Re: Rolls Royce hampering Airbus sales?

Thank you for the excellent response, it clears up a lot of things. In its simplest form, RR now has a target rate of return and now a minimum rate on any deal, say a 15% rate of return. However, previously to land a big order they were pricing down to sub 5% return, with the hope outyear maintenan...

Re: The USS Nimitz should be kept for Marine air assault.

Lots of interesting stuff; I think the decision is a choice where the balance of probabilities lie between these two concerns: Given increased hostilities and global threats, I predict that the USN will keep the next 2x retired CVNs in reserve. A war with China will almost certainly involve losing a...

Re: Pratt & Whitney GTF engine issues; many aircraft grounded

Meanwhile, Airbus keeps delivering A321s and A220's that are powered by the GTF. Because customers keep ordering them and then expecting delivery. They don't have much choice at this stage. They have already bought and are operating PW engines. If they wanted to switch to LEAP they'd have to wait a...

Re: USAF Boeing E-7 AEW News and Discussion Thread

they are saving little money in reducing the fleet This may be true, but another truth is by canceling the two remaining frames, it opened up two production slots that was already in the planning at Boeing. That in turns allow the US schedule to pull to the left by that much. We will know the final...

Re: Rolls-Royce Completes UltraFan Build

The news that Boeing engineers are working with RR on this and the T1000 is unexpected - at least to me, anyway. Anybody have any insight? cheers My guess is the engine they chose dictated who they worked with on this. Why they chose the T1000 instead of another engine (maturity, availability?) is ...

Re: Rolls-Royce Completes UltraFan Build

Kinda interesting that it's Boeing instead of Airbus that's working with RR on the short-inlet experiment. Although I don't understand why the airframe/engine OEMs haven't tried to implement this feature earlier. The news that Boeing engineers are working with RR on this and the T1000 is unexpected...

Re: Airbus A350XWB ongoing evolutionary enhancements, EIS 2025-2030.

most everybody knows the A359 can fly SIN to lax or SFO but ORD or NYC? That's a "whole 'Nuther Story".. It is a very simple story. Singapore to Los Angeles is 7,609 nm Singapore to New York is 8,284 nm New York is only 675nm further. Singapore to Los Angeles has been successfully operate...

Re: Updated: QR and Airbus reach settlement in legal dispute

This isn’t quite the resounding victory for Airbus that seemed clear back in December… “The cancelled orders for 23 undelivered A350s and 50 smaller A321neos have been restored under the new deal, which is also expected to see Airbus pay several hundred million dollars to the Gulf carrier, while wi...

Re: C-130 Production Question

What an amazing aircraft, the C130 and CH47 just keep going Other than VTOL, name something the Herk can't do! Very soon, it will be able to walk on water :D Yes it shows what brilliant designs both these aircraft were, they can just keep updating them, they just defy obsolescence Errr - why exactl...

Re: Boeing adding 737 line in Everett

If supply chain not able to keeps the pace, such numbers meaningless For now the target is 50 P/m by 2025/2026, that's 3-4 years from now. Pretty sure by then the supply chain would be more robust and stable than it is today. As for higher production rates, I'm guessing that's for 2026 and beyond, ...

Re: Boeing adding 737 line in Everett

Can someone help me make sense of this..? This doubling down on 737 infrastructure seems strange to me given that there's no way they can keep the 737 after this iteration without a clean sheet. Did Boeing essentially run the numbers and determine that even in the short term this is their best solu...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

On the matter of the AUUKUS partnership, doing the successor to the "Virginias" together really seems a no-brainer to me. This is for a multiplicity of good reasons, starting with the extremely loud complaints by USN brass that the US supply-chain has been struggling to deliver more than ...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

As this thread has moved away from aviation related topics it has been moved into Non-Aviation. Good move, submarines only ever had limited flying ability and were never capable of space flight. ;) maybe that’s what is needed - a submarine that can also fly and go into space! ;) I remember making t...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

Dozens of French engineers had moved to Australia. Dozens of Australian engineers had moved to France. Design of the subs were well advanced and the first one could be delivered in a reasonable time frame. Now Australia has basically nothing. And the idea of buying the same subs as the US Navy is l...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

Is this submarine plan looking shaky now? https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/leaked-senators-letter-warns-aukus-deal-could-harm-us-submarine-industry-20230106-p5cary.html Senators don't like the idea. Can the US administration be trusted here? The plan will last longer than the current adminis...

Re: Boeing KC-46 News, Production and Delivery Thread - 2022

From a design and functionality stand point, it would be better to mount the communication array at the belly centerline. Boeing is already working on a module that is attached to the belly of the P-8A. https://defence-blog.com/the-navys-p-8-poseidon-spotted-packing-mysterious-new-pod/?amp If it ca...

Re: Boeing KC-46 News, Production and Delivery Thread - 2022

Actually, I could see more hard points AND strange shapes above the central fuse ...

cheers

Re: Boeing KC-46 News, Production and Delivery Thread - 2022

The recent KC-46 forward deployment in Qatar, also tested the new ABMS communication pods, which mount in the same position as the refueling pods. These make the tanker a communications node, as well as providing a full tactical battlescape picture to the crew. The KC-46 is the best equipped tanker...

Re: How about the west ultra rich and corporations step up

Rich people don't finance wars against neo-Fascist dictators. Not until you can build a business case to provide solid returns. Right now the lure of profits to be made from neo-Fascist dictators outweighs the business case of removing such people from power. That is why you see so many neo-Fascist...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

You know better than me, but the support facilities for a nuclear sub are far more than a conventional powered sub. Either need complete bases like Kings Bay and Bangor that have dry docks and can handle Intermediate Maintenance tasks, or utilize a submarine tender. Major overhauls belong to the 4 ...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

Came across two good articles about the sub options. https://www.navylookout.com/royal-navy-nuclear-submarine-technology-to-be-shared-with-australia/ https://www.navylookout.com/nuclear-submarines-for-australia-what-are-the-options/ I still think the Virginia is the best option as it is still in cu...

Re: Leeham: NBA single aisle 2023/24 launch EIS 2028

I think all the same what the answer of Airbus could be, Boeing has to take this step. If Boeing and Airbus end up with an equivalent product and Boeing has to invest more so be it. The sheer numbers of this market makes the size of the investment less important. If Boeing comes out with a small le...

Re: Russia cannot build it's own radars

Which is the nightmare for the Russians: Can they trust the Chinese to supply the "good stuff"? IIRC, one of the "wake up calls" for the Chinese in the wonderful days of the "Communist Brotherhood" (to destroy the West) was the realisation that the USSR was failing to ...

Re: Russia cannot build it's own radars

FWIW, I look at the photos of Putin & Xi, and am reminded compulsively of the "Molotov - Ribbentrop pact". And look how that turned out! :roll: One day, China will wake up and realize that all the natural resources that they'll ever need are just a short drive north... A short invasio...

Re: FedEx Eyes New Freighter Order per Reuters

Fascinating thread with many expert inputs. Thanks all. A random thought - the NMA was apparently at Program Launch when the MAX tragedy overtook it. A reasonable summary would be that it was to be in the 757/767 space. An NMA(F) to replace the 767F? Maybe even the first variant of the family to app...

Re: Russia cannot build it's own radars

The MPUs probably aren't going to be more broadly commercially available or interchangeable with COTs parts than any other milspec chips on those boards. Let's think of it this way. On the ISS, or on a Boeing test flight, an astronaut or engineer might be using a laptop. The laptop is widely availa...

Re: Emirates serious incident on takeoff on EK231 DXB-IAD on 20 December 2021

Something doesn’t add up, wouldn’t the plane still be in manual control this early into the flight? Not familiar with the 777 flight systems. Some pilots engage the automation as soon as the wheels are up, but not sure on specific planes and their differences. There was a famous quip about Asiana s...

Re: Updated: Airbus goes legal as Qatar Airways jet row escalates

Looking at the photos, there are a couple things I noticed. The mesh is apparently baked onto the surface, but there is no material penetration through the mesh. either the mesh screen size is too small or there is a material rejection that prevents penetration and extrusion to the paint side . the...

Re: Qatar Airways has grounded 13 A350’s at the request of the Qatar Aviation regulator

From my point of view it matches. Airbus has identified the likely root cause with such certainty, that they are publically using this wording. It may, however, mean that additional testing to increase the certainty from say 95% to 100%. As these tests may require time to be conducted Airbus has of...

Re: China successful test of orbital hypersonic weapon

:ill: Y'all are making me think that Taiwan may be important enough for the US to fight a war over. :sorry: bt The Republic of China is way more important than it's electronics manufacturing industry. https://thediplomat.com/2015/05/taiwan-and-strategic-security/ When Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on D...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

It makes no sense to base political decisions on the behaviour of drunk tourists. Building the infrastructure in Australia won't be cheap. Probably in the range of US$ 10-20bn, if not more. Add to that some US$ 2.2bn. per boat. 12 Astute class would be a fairly massive fleet. The UK have commission...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

I would agree; the French are being disingenuous. They've known for over a year and a half that the Australians had issues with the progress on the contract, and that the Australians were looking at possibly going to a contingency plan if they could not work things through with the French. A very b...

Re: New defence pact AUUKUS

You left Australia (among a few others of course). China is definitely pushing its weight around. Tugg What's the difference between China pushing its weight around and the US pushing its weight around, both do it, what makes the US right and the Chinese wrong? When was the last time China started ...

Re: KC-46 now cleared to operationally refuel some aircraft

Over and over again. We harp on the bad and dismiss the good. A big operation like Boeing will have its bad and good. Good. Programs running smoothly. P-8A AH-64 CH-47 F-18G The newer programs are just too new to evaluate. bt Other than the P-8, not Boeing projects. All of them date to 1980s. At le...

Re: Will the Airbus 330neo be developed further ?

That can change rather quickly, especially with difference between a 10AB 777 and a 9AB A330 being rather small compared to 10AB 777s/9AB 787s vs. 8 AB A330s. For over a decade a ton of people said that going from 18 to 17 inch is barely noticeable, but going from 17 to 16.5" is somehow unbear...

Re: KE to retire all quads in the next 5 years

I am aware of that, however if Boeing had launched a stretched 747 year around 1997/98 when they originally proposed then airlines May have ordered that, reality is they didn’t then the A380 came along and took most orders a larger 747 May have received, the market could have barely handled 1 VLA l...

Re: KE to retire all quads in the next 5 years

however the A380 hasn't exactly been a hit with many airline. Indeed, but guess what model did far worse, in every measurable standard of comparison? Hence, again, not really even sure what you're trying to get at with any of this. Who brought the 747-8 as a stopgap? First, I'll point out that it w...

Re: New Russian Fighter Jet

OTOH, because the Americans seem to have hit this problem first; then they may also be the first to solve it.\

\cheers

Re: New Russian Fighter Jet

I was merely trying to write that the U.S.’s “bogeyman” approach of scare-mongering new Russian/Soviet equipment had nothing to do with their reliability. And so it's happening again with pundits using the near peer conflict with China argument to bad mouth the F-15EX buy and insists that stealth i...

Re: Boeing 777X Testing/Production Thread - 2021

http://kpae.blogspot.com/2021/08/paine-field-august-9.html Okay. The 777X has indeed begun propulsion testing. Wonder why it took so long Is there any reason to think the "production standard" engines were available only recently? It’s possible. I’m not entirely sure though but I know GE ...

Re: A321F: Airbus considers new-build freigther program

[quote="SteelChair"] Would hope that a potential customer would want tbe NEO version. Why buy 1970s engine technology? It's the only reasonable alternative to the out of production 757F. But with a wing that is almost 30% smaller it won't be able to carry as much as far. My guess is that l...

Re: A321F: Airbus considers new-build freigther program

As I am not that familiar with the cargo market: How is the frequency vs volume argument in the cargo market? While in the pax market we have a clear shift from low frequency with large aircraft to high frequency with small aircraft is it similar in the cargo market? If the future shifts towards mo...

Re: Qatar Airways has grounded 13 A350’s at the request of the Qatar Aviation regulator

md11sdf wrote:

Is it time to admit that the whole composite fuselage thing was a bad idea and go back to building airliners out of light metals?

Re: Qatar Airways has grounded 13 A350’s at the request of the Qatar Aviation regulator

It seems this issue is specific to Qatar. What's so special about their A350 fleet beyond the Sandy environment in which they operate? Why does the issue concern only 13 aircraft? I have read through and I can;t see where any other operator has actually stripped the paint off like QR did. Not concl...

Re: AirAsia X plans overhaul to survive

That’s all sunk cost. If AAX never flies again they won’t get that money, liquidation leaves them nothing. They can’t re lease the aircraft or sell in this environment, so this at least gives them some potential revenue. They have no assets to collect, no better use for the planes, my point is they...

Re: Amazon Fleet Discussion - 2021

Quick update on Bag-o-Hammer-ghazi. Turns out Amazon pretty much threw their hands up in the air and sent it UPS 2nd day air rather than through much of their own system. Got it either 2 days late or 1 day early, depending on which estimate the algorithm pulled out of its butt. Next up: Writing an ...

Re: Boeing MAX-10 First Flight Thread

It's been rumored that Boeing shopped-around a MAX8 ER version using the -9 MTOW (88.3T) for a net gain of 6.1T (compared to standard MAX8 of 82.2T). That's enough payload gain to be able to stretch range from 3500nm of standard MAX8 to 4500nm like the XLR. It only needs about 4.5T of more fuel to ...

Re: Another Boeing-Airbus tanker war is coming soon, KC-Y

A very capable proven tanker transport would mean e.g. C-17 / C-5 hours can be saved for their specific capabilities and less tankers would be needed to fuel them. Something Boeing and the many KC135 bases can do without. A fleet of strategic transports, a fleet of tankers, a fleet of troop transpo...

Re: Boeing MAX-10 First Flight Thread

The 737’s wing is slightly larger than the A320neo’s wing. The A321neo has a slight area increase (although still around size of 737 wing at most) but has things like double slotted flaps, not found on the MAX 10, to help low speed lift. Both (MAX 10 and A321) could really benefit from new larger w...

Re: B737MAX Still considered for IAGs future fleet

Personally, I don’t see this going anywhere. Only thing I could see way on the future is BA /IAG using deferred build slots for something else or changing order (rather than cancelling) eg for new narrowbody. ... Worth remembering that IAG will operate the 737NG and 737MAX when they integrate AirEu...