Avions de transport tactique/lourd

Rappel du premier message :

salut les amis
voilà un nouveau topic sur les avions de transport tactic/lourd, je n'ai pas trop de conaissance dans ce domaine mes c'est à vous de jouer
je vais commencer par le nouveau né brézilien


Equipage : 2

Charge utile : 19.0 tons (41,888 pounds)

Longueur : 33.43 m (109.7 ft)

Envergure: 33.94 m (111.4 ft)

Hauteur : 11.43 m (37.5 ft)

Poids maxi au décollage: 72.0 tons (158,733 lb)
Motorisation: 2× turbosoufflantes, 75–100 kN () chaqu'un

il est prévu de construire quelque 40 avions de ce type pour l'armée de l'air brézilienne

Citation :

Boeing C-17 : restent les “queues blanches”  

Industrie et matériels  14 février 2014  


L’annonce — faite en septembre dernier par Dennis Muilenburg, PDG de Boeing Defense, Space & Security — de mettre un terme à la production en série du C-17 Globemaster III en 2015 semble désormais inéluctable, faute de commandes significatives pour cet avion cargo emblématique.

Elle se traduira notamment par la fermeture de l’usine de Long Beach à Los Angeles (Californie) et la mise à pied de quelque 3 000 employés sur quatre sites, après l’assemblage de treize avions supplémentaires cette année. Des “queues blanches” que le constructeur de Chicago envisage de commercia­liser à l’export plus tard.

Ce seront donc 276 C-17 qui seront sortis des chaînes durant deux décennies, dont 263 déjà vendus à huit clients : 223 C-17 à l’US Air Force, 7 à la Royal Air Force, 6 à la Royal Australian Air Force, 4 à la Canadian Air Force — tous des alliés proches —, puis 4 au Qatar, 6 aux Emirats Arabes Unis et 10 à l’Indian Air Force, sans oublier les trois C-17, financés par l’Otan (sur fonds européens) pour le Nato Heavy Lift Wing, basé à Pápa, en Hongrie.

Les efforts de Washington pour inciter certains pays alliés à acquérir quelques C-17 ont, jusqu’à présent, buté sur le prix d’achat de cet énorme quadriréacteur (250 millions de dollars pièce) autant que sur le coût de son utilisation et de sa maintenance. Un dernier acheteur potentiel existe : la Corée du Sud.

La RoKAF (Republic of Korea Air Force) a, en effet, lancé un programme d’acquisition pour quatre avions «de la classe du C-17», pour un budget nettement inférieur à un milliard de dollars. Ce qui laisse une chance à l’A400M, sachant que Séoul hésite devant le prix très élevé de l’avion US et que la RoKAF, qui possède vingt Airbus CN239, est très satisfaite de la disponibilité de ces bimoteurs de transport et de leur faible coût d’entretien. Mais, pour la RoKAF, il est clair que l’acquisition de C-17 est opération­nellement plus intéressante : l’avion US est le seul à permettre le transport par air de chars lourds de 50 tonnes et plus tels que les M48, T-80 et K1, voire K2. Or, l’armée de terre sud-coréenne entretient un parc actif de près de 2 500 exemplaires de ces chars et autres automouvants d’artillerie, et Séoul participe à plusieurs missions de stabilisation de l’Onu en dehors de ses frontières pour lesquelles ses C-130 Hercules se sont avérés insuffisants.

Il reste que ces treize C-17 «queues blanches» — qui trouveront inévitable­ment acheteur, au pire à prix cassé — vont constituer une concurrence supplémentaire sur le marché export pour Airbus Defence & Space face à son A400M, dont la visibilité grandissante va heureusement s’affirmer en 2014 avec sa mise en service dans quatre forces aériennes de premier plan (France, Turquie, Royaume-Uni, Allemagne).

http://www.ttu.fr/boeing-c-17-restent-les-queues-blanches/  

Citation :

Flight tests of Xian Y-20 proceeding well

Flight tests of China’s Xian Y-20 transport aircraft are proceeding well, with the designer of the type claiming the aircraft has “set new records” for China.

In an interview with China Military Online published on the web site of China’s defence ministry, Y-20 designer Tang Chonghong says the commissioning date of the aircraft is confidential, but that test pilots for the Y-20 programme are undergoing training.

Tang says that all goals have been achieved, specifically in areas such altitude and speed. One area of particular focus appears to be stability during flight.

Following its well-publicised first flight in January 2013, there has been little official commentary about the Y-20. This contrasts with other high profile Chinese defence programmes, such as the routine flight testing aboard Beijing’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning.

“The performance of Y-20 is very high,” says Tang. “It can adapt to relatively hard conditions and can land at small airports in mountain areas. In its design, the adverse weather conditions of frigid zone, high heat area and plateau as well as the runway situation are fully considered.”

One source familiar with large jet transport aircraft, however, questions the Y-20’s ability to land on rough fields. He notes that while its two main landing gear bogies have six wheels each, the wheels are arranged in a two-two-two pattern from front-to back.

Among other large jet transports, the Boeing C-17, which was designed with rough-field capability in mind, has two six-wheel main bogies, but in a three-three configuration. Russia’s Ilyushin Il-76 has two eight-wheel main bogies, in a four-four configuration.

Tang also played down speculation about a larger successor to the Y-20.

“The present main work is still to carry out the test flight on Y-20’s basic stability, the brother series is not yet considered,” he says. “Some plans on China’s large transport aircraft are still under discussion, which cannot be disclosed.”

The “plans” Tang’ alludes to could be the possibility that the Y-20 will be used as the basis of a future airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft. A Y-20 equipped for AEW&C would complement – and eventually replace - Beijing’s Il-76 based KJ-2000 aircraft. The type could also be modified to serve as a tanker.

AEW&C and air-to-air refuelling are seen as two key areas of weakness for China.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Boeing cuts final C-17 output by three jets, ends production early

(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) will produce three fewer of its famed C-17 cargo-carrying military transport planes than expected as it closes the production line, reflecting further decline in demand for the aircraft, the company said on Monday.

Boeing said that it would shut the production line in Southern California three months earlier than anticipated, in mid-2015 instead of late 2015, a decision that affects about 2,200 workers there. The closure also affects 300 workers in St. Louis, 300 in Macon, Georgia, and fewer than 200 in Mesa, Arizona, spokeswoman Cindy Anderson said.

Boeing first announced plans to close the line last September, and at the time said it would produce 22 more of the four-engine planes, which are capable of carrying heavy machinery, tanks and medical supplies around the globe. It has since delivered five of the planes. It now plans to build 10 in 2014 and seven in 2015.

"Based on current market trends and the timing of expected orders ... we have decided to build three fewer aircraft in 2015," Anderson said.

Boeing cited faltering sales when it announced plans to close the line last September. Of the 262 jets delivered so far, 223 went to the U.S. Air Force. The Air Force, which is under budget pressure, took delivery of its final new C-17 last year.

Citation :

An-70 passes Ukraine state tests

Alexander Zudin, London - IHS Jane's Defence Weekly


The An-70 transport aircraft has passed all state tests and is ready for serial production, Antonov has stated. However, when or if an
order may be placed for the aircraft remains to be seen. Source: IHS/Patrick Allen  

The Ukrainian-designed Antonov An-70 propfan tactical transport plane has passed state acceptance trials and is finally ready to enter series production, Antonov said on 11 April.

That might be a cause for celebration in the course of most military equipment programmes, particularly one that has been as tortuous and drawn-out as that of the An-70. The event, however, comes against a background of unprecedented political tension between Moscow and Kiev and uncertainty about the future of their joint military industrial co-operation that could yet see the aircraft consigned to history.

"The final stage of state flight testing has been completed in a programme consisting of 82 flights, undertaken by a flight crew and engineering team from the Ukrainian Armed Forces scientific test centre together with Antonov specialists," Antonov said, according to Russian news agencies.

"The aircraft is recommended for acceptance into the armed forces and also for serial production," Antonov said.

"In total, after completion of modifications in September 2012, in the period to 31 March 2014, the aircraft carried out 122 flights totalling 220 hours. In the course of ground and flight testing in the final state acceptance trials, the aircraft showed it met the parameters required by the customer."

That included short take-off and landings, accuracy of navigation equipment, systems reliability, and ability to carry various cargo configurations, Antonov said.

If the aircraft is ready, however, the intended customers are unlikely to be placing orders any time soon.

Russia has been involved with the programme since its inception in the Soviet-era, and has maintained intermittent involvement since Ukraine became independent. Interest from Moscow has waned in recent years, with the Russian Air Force openly sceptical about the aircraft, particularly in relation to its engine problems. In April 2013, Antonov's director Dmitro Khiva admitted the Russians had withdrawn from involvement in the test programme in November 2012 because of frustration at its slow progress.

The situation is compounded at present by the unprecedented political tension between the two states following the ousting of President Viktor Yanukovych earlier this year and Russia's annexation of Crimea. Some politicians in Kiev have indicated that further co-operation between the two states on military procurement is unthinkable while Moscow appears to be on the brink of further military intervention there.

Russia would also be unlikely to want to procure an aircraft partly built in a Ukraine aspiring for NATO or EU membership. Another significant problem for Ukraine would be funding for the aircraft. While Russia has a stated requirement for around 60 aircraft to replace its ageing An-12 fleet, Ukraine has previously said it was ready to buy just a handful (between three and five according to local media - it has a requirement for considerably more).

That, however, was before the country's economy collapsed. Kiev is currently on the edge of bankruptcy, and is trying to get a deal from the International Monetary Fund to stave off a default. International lenders are unlikely to approve major defence equipment expenditure in such a climate.

Even "going it alone" on the programme would be problematic for Ukraine. Production of the aircraft was scheduled to take place at a series of Russian and Ukrainian enterprises including Russia's KAPO and VASO factories, which would have built components and assembled complete aircraft (at KAPO) from Antonov-made parts.

Last year, Ukraine's then Prime Minister Mykola Azarov insisted Kiev could go it alone to build the plane, but clearly switching production and sourcing new suppliers at such a late stage would be a considerable burden.

Some commercial heavy cargo operators such as Volga Dnepr have previously expressed an interest in a civil variant of the type designated An-70T, but series production is all but unthinkable without a major military customer from one of the developer nations.

http://www.janes.com/article/36752/an-70-passes-ukraine-state-tests

Citation :

KC-390 Prototype Final Assembly Underway At Embraer
Sub-assemblies come together as Embraer closes on initial airlifter production contract


A version of this article appears in the April 21 edition of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Embraer will begin final assembly of the first KC-390 multirole tanker transport at the end of April, marking a major milestone in the Brazilian company’s ambitious plans to diversify into the military airlifter market.

The fuselage, empennage and wing sections of the first aircraft are being completed prior to assembly at a specially built production site at Gaviao Peixoto, Embraer’s extensive test facility near Araraquara in south-central Brazil. The final body join, expected to take around three weeks, starts the clock ticking on a fast-paced development-and-test program, which is set to begin with first flight at the end of this year and culminate in entry into service with the Brazilian air force (Forca Aerea Brasileira-FAB) in 2016.

The twin turbofan-powered airlifter was launched in 2009 when the Brazilian government signed a development contract with Embraer. “Negotiations are ongoing” to convert a letter of intent from the FAB for 28 aircraft into a firm production contract, says Fernando Fialho, KC-390 program strategy manager. The company, which is building the initial two KC-390 prototypes under a firm contract, expects negotiations to be completed in coming months. In addition, Embraer holds letters of intent for a further 32 aircraft from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Portugal.

Based on FAB requirements for a replacement for its fleet of 22 C-130Hs, the 115.5-ft.-long KC-390 has emerged as a key competitor to Lockheed Martin’s C-130J. Embraer believes its fly-by-wire, turbofan-powered KC-390 could take a 15-20% portion of the C-130 replacement market, which it estimates as 728 aircraft in 77 countries. Designed with faster transit speeds in mind, the International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500-E5-powered aircraft will be able to make short-field takeoffs and landings from austere strips and yet have an airliner-like cruise speed of 465 kt. (Mach 0. at an operational ceiling of 36,000 ft. The maximum payload will be 57,320 lb. (26 tons), although design range with a distributed load of 50,700 lb. is 1,200 nm.

Source Credit: Embraer Concept

After a series of design evolutions the final configuration was confirmed following a critical design review in 2013. The KC-390’s cargo compartment is 41.6 ft. long, 11.3 ft. wide and varies in height from 10.5 ft. in the aft ramp area to 9.7 ft. in the forward fuselage. An integrated cargo-handling system is designed for loading vehicles or, alternately, up to seven 88-in.-wide 463L-standard military air cargo pallets or, in a mixed configuration, 36 troops or 30 paratroopers and six 463L pallets loaded lengthwise. Up to 80 regular troops can be transported in airlift operations. The ramp is 19 ft. long, 11.3 ft. wide, and total useful volume of the cargo compartment is 5,968 cu ft.

Unlike the traditional assembly of previous Embraer aircraft, which begins with integration of the wing box and center fuselage, the KC-390 fuselage will be put together before the high-mounted wing is added. Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody delivered the last major component, the rear fuselage, directly to Embraer in March, along with other elements including doors, hatches, the cargo ramp and fixed leading edge. The aft fuselage section, at 21.3 X 14.7 X 10.8 ft., was the largest single aerostructure ever made in the Czech Republic, according to Aero.

Other key structural partners include Argentina’s Fabrica Argentina de Aviones, which is responsible for the cargo ramp door, tail cone and spoilers; Portugal Engineering Manufacturing (OGMA), which provides fuselage panels, fairings and doors; St. Louis-based LMI Aerospace, supplier of leading-edge slats. Spain’s Aernnova, a longtime Embraer supplier with a plant in Sao Jose, is responsible for the composite flaps, ailerons and rudder.

An iron bird test rig for the KC-390 is also under assembly at Embraer’s Eugenio de Melo engineering facility in Sao Jose dos Campos. The rig will be used to validate avionics and flight controls, as well as electric and hydraulic systems. Close by in the same facility an engineering mockup of the cockpit and forward fuselage section has been assembled to help define the layout of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion flight-deck and mission-systems avionics, twin Elbit head-up displays and active side-stick controllers developed by BAE Systems.

http://aviationweek.com

Citation :

  Le KC390 prend forme au Brésil

Le 21/05/2014 à 19h17, par François Julian


L'assemblage de ce premier KC-390 a lieu dans l'usine d'Embraer à Gavião Peixoto © Embraer  

Hier, à l'occasion d'une visite de la présidente du Brésil, Dilma Rousseff, Embraer a dévoilé le fuselage du tout premier KC-390 dans son usine de Gavião Peixoto. Ce premier exemplaire du biréacteur de transport militaire devrait entrer en phase d'assemblage final en juin prochain.

Cette visite présidentielle a été l'occasion de formaliser le contrat de fabrication en série des exemplaires destinés au Brésil. Conformément à ce qui était prévu lors du lancement du programme en 2009, la FAB (Force Aérienne du Brésil) s'est fermement engagée sur la livraison de 28 avions, sur une durée de 10 ans. La livraison du premier exemplaire est prévue pour la fin 2016. La valeur totale de ce contrat est estimée à 7,2 milliards de réals (2,4 Md€).

Ce premier exemplaire devrait normalement réaliser son vol inaugural à la fin de cette année. Un deuxième prototype sera également utilisé pour les essais de certification civile (brésilienne et américaine).

Le KC-390 est un programme d'avion de transport militaire d'Embraer, mené en coopération avec la FAB. Il fait également l'objet de 32 intentions d'achat de la part de cinq pays (Chili, Colombie, Argentine, Portugal et République tchèque).



http://www.air-cosmos.com/2014/05/21/22569-le-kc390-prend-forme-au-bresil

Citation :

Embraer passes on finalising KC-390 deal at Farnborough


Embraer plans to finalise a contract in the third quarter with the Brazilian air force for 28 KC-390s, passing up an opportunity to stage the event at the Farnborough airshow.

The air force signed a R$7.2 billion ($3.26 billion) contract for series production and logistics support of 28 KC-390s on 20 May, but the order is not yet finalised. Both sides are still working to complete “complementary documentation” to clinch the deal and allow Embraer to add the aircraft to company’s order backlog.

“I don’t want to use the word bureaucracy, but it’s formal approvals, formal procedures, steps that have to be taken to become effective,” says chief executive Frederico Curado. It’s a “question of letting the paperwork flow, [but] it will be done. Unlikely it will happen in the next few weeks.”

In 2010, Embraer used the global stage at Farnborough to sign a letter of intent with the Brazilian air force for 28 KC-390s.

The aircraft development programme was launched in 2009 with a goal to declare the aircraft operational in 2016.

First flight of the KC-390 is scheduled for later this year. Embraer released pictures last month showing the fuselage structure of the KC-390 inside the factory in Gaviao Peixoto, revealing the aircraft had not jet reached the final body join stage.

The Brazilian air force is expected the first of several international militaries to acquire the aircraft. Embraer has signed letters of intent with five countries – Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic and Portugal – to acquire up to 32 more aircraft and participate in the development programme.

Converting those letters of intent into firm contracts could take up to two more years.

“I don’t expect quick campaigns. Military campaigns are typically long,” Curado says. “So two years maybe.”

Additional reporting by Ghim-Lay Yeo.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

MC-27J ITAF Test Results


ATK and Alenia Aermacchi Successfully Complete Testing on Italian Air Force C-27J with Roll-On/Roll-Off Palletized Gun Systems



ATK (NYSE: ATK), announced that the ATK and Finmeccanica-Alenia Aermacchi have successfully completed the first phase of ground and flight testing of the fully configured multi-mission MC-27J tactical transport aircraft with the support of the Italian Air Force (ITAF). The series of tests exceeded all test objectives and demonstrated the accuracy of ATK’s side-mounted GAU-23 30mm cannon.

The ITAF MC-27J aircraft was modified with an L-3 Wescam MX-15Di Electro-Optical and Infrared Turret mounted under the nose of the aircraft to support multi-mission applications such as a Gunship, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance(ISR) and Search and Rescue (SAR) missions; various radio and data links and ATK’s Roll-On/Roll-Off (RORO) palletized gun and mission control systems.

ATK and Alenia Aermacchi believe that: “The completion of successful testing with the Italian Air Force further validates the capabilities of the RORO gun and mission systems and demonstrates that the program is ready for fielding. This testing builds on previous gun accuracy flight tests done with the MC-27J at Eglin AFB in 2013 and will provide the aircraft with a vital capability and a greater mission flexibility at an affordable cost.”

The MC-27J is an advanced multi mission system jointly developed by ATK and Alenia Aermacchi, based on the C-27J, the most state-of-the-art twin-engine turboprop tactical transport aircraft currently available on the market that provides unequalled performance.
ATK and Alenia Aermacchi announced their intent to jointly develop and market the MC-27J multi-mission aircraft at the 2012 Farnborough Air Show. The internally funded test and development program successfully completed its first phase in the spring of 2013.

ATK is an aerospace, defense and commercial products company with operations in 22 states, Puerto Rico and internationally. News and information can be found on the Internet at www.atk.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/atk or on Twitter @ATK.

Alenia Aermacchi, a Finmeccanica company, has a role of primary importance in the world’s civil and defence aeronautical industry, counts a total workforce of ca. 11,000 people and operates in the design, development, production and integrated support of commercial and military aircraft, trainers, unmanned aerial vehicles and aerostructures. In 2013 it reported revenues of € 3.34 billion, orders of € 3.98 billion and a backlog of € 9.0 billion.

http://www.aleniaaermacchi.it

Citation :

First KC-390 gets wings on assembly line

Embraer has moved the wing and sponsons of the first KC-390 into place on the assembly line, the Brazilian manufacturer has revealed.

The company's third photo update of the tanker-transport posted online shows the programme continues to make progress, but it still has much work to do before a scheduled first flight by year-end.



Embraer

The latest picture, released on 23 September, is framed in such a way that it obscures any view of the aft fuselage, so it is not clear whether the aircraft's vertical and horizontal stabilisers have been integrated.

Although International Aero Engines delivered the V2500-E5 turbofans for the aircraft in August, the picture shows that they have not yet been installed under the wings. Embraer also has yet to install the radome, the windows for the flightdeck and panel coverings over the forward avionics component.

The release of the photo on 23 September follows an emerging pattern. Embraer released its first picture of an unpainted, wingless fuselage on the assembly line on 22 May. This was followed two months later with a new photo showing a painted fuselage with landing gear attached, but still wingless and tailless.

Embraer has revealed a 25 October target to conduct the roll-out of the KC-390, which is scheduled to achieve first flight by year-end and certification in the first half of 2016.

The Brazilian air force has ordered 28 of the type, and the project has also attracted commitments from five more countries to potentially order another 32.

http://www.flightglobal.com

Citation :

Russia's re-engined Il-76MD makes flight debut

By: Craig Hoyle London

Russia’s air force remains on track to receive its first Ilyushin Il-76MD-90A airlifter before the end of this year, after the type completed a 4h 20min flight debut from the Aviastar SP production site in Ulyanovsk on 3 October. The aircraft’s crew performed checks on its general handling, engine performance and other systems during the sortie, Aviastar says.


United Aircraft

The Perm PS-90A-76-engined transport will soon enter flight testing in conjunction with air force pilots, and will then be transferred to Russia’s defence ministry. A delivery goal of late 2014 has previously been referred to.

Russia’s United Aircraft has been contracted to supply 39 of the new-generation Il-76 to the Russian air force and the type is also being viewed as a candidate to help meet the service’s in-flight refuelling needs.

Further orders for the MD-90A variant could also be secured from Russia’s Federal Security Service and interior ministry, Aviastar believes. Equipped with new glass cockpit avionics, the re-engined Il-76 can carry a maximum payload of 60t.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/russia39s-re-engined-il-76md-makes-flight-debut-404562/

Citation :

Embraer : son KC-390 sortira d'usine le 22 octobre

Le 16/10/2014 à 16h48, par Yann Cochennec


Le KC-390 bientôt "en chair et en os". © Embraer

Exclusif : c'est le 22 octobre prochain que le KC-390, le futur avion de transport et ravitailleur conçu et développé par Embraer, fera sa sortie d'usine. A cette occasion, Air & Cosmos
revient en détail sur ce progamme lancé en 2009 pour servir les besoins de la Force aérienne brésilienne et répondre à des demandes précises de certains pays à l'export.

La France a  failli acheter l'Embraer KC-390. Mais, le Brésil n'a pas commandé le Dassault Rafale........

http://www.air-cosmos.com/2014/10/16/26093-embraer-son-kc-390-sortira-d-usine-le-22-octobre

Citation :

L'Embraer KC-390 fait son premier vol

Publié le 03/02/2015 à 17h00, par Antony Angrand


Le biréacteur Embraer KC-390, qui vient d'effectuer son premier vol. © Embraer

Le futur biréacteur de ravitaillement en vol et avion de transport de la force aérienne brésilienne, l'Embraer KC-390, vient de réaliser son premier vol le 3 février 2015. Les pilotes d'essais Mozart Louzada et Marcos Salgado de Oliveira Lima, assistés des ingénieurs d'essais en vol Raphael Lima et Roberto Becker, ont volé une heure et vingt-cinq minutes à bord du KC-390 dans le but d'évaluer les qualités de vol et les performances de l'appareil.

« L'avion s'est comporté comme nous l'avions prévu, les commandes de vol électriques ainsi que l'avionique de dernière génération facilitent le pilotage », a précisé Mozart Louzada. Le 20 mai 2014, Embraer et la FAB ont signé le contrat de production en série pour la livraison de 28 KC-390. 32 autres appareils font l'objet de lettres d'intention de commande. L'appareil a été conçu pour différentes missions, telles que transport et parachutage de fret et de troupes, ravitaillement en vol, recherche et sauvetage, lutte anti-incendie à des coûts opérationnels bas.

http://www.air-cosmos.com/2015/02/03/28512-l-embraer-kc-390-fait-son-premier-vol

Aterrissage d'un C17 de la RAAF (Avalon Air Show)

Spoiler:

Citation :

Workers at Boeing say goodbye to C-17 with last major join Thursday





LONG BEACH >> “Nothing lasts forever.”

That’s the message a Boeing plant worker scrawled on the fuselage of the 279th and final C-17 Globemaster aircraft being assembled Thursday at the Long Beach manufacturing plant where the mammoth aircraft has been built for roughly a quarter century. Thursday was the day when workers gathered to participate in — or at least watch — the last “major join” of a C-17 Globemaster that is ever expected to take place.

“It’s when all the major components come together to make a C-17,” said Anthony Murray, a senior manager of production operations for Boeing who was in charge of the work.

The Long Beach plant where Boeing produced the C-17 is set to close sometime this summer. The pending conclusion of C-17 production is expected to close out the era of large aircraft production in Long Beach, where the production of such famed military and civilian aircraft as the B-17 Flying Fortress and DC-10 airliner employed thousands upon thousands of people from the World War II years through the post-Cold War era.

“We’re experiencing part of history. Unfortunately, it’s the end,” 28-year Boeing employee Alfred Tellez said. “When you talk about aircraft in Southern California, this is the last big hurrah.”

•Video: C-17 join the last for Long Beach plant

Aerospace, however, isn’t dead yet in Long Beach. Virgin Galactic has announced plans to build satellite launch vehicles on land where Boeing workers previously made aircraft. Tellez said he expects commercial spaceflight companies like Virgin Galactic or Space Exploration Technologies, known as SpaceX, will prove to be the future of aerospace in the region.

For the C-17, its history goes back to 1980 when the U.S. Air Force called for a large cargo aircraft that could take off and land on rough airstrips. McDonnell Douglas, later acquired by Boeing, accomplished this in 1991 when the first C-17 took flight.

http://www.presstelegram.com

Citation :

Russia's New Military Transport Plane Set to Make Its Maiden Flight in 2017



The Ilyushin Il-112, Russia's brand new light military transport plane, is slated to make its maiden flight in 2017, said Yury Borisov, a Russian Deputy Minister of Defense.

The aircraft's mass production is expected to be launched in 2019.

The twin-engine turboprop plane, developed by the Ilyushin Aviation Complex (JSC IL), will be manufactured by the Voronezh Aircraft Production Association at an aircraft plant in Voronezh, located some 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Moscow. It will replace the Antonov An-26.

Russia's Ministry of Defense plans to purchase at least 35 Ilyushin Il-112 planes. Earlier, JSC IL said the company was ready to deliver more than 60 Il-112 aircraft to the military.

The transport plane is designed to carry out missions in any geographic or weather conditions. It has a payload of 6 tons and can travel a maximum distance of 5,000 kilometers (3100 miles).

The project, launched over a decade ago, was canceled in 2011, but the work on the Il-112 resumed in 2013.

http://sputniknews.com