Commandes Militaires : Moteurs

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has announced that its share of the Eurofighter Typhoon Tranche 3 order is worth more than £300 million.

Rolls-Royce is shareholder in Eurojet, the European consortium responsible for the EJ200 engine that powers the Eurofighter Typhoon twin-engine combat aircraft, and has a 37% production share of the programme.
The Tranche 3 contract covers 241 engines for which Rolls-Royce will produce the combustion system, high pressure turbine, intermediate casing and other components. The company will also assemble, test and deliver engines for the UK Royal Air Force (RAF). Work on engines will start in 2010.

The EJ200 programme sustains over 3,000 high-value jobs throughout Rolls-Royce and its supply chain, with activity centred at the Rolls-Royce site in Bristol, where engines for the RAF are assembled and tested.

Martin Fausset, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, said:
“The EJ200 is setting new standards for performance and reliability with the RAF and other Typhoon operators and bringing huge improvements in operational capability. This contract enables Rolls-Royce to maintain its commitment to supply our armed forces with the best power systems technology available.
“This will help to sustain highly skilled jobs in Rolls-Royce and our supply chain. Equally importantly, it will help to preserve the development of crucial military engine technology for the UK.”

The outstanding reliability of the EJ200 was confirmed in April 2009 with an engine reaching the significant milestone of 1,000 flying hours with the RAF with no requirement for unscheduled maintenance. The RAF fleet of EJ200 engines is supported by Rolls-Royce under an innovative, availability-based contract.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has concluded contracts with BAE Systems to support the EJ200 engines powering the Typhoon fleet of the Royal Saudi Air Force. The two three-year contracts form part of the Salam Support Solution that has been agreed between the Governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom.
Under the terms of the contracts, Rolls-Royce and its subsidiary Rolls-Royce Saudi Arabia Limited will lead support for the engine fleet on behalf of the EUROJET consortium.

A key element of the new contracts is that initial in-country support activity on the EJ200 engines will be conducted in Saudi Arabia. This will involve conducting some repairs onsite and preparing engines and modules for transport back to Europe for deeper maintenance requirements if needed.

Martin Fausset, Managing Director of Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, said: “We are delighted at this opportunity to cement our relationship with BAE Systems in support of the Typhoon aircraft for the Royal Saudi Air Force. Working closely with the prime contractor we have designed this solution using the experience gained supporting the UK’s EJ200 fleet and look forward to delivering high levels of service performance to the Royal Saudi Air Force.”
Al Smith, Rolls-Royce Senior Vice President for the Middle East and a Director of Rolls-Royce Saudi Arabia Limited, said: “This is a milestone contract for Rolls-Royce and its European partners in the long history of our partnership with Saudi Arabia. The support will involve a mixture of Saudi nationals and is the first step of the plans for the EJ200 engine in Saudi Arabia.”

EADS : l'Asean pourrait passer une grosse commande d'A400M ("Le Figaro")-- Selon "Le Figaro" du jour, l'ASEAN aurait engagé des discussions avec Airbus, pour l'achat de 40 à 60 appareils A400M. Alors qu'une délégation de l'Association des nations de l'Asie du Sud-Est a assisté au 1er vol inaugural de l'avion militaire il y a 15 jours, le quotidien estime que les premiers contrats pourraient être annoncés dans les 18 prochains mois. "Notre appareil reprendrait toutes les missions des avions américains et même au-delà. L'emport d'un A400 M est deux fois plus important" explique au quotidien, Pierre Jaffre, senior-vice président de l'Asie du Sud-Est et de la Corée d'EADS. "En contre- partie, le géant européen installera des centres de logistiques, de maintenance et de formation localement" détaille le journal.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has secured two major support contracts, worth a total of US$246 million, to cover engines powering C-130 military transport aircraft in operation with the US and UK militaries.
Under a US$203 million MissionCare® contract modification, Rolls-Royce will provide the US Air Force with comprehensive propulsion system services for its fleet of C-130J aircraft. The aircraft are flown by the US Air Force, US Air Force Training Command, Air National Guard, US Air Force Reserve and US Air Force Special Operations Command.
The availability-based agreement covers the provision of logistics and programme management support, engineering services, spares and technical data for the complete propulsion system, including AE 2100D3 engines and Dowty R-391 propellers. The agreement exercises the fifth year of an existing contract.

Rolls-Royce has also signed a one-year contract extension, valued at over $43 million, for the support of the UK’s C-130 military transport fleet. The agreement was signed with Marshall Aerospace, the prime contractor for the Hercules Integrated Operational Support (HIOS) programme, and provides continued support for both ‘J’ and ‘K’ aircraft variants in service with the Royal Air Force.

Rolls-Royce has teamed with Marshall Aerospace and Lockheed Martin to deliver HIOS, a programme to improve overall availability and reduce support costs of the fleet of C-130s.

Paul Craig, Rolls-Royce, Executive Vice President - Defence Services said: “Rolls-Royce is the world leader in engines for military transport aircraft. The award of these two important contracts highlights that we are trusted to deliver innovative support solutions which provide the customer with both increased engine availability and reduced ownership costs.”

Roll-Royce will not tender in a competition to re-engine the Indian air force's Sepecat Jaguar ground attack aircraft, following a request for proposals that calls for a completely new engine.

"The Indian government, air force and Hindustan Aeronautics have been informed that Rolls-Royce will not be responding to the RFP, and the reasons behind such a decision have been explained," the company says.

India's HAL-produced Jaguars are now powered by R-R Turbomeca Adour 811s. The UK engine maker had proposed upgrading these to the Adour 821 standard. However, the company says that in November 2010 the Indian government issued an RFP to itself and Honeywell calling for a new design.

The other alternative is Honeywell's F125, which is used on Taiwan's F-CK-1 Indigenous Defence Fighter. Honeywell has told the Indian air force that the F125 has the extra thrust needed to cope with HAL's upgrades and to increase the aircraft's strike capability.

The R-R decision could delay the upgrade programme because it creates a single bidder situation that is not allowed under Indian procurement policy.

R-R declines to provide more specifics on its decision not to bid, or on whether it could still propose an alternative to the Adour.

"From the outset of the competition, Rolls-Royce has offered an optimised cost-effective/low-risk Adour 'engine upgrade' to match the air force's technical and improved mission requirements," the company says.
"This upgrade would require minimum aircraft changes and would utilise the existing Adour infrastructure, production and manufacturing experience in HAL."

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Defence and Security is sticking to its plan to select all critical suppliers for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] by June, but this is not a hard deadline, a top company executive says.
Decisions on suppliers for such critical pieces as the engines, avionics and most of the structure still have not been made only two months before Embraer is scheduled to enter a joint definition phase.

The engines, in particular, are a sensitive topic and have required "a higher degree of discussion with the Brazilian air force", says Orlando Neto, executive vice-president at Embraer Defence and Security.
In the running are two companies with 27,000-30,000lb thrust (120-133kN) turbofans - the CFM International [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and International Aero Engines [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Comment voudrait-on que, en termes de maturité et de fiabilité, le GTF puisse se mesurer avec les CFM-56 et IAE V2500 ?

Although Embraer still wants to complete discussions by the end of June, the overall schedule can accommodate a brief delay for some of the supplier decisions, Neto says.
"There is room for some accommodation," he says, referencing a one-month slip. "That's do-able."

So far, Embraer has selected four partners - for the aircraft's cargo handling system, landing gear, doors, spoilers and a section of the rear fuselage.
The twinjet was launched in 2009 with a $1.3 billion, five-year development contract to replace the Brazilian air force's [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] C-130s.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has been awarded a $99.9 million MissionCare™ contract by the US Department of Defense Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River to provide support for the F405 (Adour) engines that power the US Navy’s T-45 training aircraft.

This exercises the third year of the contract to provide guaranteed engine availability, which includes support ranging from on-wing through intermediate and depot level maintenance, under the base contract signed in 2008.

MissionCare is used within the Rolls-Royce Defence sector to apply commercial Power By The Hour® principles to the unique requirements of the defence industry. Total value of the contract is $476.91 million over the five-year term.

Patricia O’Connell, Rolls-Royce, President, Customer Business Defence, stated: “We are proud of our continued partnership with the US Navy and its mission to prepare student aviators for jet carrier aviation and tactical strike missions. We look forward to another successful year of providing the best engine readiness and availability.”

Under the terms of the agreement, which is administered by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Rolls-Royce will provide all maintenance, support, troubleshooting, parts supply and logistics for both the F405 engine and the aircraft gas turbine starting system.

This contract provides comprehensive propulsion services to more than 200 aircraft, operating at four main Naval Air Stations - Kingsville, Texas; Meridian, Mississippi; Pensacola, Florida and Patuxent River, Maryland. Work is expected to be completed in September 2012.

Germany plans to slash the number of military aircraft it will buy from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the European aerospace company, as it shrinks its armed forces by a fifth as [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In a confidential document, seen by the Financial Times, the defence minister Thomas de Maiziere says he wants to cut Germany’s orders for the Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jet, the A400M transporter, and the Tiger attack and NH-90 transport helicopters.

The move looks set to trigger tense negotiations with EADS and its partners such as Italian-British AgustaWestland and the UK’s [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which holds a 33 per cent stake in the Eurofighter.

..... to lead to tough discussions with a raft of mostly European governments, who helped develop the aircraft and secured so-called “work-share” for domestic industry in proportion to the size of their final order.

Without the willingness of industry and governments – including France, the UK, Italy and Spain – to amend contracts long signed and sealed, Germany would be on the hook for penalty payments running into billions of euros.

...... Berlin now wants to buy 140 instead of 177 Eurofighters, 40 instead of 53 A400Ms, 80 instead of 122 NH-90s, and only 40 Tigers, half the original order.
..............
EADS and the government declined to comment .........

The UK started [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]three years ago, clinching a deal in spring 2009 which allowed it to sell on part of its Typhoon contingent to Saudi Arabia.

A similar plan is being considered for the aircraft Germany has contracted to buy but now considers surplus, although finding buyers is far from certain, according to industry experts.

India is considering the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. However, it is interested in jets with air-to-ground attack capabilities and not the early air-to-air Eurofighters Germany is expected to want to ditch.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has delivered the first Rolls-Royce LiftFan, for the F-35B Lightning II, to have been assembled at its new LiftFan Factory near Indianapolis, US.

The new facility is dedicated to the LiftFan programme and delivers world-leading production efficiency, by introducing state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques and innovative technologies. This will result in lower costs for the F-35B Lightning II Programme.

The LiftFan is part of the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem that provides Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capability for the first aircraft in history to combine the technology with stealth and supersonic speed. This fifth-generation fighter will provide the US Marine Corps and other future customers with increased capability and the option to deploy from forward bases.

Neil Mehta, Rolls-Royce, LiftSystem Programme Director, said: “Rolls-Royce has a proud heritage in vertical lift technology. The LiftSystem continues to build on that legacy. This new focused facility will enable us to deliver this unique capability to the customer while reducing cost.”

John Gallo, Rolls-Royce, Executive Vice President, Business Operations, said: “Our new LiftFan Factory features state-of-the-art manufacturing technology, making it one of the most efficient Rolls-Royce facilities anywhere in the world. This purpose built facility will enable us to deliver even greater value for our customer.”

The Rolls-Royce LiftSystem is the only propulsion system of its type in the world. The LiftSystem comprises a LiftFan, Roll Posts and 3 Bearing Swivel Module.

C'est P&W qui apprécie ! ;)

vonrichthoffen a écrit:

"Despite [the MMRCA] setback, we believe US aircraft, such as the Joint Strike Fighter, to be the best in the world,"

L'auteur de cette phrase a sans doute une vision du monde un peu rétrécie.
Sérieusement, vous voyez les Indiens acheter cet oiseau ? Les pilotes n'en voudraient pas, sans compter les liens établis de longue date avec les industries aéronautiques russe ou britannique.

vonrichthoffen a écrit:

SEVRIEN a écrit:
Les USA n'ont rien à voir (ou ne devraient rien avoir à faire) là-dedans, à ce stade, ... même si des possibilités leur sont ouvertes pour un avenir plus éloigné.

Il faudrait sans doute attendre une nouvelle génération de pilotes, nés ou ayant grandi avec les smartphones et les tablettes androïdes.
Cette approche de la part des USA serait-elle un signe qu'il y a encore un navire à sauver ?

Les remarques plus haut permettent, peut-être, un début de réponse affirmative à cette question, cher vonrichthoffen ! Je ne sais pas .

A prototype Alenia Aermacchi M-346 trainer has crashed in the United Arab Emirates during its return journey to Italy after the Dubai air show.

"The crew successfully ejected from the aircraft, and no serious injuries were reported," said Alenia. "The causes of the accident are currently being investigated."

The manufacturer has set up an internal investigation committee, and its representatives are co-operating with local authorities through the Italian embassy in the UAE.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today congratulates the entire Joint Strike Fighter programme for the dedication and hard work that has led to the lifting of probationary status for the F-35B Lightning II.

The F-35B offers critical Short Take Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) capability to the US Marine Corps. The STOVL capability is provided by the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem, a unique, advanced technology from Rolls-Royce -- the only company in the world to produce vertical-lift capability for fighter aircraft.

Dan Korte, Rolls-Royce President – Defence, said “We are delighted that the STOVL programme has been taken off probation. Hearing this announcement today is a vindication of all the hard work by the team in realising the capability of this unique system.

“We offer our congratulations to the entire Joint Strike Fighter programme for this key development, including the US Marine Corps, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, who have all worked so hard to ensure the success of the STOVL programme. This key step signifies a bright and solid future for the programme.”

The Rolls-Royce LiftSystem comprises a Rolls-Royce LiftFan, Roll Posts and 3-Bearing Swivel Module. Rolls-Royce is a subcontractor to Pratt & Whitney, which manufactures the F135 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter programme.

In 2011, the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem proved successful in the first ship-borne landings on the USS Wasp, as well as completing 268 vertical landings overall. The first three production F-35B aircraft were delivered to Eglin Air Force Base in the US in January this year in preparation for the start of pilot training.

US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta has lifted a probation order that had threatened the Lockheed Martin F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) variant with the possibility of instant termination for more than one year.

By granting the reprieve one year early, Panetta recognized the progress the F-35B made last year in flight tests after resolving five major technical problems that sidelined the variant for nearly all of 2010.

"We certainly are making progress," said Steve O'Bryan, Lockheed vice president of programme integration and business development.

The F-35B completed several major milestones during the year, including first shipboard vertical landing. The F-35B test flight also exceeded the number of planned flights and test points during the year, a strong reversal from its performance in 2010.

At the same time, the F-35B encountered several new technical problems in 2011, although none that disrupted the test schedule as severely as the year before.

Vice Admiral David Venlet, the F-35 programme executive officer, also has complained about the cost of retrofitting design changes on the growing number for early production aircraft.

Gen James Amos, commandant of the Marine Corps, welcomed Panetta's decision to lift the probation order, but acknowledged the F-35B's status remains a daily priority.

"I will continue to closely monitor the jet's progress on a daily basis, as I have over the past 13 months," Amos said.

The one-year probation term may still have a long-term effect on the F-35B production programme. As part of the terms of probation, the Department of Defense slashed the F-35B production rate to six aircraft per year through 2014.

It was not immediately clear if the DOD would restore some or all of the F-35B's production ramp-up during the low-rate initial production phase. The DOD plans to release its next six-year spending plan, including the Fiscal 2013 budget request, to Congress in early February.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has received recent contracts exceeding $275 million to provide support services for the US Armed Services.

Rolls-Royce will provide Mission Care™ service support for AE 1107C, AE 2100 and T56 engines which power a variety of US aircraft, including the V-22, C-130, P-3 and C-2 in operation with the US Air Force, Navy and Marines.

Patricia O’Connell, Rolls-Royce, President Customer Business – North America said: “Rolls-Royce is focused on meeting all of our military customers’ needs and we deliver services and support packages tailored to meet their specific requirements. These contracts reflect the confidence our US military customers have in our expertise. Rolls-Royce continues to win new contracts by demonstrating the value we can add, and by working hard to ensure our customers can deliver their missions and work within their budget.”

Recent contracts announced by the US Department of Defense include:

• US Air Force – $112.2 Million services contract for AE 2100 engines and propeller systems for C-130J aircraft.
  
• US Marine Corps – three contracts, totalling $84.7 Million, for maintenance services on AE 1107C engines for V-22 aircraft; $45.2 Million contract for logistics and technical engineering services for AE 2100 engines for KC-130J aircraft.
  
• US Navy – $33.8 Million contract for repair of T56 engines in P-3, C-130 and C-2 aircraft.
  

The contracts cover work to be delivered in 2012 and 2013.

Indianapolis, US – Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has signed a $598 Million contract with the US Department of Defense for 268 AE 1107C engines for US Marine Corps and Air Force V-22 aircraft.

In the first year, Rolls-Royce will deliver 70 engines valued at $151 Million. The contract includes four additional option years, with deliveries expected to total 268, including spare engines. Rolls-Royce is the sole manufacturer of the engines for the V-22 and has delivered 550 AE 1107C engines to the US Department of Defense.

Patricia O’Connell, Rolls-Royce, President Customer Business – North America, said, “Rolls-Royce continues to be the world leader in tilt-rotor engines and this long-term contract reflects the confidence our customer has in our expertise and our technology. Throughout the length of this contract, we will strive to further improve performance and capability of this unique aircraft.”

The Rolls-Royce turboprop engines help provide the unique capability for the V-22, allowing the tilt-rotor aircraft to take off and land like a helicopter, and to rotate its engines forward to fly like an airplane. The V-22 aircraft can carry more troops, fly faster and has greater range than the helicopters it will replace.

The AE 1107C has amassed over 260,000 engine flight hours.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has received a contract for $315 Million from Pratt & Whitney to supply the Rolls-Royce LiftSystem® for 17 F-35B Lightning II aircraft.

Rolls-Royce is the only company in the world to produce the advanced technology that enables F-35B aircraft to perform Short Take Off and Vertical Landings (STOVL), and that provides increased mission flexibility.

Neil Mehta, Rolls-Royce LiftSystem Programme Director said, "Rolls-Royce continues to focus on increasing efficiency as we provide this vital capability to the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter programme. We anticipate continuous cost improvements as production volumes ramp up to meet the needs of the F-35 programme."

The LiftSystem comprises a Rolls-Royce LiftFan®, Roll Posts and a 3-Bearing Swivel Module. Rolls-Royce is a subcontractor to Pratt & Whitney, which manufactures the F135 engine for the F-35 Lightning II programme. Under the contract, Rolls-Royce will produce 17 LiftSystems for the fourth lot of Low-Rate Initial Production (LRIP) through 2012, with a further order for the fifth lot expected later in the year. To date, Rolls-Royce has delivered 32 LiftSystems, plus spare parts.

In 2011, the LiftSystem proved successful in the first ship-borne landings on the USS Wasp, as well as completing 268 vertical landings overall. The first three production F-35B aircraft were delivered to Eglin Air Force Base in the US in January to begin training.

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has received a contract valued at US$183 Million to service M250 engines, which power the US Army’s fleet of OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters.

The contract, to support 500 M250 engines on more than 300 aircraft, begins in July 2012 for a year, and the Army has options to extend the contract for four additional years.

Rolls-Royce has supported the Kiowa Warrior fleet for 13 years, including placing Field Service Representatives on more than 20 in-theatre deployments to support the Army. Rolls-Royce currently has 23 Field Service Representatives supporting 11 Kiowa Warrior units.

Dan Korte, Rolls-Royce, President - Defence, said, "Rolls-Royce is focused on providing affordable, dependable support to help our military customers complete their missions every day. For years, we have been working hard to ensure these Army crews come home safely after every mission, and we are committed to providing our full support so that continues."

The M250-powered Kiowa Warriors have completed more than two million flight hours, including more than 750,000 hours in combat. The new contracts are part of the Rolls-Royce MissionCare™ support system for military customers, a suite of services tailored to help each customer meet their mission. Rolls-Royce is the only company to have MissionCare type contracts in place with all branches of the US military, including the Air Force, Navy, Marines, Army and Coast Guard.

The U.S. Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal has issued a $2.8-billion contract to Sikorsky Aircraft for more than 900 UH-60 and MH-60 Black Hawks.

The Army, U.S. Navy and foreign military sales (FMS) program will receive the aircraft under this contract, which also covers support services and technical data.

Sikorsky will manufacture the helicopters in Stratford, Conn., with completion expected in September 2016.