The company will showcase technological highlights in the Airbus pavilion at the Farnborough International Airshow from 14-20 July.
At the 2014 Farnborough International Airshow (FIA), Airbus Defence and Space will present its broad portfolio in the air, on a static display, in the Airbus pavilion and in the Space Zone.
As one of the three divisions of the Airbus Group, Airbus Defence and Space generates revenues of approximately €14 billion per year and is Europe’s number one defence and space enterprise, the second largest space business worldwide, and among the top 10 global defence enterprises.
In the air:
Airbus Defence and Space will present the A400M on the ground and in the air. The A400M is a newly developed military transport aircraft specially designed to meet the requirements of armed forces in the 21st century. With its high-performance turboprop propulsion units, the A400M flies higher, faster and further. At the same time, it has excellent manoeuvrability and low-speed flight capabilities, as well as the ability to operate on short and unsurfaced runways.
Equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, the A400M is not just suited to tactical and strategic/logistical missions, but also for special operations such as air-to-air refuelling. With its specially designed cargo hold, the A400M is also able to quickly bring bulky equipment, which is becoming increasingly important for military and humanitarian aid missions, to where it is most urgently needed. In August 2013, the first A400M, delivered to the French Air Force, went into service. There are currently around 35 aircraft in various stages of production, including six out of a total of 53 A400Ms for the German Armed Forces. The first A400M for the UK’s Royal Air Force is due to be delivered in the autumn of 2014, with the second due in the UK towards the end of the year.
On static display:
Two C295s, Airbus Defence and Space’s new generation, highly versatile tactical airlifters, will be on show on the static display. The C295 is able to carry up to nine tonnes of payload or up to 71 personnel, at a maximum cruise speed of 260kt/480km/h. Fitted with a retractable landing gear and a pressurised cabin, it can cruise at altitudes up to 25 000 feet, while retaining remarkable short take-off and landing (STOL) performance from unprepared short, soft and rough airstrips, as well as low level flight characteristics. Its simple systems design and robustness, proven in service reliability, excellent flying qualities and great versatility, as well as its remarkable transport capabilities, make it the most efficient “workhorse” with the lowest fuel burn, as well as the best operating and maintenance costs in its category.
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) will be showcased at FIA 2014 as well. On the static display will be the “Atlante” UAS (Unmanned Aerial System), a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) tactical multi-payload unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), designed to carry out target identification, shoot correction, and damage evaluation operations, among other ISTAR missions (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance).The “Atlante” has been designed according to the standards used for manned aircraft, obtaining a system certification as Cat 2, giving it this unique feature that allows it to fly over segregated areas and thus operate in civil airspace.
In the Airbus pavilion:
The “Tanan” UAS will be displayed in the pavilion with an exhibition model. A versatile and high-performance tactical UAS integrating a powerful and highly reliable genuine diesel turbo-charged engine, the “Tanan” is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) intended to carry out ISTAR missions for armies and navies, as well as civilian assignments. The 350kg-MTOW (maximum take-off weight) “Tanan” is capable of completing missions with ranges of up to 100nm/180km for up to 80kg payload, reaching a maximum speed of 150km/h (81kts) within a ceiling of 4 000m (12 000ft), and offering an endurance of up to eight hours with 50kg payload.
The Skynet 5 system, present with an exhibition model of a Skynet 5 military communications satellite, comprises a fleet of four satellites providing all Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) milsatcoms to the UK Ministry of Defence until at least 2022. The Skynet 5s are the world’s most powerful commercial X-band satellites and provide assured communications during critical operations. Skynet 5 is hardened to demanding NATO standards and the world-leading anti-jamming antenna is extremely effective against hostile or non-hostile interference.
An exhibition model of a Eurostar E3000 telecommunications satellite will complement the spacecraft exhibits in the pavilion. Airbus Defence and Space has designed and manufactured more than 100 geostationary communications satellites, which together have clocked up more than 800 years of operations in orbit. Forty-three Eurostar satellites are in orbit with 10 Eurostar E3000 spacecraft currently in production.
Airbus Defence and Space will be presenting its comprehensive portfolio of end-to-end secure communications covering fixed, deployable, mobile and ad hoc communications. This includes design, build and delivering a managed service, including large system integration, modelling and simulation expertise, with all systems having cyber security built in.
End-to-end geo-information capabilities will be showcased, including high resolution, very high resolution and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery and products. As operator of the SPOT and Pléiades satellites, Airbus Defence and Space has an extensive portfolio spanning the entire geo-information value chain, providing decision-makers sustainable solutions to increase security, protect the environment and better manage natural resources in our changing world.
Airbus Defence and Space’s capabilities covering the NATO Interoperable next-generation Identification Friend or Foe system will be highlighted, presenting the latest in electronics capabilities, including LTR 400 (IFF Lightweight Transponder) and MSSR 2000 (Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar for long and medium range interrogator).
The situational awareness solution Sferion, for both military and civil helicopters flying in DVE (degraded visual environment) conditions, will also be shown. Sferion provides the necessary information to support pilots during their entire mission, under all conditions, to ensure safe helicopter flights.
In the Space Zone in Hall 3:
Airbus Defence and Space will showcase Alphasat, one of the most technically advanced telecommunications satellites ever constructed for civilian applications. Launched in 2013, Alphasat provides coverage over Europe, the Middle East and Africa for operator Inmarsat, and strengthens its existing I-4 series satellite constellation, whose three satellites were also built by Airbus Defence and Space.
Also on display will be an exhibition model of the comet-chasing spacecraft Rosetta, whose 10-year journey to comet 67P reaches a key milestone in August when it goes into orbit, and then in November when it will deploy a lander to study the nucleus. In addition, a model of Sentinel 5 Precursor Earth observation satellite will highlight Airbus Defence and Space’s key role in the European Copernicus programme. Sentinel 5 Precursor is due to be launched in 2016.
Further information and TV footage can be found at: http://airbusdefenceandspace.com/bcr/.
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