- Day 1 in Dubai springs surprises
By Chaitali Bag
Dubai. 13 November 2017. Day1 at Dubai Air Show clearly belonged to Boeing which clinched the 15Million commitment from Emirates, the impressive fly past and new technologies.
For the first time Airbus and Boeing met in the skies when two Emirates wide body aircraft the Boeing 777-300ER and A380 performed a flying display together. The aircraft were closely followed by the UAE’s air display team, Al Fursan. Both the Emirates 777-300ER and A380 flying display aircraft were decorated with the HH Sheikh Zayed decal as a tribute to the late founding father of the UAE.
In addition to Emirates’ commitment of 15MillionUSD Boeing also got a $1.9bn order from Azerbaijan Airlines for five 787-8s. The airline, which already operates two 787s, also has a commitment for the later purchase of two large freighters which could be either 747Fs or 777Fs.
Leonardo’s M-346FA (fighter attack) was presented for the first time at the Dubai Airshow alson with the the M-345 trainer. Already ordered by the Italian Air Force, the M-345 jet trainer is comparable in cost to a high-power turboprop aircraft but with higher levels of performance.
Russia’s Rostec announced that it had begun preliminary discussions with the UAE on the joint production of a civil aircraft. The aircraft may be based on UAC’s MC-21-400 passenger jet, with Rostec raising the possibility of a UAE production line. A working group is now being created to study it further.
Lessors were not to be left behind. Milestone Aviation Group got a deal confirmed for three Leonardo AW169s from Abu Dhabi-based Falcon Aviation.
Meanwhile CEFA Aviation, the pilot training and flight safety company, chose the Dubai Airshow to launch its Aviation Mobile Services (AMS), a software solution described by CEO Dominique Mineo as “a revolution in pilot training.” These animations will increase pilot awareness, safety and training, offering high-fidelity visualisations of landing, take-off and other flight moments derived from actual flight recorder data within minutes of landing. The system can help pilots analyse unusual conditions, landing patterns, with different aircraft controls – and training. CEFA’s safety and flight data monitoring systems are used by more than 80 airlines globally, but this is the first time the system has been made available to individual pilots.
As a first-time exhibitor at Dubai Airshow this year, 100 per cent Emirati company Atlas Aerospace, the new aerospace arm of Atlas Group, is proudly displaying its next–generation digital training device – a universal flight simulator, a digital training device fully made of touchscreens and flight controls; an innovative mission computer system that can integrate as many sensors as needed on a rotary wing aircraft; and the world’s first airborne certified two-channel networking radio, the Harris Multi-channel Airborne Networking Radio.
Japan’s Kawasaki C-2 airlifter which is sized between a C-130 and a C-17, and powered by two GE CF6 engines made its international debut at Dubai. Engine manufacturer CFM signed an agreement with Bahrain carrier Gulf Air for the purchase of 58 LEAP-1A engines to power 17 Airbus A321neo and 12 A320nes, as well as an additional seven spare engines to support fleet operations. Honeywell signed a 15-year Component Service Solutions agreement with the airline to maintain aftermarket components on the carrier’s fleet of Airbus A380 and Boeing 777s. The agreement covers comprehensive component repairs and support services until 2031. China’s AVIC is displaying full scale mock-ups of the Wing Loong, Wing Loong II and a new jet-powered armed UAV called the Cloud Shadow. Powered by a WP-11C engine it has a range of 400km and can fly at 620km/hr
UAE’s Cladius B-250 tandem-seat light attack/COIN turboprop also got an international debut. Developed with help from Brazil’s Novaer, the B-250 features a Rockwell Collins Pro Fusion glass cockpit – the first time this flightdeck has been used in an attack aircraft. Built out of carbon-fibre, the B-250 is powered by a P&WC PT6A-68 turbprop and has eight hardpoints for weapons.
Dubai air show for the first time was minus Qatar as it has been nearly five hours since Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar in June over its ties with Iran and its support of Islamist groups, accusing the small Gulf state of supporting extremists, charges it denies. The Arab quartet cut direct flights with Qatar and closed their airspace to Qatari aircraft.
