Project Zero Electric Tiltrotor to Move to Hybrid Power At the Paris Air Show, AgustaWestland announced that its electric tiltrotor “technology incubator,” called Project Zero, is to move from an all-electric to hybrid engine architecture. James Wang, vice president of research and technology, said that a diesel, a derivative from a car engine, is to...
Eurocopter X3 Approaches the Sunset of its Brief Life Eurocopter test pilot Hervé Jammayrac and experimental flight test engineer Dominique Fournier were at the Paris Air Show to discuss their record-breaking flight in Eurocopter’s X3 technology demonstrator aircraft. The X3 flew at 255 knots (293 mph) in level flight and 263 knots in a dive...
CAE Simulators Advance Across Many Fronts The CAE NH-90 simulator in Australia is the first to attain Level D certification, according to industry sources here at the Paris Air Show. The Australian Army and Navy will be sharing 24 MRH-90s. The Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) is also believed to be considering buying simulators for its fleet of 20...
U.S. Army Buys More Mi-17s for Afghanistan The U.S. Department of Defense and Russian defense firm Rosoboronexport have inked a contract for 30 Mi-17V5 helicopters for the Afghan Army, with an option for a further 12 helicopters, according to a report issued during the Paris Air Show by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. According to the report...
Paris: Thales Looks to IFE Future Thales demonstrated the results of its in-flight entertainment (IFE) research and development efforts at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday, displaying flat-screen displays designed for aircraft cabins with eye-tracking and gesture-control capabilities. (Stuart Dunleavy of Thales, demonstrating the...