Newsdesk – Commercial Aviation

Embraer Finds Emb-145 Partner:

Brazil’s Embraer and the Basque government, through the GAMESA group of Spain, have entered into a risk-sharing agreement whereby GAMESA will build the wings and engine nacelles for the EMB-145 50 seat passenger regional jet.

It is expected that GAMESA will invest more than $US-100m in the programme to develop the wings and nacelles and to build tooling for their production. The company’s assuming revenue from this of some $US-800m based on a production run of 400 aircraft over the next ten years.

Other partners in the EMB-145 project include Allison, which will supply the GMA3007A turbofan engines and Parker Hannifin, which is responsible for the flight control, fuel and steering systems and various hydraulic components.

GAMESA is Spain’s leading power supply company with diversified industrial interests. It already acts as a subcontractor of aerospace structures for CASA, DASA, Eurofighter and Airbus Industrie. The first EMB-145 is provisionally scheduled to fly next year and enter service in 1996.

USA Looks to Increase Competitiveness:

United States President Bill Clinton has unveiled a $US16. 5bn technology investment plan designed to boost his country’s competitiveness in the international marketplace through the accelerated development of key technologies. Called Technology For America’s Growth: A New Direction to Build Economic Strength, the plan basically provides for research and development emphasis being transferred from mission specific to broader based and commercially viable technology through increased subsidies and incentives including tax breaks. The skill and productivity levels of US workers will improve through better education and training while basic research activity will receive large and continuing funding increases.

The President’s plan also includes better cooperation between government, business and labour (including joint ventures) and such things as a permanent research and development tax credit, an enterprise tax credit for small business and possible reform of the anti trust laws allowing greater opportunities for competitor companies to cooperate on projects.

Government funding for civilian R& Dwill be substantially increased and government investment in new technology will also increase. From a specifically aviation point of view, Mr Clinton called for the revitalisation of the USA’s R&D infrastructure and for an increase into research on civil aviation technologies. When launching his plan which is in many ways isolationist and a reversal of the Bush/Reagan attitude-at Boeing’s Everett plant, Mr Clinton specifically mentioned a get tough’ attitude towards Airbus Industrie including strict monitoring ofits 1992 promise to limit government subsidies. Some may find that somewhat ironic, as in the same speech the President was promising increased subsidies for US industry! Meanwhile, in Europe, the European Commission (EC) and the heads of nine major EC aerospace companies have got together to find ways of improving the competitiveness of their own industries, ways revolving around increased cooperation, research funding and soon. This and the Clinton dict noted above sets the scene for some interesting trans Atlantic jousting!

Awapurchases Interscan:

Australian electronics firm AWA has purchased Interscan International Ltd from the Australian Industry Development Corporation.

Interscan is best known for state-of-the- art microwave landing systems (MLS) which it originally developed in conjunction with AWA and the CSIRO. Since it was established in 1979, the company has exported some 70% of its output which includes antennae for aircraft distance measuring equipment (DME) and military tactical air navigation (TACAN) equipment. Interscan’s antennae complement these and other types of communications equipment produced by AWA, including surveillance radar and mobile telephone network base stations.

Interscan has already installed MLS equipment in Spain, China and Australia (at Canberra airport) and is listed fora contract to install three MLS systems in Taiwan.

GE Cuts Jobs:

The list of aerospace companies forced to reduce their workforces seems to go on and on. General Electric is the latest, planning to cut 3900 jobs or nearly 12% of its current 33,000 payroll.

The recession, and resultant reductions in civilian orders is blamed, along with the general decline in military spending. Most of the lost jobs (about 2300) will be at GE’s Evandale, Ohio, headquarters and 700 will be from the Lynn, Massachusetts facility where turboprops and the F404 military turbofan are produced.

GE’s partner in CFM International, the French company Snecma, is also putting off workers (some 800) and closing production for 20 working days during the year. Production of the CFM56 turbofan (which powers the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320) has dropped from 880 in 1991 to 770 last year and a planned 550 this year.

On a brighter note, CFM is close to concluding a deal which will see 20 Aeroflot Dyushin D-86 airliners re-engined with the CFM56.