By Sangeeta Saxena
Singapore. 15 February 2022. It was a quieter, less crowded , smaller static display amidst hovering corona clouds at Singapore Airshow 2022, which took off at Changi this morning. But the news is that the show is big as ASEAN nations are on a buying spree.
Day1 was full of announcements surprisingly beginning with India. Alliance Air will lease the two ATR 42-600s from TrueNoord, with the first to be delivered by the middle of this year. Erstwhile Air India’s subsidiary Alliance Air was retained by the Government of India while Tatas bought Air India.
And no air show any where in the world can start without the traditional Boeing-Airbus one-upmanship. Boeing has received three performance based logistics (PBL) contracts from the Republic of Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) to manage sustainment of Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) F-15K fighter jets and Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, and Republic of Korea Army (ROKA) CH-47 Chinook helicopters. The five-year contracts will improve aircraft availability by using performance data to inform logistics and supply chain management activities. Meanwhile Airbus has secured two contract extensions with Japan’s Ministry of Defence, to ensure global availability of its helicopter fleets over the next five years. The first contract is for the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force’s (JGSDF) H225 fleet and the second contract is for the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force’s (JMSDF)TH-135 fleet (globally known as H135).
JetBlue Airways has signed a firm order with Airbus for an additional 30 A220-300 aircraft. This takes the airline’s firm commitment for the A220-300 to 100 aircraft. This latest agreement lifts the total firm order book for the A220 to 740. Malaysia Airlines has agreed to purchase 25 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from Air Lease Corporation (ALC). The order will be placed on a long-term lease basis.
As always the US representation is the leader with 64 exhibitors including 11 that are new to the show. A total of 21 states are represented, including six stand-alone state pavilions — Arizona, California, Idaho, Kansas, New Hampshire, and Oregon — within the larger U.S. space. As always Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, General Atomics, Collins Aerospace, L3Harris, Pratt & Whitney are all
Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Safran and Singapore Airlines signed the Global SAF Declaration at the Singapore Airshow, to promote the acceleration of the development, production, and consumption of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). The Declaration is not limited to Singapore Airlines but it is the first airline to sign the Declaration.
But the major detour from earlier Singapore Airshows is the nearly nil presence of Chinese companies at the show, which probably because of Beijing’s “zero-COVID” policies that involve lengthy quarantines. And also the much expected China’s JF-17 flying in Singapore skies , did not happen. The state-owned China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corp. displayed a variety of military aircraft including fighter jets, helicopters and drones.
France has a strong representation with Airbus, Thales, MBDA, Dassault Aviation and many more showcasing their aerospace products and technologies. Germany is not far behind with Diehl, Lieber, Lufthansa Tecnik and others. Belgium and Swiss delegations are also present making European presence in this important Asian show strong. United kingdom also has exhibitors in good strength like Aero Metals Alliance, ASL, BAE Systems, Carion Defence and Security, Cranfield University, EmpowerMX, Farsound Aviation, FAUN Trackway Limited, Hardide Coatings Limited, Martin-Baker, Survitec and TW Metals.
Not surprising was the presence of Israeli defence companies which were in full strength with major displays. Elbit Systems, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, and Israel Aerospace Industries are there along with some smaller ones. Elbit Systems unveiled the Skylark 3 Hybrid Small Tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems (STUAS) at the Singapore Airshow 2022. IAI is showcasing its advanced integrated solution for aerial threats – the BARAK-LRAD and BARAK-ER Air and Missile Defense Systems. In addition it is also exhibiting its multi-function naval radar MF-STAR alongside the surface-to-surface missile system BLUE SPEAR (5G SSM), co-developed by IAI and Singapore’s ST Engineering, marketed and sold by Proteus Advanced Systems. Rafael is displaying the SPYDER All-in-One air defense system. SPYDER is a quick reaction, lower-tier Air-Defense system, designed to counter enemy aircraft, bombs, UAV’s, and precision-guided munitions.
Québec is one of the global leaders in the aerospace industry, accounting for 50% of Canada’s aerospace production. Québec’s diverse eco-system consists of major international companies, equipment manufacturers, an excellent network of suppliers and subcontractors.
Québec is amongst the world’s top aeronautics hubs, alongside Seattle and Toulouse. Québec Aerospace Pavilion for Singapore Airshow 2022 is featuring Alphacasting, AV&R, CEL Aerospace, CMC Electronics, MHD Rockland, QSTC, Eddyfi Technologies, Shockform Aeronautique and Intelcan. Surprisingly Ontario state’s aerospace industry is missing from the show. But Canada is still represented well in the pandemic recovered dominated Singapore Airshow.
Though subdued in comparison to previous editions the Singapore Airshow reiterates the fact that the South East Asia is not only geostrategically important but also a major aerospace and defence market for the manufacturers of the world.
