineers and facilities," said Matthew Bromberg, Hamilton Sundstrand Customer Service vice president and general manager. "In addition, Dennis and his team are dedicating experts and equipment to the 787 program. Our No. 1 priority is to achieve the product performance and reliability expectations of our customers."
Hamilton Sundstrand is a major systems supplier for the 787, providing the Electrical Power Generation and Start System, Remote Power Distribution System, Primary Power Distribution System, Environmental Control System, Auxiliary Power System, Nitrogen Generation System, Fire Detection and Suppression System, Ram Air Turbine and electric motor pumps.
Hamilton Sundstrand is also responsible for ensuring spare parts are available at guaranteed levels, managing the maintenance of parts removed from aircraft and ensuring equipment reliability is optimized.
"Boeing and our customers have high expectations and objectives for the 787 Entry into Service (EIS)," said Mike Fleming, Boeing 787 director of Services and Support. "Meeting those objectives will require a committed, coordinated and integrated effort. Boeing is pleased to work closely with the Hamilton Sundstrand team as we prepare to meet customers' expectations for exceptional EIS performance."
Hamilton Sundstrand's Customer Service organization provides customer support, ranging from spares and provisioning to repair and exchange services, technical support and aircraft asset management. Hamilton Sundstrand's C.A.R.E. (Comprehensive Asset Repair and Exchange) program offers total repair and inventory support services, and is fully supported by key OEM accessory suppliers.
With 2008 revenues of $6.2 billion, Hamilton Sundstrand employs approximately 18,000 people worldwide and is headquartered in Windsor Locks, Conn. Among the world's largest suppliers of technologically advanced aerospace and industrial products, the company designs, manufactures and services aerospace systems and provides integrated system solutions for commercial, regional, corporate and military aircraft. It also is a major supplier for international space programs.
United Technologies Corp., based in Hartford, Conn., is a diversified company providing high technology products and services to the building and aerospace industries worldwide.

AIR SHOW-US defense firms look to M&A, international sales

* International sales to bolster US defense firms
* Acquisitions also being studied
* Strong demand for fighters, helicopters
By Andrea Shalal-Esa
PARIS, June 14 (Reuters) - U.S. defense companies, some rocked harder than others by Defense Secretary Robert Gates' sweeping program cuts, are looking to international sales and acquisitions to fill the void.
Many are also vying for contracts to maintain and sustain aircraft for U.S. military services and foreign countries, an increasingly attractive market given that budget woes are keeping many aircraft in service longer than expected.
Industry executives, meeting with reporters on the eve of the Paris Air Show, said they expected U.S. defense spending to flatten after years of strong growth, but said their companies were largely well-positioned to report growth in other areas.
Executives are not expecting to clinch big-ticket orders at the show, but most have dozens of meetings scheduled with possible foreign buyers and U.S. officials. Most
Jim Albaugh, head of Boeing Co's (BA.N) defense business, acknowledged that some big Boeing programs such as the Future Combat Systems Army modernization program, the Air Force's Transformational Satellite program, and the C-17 transport plane took a hit in the Gates cuts, but said the fiscal 2010 budget plans also pointed toward some future opportunities.
He said Boeing was bidding in many foreign competitions and expected global sales to expand to 20 percent of Boeing's defense sales from 16 percent now, and 5 percent in 2004.
He said Boeing, the No. 2 U.S. defense contractor, was taking part in fighter jet competitions in India, Denmark, Brazil and Greece. South Korea could also buy 40 more fighters and Australia remained interested in the F/A-18 Super Hornet.
He also cited foreign interest in Boeing's C-17, Chinook CH-47 helicopter, and Apache attack helicopters. "There's a lot of international potential there," Albaugh told reporters.
Boeing is creating a separate business unit for the company's work on unmanned vehicles, and will announce on Monday a fourth targeted acquisition in the intelligence area, Albaugh said. He gave no further details.
Robert Stevens, chief executive of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), said the Pentagon's No. 1 contractor was also keeping an eye out for value-adding acquisitions at the right price, but said he was generally pleased with the broad, diversified portfolio the company had developed over the past years.
He told reporters at a media dinner that the very definition of global security was expanding to include things such as access to clean drinking water, secure transportation, and alternative energy sources, among other things, all areas in which Lockheed was already active and growing.
At the same time, Stevens said he had strong expectations for the new radar-evading F-35 fighter jet being developed by nine countries to replace up to 13 different current fighters.
Helicopters are also in great demand, Jeff Pino, president of Sikorsky AirCraft, a United Technologies Corp (UTX.N) unit, told Reuters. "We're really focused internationally."
Pino said he planned to meet with Navy Vice Admiral Jeffrey Wieringa, head of the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency, and other foreign and U.S. officials to talk about future sales during the air show.
Pino said his company had an order backlog valued at $12 billion and was in talks on some $1.4 billion of foreign sales over the next three to five years to Albania, Georgia, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
In addition, he said Taiwan was interested in buying 60 Black Hawk helicopters, a deal that could be worth around $1 billion, and should be finalized later this year.
Turkey was also nearing a decision on up to 300 new helicopters in a competition that pitted Sikorsky against AgustaWestland, a unit of Italy's Finmeccanica (SIFI.MI). That deal was worth around $2.5 billion, Pino said.
Pino said Sikorsky was also looking for ways to keep its helicopter platforms relevant as the Pentagon increases its focus on irregular warfare, including development of an aircraft that could be remotely piloted, or manned, depending on what was needed. A first flight was expected in 2010.
Gates' decision to cancel Lockheed's work on the VH-71 presidential helicopter, a deal Sikorsky lost, and redo a competition for combat search and rescue helicopters, could also spell a chance to bid for the work again, Pino said.
Aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney, another unit of United Technologies, is also eyeing acquisitions in its core engine business and energy sector, Pratt & Whitney President Dave Hess said in an interview ahead of the Paris Air Show.
Hess said Pratt was hit by Gates' decision to end production of Lockheed's F-22 fighter at 187, since it builds the engine for the fast, stealthy fighter. He said he would welcome a repeal of a congressional export ban on the F-22 to keep the production line running until production of the F-35 fighter begins to ramp up in 2014, but that was up to Congress.
He said he was more optimistic that U.S. lawmakers would act to add funding for additional C-17 aircraft, which also runs on Pratt & Whitney engines, which would stave off the closing of that production line, at least for now.

AIRSHOW-Pratt could make engine, energy acquisitions

PARIS, June 14 (Reuters) - Aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney could make acquisitions in its core engine business and energy sector as it looks to grow, the company's president said on Sunday.
The United Technologies unit has the cash and commitment to take on acquisitions, Pratt & Whitney President Dave Hess said in an interview ahead of the Paris Air Show.
"Within Pratt, certainly we'd look at things that would relate to the core (engine) business," Hess said.
Although there are not a lot of very large or what would be considered top-tier acquisition targets currently, "things could happen," he added.
He said United Technologies has increased interest in energy, as it has a gas turbine business and produces rocket engines that use liquid propellants with its Rocketdyne business.
"We see these ... as potentially fast-growing businesses and it's possible we could see acquisitions in that space," Hess added.
He also said his company was looking to expand in segments such as renewable and alternate energy.
There are more available acquisition candidates in the energy space, "so there's more opportunity," Hess said.
Hess said Pratt & Whitney, which gets as much as 40 percent of its business from military and space and the majority from commercial aerospace, had seen commercial spare orders stabilize, albeit at low levels, and added that air traffic and cargo traffic also seem to have stabilized.
He said it was hard to tell what effect recent announcements of capacity cuts by air carriers including Delta Air Lines Inc [DAL.N] could have on aftermarket sales.
He also said rising oil prices could trigger demand for more fuel-efficient aircraft.
"There was pressure to move forward with new (fuel-efficient) platforms that diminished with oil prices dropping last year," Hess said. "But as they increase again and with some of the challenges airlines are facing, there could be renewed pressure to develop more fuel-efficient aircraft."

AIRSHOW-Safran open to drone partnerships

PARIS, June 14 (Reuters) - France's Safran is open to industrial partnerships to create aerial surveillance drones, a company executive told a news conference on Sunday ahead of the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.
The aerospace, defence and security group currently makes tactical military drones, but wants to branch out into unmanned aircraft for both military and civilian use, such as border monitoring, he said.
"We are open to all types of partnerships, notably with industrial partners that have acquired expertise and experience in the domain of this type of aircraft," said Jean-Lin Fournereaux, head of Sagem defence security, a Safran unit. (Reporting by Matthias Blamont; Writing by James Regan, editing by Martin Golan)

Abu Dhabi's Mubadala to build aerostructures plant

ABU DHABI, June 15 (Reuters) - Mubadala Development Co, an investment arm of the Abu Dhabi government, said on Sunday it will start an aerostructures plant later this month.
The first phase of the plant will be operational in the fourth quarter of 2010, Mubadala said in a statement, adding that it would produce "advanced composite aerostructures," but did not give an estimate of the cost.
"Strata has formed industrial partnerships with leading aerospace companies EADS, Airbus, FACC and Alenia Aeronautica -- a Finmeccanica company -- through which composite aerostructure manufacturing programs will be established in the new plant," it said.
It said that initial contracts with partners have totaled more than $2 billion.
The plant will manufacture advanced composite aerostructures, including flap track fairings, ailerons, spoilers and assemblies for Airbus aircraft and the empennage for the ATR Regional Aircraft -- a joint venture between EADS and Finmeccanica, it said.
"Strata will progressively build capabilities that include engineering, design, and research and development," it said of the plant, headed by Ross Bradley, the former Farnborough Aerospace Consortium chief executive.
"This investment in establishing a market leading advanced aerostructures facility will support the demands of current and future generations of commercial aircraft," said Bradley.
"Strata will supply highly competitive products and services to the global aerospace industry, supporting the establishment of Abu Dhabi as a major aerospace centre." (Reporting by Inal Ersan, editing by Martin Golan)

Lockheed Martin Chairman Underscores Need for Partnerships: 'To Meet the Demands We Face...We Must Work Together'

PARIS, June 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lockheed Martin Chairman, President and CEO Bob Stevens today told a group of journalists that as the global security environment becomes more complex, and the definition of "security" evolves, the answer to the challenges lies in the ability to form strong, healthy global partnerships.
Stevens, speaking at the company's media dinner on the eve of the Paris Air Show, made a forceful case for open, integrated transatlantic partnerships as an essential part of global security. "At Lockheed Martin," he said, "we recognize that global security is human security."
Pointing to persistent and diverse worldwide challenges including nuclear proliferation, terrorism, piracy and cyber attacks--as well as growing concern over the sustainability of the planet's environment and the downturn in world economies--Stevens told the group: "Our fates and fortunes are linked, as peoples, countries and regions."
Stevens said the challenge is not only redefining what "global security" means but also considering how the challenges of global security will best be met. "To meet the demands that we face together, we must work together, and that means global markets must remain open, and global partnerships must remain healthy and mutually beneficial," he said.
Referring to the temptation some nations may have during difficult times to look inward to protect companies and markets, Stevens described protectionism as "a counterproductive response, distorting markets and dislocating trade flows that, in the long run hurts customers, companies and taxpayers alike." He cited the European Commission's Directive on Defence Procurement as an encouraging development that will help to introduce more competition into the European market. "Of course, an open, integrated transatlantic marketplace requires a two-way street, and Lockheed Martin has been promoting this course of action for years," he added.
Stevens reminded the group that the world's security challenges are not going away, nor are they getting less complicated. "Their volume and their consequences are rising. At a time of global economic stress, the resources available to meet these challenges are constrained, and that means execution and affordability are more important than ever. And understanding how our customers define value, and making sure we provide it each time, every time, is more critical to us than ever," he said.
"I am confident we are going to meet these future challenges," he said, adding that Lockheed Martin is "a business of fundamentals--performance excellence, superior value, unquestionable integrity."
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 146,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2008 sales of $42.7 billion.

MegaPhase Optimizes Airborne Cables Lifecycle Management for Aircraft Manufacturers

STROUDSBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--MegaPhase, the leading manufacturer of super-flexible and highly reliable coaxial cables and assemblies is changing how advanced aircraft avionics and EW systems are built and maintained. For too long limited proprietary options restricted aircraft contractors to solutions that reduced their ability to source, build and maintain complex communications and RADAR antennas. MegaPhase’s microwave cables meet rigorous design specs with standard RF and microwave connectors. By engaging MegaPhase engineers, aircraft communications suppliers design connectors and cables that are standardized and save installation time and engineering costs. And since the connectors meet uniform standards, cabling options are no longer limited to one proprietary vendor.
MegaPhase designs standard coaxial connectors, adapters, low loss cable connectors and terminations to meet nearly all defense and commercial applications. While custom designs are available including high density, ZN and ZMA, MegaPhase encourages its customers to improve their lifecycle risk by eliminating proprietary designs. Additionally, "build-to-print" connectors are available, plus most common RF/Microwave connectors including Type N, TNC, HN, SC, 7-16, SMA, 3.5 mm, 2.92 mm, 2.4 mm and 1.85mm.
“Too often onsite repairs require too much time to retrofit solutions and work around proprietary constraints,” observes William Pote, MegaPhase’s CEO. “Increasingly aerospace contractors require suppliers to conform to industry-wide standards to extend the service life of in-place systems or dramatically reduce maintenance and repair costs,” he reports.
Case Study:Standardized SMA Cable and Connectors Reduce Costs and Improve Maintainability
The problem
Major defense aircraft manufacturers when building the critical path connections into EW and avionics components, engineers too often found themselves limited to purchasing unnecessarily expensive, proprietary cables and connectors. Whenever a connector needed replacement, engineers were strapped with a higher cost of materials and labor. These proprietary connectors and cables came from a single manufacturer, making replacement parts dependent on production schedules of one supplier – and could not be reliably obtained when and where they were needed.
The solution
When a leading integrated microwave antenna assemblies provider came to William Pote, president of MegaPhase with their frustration, Pote went back to his engineers to design a standards-based solution that could be implemented in the field with far fewer steps and processes. This line of flight-qualified cable assemblies and connectors conform to interface standard and are manufactured at a fraction of the cost of legacy counterparts.
MegaPhase’s engineers reviewed their unique requirements and proposed a solution. “We spent a few hours talking to the engineers at the plant,” recalls Pote. “We went back to our office, brainstormed several alternative solutions, tested different integration solutions, and based on our research, were able to recommend a reliable and efficient solution that easily saved the customer, and therefore the taxpayer, tens of thousands of dollars.”
MegaPhase’s connectors work seamlessly with their line of GrooveTube® cables that are equipped with a super-flexible, rugged outer conductor. This high performance outer conductor is manufactured using the highest quality, pure oxygen-free copper tape. MegaPhase produces the copper tape into flexible copper tubing, which offer the following benefits.
Electrical Benefits:
Repeatable, reliable performance over time because the outer conductor does not fatigue when flexed like traditional braid/foil outer conductors and stiff corrugated copper types.
Superior phase and amplitude stability during flexure because the inner conductor stays in the center of the outer conductor - where it belongs. The insured concentricity maintains impedance and low SWR.
Low VSWR and Insertion Loss, because each connector screws directly on to GrooveTube®, the outer conductor, and then the seam is 100% soldered versus other cable brands terminating to small strands of braid.
Mechanical Benefits:
Smaller bend radii.
Built-in crush-resistant armor that withstands over 150 lbs of plane compressive force per inch (66 kg per 2.5 cm).
Strong mechanical termination at connectors. Connectors screwed on.
The Result
The MegaPhase connectors have proven to be reliable and much less expensive than the legacy alternatives. MegaPhase’s connectors and GrooveTube cables are widely used today in aircraft installations and applications, where they have significantly cut costs and improved sourcing options.
The Build-to-Print & Custom Design Process
When standard off-the-shelf RF connectors do not meet the needs of a defense supplier, MegaPhase’s engineering staff works collaboratively to design interconnect products to meet their stringent requirements. Their quality engineering expertise has developed from wide experience in designing custom connectors for Defense, Commercial, and Aerospace customers. MegaPhase also offers electronic and mechanical qualification testing, prototypes, and prove out of final design.
MegaPhase’s field support gathers the unique requirements, proposes the most efficient and cost effective solution, and provides complete documentation of the solution, including 3D Modeling and EM Simulation. The production team assembles and tests for quality fully before delivery, where again the field support can oversee the installation. MegaPhase’s project team manages the process to make sure the assemblies are delivered on time and within budget. All special assemblies are MegaPhase certified and labeled with product specific and contact information so field staff understand what components are used, and who to call for more information.
Solutions
MegaPhase’s Build-to-Print & Custom Design Process Center has been called on by leading companies working with RF cable systems. Special assemblies have included:
Projects
Special design connectors in a wide variety of interfaces and configurations, designed in accordance with MIL-STD 348, IEEE 287, and other pertinent specifications
Interfaces include: 1.85mm, 2.4mm, 2.9mm, 3.5mm, SMA, N, TNC, ZMA, & ZN
Multiple configurations: Straight,Jack, Bulkhead, Right Angle, PC Mount
Semi-rigid and flexible cable types terminated with either Crimp styles, direct solder, or solder clamps
“We suggest engineers call us when they need a solution and estimate when they need to assemble a special RF cable solution. The comprehensive “Build-to-Print & Custom Design” center provides the technical information, parts, new and retrofitted assemblies and service,” offers Pote.
About MegaPhase, LLC
MegaPhase is an ISO 9001:2000 certified privately held company that designs, manufactures and sells RF/Microwave coaxial cable, cable assemblies, connectors and RF components. Located in Stroudsburg, PA, MegaPhase customers include OEMs in instrumentation, broadband networking, wireless communications, semiconductor, advanced microwave and optical electronic systems, space and defense. MegaPhase products include GrooveTube® test cables, semi-rigid and flexible coaxial cables for advanced systems, test adapters and coaxial connectors. MegaPhase’s broadband and high frequency interconnect technologies include coaxial cables through 67 GHz have been used reliably to test Sprint-Nextel cell phones, the US Navy’s new AWACS E-2D Hawkeye, Agilent’s new FireFox handheld analyzers, and many other high-profile projects. For more information contact MegaPhase at 570-424-8400, by e-mail at FastQuote@megaphase.com or visit www.megaphase.com.

CCAGW Blasts House Defense Committee for Funding JSF Alternate Engine

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW) blasted members of the House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee after they voted to authorize $603 million for an alternate engine program for the F 35 Joint Strike Fighter in the fiscal year (FY) 2010 Defense Authorization bill. The alternate engine program has been the subject of several comprehensive reports that indicate that it is duplicative and unnecessary. According to CBS News, the U.S. Air Force and two independent panels have also concluded that the second engine is “not necessary and not affordable” and that the alleged savings from creating a mock competition “will never be achieved.”
“Even though the Pentagon has repeatedly rejected the alternate engine program, the funding for it has been added back in as unaccountable earmarks,” said CCAGW President Tom Schatz. “In the FY 2009 budget, this ill-conceived program got two earmarks for a total of $465 million and they were among the 142 anonymous earmarks slipped into the Defense Appropriations bill. In an era of tough economic times and deficit spending, it is impossible to justify spending $603 million on a program that will not save money or improve our defense capabilities,” said Schatz.
The Pentagon has tried to cancel the $7.2 billion alternate engine project every year since 2006 but members of Congress have kept it alive with earmarks.
“Now that Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii) has emerged as a vocal proponent of this boondoggle, we may at least begin to find out who was behind the anonymous earmarks last year,” continued Schatz. “This year, taxpayers may have an alternative of their own, because President Obama singled out the alternate engine program for elimination on May 7, 2009 when he announced his intention to cut $17 billion in wasteful programs from the budget. This will be his first test. If the funding for the alternate engine program ultimately reaches his desk, he will finally be able to make good on his promise to cut wasteful spending by vetoing the bill,” concluded Schatz.
CCAGW is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, the nation’s largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

Textron's Cessna to cut 1,300 jobs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Textron Inc's Cessna unit said it would cut another 1,300 jobs, underscoring the face of deteriorating demand for corporate aircraft and leaving the company with about half of its workforce remaining.
Last week the diversified U.S. manufacturer said it planned to announce more job cuts as order cancellations continued.
The company is the world's largest maker of business jets. At its height is employed about 16,000 workers.
Business jets have become something of a symbol of corporate excess in the current downturn, after the heads of big Detroit automakers outraged Congress last year by flying to Washington in private planes to ask for government money.
Karen Gordon Quintal, a spokeswoman for Providence, Rhode Island-based Textron, said the cutbacks will affect all Cessna's facilities. Cessna, based on Wichita, Kansas., has manufacturing facilities in Independence, Kansas, Columbus, Georgia and Chihuahua. It also has 10 service centers in the United States and Europe.
The first 800, 60-day layoff notices are expected to go out within a week. The remaining 500 workers are expected to receive their lay off notices when they return from a previously scheduled furlough.
The company also said it would impose an additional company wide three-week furlough.
The recession has posed a double whammy to Textron, which is working to radically downsize its finance business and coping with a simultaneous sharp falloff in demand for aircraft.
Textron in April slashed its profit target for the year by about half.

Testing and Production of Bombardier's CRJ1000 NextGen Aircraft Progressing Well

PARIS, FRANCE--(MARKET WIRE)--Jun 14, 2009 -- Testing and production of the world's first CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft are progressing well. The technologically advanced 100-seat regional jet was launched in 2007 as the next major step in the evolution of the CRJ Series airliners, the world's most successful family of regional aircraft.
Earlier today, Bombardier announced a new firm order for 15 CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft placed by Air Nostrum. The CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft program has now captured 64 firm orders and four options.
"We continue to make strong progress, including the addition of the second production model," said Benjamin Boehm, Vice President, Programs, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft. "And we are particularly delighted with the expression of confidence in the program through a significant new order for an additional 15 aircraft from Air Nostrum announced today."
Among the program's recent highlights:
- The fuselage barrel for the first production CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft, S/N 19001, arrived at Bombardier's Mirabel, Quebec facilities on January 16, 2009 after traveling by sea and truck from Bombardier Aerospace, Belfast site, Northern Ireland. Wing to fuselage mating is complete and the aircraft has been transferred to the pre-flight hangar at Mirabel. Installation of the cabin interior as well as exterior painting is complete, and the aircraft is now in the final stage of preparation for flight.
- Following its initial flight at Mirabel, S/N 19001 will be flown to the Bombardier Flight Test Center in Wichita, Kansas where it will join the prototype CRJ1000 NextGen airliner, S/N 19991, in the flight test and functional and reliability testing programs. (The prototype aircraft made its inaugural flight from Mirabel on September 3, 2008).
- S/N 19991 had completed over 450 flight test hours by May, 2009, a bit more than 50 per cent of the estimated total flight test hours required for the program. Transport Canada have seen and reviewed the prototype aircraft and the agency's pilots have had opportunities to fly the aircraft.
- The second production model, S/N 19002, is now on the assembly line.
- The CRJ1000 NextGen simulator program is on track and will be certified next month.
- The prototype aircraft has met or exceeded published speeds and altitudes and flutter tests have been successfully accomplished. Flights into natural icing conditions have also been successfully completed. The aircraft weight is on target.
- Transport Canada has approved the escalation of "C" check (heavy maintenance) intervals for the CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft to 6,000 flight hours, or approximately three years of airline service, thereby reducing maintenance costs for operators.
The CRJ1000 NextGen aircraft is a minimum change variant of the 88-passenger CRJ900 NextGen jetliner and will hold a common pilot type rating with it and the 70-passenger CRJ700 NextGen aircraft. Optimized for medium-haul applications, the CRJ NextGen family of aircraft is a benchmark for regional jet efficiency in the 60- to 100-seat segment.

GE's Integrated Cockpit Demonstrates Cost and Environmental Benefits

LE BOURGET, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE’s integrated cockpit at the Paris air show incorporates a large area display suite and the flight management system (FMS) demonstrating the capability to fly precision and optimized descent arrivals that deliver fuel, emission and noise reductions for an integrated Air Traffic Management system. The cockpit is on the GE stand, hall 2A, stand C137.
“Southwest Airlines is an early adopter of this fleet-wide, integrated solution from GE,” said Lorraine Bolsinger, president and CEO of GE Aviation Systems. “We’ve been providing Required Navigation Performance (RNP) capabilities since the 90s when we first demonstrated this with Alaska Airlines in Juneau. We have now advanced the technology with our FMS optimized descent, which is an ecomagination product and we are committed to bring our airline customers savings now with proven products. GE’s FMS optimized descent enables increased capacity along with a potential 6-12% fuel savings for our customers and roughly 20% CO2 and NOx emissions reductions.”
Commercial aviation is reaching the limits of capacity for the air traffic management system and the long-term demand for growth in commercial aviation continues. The key to growth is in the ability to accommodate more flights, while maintaining proper distances between arriving flights.
“The integrated system of GE’s large area display suite and flight management system is a key part of our plans to conduct RNP operations. It allows us to realize significant cost savings with lowered fuel consumption while simultaneously benefitting the environment with reduced emissions,” commented Mike Van de Ven, Executive Vice President, Chief of Operations for Southwest Airlines.
FMS Optimized Descent
European airlines flying Boeing 737s have been given approval to use an optimized landing approach, made possible through GE’s FMS, that significantly reduces fuel used during descent, lowering CO2 and NOx emissions roughly 20% compared to standard arrival procedures. This groundbreaking effort was initiated at SAS Scandinavian Airlines, where “green approaches” saved hundreds of pounds of fuel and reduced emissions throughout 2008.
“The optimized descent available through GE’s advanced FMS, enables us to operate much more efficiently considering today’s air traffic challenges and economic pressures,” said Niels-Eirik Nertun, Environmental Director, Scandinavian Airlines. “Through partnerships such as this, and with a leader in FMS technology and operations like GE, we were able to significantly reduce our operating costs and help to reduce the aviation industry’s carbon footprint.”
The optimized descent is a money and environment-saving feature of Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) operations into Stockholm, where, in more than 4,000 such approaches, SAS recorded an average fuel savings of 240,000 kg, CO2 reduction of 756 metric tons, NOx (nitrogen oxide) reduction of 2640 kg annually and noise reduction by 50% (65db) for the exposed area.
GE’s integrated cockpit demonstrates the FMS optimized descent high degree of accuracy and predictability required to accommodate more flights, offering the opportunity for airports and airlines to begin using optimized approach procedures. The design and implementation of an optimized descent requires aircraft capable of performing four dimensional trajectory based operations (4-D TBO). GE’s FMS is the first in commercial aviation with all of these capabilities.
The 4-D TBO requires the FMS to predict and precisely fly:
Latitude, longitude, altitude while meeting a precise arrival time at any point along the flight path
Ability to communicate current position and predicted trajectory data with air traffic control.
GE’s FMS optimized descent is one of the most recent products to join the ecomagination portfolio and is an example of GE’s commitment to helping customers address business and environmental issues with innovative technologies.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE - News), is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation.
Notes to editors:
The integrated large area display suite and flight management system controls the aircraft track to an accuracy of 10 meters and the time of arrival to within 10 seconds to any point in the flight plan. Benefits include the ability to fly shorter flight paths and idle-thrust descents which reduces fuel consumption, thereby lowering emissions and community noise levels. Software and hardware updates provide the latest technology to continue to meet the needs of the world’s evolving airspace requirements, offering safe and efficient improvements to aircraft operations.
GE’s integrated cockpit display suite includes primary flight displays, standby instrument and control panels. The primary flight displays have been designed to mimic the appearance of the B737 Next Generation cockpit featuring new 15.4” widescreen displays with innovative dual-channel display architecture. The technology is patent pending and offers unprecedented levels of display availability. The displays feature integral signal and video processing and graphics generation, eliminating the need for a separate symbol generator. The suite includes GE’s Integrated Standby Instrument System (ISIS), which provides a single box solution for standby instrumentation.
The optimized descent with Scandinavian Airlines is the result of GE’s participation in Europe’s NUP2+ (North European Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast Network) project where select 737 aircraft in Sweden used GE’s FMS to fly aircraft at idle from cruise through landing. Reliable performance gave Air Traffic Management (ATM) authorities the confidence to approve the new approach in Europe for 737s equipped with GE’s FMS.
SAS estimates from a potential 36,000 optimized descents yearly into Stockholm alone, annual benefits could reach $6 million in fuel savings with an additional $4 million in cost avoidance due to the increased efficiency and punctuality of aircraft using GE’s FMS.