Flight International 2024 03.pdf

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FlightGlobal.com
March 2024
US Arm guns
Army
my
down FARA
n
rivals
i
Airbus upbeat despite
A321XLR delay
p6
Zephyr ready to soar
as AALTO rises
p50
Warrior spirit
We fly Paramount’s mighty M
W fl P
t’
i ht Mwari
p42
i
42
New player
C919 makes
Singapore
show debut
p11
£5.99
Slowing Boeing
Chief executive
faces scrutiny
over safety
p8
Comment
Hungry for success
Xinhua/Shutterstock
Healthy appetite
The Singapore air show was notable for featuring the first
international displays by China’s homegrown C919 airliner. Is it
time for the ‘big two’ western airframers to start worrying?
W
hile it might not have
been the stand-out
star of the Singapore
air show for all visitors,
the world-first appearance at such
an event by Comac’s C919 was
certainly highly significant.
With one example taking part in
the flying display and another in
the static park – also flanked by a
pair of China-developed ARJ21 re-
gional jets – Beijing’s narrowbody
offering was definitely a high-pro-
file presence.
Of course, Comac’s alterna-
tive to the Airbus A320neo and
Boeing 737 Max is heavily reliant on
western technologies, including its
CFM International Leap-1C engines,
making it a domestic product only
up to a certain point.
However, its debut on the inter-
national show scene highlights that
China’s aerospace industry can now
build a product that is capable of
meeting contemporary standards.
That marks a significant and rapid
advance when the single-aisle
offering is viewed next to the more
outdated-looking ARJ21.
So, should the commercial air-
craft industry’s ‘big two’ be getting
worried about the long-term pros-
pects for guarding their current
duopoly status? And how soon will
the C919 begin to take even small
bites out of their market?
Airbus
commercial
aircraft
chief executive Christian Scherer
deliberately sought not to dismiss
the new model, although he does
liken it to existing narrowbody
offerings “without bringing any
product differentiation”.
His approach is in marked con-
trast to that of the company’s previ-
ous commercial sales supremo John
Leahy, who famously once tagged
Bombardier’s CSeries as a ‘nice little
airplane’ – only for Airbus to subse-
quently acquire the programme. It
now produces the type as the A220.
“The cake is growing sufficiently
for Comac to want to compete,”
Scherer says of the Asia-Pacific
market. However, his was no “let
them eat cake” concession: Airbus
“must not stick its head in the sand”
through complacency, he stresses.
Underscoring this reality, Comac
during the show announced a new
deal to equip Tibet Airlines – which
is currently an all-Airbus operator –
with 40 C919s and 10 ARJ21s.
While Airbus maintained a
respectful
posture
towards
its new rival, Boeing’s current
market offerings were conspic-
uous by their absence from the
show’s static area. Instead, the US
airframer was in crisis mode, stay-
ing away while its leaders again
shifted their focus towards ad-
dressing recent quality shortfalls,
especially on the 737 Max.
Sticking
with
the
culinary
metaphors, Boeing needs to get
both its kitchen and recipes back in
order – and quickly.
With the US company’s products
absent, Beijing appeared eager to
plug the gap, in what was a show
of geopolitical intrigue.
At a time when Southeast Asian
nations including Singapore are
bolstering their air force capabili-
ties in the face of China’s expan-
sionist posture, some will have
been surprised by the CAIC Z-10ME
attack helicopter also making a
debut international appearance in
the city-state.
Beijing, it seems, has a very
healthy appetite when it comes to
the future of aerospace.
◗
See p11
March 2024
Flight International
3
In focus
Airbus firm on recovery plan
6
Trouble at the top
8
Max 7 slips on icing flaw
10
Business as usual?
11
Embraer seeks C-390 sales
13
R-R plans Trent upgrades
15
US Army shoots down FARA
16
Riyadh displays its ambitions
18
Berlin accelerates Tiger cull
20
Could the C-17 rise again?
22
Spirit’s losses worsen
24
Better by design
26
Florida factory fix could take up
to four years, Daher says
30
Cosmic aims for the stars
35
Safran Helicopter Engines set
for hybrid push
36
Chasing the Horizon
38
Prints charming
41
Rising star?
C919 takes
to the skies of Singapore
FlightGlobal.com
March 2024
50
£5.99
US Army guns
Arm
my
down FARA
n
rivals
i
Airbus upbeat despite
A321XLR delay
p6
Zephyr ready to soar
as AALTO rises
p50
Warrior spirit
We fly Paramount’s mighty M
W fl P
t’
i ht Mwari
p42
i
42
New player
C919 makes
Singapore
show debut
p11
Paramount
Slowing Boeing
Chief executive
faces scrutiny
over safety
p8
Regulars
Comment
3
Straight & Level
60
Women in aviation
66
4
Flight International
March 2024
Contents
In depth
Local hero
42
Paramount has begun
delivering the strikingly-styled
and highly versatile Mwari
light tactical aircraft to its first
customers. We put the low-
cost warrior through its paces
High hopes
50
After years of development
and testing, UK-based Airbus
subsidiary AALTO is gearing
up to meet what it believes will
be stratospheric demand for its
game-changing Zephyr
Their own devices
54
Despite a consolidation
spree in full flight simulator
manufacturing, with several big
names exiting the market, there
are still small rivals keen to
challenge the status quo
11
20
38
30
March 2024
Flight International
5

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