Aviation

AgustaWestland TiltRotor sets speed record on a 1000 km ‘point to point ‘journey

The Finmeccanica-AgustaWestland AW609 TiltRotor set a speed record on a 1000 km ‘point-to-point’ journey. The aircraft, with its unique combination of the turboprop airplane’s speed and helicopter’s take-off and landing capabilities, flew from its Yeovil facility in southwest England to its Cascina Costa facility near Milan, Italy, a distance of 1161 km (721 miles / 627 nm), in just two hours 18 minutes.

The AW609 TiltRotor features technology which will revolutionize commercial aviation transport: the record set in flight between Southern U.K. and Northern Italy clearly demonstrates the unprecedented advantages of the tiltrotor concept for point-to-point journeys. The AW609 will be able to connect two important cities, such as London and Milan, in about two hours, taking off and landing vertically from the cities’ urban areas just like a helicopter, flying at the cruise speed of a turboprop airplane in all weather conditions. Combining fixed-wing and rotary-wing flight attributes, the AW609 provides at least 30 percent to 50 percent time savings when compared to using a combination of car, helicopter and business jet, typically for travel to destinations up to 1100 km (700 miles) away.

The flight started with a vertical take-off from Yeovil. The aircraft then climbed to its en route cruising altitude of 25,000 ft (8,000 m), passing north of Southampton, just south of Paris, over the Alps and Piemonte in Italy, before descending and landing at Cascina Costa near Milan just two hours 18 minutes later.

The AW609 TiltRotor, with its unparalleled performance and capable of transporting up to nine passengers in comfort in its pressurized cabin, opens up new possibilities for a wide range of missions for corporate transport but also offshore transport, search and rescue, emergency medical services and homeland security among others.

The AW609 TiltRotor is set to achieve civil US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification in 2017 with deliveries scheduled to start soon after.

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Aviation

Boeing, Antonov to Collaborate on Defense Projects

– MOU represents Boeing’s commitment to work with Ukrainian industry

– Includes exploring opportunities for collaborating on in-country support of Unmanned Aerial Systems

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed today by Boeing and Antonov Company to investigate potential collaboration on defense-related projects.

“We’re happy to keep collaborating with the Antonov Company to help Ukraine’s economic development and expansion,” stated Ted Colbert, CEO and president of Boeing Defence, Space, & Security.

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“This agreement demonstrates our ongoing efforts to find more opportunities to work with Ukrainian industry, which was underscored by our signing of the Ukrainian Defence Industry Compact earlier this year.”

The areas of potential collaboration identified in the agreement consist of training, logistical support and overhaul services for tactical Unmanned Aerial Systems utilized by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, which includes the ScanEagle. In addition, the companies will also explore opportunities for Antonov to provide engineering support to Boeing.

The six largest cargo aircraft ever built in the aviation industry:Click here

“A strong, innovative, and efficient defense industry is key to sustainable economic development and national security, and we are extremely excited to collaborate with Boeing,” said Ievhen Gavrylov, CEO of Antonov Company.

This agreement brings a whole new level of opportunity to implement the latest and most effective solutions – in addition to the possibility of future projects with Boeing in the aerospace and defense industry.”