Teledyne FLIR to Supply Canadian Government More Than 800 Drones Worth CAD$95 Million for Ukraine

On the same subject

• 

  September 30, 2019 | International, Aerospace

  A220 : les fournisseurs d’Airbus toujours sous pression pour réduire leurs coûts de 20 %

  Par Maxime Bertrand Airbus vise toujours une réduction de 20 % des coûts de la part de ses fournisseurs afin d'assurer la rentabilité de l'A220. C'est ce qu'ont déclaré les pdg d'Airbus et d'Airbus Canada, Guillaume Faury et Philippe Balducchi, lors d'une rencontre avec la presse montréalaise jeudi. Nous avons progressé, mais le processus n'est pas terminé, a déclaré Philippe Balducchi, pdg d'Airbus Canada L'A220 a vraiment besoin d'une accélération, d'un renforcement du programme de réduction des coûts, a renchéri Guillaume Faury, pdg d'Airbus. Le géant européen a pris les commandes du programme né de la C Series de Bombardier – renommé A220 depuis – en juin 2018. Pas plus tard qu'en octobre 2018, le pdg d'Airbus affirmait qu'il lui faudrait « des années » avant que l'A220 devienne une réussite économique. En entrevue avec la presse montréalaise, les deux dirigeants ont soutenu jeudi qu'il était normal que l'effort demandé soit plus important pour l'A220 que pour les autres appareils de la flotte d'Airbus, car le programme en est à ses débuts et qu'il faut repositionner l'appareil, accélérer la cadence de production et entrer dans une zone de rentabilité. Selon la direction de l'avionneur, tous les appareils en début de production doivent relever ce genre de défi. Airbus se donne trois ans pour terminer le processus entamé il y a une quinzaine de mois et parvenir à une réduction des coûts de 20 %. La démarche ne s'arrêtera pas là, préviennent les dirigeants, car les baisses des coûts devront également s'inscrire dans le temps. À la fin de mai dernier, le carnet de commandes d'Airbus comptait 536 appareils A220. Au salon aéronautique du Bourget, en juin, l'entreprise a annoncé de 70 appareils A220. Dossier des avions de chasse Dans le dossier des avions de chasse, la direction d'Airbus a dit s'être retirée avec beaucoup de regret de l'appel d'offres du gouvernement canadien. Elle croit que sa présence au Canada gr'ce à l'A220 permettra d'accroître sa visibilité et de saisir les occasions futures qui se présenteront. Différend commercial entre l'Europe et les États-Unis Par ailleurs, la direction d'Airbus a réagi à la décision de l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) d'autoriser les États-Unis à imposer des droits de douane annuels de 7,5 milliards de dollars sur les produits européens dans le cadre du conflit sur les subventions dans le domaine de la construction aéronautique. Il s'agit d'un différend de 15 ans entre Boeing et Airbus, donc entre les États-Unis et l'Europe, qui s'accusent mutuellement de consentir des aides illégales à leurs avionneurs. Nous croyons que tout le monde sort perdant d'une guerre commerciale, a déclaré Guillaume Faury. Si des droits sont imposés par les deux parties, cela entraînera une hausse des coûts de déplacement et nous rendra moins concurrentiels. Nous croyons que les parties finiront par s'entendre et que la voix de la sagesse sera la plus forte. Nous continuons à militer en faveur d'une entente, nous croyons qu'il est possible d'y parvenir. https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1319890/a220-avion-reduction-couts-programme-airbus

• 

  July 15, 2020 | International, Aerospace

  Japan Self-Defense Force Accepts Delivery of First V-22 Osprey

  By: Megan Eckstein July 14, 2020 3:45 PM A V-22 Osprey aircraft bound for the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force based at Camp Kisarazu prepares to depart Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, July 6, 2020. The ferry flight from MCAS Iwakuni marked the delivery of the first V-22 to the Japan Self-Defense Force. US Marine Corps photo. Japan accepted delivery of its first Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey on Friday, making it the first nation outside the U.S. to own and operate the tiltrotor aircraft. The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) took delivery of the aircraft at Camp Kisarazu, across the Tokyo Bay from Yokosuka, according to news releases from Bell and Boeing, who collaborate on the aircraft program. “Congratulations to Japan on becoming the first international operator of the Osprey,” Kurt Fuller, Bell Boeing program director, said in a release. “The delivery of the Japanese V-22 represents a milestone for revolutionary aircraft capabilities for the Government of Japan and is a testament to our enduring friendship. The Osprey will provide Japan a tremendous advantage, unlike ever before, to respond to a broad range of challenges throughout the Asia Pacific region.” The Japanese V-22 variant has a unique configuration with a Japanese-specific communication system, according to the news releases. Despite the different communication system, JGSDF personnel have been working with U.S. Marines since May to learn how to operate the aircraft ahead of accepting delivery of their own Osprey. “This is an exciting moment in our partnership with the JGSDF; we have had the pleasure of working with them state-side to produce, develop, train and maintain their initial fleet of aircraft,” Marine Corps Col. Matthew Kelly, program manager for the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275), said in the news release. “This arrival marks a key step in standing up its V-22 fleet, and more importantly, the continued collaboration between our nations.” The start of Japan's V-22 fleet comes shortly after the U.S. Navy also accepted its first V-22 – called the CMV-22 – to carry out the carrier onboard delivery (COD) mission once the aging C-2A Greyhound propeller planes retire. Bell Boeing delivered the first aircraft to the “Black Jacks” of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (HX) 21 in February, and the first operational aircraft arrived at Naval Air Station North Island in California last month to begin building up the inventory of the “Titans” of Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Squadron (VRM) 30. Marine Corps pilots and maintainers have also helped train their Navy counterparts on the aircraft, much like they have been doing in Japan. The Navy variant has extended range due to additional fuel tanks, a beyond-line-of-sight high-frequency radio, a public address system for passengers and an improved lighting system for cargo loading, all to assist in the COD mission ferrying people, supplies and mail across a carrier strike group at sea. Unlike the C-2, which could only fly from shore to the aircraft carrier, the V-22 will be able to reach the surface combatants in the CSG directly, thanks to its ability to land and take off vertically like a helicopter. Prior to Japan deciding to buy the V-22 in 2015, Japanese citizens long had concerns about American V-22s operating out of Japanese bases, particularly Okinawa, due to the aircraft's early safety record. Even as recently as 2018, after the V-22 had established itself as a safe and reliable aircraft, Defense News reported that safety concerns from residents near Camp Kisarazu delayed the delivery of Bell Boeing's first aircraft to Japan. https://news.usni.org/2020/07/14/japan-self-defense-force-accepts-delivery-of-first-v-22-osprey

• 

  May 21, 2020 | International, Aerospace, Naval, Land, C4ISR, Security

  As Manufacturing Reshapes After COVID-19, Size Will Matter

  Michael Bruno May 20, 2020 If you like the cadre of big aerospace and defense companies now, you are going to love them later. Among the major trends the novel coronavirus is expected to catalyze within aerospace and defense (A&D) manufacturing is that the big will get bigger by gobbling up others or taking back more work. In the next few years, vertical integration should pick up momentum, according to several executives and consultants. After decades of OEMs, primes and top-tier companies outsourcing major work on their programs, many see the pendulum swinging back to bringing more of it in-house. “We've already seen signs of more vertical integration coming through the industry and potentially where some of that could be accelerated as we work through the crisis,” says one advisor. Boeing started this a few years ago as it insourced avionics and other niche segments. Major consolidation picked up last year with the mergers of Raytheon and United Technologies Corp. and L3 Technologies and Harris Corp. Now, whether it be protecting profits or securing supply, the reasons to own more of the work are burgeoning as industry is refashioned in the COVID-19 crisis. For starters, aerospace suppliers are facing diminished economies of scale but a greater share of fixed-cost in production, with a likely loss in profitability and competitiveness, say Roland Berger advisors Robert Thomson and Manfred Hader. So-called organic top-line increases, through insourcing and acquisition of additional work packages, are possible but only to a limited degree. A fixed-cost reduction likewise is only feasible up to a certain level due to equipment and overhead structures. So consolidation is an important lever to consider. Part and parcel to that will be the financial distress into which suppliers in Tier 2 and below fall—and the opportunity to roll them up. Top CEOs are watching. Speaking May 13 to an investor conference, Honeywell International Chairman, CEO and President Darius Adamczyk cited an inflection point. “For a couple of years now, I've been talking about how it is a seller's market, not a buyer's market,” he told Goldman Sachs. “But that calculus may change in the second half of the year, and I think it could become a bit more of a buyer's market, and the valuations may be better and different. That's something that we want to partake in.” Feeding the phenomenon could be a desire to bring supply closer to home, both for reliability and geopolitical reasons. Suppliers overseas once were revered for their low-cost footprint, but suddenly they are seen as vulnerable to pandemics, economic stress and global trade wars. In turn, consultants expect industry leaders to take another look at favoring local regions. Even in the defense realm, which for now is considered safer during this downturn, there is talk of larger firms becoming even more powerful. “Large pure-plays should come through the pandemic relatively unscathed but may be looking at lower spending growth outlooks,” Capital Alpha Partners Managing Director Byron Callan noted May 13. “Mergers and acquisitions may thus be more important in delivering growth—even though it's not organic growth—in 2021-25.” So where to look for vertical integration and consolidation from the top? Clues are already emerging, according to advisor presentations. First, look at niches where top suppliers already are prevalent—environmental and flight-control systems, landing gear, electrical power and interiors—and others where they are not there yet, including maintenance, repair and overhaul, logistics, aerostructures and engines. Next, look at the supply base from the perspective of a top supplier. Who is distressed or drawing down credit lines? What revenue mix do certain potential targets have—e.g., commercial vs. defense, products vs. services or aging vs. next-generation platforms? Finally, consider where the new nucleus of consolidation will be. Will more “super Tier 1s” such as Raytheon Technologies emerge, or will conglomeration occur among Tier 2 and 3 providers? The first would allow rationalization of capacity for detailed part production from Tier 1 to 3, for instance, with the super Tier 1s able to secure through-value-chain control and prevent subtier supplier failure, according to Roland Berger. The latter likely would be opportunistically driven rather than following any overarching industry logic. For smaller suppliers, the questions are more concise, as one consultant says. Do you want to be a buyer, a seller or risk it as is? A simpler question, for sure, but no less difficult to answer. https://aviationweek.com/aerospace/manufacturing-supply-chain/manufacturing-reshapes-after-covid-19-size-will-matter