SYNTHETICALLY-TRAINED, CLOUD-NETWORKED, SPACE-ENABLED AND NETZERO?

SEPTEMBER 2021

INDIA GOES IT ALONESPACE DEBRIS – THE LEGAL QUESTIONS GROUND OPS AND HUMAN FACTORS

THE AIR FORCE OF 2040

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ContentsEDITORIAL

Air power endgame in Afghanistan

Regulars4 Radome The latest aviation and aeronautical intelligence, analysis and comment.

11 Pushing the Envelope Rob Coppinger examines a proposal to power the Airbus A380 with hydrogen.

12 TransmissionYour letters, emails, tweets and social media feedback.

58 The Last WordKeith Hayward asks whether China and the US are waging a new technological Cold War.

Features

18 Indian defence looks inwardsIndia seeks to make its defence manufacturing local and its sales international.

Volume 48 Number 9September 2021

Correspondence on all aerospace matters is welcome at: publications@aerosociety.com

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Editor-in-Chief Tim Robinson FRAeS +44 (0)20 7670 4353 tim.robinson@aerosociety.com

Deputy Editor Bill Read FRAeS +44 (0)20 7670 4351 bill.read@aerosociety.com

Production Manager Wayne J Davis FRAeS +44 (0)20 7670 4354 wayne.davis@aerosociety.com

Publications Executive Chris Male FRAeS +44 (0)20 7670 4352 chris.male@aerosociety.com

Production Executive Annabel Hallam +44 (0)20 7670 4361 annabel.hallam@aerosociety.com

Book Review Editors Tony Pilmer and Katrina Sudell book.reviews@aerosociety.com

Cover: Tempest will be at the heart of the 2040 Royal Air Force. (BAE Systems)

Editorial Office Royal Aeronautical Society No.4 Hamilton Place London W1J 7BQ, UK +44 (0)20 7670 4300 publications@aerosociety.com

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AEROSPACE is published by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS).

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Unless specifically attributed, no material in AEROSPACE shall be taken to represent the opinion of the RAeS.

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Postmaster: Send address changes to IMS of New York, PO Box 1518, Champlain NY 12919-1518, USA.

ISSN 2052-451X

Afterburner44 Message from our President45 Message from our Chief Executive

46 Book Reviews

49 e-Library Additions

50 NAL’s lockdown lectures

53 Appointment of new RAeS CEO

54 New Member Spotlight

55 RAeS Diary

56 Elections/95th Anniversary of Coventry Branch .

Tim Robinson FRAeS, Editor-in-Chieftim.robinson@aerosociety.com @RAeSTimR

Additional content is available to view online at: aerosociety.com/aerospaceinsightIncluding: FIAConnect 2021 virtual conference, RAeS tackles cross-Channel air transport crisis – in

1921, Global Air Chiefs conference, UAVs vs submarines, New Members Spotlight, In the August issue, Lynx in Puma’s clothing, Aviation and sustainability, Back to air rage and cabin baggage issues.Online

Read AEROSPACE and the Insight blog on your smartphone or tablet with the AEROSPACE app

available from iTunes and Google Play.APP

The air force of 2040Is the future of air forces synthetic training and zettabytes of big data?

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Chopper countryHow Yeovil aims to build a new military helicopter type in the UK.

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34 Restart from the ground upThe human effect of automation and cost-cutting on workers in airports and ground-handling services.

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Almost 20 years ago, the horrific 9/11 aerial attacks on New York and Washington using hijacked airliners triggered off a series of events that would lead to two decades of conflict. Western intervention in Afghanistan is now ending with an aerial evacuation of Western personnel and panic at Kabul airport – a throwback to the US retreat from Saigon and even further back, the RAF’s aerial evacuation of Kabul in 1919. Even the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989 now looks orderly compared to the panic and chaos occurring there now. Between 2001 and now, the aerial component gave Western forces on the ground and the Afghan security forces an asymmetric edge, allowing smaller numbers of troops to control vast swathes of territory. Deployed against an enemy with no air force of their own and no high-level surface-to-air missiles this counter insurgency air power effort in a ‘permissive environment’ has dominated training, doctrine and procurement priorities for 20 years. Only recently have Western air forces been refocusing on defeating ‘peer threats’. With the drawdown of US and NATO forces, it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened. The Afghan Air Force, optimised for counter-insurgency (COIN) operations, was doomed when it was deprived of US contractor support and the wider intelligence, training and mentoring that kept it operational and effective. The collapse has been far swifter than many expected – an indicator of how critical air power and ISR has been instrumental in propping up weaker ground forces and how remotely-operated drones are no substitute for boots on the ground. To paraphrase General Montgomery: “If we lose air support, we lose the war and we lose it quickly.”

Does this spark joy?The legal case for decluttering and tidying orbital space junk.

14

Leonardo

22 Mental health wellbeing for allHow solutions to tackle pilot mental health problems could benefit all air transport workers.

MAKS factoredA report on the MAKS 2021 Moscow airshow.

40 Implementing UAS – the regulator’s viewpointHow ICAO is preparing the way for UAVs and eVTOLs to operate in shared airspace.

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BlueprintINTELLIGENCE / ANALYSIS / COMMENT

AEROSPACE

Electric commuter unveiledUS start-up Pyka, previously known for an electric agricultural UAV, has unveiled a new nine-seat electric aircraft for regional travel that it intends to fly next year. The P3 uses electric motors and four propellers, two of which fold backwards in flight to leave the rear pusher propellers for the cruise. The P3’s range is 200nm with a cruise speed of 155kt. In parallel, the company also plans to develop an unpiloted cargo version.

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4 AEROSPACE

FBW cockpitThe P3 will feature fly-by-wire (FBW) controls for reduced workload and single pilot operations. Active stall and spin preventation will be incorporated, along with emergency autoland.

Pusher-puller powerA 400kW electric power system will drive four fixed-blade propellers arranged on the wing in a pusher-puller configuration. All four will be used on take-off and climb, while the front propellers will fold back in the cruise – adding 10% in efficiency compared to conventional designs, says Pyka.

5SEPTEMBER 2021

SpecificationsSpeed 155kt Range 200nmPower 400kWPassengers (9 + 2)Payload 2,500lbEmpty weight 5,200lbStall speed with flaps 55ktWingspan 70ft

Composite designThe P3 features a lightweight, advanced composite fuselage with high-aspect ratio wings and a large side passenger/cargo door.

Low operating costsPyka says that, thanks to electric propulsion, the operating costs of the P3 will be $95 an hour or a four-fold reduction compared to a traditional nine-seat aircraft. Its 850ft landing/take-off run will open up over 5,000 underutilised public airports in the US.

6

Radome

AEROSPACE

NEWS IN BRIEF

A prototype Russian military transport aircraft crashed during a test flight near Moscow on 17 August. A video taken from the ground shows the United Aircraft Corporation Ilyushin Il-112V flying at low altitude with a wing on fire, before turning and falling to the ground. The three crew aboard the aircraft were killed.

US operator SkyWest has signed a $798.4m

agreement for 16 Embraer E175 regional jets. First delivery is due in mid-2020 and the aircraft will be operated as part of a contract with Delta Air Lines to replace 16 CRJ900s which SkyWest currently operates for Delta.

Boeing and Lockheed Martin are to bid for the US Navy advanced jet trainer requirement to replace the Boeing T-45 Goshawk. Boeing is to

offer its T-7A Red Hawk and Lockheed its T-50A aircraft developed in co-operation with Korea Aerospace Industries. A third bidder, Leonardo, has earlier said that it intends to offer its M346 Master.

A report from NASA’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) oversight arm has said that the current state of the development of new EVA spacesuits will rule out the agency achieving

its goal of landing a human on the Moon in 2024.The OIG reported that lunar-grade spacesuit development is behind schedule and will cost NASA $1bn to just get the first two suits ready by April 2025 at the earliest.

EVTOL developer Archer Aviation is suing rival Wisk Aero for $1bn in damages as a legal battle over alleged IP theft escalates. The lawsuit claims damages from a

‘smear campaign’ started by Wisk Aero, which alleges that Archer had misappropriated trade secrets from its Cora multirotor eVTOL which were then used to develop its Maker vehicle.

Airbus has announced that it is to launch a cargo version of its A350 widebody airliner. The news, which came as part of the manufacturer’s half-year results, will see Airbus develop a 90t

Optimism as flights in Europe return

AEROSPACE

AIR TRANSPORT

COVID-19

Airline industry group IATA has revealed detailed new figures for the global air transport industry in 2020, which confirm that the year was the worst ever for airlines. 2020 saw a 60.2% decrease in overall passengers, a 75.6% drop in international passenger demand and a 69% drop in passenger revenues. In 2020 only 1.8million passengers flew,

compared to 4.5million in 2019. Air connectivity in 2020 also collapsed with the number of routes flown being slashed by 50%. The fall was the worst since global traffic was tracked – with IATA saying: “The decline in air passengers transported in 2020 was the largest recorded since global RPKs started being tracked around 1950.”

New government restrictions to curb fresh outbreaks of the Covid-19 pandemic have slowed the recovery of domestic air travel in China. Airline capacity in China has fallen below pre-pandemic levels for the first time in five weeks, with capacity falling to 95.7% of 2019 levels.

China E

astern Airlines

AEROSPACE

ATM provider, Eurocontrol, has reported that figures for flights in European airspace have exceeded the most optimistic predictions for July, with air traffic now at 65% of 2019 numbers. A new record number of flights was set on 21 July with 25,182 flights or some 69% of 2019 levels – the highest since March 2020.

Meanwhile, in July, the UK’s Heathrow Airport recorded its busiest ever month since the pandemic began in March 2020, handling more than 1.5million passengers. However, while passenger numbers were up 74% compared to July 2020, the airport is still seeing an 80% fall in travellers compared to pre-pandemic levels.

AIR TRANSPORT

Worst ever year for airlines, says IATA

China air traffic rebound stalls as Delta variant causes crackdown

Australia’s biggest air show, Avalon, has been cancelled due to ongoing travel restrictions and uncertainty over Covid-19. The air show, which this year would have marked the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force, had been scheduled for November, after being postponed from earlier in the year. Meanwhile, Farnborough International, organisers of the UAM trade show, Global Urban & Advanced Air Summit, originally set for 7-8 September at Farnborough Airport, has postponed it until spring 2022.

Avalon Air Show cancelled AIR TRANSPORT

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7SEPTEMBER 2021

freighter version based on the A350-1000, with entry into service set for 2025.

Cargo and package delivery company DHL has placed an order for 12 all-electric Eviation Alice cargo aircraft. The redesigned Alice, which is set to fly later this year, will be capable of single-pilot operations, with a 1.25t payload and a range of 440nm. Deliveries are expected from 2024.

Turkish UAV manufacturer Baykar Makina is developing a new unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV). Named MIUS, Turkish for National Unmanned Aircraft System, the tailless, blended wing UCAV features two canards, no horizontal stabilisers and two canted vertical stabilisers. Designed for roles such as close air support, suppression and destruction of enemy air

defences, and air-to-air combat, the first MIUS prototype is planned to fly in 2023.

There have been calls for an independent investigation after an incident on 29 July when the International Space Station (ISS) was temporarily knocked out of alignment, spinning 540° after the thrusters unexpectedly fired on the newly installed Russian Nauka laboratory module.

Attitude control was restored using rocket motors in the Russian Zvezda module and thrusters in a Progress cargo ship.

Next-generation air mobility start-up KinectAir has announced that VoltAero’s hybrid-electric Cassio is now available for US fractional ownership. The Cassio 330 is a four-seat hybrid-electric aircraft and the first in a family of larger aircraft.

First deliveries are set for the fourth quarter of 2023, with the Cassio aircraft to be integrated into KinectAir’s short/medium on demand infrastructure.

A Boeing 737 MAX prototype has been in China reportedly conducting flight tests as part of the re-certification for CAAC. The aircraft has been grounded in China for nearly two and a half years following two fatal accidents.

Merger fever over Meggitt and Ultra takeovers

AEROSPACE

DEFENCE

SpaceX is now in the final stages of assembling the ‘full stack’ of its Super Heavy booster and Starship rocket at its Boca Chica space factory. The 29-engine Super Heavy has been rolled out to the launch pad where it will be mated to the Starship SN20, ahead of the first uncrewed orbital flight of the giant rocket.

As AEROSPACE goes to press, there were dramatic scenes at Kabul Hamid Karzai airport in Afghanistan as tens of thousands of foreign residents and civilian refugees attempted to leave the country following its takeover by Taliban forces. Countries including the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Denmark, India and Italy used military aircraft to evacuate their nationals out of Afghanistan, as well as Afghans who had worked with their troops. So many people attempted to board and even climb on top of aircraft that the airport was closed on 16 August but then reopened under US control. Twenty people are now reported to have been killed trying to get to aircraft at the airport, including three who fell from the underside of an aircraft they were clinging to shortly after take-off. Human remains are also reported to have been discovered in the wheel well of a US aircraft. After hundreds of Afghans forced their way into a USAF C-17 flying to Qatar, the crew decided to continue the take-off with the aircraft carrying 823 people onboard (left). On 22 August the US Secretary of Defense activated Stage 1 of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet which allowed 18 US commercial aircraft from carriers including United, American Airlines and Delta to fly to Kabul to assist with the evacuation. The US also reported that it had flown nearly 28,000 people out of the airport in a week..

SPACEFLIGHT

Chaos at Kabul Airport as last flights evacuate from Afghanistan

Elon M

usk/Twitter

SpaceX Starship fully stacked

Acquisitions of two UK aerospace and defence companies by US firms has raised questions over the government’s commitment to protecting Britain’s defence industrial base. In the first deal, US aerospace group Parker-Hannifin is to acquire the UK’s Meggitt aerospace and defence company in a £6.3bn takeover – sparking a bidding war between it and TransDigm

Group. The US firm said it would protect the 2,300 UK jobs at Meggitt’s UK factories. Meanwhile, the now US-owned Cobham is to acquire Ultra Electronics in a £2.5bn takeover deal. Likewise, Cobham’s US owners, Advent International, has promised to safeguard UK jobs at Ultra. The UK government meanwhile is said to be ‘monitoring’ both deals.

US

Air Force

AEROSPACE8

In an escalating dispute with Airbus over degraded fuselages on its A350 fleet, Qatar Airways has grounded 13 of its A350s and replaced them on services with A330s.The carrier has also paused deliveries of the remaining 23 aircraft on order after saying that the composite fuselage below the paint is degrading at an accelerated rate. The Royal Air Force has announced that its E-3D

Sentry AWACS has flown the final operational mission for the fleet on 30 July – supporting the CSG21 carrier group and Operation Shader missions in the Middle East. The aircraft has now returned to RAF Waddington, ahead of its retirement. The E-3D is set to be replaced by the Boeing E-7A Wedgetail which will enter service in 2023.

Ahead of the first space launches from

British soil in 2022, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has become the official regulator for spaceflight from Britain. The CAA will be responsible for licensing of space launches with the AAIB (Air Accidents Investigation Branch) also taking over responsibility for the investigation of spaceflight accidents.

New Dubai-based operator Jet Luxe has launched a luxury private

jet charter, aircraft management and travel management service. Jet Luxe also offers aircraft management, cargo, and air ambulance options.

The European Union has approved the proposed merger of Irish-based aviation leasing companies AerCap and GECAS. The $30bn purchase of GECAS by AerCap was first announced in March. The combined company will operate close to

2,100 aircraft with an estimated market share of 18%.

Russian operator Rossiya has resumed flights to Egypt after a six-year ban on flights from the Russian government following the bombing of Metrojet A321 Flight 9268 from Sharm El Sheikh to Saint Petersburg in October 2015. Aeroflot Group owned Rossiya Russian Airlines is operating Boeing 747-400s five times a week from

Radome

NEWS IN BRIEF

According to tech publication Wired, retail giant Amazon is now winding down the majority of its UK-based Prime Air drone delivery project. The Cambridge-based initiative, which launched in 2016 and made highly publicised short trial deliveries using a UAV, has laid off over 100 employees from Prime Air – with the insiders

Starliner launch delayed by valve issue

describing a dysfunctional working environment and changing requirements. Meanwhile, freight provider DHL is also abandoning its ‘last-mile’ Parcelcopter UAV delivery pilot project that it tested in 2013, with the Wingcopter VTOL drone. Instead, it intends to focus on ‘middle-mile’ UAV delivery, partnering with Dronamics.

AEROSPACE

Boeing has cancelled an uncrewed test launch of its CST-100 Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station (ISS) after problems were discovered with propulsion system valves before a launch attempt from Cape Canaveral on 3 August. The capsule was returned to ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility, but

the problems could not be rectified before the end of the launch window. The flight of the Starliner will now be delayed until after the launch of the NASA’s higher-priority Lucy asteroid probe on 16 October. SpaceX is also scheduled to launch a Dragon cargo ship to the ISS on 28 August which will dock at the same port needed by the Starliner.

BAE Systems has announced that it has been awarded a £135m contract to enhance and upgrade the Eurofighter Typhoon as part of the PE3c capability package. The PE3c includes upgrades to precision weapons, datalinks and defensive systems as well as a large screen cockpit display that will be delivered by the end of 2024.

US passenger hypersonic start-up Hermeus has been awarded $60m by the US Air Force Research Lab to build and fly three sub-scale unpiloted Quarterhorse protototypes. Quarterhorse will validate the company’s proprietary turbine-based combined cycle TBCC engine, based around a GE J85.

GENERAL AVIATION

Hypersonic start-up gets funding to build sub-scale prototypes

DEFENCE

Drone delivery plans crash back to earthE

urofighter

Herm

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Typhoon widescreen cockpit in 2024

SPACEFLIGHT

On 11 August, US low-cost carrier JetBlue began its first long-awaited US-UK transatlantic services with a flight from JFK Airport in New York to London Heathrow.The flight used an Airbus A321LR with Airbus’ Airspace cabin equipped with 24 lie-flat seats and 114 economy seats – with ticket prices undercutting other rivals. The airline plans to add more routes between the UK and US with flights from Gatwick and Boston beginning in 2022.

SEPTEMBER 2021 9

ON THE MOVE

US hypersonic tests fail again

AEROSPACE

AIR TRANSPORT

Dan Grossman has been appointed as President of electric autonomous aircraft manufacturer Pyka.

The US Senate has confirmed Jennifer Homendy as the new Chair of the National Transportation Safety Board.

Air Commodore Suraya Marshall, formerly Commandant, RAF

College, Cranwell, has been promoted to Air Vice Marshal and appointed AOC No2 Group, RAF.

Lavinia Lau is Cathay Pacific’s new Director of Customer Travel.

JetBlue Airways has appointed Ed Baklor as Head of Customer Care and Programs, and Alex Battaglia as Head of Airports and System Operations.

GENERAL AVIATION

A key test for the USAF’s new hypersonic missile, the AGM-183A ARRW, failed for the second time on 28 July when the weapon’s booster rocket failed to ignite. Released by a B-52 bomber over the Point Mugu Sea Range, the booster failed to ignite. The failure is the second for the boost-glide ARRW after a

previous flight in April saw the boost-glide missile stay attached to the B-52 carrier aircraft and return to Edwards AFB. Meanwhile, the US experienced another hypersonic flight test setback on 23 June, when a USAF-backed John Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Bolt glider failed to achieve the correct trajectory after launch.

JetBlue flies inaugural NYC-London service

Moscow Sheremetyevo airport to Red Sea tourist resorts Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh. BAE Systems has announced that the UK MoD has awarded £250m to the Team Tempest combat aircraft programme, with the project now formally entering the Concept and Assessment Phase. The Concept and Assessment Phase will see “the partners develop a range of digital concepts,

embedding new tools and techniques to design, evaluate and shape the final design and capability requirements of Tempest.

Virgin Galactic has recommenced ticket sales for space tourist sub-orbital rides in its VSS Unity rocket plane sub-orbital flights at an increased cost of $450,000 per seat. However, the company does not expect commercial flights to begin until the second

DEFENCE

Hybrid-electric demo flight flown in Scotland

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved, under Supplemental Type Certificates, the first unleaded 100-octane fuel for GA aircraft. Produced by Oklahoma company, General Aviation Modifications, (GAMI) the new unleaded G100UL would be a drop-in replacement for leaded 100LL. Although leaded

fuel has been banned from other forms of transport for many years, GA aircraft have been granted a dispensation to continue using it because no other additive yielded the required 100-octane content. The company expects that the G100UL unleaded avgas supply will be sufficent for the North American demand within the next four years.

US approves lead-free GA fuel

half of 2022. Over 600 potential passengers have already made down payments for flights at the earlier price of $250,000 each. Viking Air has signed a deal with PAL Aerospace Canada to support the design, manufacturing, installation and certification of an Aerial Firefighting System for the Twin Otter DHC-6 300 and 400. The system is expected to be certificated in 2022.

A light aircraft has demonstrated the first ever hybrid-electric flight in Scotland. The Ampaire Electric Eel demonstrator, which is based on a six-seat Cessna Skymaster, made the flight from Kirkwall Airport on the Orkney Islands to Wick John O’Groats Airport on 12 August – demonstrating a viable regional airline route. The demonstrator is now set to conduct further trial flights in SW England.

JetBlue

Am

paire

* as from 15-17 August 2021

10 AEROSPACE

By the NumbersUnderstanding the world of Aerospace through data

Air assets involved in Kabul Airlift*

Source: FR24, ABSExchange, MoD, DefenceGeek, Evergreenintel

Tim R

obinson/RA

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n Copyright

Australia – 3 x A330MRTTs

Canada – 2 x C-17s, 2 x C-130Js, 1 x CC-150

Czech Republic – 1 x A319

France – 2 x A330s, 1 x A400M, 1 x C-130H

Germany – 3 x A400Ms, 1 x A310

India – 2 x C-17s

Italy – 2 x C-130Js, 1 x B767

Spain – 1 x A310, 1 x A400M

Sweden – 1 x C-130H

Turkey – 1 x A400M

UK – 5 x C-17s, 2 x A400Ms, 1 x C-130J, 3 x A330MRTTs

US – 2 x C-20s, 1 x CH-46E, 1 x C-130, 1 x L-100-30, 1 x DH8C, 14 x KC-10s, 36 x KC-135s, 1 x C-21A, 2 x RC-135Ws,

17 x C-130s, 2 x AC-130s, 3 x MC-130Js, 1 x C-2A, 2 x C-5Ms, 1 x UC-12M, 1 x C-40B, 1 x E11A, 1 x CN-235M, 41 x C-17s

been found. However, Cranfield University thermal power and propulsion engineering researcher, Jon Huete, explained that the combustion chamber and some parts of the gas turbine would still need to be changed. The combustor has to be redesigned to stop the greater levels of nitrogen oxide (NOx) production that hydrogen combustion normally produces. NOx is a problem because it promotes ground level ozone and reduces air quality. It has already been the subject of one European Union study to reduce its levels in a hydrogen-fuelled turbine. Another issue for hydrogen is condensation trails and their global warming effect.

The problem of contrails

A German Aerospace Center paper published in 2019 estimated that aviation contributes 5% of global warming because of its existing contrails. Hydrogen would produce persistent contrails and the solution is to fly airliners at a slightly lower altitude but this increases fuel consumption. To overcome all these challenges and meet the 2035 deadline, Huete and his fellow researchers proposed a development process that uses an existing four-engine aircraft modified for hydrogen in two engines and conventional fuel in the other two. The Cranfield researchers also noted that market forces alone will not deliver the technological advances needed. The researchers saw significant technical challenges from the systems needed to store, move, and use hydrogen onboard, create the low NOx engine systems and develop the certification requirements. Some type of industry financial support will have to be agreed now to create this first-generation A380 derivative hydrogen aircraft in 15 years’ time.

Looking beyond 2035, “the second-generation hydrogen aircraft could be a double-bubble fuselage design and the third could be the BWB”, Huete said. He and his fellow researchers see the global hydrogen infrastructure needed for the worldwide airline industry as equally daunting. Initially, hydrogen corridors on major world routes would operate, such as London to New York and eventually the hydrogen network would scale up across the planet. For some researchers, Huete explained, there is a view that the aviation industry is already far too late to achieve the 2050 date touted by governments. However long the introduction of hydrogen aircraft takes, the extreme weather seen recently could soon be the cause of many many flight delays and the cost of doing nothing will be driven home that much sooner.

The extreme weather events this year have highlighted the need to decarbonise the world’s economies as soon as possible and a green Airbus A380 derivative is aviation’s solution for one team of

academics. In September 2020, Airbus revealed three hydrogen-fuelled aircraft concepts which it said could enter service by 2035 but none of them were like the European double-decker. They were: a 200-passenger blended wing body (BWB) type, a 100-passenger turboprop regional aircraft and a more conventional A321 family-like 200-passenger turbofan design with a very high aspect ratio wing – it is very wide in comparison with the length of the fuselage. In June this year, the media reported that Airbus had told the European Commission in a closed briefing that hydrogen aircraft would not be widely used until 2050.

Making hydrogen the answer

Aircraft entering service in the 2030s and their wide usage by 2050 are not contradictory claims but three Cranfield University researchers decided to examine how 2035 could realistically be achieved. Long before June this year, they had asked themselves the question: how could a first-generation hydrogen-powered airliner be realised faster and their answer was the Airbus A380. Writing for the International Society for Air Breathing Engines (ISABE), a broad description of the Cranfield thermal power and propulsion engineering researcher’s A380 solution is storing the hydrogen tanks in the upper or lower decks. A third concept has the tanks distributed on different levels within the aircraft. The lower deck option has a range of 4,800nm and could carry 332 passengers. Upper deck storage would have 3,300nm range and 388 passengers. The third option would have up to 232 passengers and a 5,500nm range.

For all the concepts, the hydrogen is fed directly to the engines; it is not powering an electricity-generating fuel cell that turns the turbofans. However, these hydrogen A380 versions do differ from the original double-deck design in two important respects. The wing has been shortened to match the Airbus A350-1000 wing and the turbofan is the A350 Rolls Royce Trent XWB, not the A380’s original Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine. Pumping hydrogen into an engine designed for a hydrocarbon fuel might seem problematic but the good news is that no major differences in engine performance have

Pushing the Envelope

An A380 hydrogen rebirth?Robert Coppinger

11SEPTEMBER 2021

HYDROGEN WOULD PRODUCE PERSISTENT CONTRAILS AND THE SOLUTION IS TO FLY AIRLINERS AT A SLIGHTLY LOWER ALTITUDE BUT THIS INCREASES FUEL CONSUMPTION

Exploring advances on the leading edge of aerospace

The full research paper referred to in this article can be found in The Aeronautical Journal, ISABE Special Issue, September 2021

Transmission

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LETTERS AND ONLINE fi@aerosociety Find us on LinkedIn Find us on Facebook www.aerosociety.com

AEROSPACE12

Suraya Marshall

The start of the first England to Australia flight on 12 November 1919 which was successfully completed in 27 days and 20 hours and won an Australian government prize of £10,000(2). In flying clothing (from left) Ross Smith, Keith Smith, Sergeant J M (Jim) Bennett and Sergeant W M (Wally) Shiers. Between Sgts Bennett and Shiers is R K Pierson who designed the Vimy aircraft which has been preserved at Adelaide Airport.

From the RAeS photo archives

It appears that the aviation industry is mostly committed to eventually replacing human pilots with artificial intelligence (AI) for the transport of civil passengers. It seems that this is a planned, progressive system that will begin with pilotless city transport VTOL aircraft to accustom the travelling public to AI-controlled transport aircraft. This thinking began with the introduction of Airbus aircraft on the aviation scene. One may remember the late Airbus test pilot and engineer, Bernard Ziegler saying that, since pilots caused most accidents, future aircraft should be designed to keep the pilot out of the control loop and to be only utilised in emergency situations. What are the advantages of not having pilots?- You do not have to pay salaries to pilots.- You do not have to pay for the accommodation in hotels when they have stopovers.

- You do not have to pay for their medical problems.- You do not need to have a crew scheduling staff.- You do not have to deal with pilots’ unions.- You do not have to negotiate contracts with pilots.- You do not have to worry about whether their licenses, passports and visas are up to date. These are just a few of the advantages that come to mind that will save money. Now, let us look at the

downside of operating a passenger transport aircraft with AI instead of pilots. AI does not have human feelings and is therefore indifferent to whether an aircraft crashes or not. Fear of death is a good motivation for a human pilot putting their plane down in one piece. Even if passengers can be conditioned to fly in pilotless aircraft, what will happen when the first ones crash due to faults in the system? After that most passengers will refuse to fly

without pilots. There is the argument that, should the on-board AI fail to control the plane, this could be backed up by a system to control the aircraft by remote control from the ground. Given the number of well protected computer systems that have been hacked and even had threats of disruption by asking for ransom, is it not possible that on board aircraft control computers could be hacked? What about auto reliability? An article in AEROSPACE pointed out that there have been many times when pilots have saved aircraft when failures (some not in the book) have occurred(1). In my 37 years of flying airline aircraft, and 19,600 hours on airliners from DC-3s to 747s, I have had many auto failures. It could be argued that the latest state of the art systems are infallible. They will not be.

Captain Johnny Sadiq FRAeS

@flarkey [On 100 years of RAeS Position Papers blog(3)] Excellent, interesting and meaty article. Really enjoyed reading that.

Where are we going with automation?

Geoffrey Wardle [On Air Cdre Suraya Marshall on becoming the first woman to command an ‘Operational’ Air Group in the RAF] Congratulations.

Vidyasagar Kotha Inspiring leadership!

Moss Monaco [On appointment of David Edwards as new RAeS CEO] Congratulations.

Captain Ameen Budagher Welcome David.

Hasan Ahmed I am sending a huge congratulations to Mr David. Good luck for the future.

Tomaz Metello Congratulations and good luck on your challenging new post!

In 2017 Chinese engineers retrofitted a Pacific Aerospace PAC P-750 XSTOL turboprop into an unpiloted cargo drone.

New RAeS CEO David Edwards

1921 Position Paper

C-17 evacuation

@gethinsinflight [On C-17 evacuates 640 Afghans a new record but could it carry more?] Great explainer but really the answer is that 1,250 passengers are equivalent to 77.5 tons – that’s the maximum payload for MTOW. Thanks #BoeingC17. If you could get a double decker seating configuration in there then bingo! Double the number of passengers to bring it up to full pay-load but are there any aircraft interiors suppliers who do that, apart from the OEMs of course.

@chbkw Hold a wooden/aluminum structure with floor above the people sitting on original floor, creating two floors with people sitting like in the pictures (no fancy seats) then I think you theoretically can hit max number of people.

@alexkf11990 Doesn’t work quite like that, the double decker bit would end up only being say 1/3rd to 1/2 the length of the main cargo bay. This is due to various reasons, the main being access to the escape hatches, etc. Any retrofit would potentially take weeks.

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1. AEROSPACE, June 2020, p 20, Pilot error! What about pilot saves? 2. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/the-great-transatlantic-race/3. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/raes-tackles-cross-channel-air-transport-crisis-in-1921/ 4. AEROSPACE, August 2021, p 46, Book reviews, Harrier 8095. https://www.tabpi.org/awards/2021-feature-article-top-25-issues6. https://www.tabpi.org/awards/2021-front-cover-digital-imagery 7. https://www.aerosociety.com/news/the-air-force-of-2040-synthetically-trained-cloud-networked-space-enabled-and-netzero/

SEPTEMBER 2021 13

@gmwaterfall [On RAF to go to majority of synthetic training?(7] I like to refer to it as a live synthetic blend. Lots to unpack here. Move to synthetics based on my 4Cs as I call them: Cost, Capability, Complexity and Climate.

@MarkBateUK The 346FA is $25m+ per unit and >$20K per hour dry lease over a 10-year period. Technology maturity levels should drive the blended schedule and not the Treasury. I’m with CQ all the way on this whose head appears to be in the war fighting and not the peace time space.

@_lmob Can’t use video on Modnet but can push zettabytes to the space cloud?

@RowlandWhite [On Harrier 809 reviewed in AEROSPACE(4)] I’ve been trying to resist Twitter’s charms while I focus on the next book but I was thrilled to read the review of Harrier 809 in AEROSPACE from @CobraBall3. Really bowled over. Thank you!

@jim_debenham A great listen on Audible – learned an awful lot about how resourceful we can be as a nation when needed.

AEROSPACE has received two ‘honorable mentions’ in this year’s prestigious Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) Awards which celebrate excellence in world trade, association and business publications. AEROSPACE’s September 2020 article on ‘Signed Spitfire scrambles to lift nation’s spirits’(5) was listed among the top 25 feature articles while the front cover of the January 2020 ‘green’ special issue was included in the three runner-ups for the Front Cover Digital Imagery category(6).

AEROSPACE shortlisted for business publication awards

@EdwardJFKey What if the satellites are taken out?

@IanPsDarkCorner What’s current drone warfare, if not the slightly smaller scale recreation of ‘Ender’s Game’? Kids sitting in a control point, flying things in combat. The only difference is that they know what they’re doing (in theory!).

@Robhereagain Any hints on the next book? Bob Tuxford’s story is good but may overlap.

@al_brock I’m quite enjoying it at the moment. When the grandchildren ask, ‘what did you do in the Falklands Grandad?’, I will refer them to page 250.

@Bagpipeflying I bought your book on Audible, only for my wife to turn up a few weeks later having been at the book store with a copy of Harrier 809 AND Vulcan 607! Talk about a good catch!

@woodycrombie I’m seldom captivated by a book, Rowland, and not a big reader as a consequence. This book has got me absolutely gripped.

@daylyt100 If we trend to 70/30, is there a case for a ‘hands on’ light trainer aircraft at unit level (similar to some US units) for pure flying continuity, or some similar ‘road show’ arrangement? Might save lives, equipment and £s? Saw a few initiatives recently but it must not go on the back burner! Saving F-35 hours OK, sustaining (improving) pilot skills absolutely crucial!

Harrier 809 book review

USAF VR technology flight training at Columbus AFB.

RAF moving to mainly synthetic training?

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RAeS at FIAConnect 2021

In July, the organisers of the Farnborough Airshow hosted the FIAConnect 2021 online conference on a selection of current ‘hot topics’ in the aerospace and defence industries. Speakers included RAeS Council Member and Chair of Membership Board Laura Hoang (top centre).

14 AEROSPACE

TIM ROBINSON FRAeS reports from the RAF Global Air Chiefs Conference held as a blended virtual/live event in July, which saw high-level military and civilian speakers come together to debate and discuss the future of air and space power.

Back in 2021 with a new name and this year organised as a hybrid live/virtual event due to Covid-19 restrictions, the RAF Global Air Chiefs Conference once again was a must-attend global forum

for air and space power professionals and for those interested in the wider future of armed conflict, technology and society.

The conference speakers ranged from UK Minister of the Armed Forces, James Heappey MP, to air chiefs (RAF Chief of the Air Staff ACM Sir Mike Wigston and USAF Chief Gen Charles Q Brown), space commanders (Gen ‘Jay’ Raymond, US Space Force and AVM Paul Godfrey, UK Space Command), as well as academics, industry executives and more. It was also notable as the first RAF air and space power conference after the Integrated Review, which saw winners in R&D for Tempest, drones and and space, at arguably the expense of airlift and aggressors – as well as capability gap between the retirement of the E-3D Sentry and the introduction of the E-7A Wedgetail.

With the theme of ‘the air and space force of 2040’ the one-day conference, organised by the Air and Space Power Association, was packed with fascinating and thought-provoking sessions – from China’s use of UAVs on the Indian border to ‘probe’ defences in a sub-threshold way, to the RAF’s ambitious plans to decarbonise and go ‘net zero’ by 2040 – blazing a trail to more sustainable air power. Space power too, is now deeply embedded in the fabric of these conferences as the natural extension of air forces that exploit speed, reach

and surveillance – while a briefing from eVTOL developer Vertical Aerospace, showed how the urban air mobility sector is accelerating technology in batteries, FBW and advanced composites.

Covering all these headlines and presentations would thus be impossible in such a short summary but two of the most intriguing were synthetic training and multi-domain combat clouds. 

How far can virtual training go?

One of the noteworthy headlines from GACC was the vision from the RAF ACM Chief Sir Mike Wigston of a move to mostly virtual training with him saying: “I do not exaggerate when I say that I can see a future where almost all training, force generation, and mission planning and rehearsal is done in a synthetic environment, preserving our real world activity for live operations or strategic signalling.”

There are a number of compelling reasons for this. The first is that the fidelity of modern flight simulators has now improved immeasurably, while costs have dropped. Consumer sims, such as DCS World and MSFS, have arguably outpaced professional military simulations in some areas and, when coupled with VR, can immerse the student in the world – rectifying the limitations of small desktop monitors.

The second is that that modern aircraft, such as Typhoon, A400M and F-35, have become, thanks to fly-by-wire and automation, far easier to fly than the warplanes of the past. The learning then, has

The air force of 2040synthetically-trained, cloud networked, space-enabled and net zero?

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I DO NOT EXAGGERATE WHEN I SAY THAT I CAN SEE A FUTURE WHERE ALMOST ALL TRAINING, FORCE GENERATION, AND MISSION PLANNING AND REHEARSAL IS DONE IN A SYNTHETIC ENVIRONMENT.

ACM Sir Mike Wigston

Chief of the Air Staff,Royal Air Force

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shifted from training someone to fly the aeroplane with stick and rudder skills to being able to ‘fight it’ as a battlespace manager – and that arguably could be performed better in a simulation where multiple enemies and friendly forces can be generated – putting them in large-scale virtual war games.

Another reason for the shift to virtual training and mission rehearsal is that of keeping tactics and procedures secret and away from prying eyes and ears. Stealth capabilities, advanced radar modes and accurate weapon ranges can all be practised and trained fully in classified and secure simulations. The rise of ‘peer nation threats’ and the potential breakthroughs in capabilities, such as ‘Loyal Wingman’, swarming drones and AI, means that testing and rehearsing these tactics in the open could tip the enemy’s hand and allow them to develop countermeasures, technology or tactics to negate these when fielded in battle.

Additionally, with long-range weapon missiles, hypersonics and space systems, even the vast ranges that the US enjoys in Nevada are now becoming too small to practise the kind of multi-domain warfare that may dominate the 21st Century. In synthetics – there is no worry about airspace size, deconfliction with civil traffic, sorties cancelled due to weather or noise complaints from low-level flying.

To that end, at GACC, Wigston revealed that the RAF’s new distributed flight simulation system, Gladiator, would be inititally operational by the end of this year – and would also be extended with a £40m investment from the Typhoon to include other RAF and UK platforms, such at the E-7A Wedgetail, Protector and even the Type 45 destroyer, allowing large-scale virtual training to take place. Interestingly, it would also be linked to the NEXUS combat cloud (see below).

However, not all are convinced of this shift to synthetics – arguing that it is Treasury-led in an attempt to cut flying hour costs, rather than improve combat effectiveness and produce more skilled aircrew.

Surprisingly, USAF Chief General Charles Q Brown was also skeptical of this wholesale shift to virtual training, telling a defence media roundtable immediately after the conference that, while synthetic training “may speed up the learning curve” and offered opportunities because the “technology can support it”, he cautioned: “I think our aircrew have to get airborne. There’s an aspect of actually not only getting airborne but it’s also for our maintainers. You can’t fix an airplane if it doesn’t fly

and break and understand that aspect.”He went on: “By using synthetic, it

does maybe save you some money in operating costs but, at the same time, there is a balance between that operating cost and the readiness of our aircrew and the support functions that maintain our aircraft and our supply

chain to have a good understanding of how all that comes together.”

Air forces in 2040 – operating in a world of zettabytes

Another headline topic at the conference was that of increasingly connected and networked battlespace – where seamless digital links connect sensors and shooters into one dynamic cloud or ‘mesh’. This Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) has been predicted before and never arrived but now the combination of big data, faster computers and more bandwidth is making this a reality. Indeed, speaking at the conference, Professor Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Technologist and Director Air Lab, BAE Systems gave an jaw-dropping comparison

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RAF students are now trialing Sprint VR flight training devices from CAE as part of MFTS.

AEROSPACE 16

– without a joint terminal attack controller (JTAC) or combined air operations centre (CAOC) manually approving the strike. A human, though, would still make the final decision to kill.

Could the USAF leave allies behind?

However, this vision of high-speed, connected warfare and the US’s pivot to Asia-Pacific also raises its own challenges to partners – according to a presentation by Justin Bronk, RUSI Air Power Research Fellow, who observed the vulnerability of the West’s HVA (high value assets), such as E-3D AWACS, Rivet Joint and tankers, to threat nations will push these ‘enablers’ further away from any front line.

Bronk argued that large, expensive, longer-ranged platforms, such as the B-21, NGAD and MQ-25, optimised for US needs in Indo-Pacific then could decouple the USAF from its partner air forces particularly in Europe, which may be unable to afford these aircraft in large numbers. “All of these systems would make the [combat/mass] problem worse not better for European air forces,” he said.

Beyond hardware, Bronk said the: “C2 is the most important change we are going to see”. He said that the US shift to ‘Uber-like sensor-shooter matchings’ could also see partners potentially face a ‘significantly tricky choice’ – either invest in keeping

pace and fitting in with highly automated US combat cloud networks or face potentially

being left behind and being unable to plug into this American combat web. These networks require a deeper and more complex co-operation than say Link 16, encrypted radios or liaison officers in CAOCs for

allies. Bronk thus concluded that a European alternative to the US ABMS

may be needed and that Europe needed to start thinking about it now. However, questioned on this by AEROSPACE, USAF chief Gen Brown was cognisant of the challenge to bring allies and partners along on this path – especially when some

of future data demands when she noted that a Eurofighter Typhoon today: “Operates in the world of terabytes – so, if one grain of rice is a byte, Typhoon generates a container’s worth of rice over a number of sorties. But, in the multi-domain world of 2040, systems will be operating in the world of zettabytes – enough rice to fill the Pacific Ocean”.

This vision of big-data enabled warfare is now getting closer and ACM Wigston revealed that the RAF’s Combat Cloud, NEXUS, is ready to be fielded, saying: “We are now at the point where our combat cloud called NEXUS can begin to be introduced operationally. It is flexible, secure, proven and we have developed it in-house at a fraction of the cost of comparators.”

This software, which can run on computers, laptops or even smartphones and which was coded ‘in-house’, takes data from a wide variety of sources and ‘tags’ it to be disseminated further around the battlespace. Explained Wigston: “In one recent evaluation, we hand carried the system onboard one of our Voyager aircraft. Once airborne, laptops and tablets were configured to show a real-time Common Operating Picture constructed from data ingested into a ground-based NEXUS node from a variety of information feeds. This was a functioning C2 network configured at 25,000ft in just 15 minutes.”

Significant in the roll-out of this long-awaited multi-domain Combat Cloud is that it was developed in-house by RAF software coders – perhaps a preview of where air forces in 2040 may be heading – where software coders and cyber hackers may outnumber traditional ‘riggers’ or airframe technicians.

The USAF, meanwhile, is going even further with its ABMS (Advanced Battle Management System) which seeks to automate and accelerate the ‘kill-chain’, allowing AI to hand-off targets found by sensor platforms to the most appropriate shooter – whether they are airborne, surface or even subsurface. Fully realised, this potentially could mean an infantry squad corporal tasking a nearby B-21 stealth bomber to use precision munitions to remove an enemy bunker

DEFENCEGlobal Air Chiefs Conference report

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Will the USAF’s focus on expensive longer-range platforms, like the B-21 Raider, optimised for the Indo-Pacific decouple it from European requirements?

MY INTENT IS TO MAKE SURE WE, IN EVERYTHING WE DO, THINK ABOUT OUR ALLIES AND PARTNERS

Gen Charles Q Brown

Chief of Staff of the Air Force,United States Air Force

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‘Confident, not confrontational’, according to the UK MoD, HMS Queen Elizabeth sends a message that Britain is back on the global stage.

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allies may ask where their ‘Red Card’ might be in coalition operations in such a high-speed network. These ‘Red Cards’ allow coalition partners to be embedded in US command chain, yet give them a veto if they feel that rule of engagement or legal guidelines are not being followed.

Gen Brown said: “When you look at the ABMS, it’s how we connect but it’s really about data. It’s how we move data and how we move information to make decisions. Part of our dialogue internal in the USAF but also, as you look at joint all-domain and command-and-control, or combined joint all-domain command-and-control, is how we bring in our allies and partners.” He explained: “It’s important that we are in good dialogue with our partners so we do not leave them behind, because that’s not my intent. My intent is to make sure we, in everything we do, think about our allies and partners,” adding: “Now, on the aspect of a Red Card, this is something we’re going to have to work through. It’s not just the technology aspect of this; it’s really our processes that we have to think about and we have to think about them differently. I think decisions will happen at a much higher rate of speed because all of the information and how we are able to use our technology. This is something that was discussed at the Global Air Chiefs’ Conference that we might have to do these things differently and it may be an algorithm that helps us be able to determine that. I don’t know that that’s the answer but it’s something we’ve got to think about and we may have to do it differently than we do today.” 

Summary

In his opening address, ACM Wigston said there are three themes to come out of the Integrated Review and what it means for UK defence: “Firstly,

the uncertain, complex and dynamic international context, with fast-evolving threats becoming ever more sophisticated and proliferating widely. Secondly, in this era of chronic instability, a UK prepared and able to act on the world stage as a problem-solving, burden-sharing nation, amplifying our influence through deeper relationships and partnerships. Thirdly, that this government could not be clearer in its view of the integral role of the UK armed forces in UK national power. As those themes played out over the last year, the Royal Air Force position was very clear: air and space power gives our government the choice and ability to act and signal strategically on a global stage, at range, at speed, precisely, with minimal political risk and maximum political choice.”

This last point of ‘acting on a global stage’ is currently being demonstrated by the hard military power of HMS Queen Elizabeth, CSG21 and its embarked RAF/RN and USMC air wing – the biggest yet deployment of fifth generation air power at sea,

Thus, despite the topics of NetZero, diversity and other wider social issues, this years GACC also had a underlying hard-edged feel to it – with Minister of State for Armed Forces, James Heappey MP, telling the Chief of the Air Staff that his first task is: ‘Win the fight”, This reflects the changing and deteriorating international landscape – with challenges across all domains from cyber to space.

Indeed, post-conference, the announcement that the RAF would be practicing dispersed operations for the first time in three decades, is a market that, despite the feel-good headlines around ‘battle braids’ hair regulations and NetZero green goals, there is a refreshed and rebooted Cold War-esque focus on surviving, adapting and winning any fight against the toughest adversary.

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DEFENCEIndian defence procurement

NEELAM MATHEWS assesses India’s drive to self-sufficiency in the defence sector.

Indian defence looks inwards

India brutal second wave of Covid in mid May has led to its defence industry undergoing a further disruptive change – for the better. Falling cash reserves have resulted in tightened budgets and a slow but sure change

is now a constant with a clear message that foreign procurement must be reduced. Last year, in an initiative aiming for self reliance, the Department of Military Affairs of the Ministry of Defence released an embargo on import of 101 products beyond given timelines to boost indigenisation of defence production. A second list was released with the embargo coming into effect for some items from December 2020 with others along the way with the long-range land attack cruise missile – banned from December 2025.

Defending India

The defence ministry has set a goal of a turnover of $25bn in defence manufacturing in the next five

years that includes an export target of $5bn military hardware.

“Of key concern is the China-Pakistan collaborative approach…. If you are militarily strong, you will be diplomatically strong. We are not a military power but a military force. We need to build military capability, self reliance and optimise budget priorities,” said Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia Former Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Indian Army. The ongoing conflict between China and India in East Ladakh has resulted in some emergency procurement, though the focus on Make in India is clear.

Making defence local

The negative lists hold huge prospects for manufacturing for the Indian defence industry. The move offers encouragement of use of domestic design and development capability to meet requirements of the forces, Raman Sopory, founder

Above: The Indian government has formally awarded state-owned company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) a contract to produce 83 indigenously designed Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

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of the Aerospace Defence Consultants Association of India told AEROSPACE. This community of startups and small and medium enterprises (SME) has played a major role during the pandemic to encourage defence companies to adopt next gen technologies while also contributing to medical equipment in short supply. For instance, ADCAI members added to the manufacturing base for oxygen concentrators, ventilators and masks.

With the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020 (DAP 2020), mandating larger companies like the Tata Group and Larsen and Toubro to have a 60% indigenised content and opening sourcing to SMEs: “We are starting to become a part of the Indian and global OEMs supply chain,” said Sopory. However, policies needed to be more transparent, he said. In addition, indigenous projects like the Light Combat Aircraft and its variants will need an Indian industry – large and small – to source its parts.

A recent IAF order for 83 light combat aircraft (LCA) will provide a big boost for the local manufactures. Delivery will take place within ten years, starting 36 months of contract signing. In February Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister inaugurated HAL’s second LCA plant in Bengaluru, which will double production capacity to 16 aircraft a year. HAL already has around 600 suppliers with the first front fuselage for the full operational capability (FOC) version built by Bengaluru-based Dynamatic Technologies.

Amit Cowshish former Financial Advisor (Acquisition), Indian MoD calls the embargo on import a ‘forcible indigenisation’. In a comment he explained that the MoD would have little option but to waive the embargo “if an indigenously designed and manufactured equipment/platform conforming to the SQRs was not available” by the timeline set for it. Abhishek Verma Partner Aerospace & Defence Practice KPMG India, said around 70-

80% of equipment on the negative list is either already being made in India or on its final legs towards completion. “Besides, the new DAP2020 has opened up foreign investment in India and encourages partnerships between present OEMs and the Indian industry.” Verma said the Indian aerospace defence sector had grown during the pandemic specifically in the area of components, sub systems and radars.

Hi-tech defence collaboration

The industry is also moving up the value chain, Udayant Malouhtra, CEO Dynamatic Technologies, said at Aero India 2021. The Israeli UAV Heron is to be built by his company in collaboration with Israel’s IAI and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. The multi-role, long range MALE for strategic missions, is equipped with automatic taxi-takeoff and landing systems, satellite communication for extended range, and fully redundant avionics. Dynamatic, which had been a partner with Boeing on the P-8 Poseidon and CH-47 Chinook for the past ten years, was recently contracted delivery of tools for the static and fatigue testing of the control surfaces of the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk programme, an all-new advanced pilot training system designed for the US Air Force that will train the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots.

Another partnership in the offing is that of Tata Group having acquired intellectual property rights to the twin-engine German Grob G180 SPn which is no longer in business. It hopes to manufacture the aircraft and integrate Indian sensors and payloads. “We are now focusing on modifying the aircraft to fit special payloads so that it can undertake a demonstration of surveillance capabilities,” a senior official from the Tata Group said.

DAP-2020 emphasises the use of artificial

Venkat mangudi

IAI Heron 1 UAV in flight.

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Indian industry is now supplying tools for fatigue and static testing of Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Tail advanced trainer.

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Producing drones

NewSpace Research & Technologies (NRT) space start-up is engaged in development of next generation missions and technologies (NGM&T) towards future warfare needs of the Indian defence forces. It is undertaking research towards enhancing persistence and autonomy for unmanned vehicles and robotic swarms. In a live demonstration in late January the company demonstrated for the Indian army a swarm of 75 drones in different classes – a first globally – up to 30kg. Scout drones investigated the targets, while mothership drones released explosive-laden kamikaze units for the attacks. “The challenge is to map performing class of drones into overlapping missions, deliver operational requirements… The efficacy of effectiveness is five to ten times more using different capabilities,” said Sameer Josh, CEO NRT, to AEROSPACE. “We are developing technology that the end user is not as yet asking for. The next few years will be focused on consolidation and “research will remain our core focus,” said Joshi.

NRT’s product development portfolio includes a solar power stratospheric high altitude pseudo satellite (HAPS) unmanned platform and an air/ground launched stand-off ISR/hard kill autonomous system. NRT is also developing initial capability towards manned unmanned teaming and design of an unmanned wingman UCAV vehicle.

Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, IAF said: “We are standing at the cusp of next level of revolution in military operations. In the coming years we will witness AI tools augmenting the human ability in planning and fighting air battles.”

In January, the Indian Army signed a $20m contract for undisclosed quantities of a high-altitude variant of startup ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV to be delivered through a year. The contract marks a strategic shift in the Indian defence procurement process as the Indian Army goes on an aggressive

intelligence, indigenously developed military materials, special alloys, indigenous software, engines and silicon wafers. “AI has not matured to an extent where completely autonomous missions can be executed. There are multiple applications wherein AI can be used more extensively for optimising air operations and compressing the OODA (observe-orient-decide-act) loop at the starting process in efficiency,” explained IAF Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria at a recent webinar. While he said it is being developed in multiple areas in the air domain to accrue diverse and asymmetrical operations benefits, concerns needed to be addressed whether “algorithms can be trained to effectively execute mission planning behaviours in unpredictable scenarios; can machines be taught combat strategies; could sufficiently generalised representations be built to capture the richness of the planning problem itself across the threat matrix. ... The answer to these questions will help us firm up our requirement specifications that will essentially be a starting document vis-à-vis the expected outcomes. If we tend to utilise AI heavily in combat aviation, we may need to redefine or even abandon certain traditional principles.”

The IAF is already looking at AI, said Bhadauria. “Having gone through some of the very important automation projects in the recent past, we have started testing AI and AI-based applications on various projects that are in different stages. We have already improved our operational efficacy by shrinking timelines. In the area of aircraft maintenance that we have substantially digitised, we have all our fleets onto the electronic maintenance management systems. Similarly, our entire inventory management system is digitised. We have already started to work on AI-based formulation to come out with predictive maintenance or predictive threat scenarios or red flags,” he added.

DEFENCEIndian defence procurement

Intellectual property rights for the twin-engine German Grob G180 SPn now rests with India’s Tata Group – with the potential aim of developing it as a multi-mission ISR platform for the Indian armed forces.

Juergen Lehle

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modernisation drive. This fixed wing VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) Switch UAV can be deployed at high altitude and harsh environment for day and night surveillance in intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. “It is man-portable and has the highest time on target compared to any other UAV in its class,” claims the company.

3D printing

Faster design iterations, reduction in weight and flexible manufacturing will be of benefit to the Indian industry awaiting a policy to be released soon on 3D printing that will provide initiatives, including reduction on taxes. 3D printing meanwh ile, is making its impact slowly but surely on civil and military maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) services starting to synergise and gain traction. The Indian Air Force has, for the first time, released a RfP for 140 3D printed components that include development of washer flat for the Snecma M-53 aero engine for the Dassault Mirage 2000. The engine is in service with India also on the Mirage 2000-5. The IAF says it will release another RfI for 3D components soon.

“IAF has taken the lead in this arena… This is a huge opportunity and boost for the industry. 3D printing can be used as huge multiplier for defence and for MRO in particular for legacy based equipment including fighters and transporters, previously we’ve had …”, said Sopory. 3D has also been used for drones design and production by ideaForge.

An MoU signed in 2020 between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and private IT giant Wipro 3D for design, development, validation, manufacture and repair of defence components using metal 3D printing technology has already taken shape. It leaves no stone upturned with validation listed as a key element. “This will provide significant manufacturing, MRO flexibility and freedom to existing, upcoming, and legacy aerospace programmes,” said Ajay Parikh, Vice President & Business Head, Wipro 3D

at time of signing. In February, the two companies collaborated on a critical aero-engine component operating in the hot zone, using metal 3D printing. The nozzle guide vane (also called the inner ring), is 3D printed in a high temperature resilient steel A286, has been awarded airworthiness certification.

Another first in the arena is startup Angikul Cosmos that has recently test fired the country’s first 3D printed rocket engine. Along with the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, it is now building a small rocket that can launch 100kg satellites into low Earth orbit with the launch slated by the end of 2022, said the startup co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran. “We used a combustion chamber, the largest in the world and printed the entire rocket engine in one shot.” Now the company is looking at building missiles using 3D.

MRO

The pandemic has left its footprint on the global industry that is turning inwards – as is in the civil military convergence of MRO in India. Increasingly it is being recognised that it is not the job of the government to run a business. Spares of legacy Soviet and Russian aircraft are waning and India is buying a large number of western equipment, including Apaches, C-17s, P8Is, C130Js, Rafales and much more. All these need upgrades and maintenance.

Partnerships with OEMs are becoming the norm helping local businesses upgrade their processes and skills. Logistics costs are also coming down with no ferrying of aircraft half way around the world/Confidence building is taking place as defence maintenance experts personally supervise work in Indian hangars. Boeing, as part of its defence offset regulations, has contracted private civil MRO Air Works ‘D’ checks for the 737s of the Indian Navy P8ls, and the IAF Boeing Business Jets used for VVIPs, including the Prime Minister. The interiors of the BBJs have been refurbished by US Aloft at the Indian hangar. The company is also carrying out modifications on the Mi17s. Tendering is on by Boeing to tap an Indian partner for MRO for the Chinooks and Apaches delivered to the air force. The recently opened AAR-Indamer MRO facility in Nagpur could likely prove a private sector provider to defence. US-based AAR Corp is the largest MRO in the world and brings a host of experience to India’s civil and defence MRO.

Right: ideaForge’s SWITCH UAV.

The start-up drone manufacturer NewSpace Research & Technologies (NRT).

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A recent RAeS conference looked at the issue of pilot mental health, what airlines were doing to implement new EASA/CAA regulations and how the lessons learned could be applied to the wider aerospace community. BILL READ FRAeS reports.

Mental health wellbeing for all

On 27-28 April the RAeS hosted a virtual conference on Mental Wellbeing and Human Performance: Moving beyond Regulatory Compliance. A follow-up from a previous conference held in

May 2019 (the 2020 conference was cancelled due to Covid-19), the event looked at what has happened in the area of aviation personnel mental health and wellbeing over the past two years and what needs to be done in the future.

At the 2019 conference, the main topic of discussion was new European Union Safety Agency (EASA) safety rules on air operations introduced in 2018 following the fatal crash of a Germanwings A320 in 2015 (see Caring for pilots, February 2020, p25 ). The new regulations include provisions designed to better support the mental health of air crew, including psychological evaluations for pilots, as well as support and reporting systems. However, the advent of Brexit in 2020 has meant that the UK is no longer governed by the EASA rules, although the rules will still be implemented by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

In addition to looking at pilots, the 2019 conference also examined the issue of mental health on aerospace professionals working in the wider aviation community – a theme which was developed further in this year’s conference.

Help for pilots

Flying an aircraft is a stressful job and many pilots are subject to stress both from work and from personal reasons. “Pilots already had a tough job but it has been made even harder,” commented occupational psychologist Karen Moore. One cause of pilot stress at work is when they are expected to fly and for how long. Tomas Klemets, Head of Scheduling Safety at Jeppesen, talked about the importance of pilot crew rosters and their effect on pilots (see Fig. 1). He explained that the way airlines created rosters was a complicated process. Airlines are trying to balance

productivity (cannot have too few crew), real cost (layovers, transport, overtime), quality of life (time off), robustness (cover for illness) and fatigue risks. It is not possible to satisfy all these conditions so airlines need to compromise across all five areas. The planning begins with determining which flights would operate and then the crews needed to fly them. The rosters also have to account for different work patterns depending on pilots’ individual circumstances. Pilots who are parents may only want to work on some days and always return to their home base, some pilots want to work with certain other flight crew and avoid working with others and some pilots want to have particular days off for holidays and so on. There is also the problem that, despite forward planning, it is not always possible to predict what flights will be needed. If an aircraft fails and needs to be replaced by another, it may also require a different flight crew. “If you change, for example, from an A320 to a 737, you can keep the cabin crew but you may need a different flight crew if pilots are not trained on that type,” said Klemets. “The more plans are changed unexpectedly, particularly at the last minute, the more stress is put onto flight crews.”

THE PANDEMIC HAS INCREASED THE NUMBER OF MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS

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Figure 1

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The stress of Covid-19

A new stress factor for pilots in the past 12 months has, of course, been the onset of Covid-19. Many pilots lost their jobs or were furloughed with no certainty that they would return to work. “The pandemic has increased the number of mental health problems,” admitted Kris Major, Chair for the Joint Aircrew Committee, European Transport Workers Federation. For those pilots who remained flying, there were other problems. “The risk of infection has also meant that pilots also don’t feel safe at work,” said Captain Paul Reuter, Chairman, European Pilot Peer Support Initiative. Surprisingly, there were also benefits. “Pilots felt less stressed during Covid because they got decent sleep patterns,” observed Niven Phoenix, Director, Kura Human Factors

As Covid travel restrictions start to ease, pilots are beginning to return to work. However, many of those who have not flown for a while need to get used to being in a cockpit again. “There is a risk not just of ‘burn-out’ but of ‘rust-out’,” cautioned Marc Atherton who chaired the conference. “Pilots who are returning to work need to renew their skills.” There is also the risk of pilot shortages, as pilots – and other skilled air transport personnel – may have found work elsewhere. “We are losing talent at an astonishing rate,” said Paul Reuter. “We need to get it back.”

Airline viewpoint

So, what can be done to reduce pilot stress? The new EU/CAA rules require airlines to conduct

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psychological evaluations for pilots, as well as setting up support and reporting systems. However, it was felt by many speakers that some airlines were using the psychological evaluations not to help pilots but as a safety precaution. Some airlines were taking the view that pilots need to be screened for potential mental health problems and, if necessary, removed to avoid a repetition of the Germanwings incident. As a result of this, pilots often see their mental health as an issue not to be discussed or revealed to management to avoid losing their licences.

Regarding pyschological assessment for pilots, Anna Vereker, Human Factors Programme Specialist at the CAA, explained how it was not intended to be a judgement on pilots’ mental health but was a means of robust selection to ensure that pilots are a good fit for an organisation. There were also concerns that many airline operators are concentrating their attention on other issues, with one speaker commenting that CEOs were more worried about money than mental health.

Peer group support

As for peer group support programmes, the speakers were concerned that their effectiveness would be diminished if either management or pilots were not convinced by their value. One speaker highlighted an airline safety training programme which told

Flying an aircraft was already a stressful job but then along came Covid-19.

Reliability

Success

Strength

Confidence

Unreliability

Failure

Weakness

Under Confidence

Figure 2

The Virtuous Circle of Resilience

The Vicious Cycle of Doubt

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The scale of the problem

The conference also addressed the issue of how to measure the scale of potential pilot mental health

issues. Getting data on how much pilots are affected by mental health issues is not easy, as pilots are reluctant to speak out. “We need to focus on evidence but industry doesn’t have a clear take,” said Dr Joan Cahill, Principal Investigator at Trinity College Dublin. “The big challenge is to make workers feel comfortable about providing evidence.” “We need to speak openly and remove the fear of using certain words, such as depression and mental health,” added Paul Cullen, Research Assistant, Trinity College, Dublin. There were also concerns from pilots on how the data might be used. “It needs to be dealt with in a secure non-identifiable way,” declared Tomas Klemets. “The focus of current data is on what employees are doing and thinking but we need information on organisations too,”

agreed Joan Cahill. “We need to decide what data we need to estimate wellbeing.”

pilots that if they said they were feeling suicidal, then they would lose their licence. “There is no point in having peer support which is filling holes which management has dug,” commented Niven Phoenix. However, he was convinced that peer-support programmes could bring benefits to both pilots and their employers. “Airlines may not be keen on spending money but peer support will help with reducing absenteeism and also ‘presenteeism’ – staying at work when you’re ill.”

Another issue with peer support is what one speaker described as the ‘right stuff’ factor. “How do you know there’s a pilot at your party?” asked Paul Reuter. “Oh he’ll tell you.” Pilots have high personal and professional standards with a public image of always being calm, in control and able to deal with stress. “Pilots have a ‘virtuous circle of resilience reliability’ – confidence – strength – success,” said Reuter. “These are all good qualities – except when things go wrong. See Fig. 2 on p 21). However, the stresses and strains of both work and personal circumstances can pull down on that circle. Many pilots have sufficient resilience to bounce back.” He cited a survey which claimed that, when faced with an emotional cliff face, up to 25% of pilots will need a friend and a rope to get back up to where they were before. However, 5% of pilots don’t have a rope or refuse to have a rope, taking the view that it’s their problem and they don’t need help from others. “Pilots are not used to failure,” said Reuter. “If you fall, it hurts, you can’t cope, you’ve failed, there is a risk of losing your licence – pilots can slide very quickly into deep dark areas.”

Reuter went on to explain how peer-support programmes for pilots provide a bridge to cross the chasm and climb the cliff to get back into the virtuous cycle (see Fig. 3). However, there is still a gap which pilots have to cross – they actually have to use the support programme. “They have to climb themselves – it is not an elevator.”

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A recognition of stress is crucial, not just for pilots and air traffic controllers but also for cabin crew, MRO engineers, airport workers and ground handlers.

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WE NEED TO FOCUS NOT JUST ON PILOTS BUT ON THE WHOLE INDUSTRY

Marc AthertonChair, RAeS Human Factors Wellbeing Group

Figure 3

While peer-support programmes can build bridges to help pilots regain confidence, pilots need to make the decision to use them

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The importance of organisational culture

However, while airlines may be required by the new EU/CAA regulations to provide mental health support for pilots, the service will not be effective if it is not used by pilots or management is not convinced of its value. “People need to be in situations where they can own up to mistakes and organisations can learn from them,” said Paul Reuter. “Wellbeing is underpinned by organisational culture,” assented Joan Cahill. “We need to move from a culture of safety to a culture of health and safety.” “The key challenge for management is gaining trust from employees,” remarked aviation psychologist at Isavia ANS, Jóhann Wium. “However, management also need to trust their employees not to misuse the system.”

Legal implications

The issue of mental health is also becoming a legal issue for organisations. Gerard Forlin QC explained how the onset of Covid had led to an increase in work risk assessment. “Stress is becoming an important word,” he warned. “Health and safety violations don’t need a death, just a risk. The prosecution of stress-related incidents is only a matter of time. If your audits pick up that you have knowledge of a problem before an incident and did nothing about it, then it will be used as evidence against you.”

The ATC experience

In some sectors of the aviation industry, stress management training is already mandatory. Jóhann Wium described how the EU introduced new regulations in 2017, requiring stress management training for air traffic controllers. Wium explained how ATCs were not keen on discussing stress: “Controllers felt that being able to handle stress was seen as a point of pride while not handling stress was bad and not to be talked about. Our solution was to create workshops with optional self-assessment. The answers were anonymous. As a result, ATCs built an awareness of stress, its effects and how to cope with it, so that it was no longer seen as a negative thing.” Wium added that the ATC experience had been good, although it had to be careful to take a fine line between supporting and snooping.

Care in the community

The speakers agreed that a recognition of stress was crucial, not just for pilots and air traffic controllers but across all safety critical groups in the aviation industry, such as cabin crew, MRO engineers, airport workers and ground handlers. “We can’t compartmentalise aviation safety,” said Kris Major. “Peer support need to include more than just pilots.”

However, much still needs to be done to convince employees of the advantages of a mental health support programme. “People won’t remove themselves from operations because they fear punitive measures,” warned Major. “In ground handling, the fear factor is huge. Workers have a fear of management and you don’t get incident reports because people are too frightened to submit them.”

“We need to focus not just on pilots but on the whole industry,” declared Marc Atherton. “We need to promote a positive cultural shift to create a positive and safe operational environment where everyone feels supported and safe.” “If you take care of staff, it will not just have an influence on safety but positively influence the whole company,” assented Paul Reuter.

“We have not reached the pinnacle of safety,” warned Kris Major. “We can either do something about it or play Jenga by sitting on the regulations and thinking that they are adequate.”

Introducing mental health support for all air transport workers could help to improve safety for all air transport users

Stress management training is already mandatory for ATC personnel

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SPACEFLIGHTSpace debris – the legal questions

MELISSA TANG and PATRICK SLOMSKI of global law firm Clyde & Co consider the legal ramifications of the growing challenge of space debris.

Does this spark joy?A case for decluttering and tidying orbital space junk

In the 60 odd years of space exploration following the Soviet Union’s launch of its first satellite in 1957, space has become increasingly cluttered with derelict satellites, burnt-out rocket stages, discarded trash and

other debris, prompting NASA to refer to the lower earth orbit (LEO) as an ‘orbital space junk yard’.

The commercial use of space is growing at an increasing rate. The launch of ‘mega-constellations’ which can comprise thousands of small satellites will increase the problems associated with orbital debris. Space debris travels at very high speeds such that even a collision with a small piece of debris (eg a fleck of paint) can damage or destroy working satellites, threaten space missions, and create new debris fragments.

There is growing international recognition of the need to deal with orbital debris and to provide an adequate international framework to address the complex legal issues that it raises. Current space treaties do not provide an effective framework to regulate the issue of orbital debris and there is no effective international law regime regarding responsibility to mitigate debris creation, or the remediation of the orbital environment (and who bears the costs). Liability for damage caused by debris raises complex legal issues, with much interpretation left to individual entities (and their lawyers).

Why should we care about the management of orbital debris?

Space is vast. Earthling space activities are currently primarily limited to three orbital regions: LEO,

medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary orbit (GEO). We are increasingly relying on satellite technology for meteorology, geology, climate research, telecommunications, navigation, remote sensing and human space exploration purposes. Assisted by lower per-launch costs and cheaper satellite development, the number of satellites being manufactured and launched into LEO has

increased. Commercial companies such as SpaceX, Google and Amazon are competing to deploy ‘mega constellations’ of internet satellites in LEO to provide affordable and reliable internet connectivity. NASA has signalled continuing ambitions to partner with the private sector to develop new space activities in LEO focusing on cargo and crew transportation, and eventually, industrialisation.

The expected commercialisation of space beyond aerospace and defence adds to the ongoing challenge of managing orbital debris. Currently there are more pieces of space debris in LEO than operational satellites with the European Space Agency’s Space Debris Office likening it to ‘driving down a road which has more broken cars, bikes and vans lining the street than functioning vehicles’. As of 20 May 2021, the European Space Agency estimates that there are 34,000 debris objects larger than 10cm along with 900,000 debris objects between 1cm to 10cm currently in orbit around Earth. Most of the debris objects comprise

mission-related debris release and fragmentation debris from accidental collisions and intentional destruction of satellites (such as the anti-satellite weapon test by China in 2007).

EVEN A COLLISION WITH A SMALL PIECE OF DEBRIS (EG A FLECK OF PAINT) CAN DAMAGE OR DESTROY WORKING SATELLITES, THREATEN SPACE MISSIONS, AND CREATE NEW DEBRIS FRAGMENTS

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Space debris can remain in orbit for a very long time depending upon its size, nature, and altitude. The higher the altitude, the longer the orbital debris will typically remain in the Earth’s orbit. At typical collision speeds of 10km/s in orbit, subject to the size of the debris, a collision with space debris has the potential to accelerate the degradation of operational satellites, critically damage or destroy operational satellites and threaten space missions, including the International Space Station. In 2020, the International Space Station (which resides in LEO) was forced to manoeuvre its path three times to avoid potential collisions with space debris. As not all orbital debris is trackable, it may not always be possible to manoeuvre away from a collision. There is also a risk that rocket bodies and satellites that do not disintegrate fully before re-entering

the Earth’s atmosphere can cause potential safety and environmental threat to objects on Earth as highlighted by the recent uncontrolled re-entry of China’s Long March 5B in May 2021.

Unless standardised and binding mitigation measures are adopted at the international level, the amount of space debris in LEO will continue to rise, impacting the viability of future space exploration. The partial or complete loss of access to LEO also endangers launches to higher orbits, GEO and MEO, and there is the threat of eventually falling

foul of the Kessler syndrome. The Kessler syndrome posits that at a certain point, collisions between space debris could cause a cascading effect leading to exponential increase of space debris.

Current regulatory and legal environment

There is no effective ‘hard law’ or mandatory regime regulating the issues of orbital debris in current international law. Although many states legally require debris mitigation measures as part of their licensing process for space launchers and operators, adherence to the debris mitigation measures developed (such as the Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space) are voluntary. As private commercial space activity increases, there are growing concerns that the existing international law framework is insufficient to regulate space debris.

Three treaties with potential relevance to the issue of space debris are the:

● 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of states in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space (Outer Space Treaty)

● 1972 Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects (Liability Convention)

● 1976 Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (Registration Convention)

Article VI, VII and IX in the Outer Space Treaty contain language that might be used to support an argument that signatory nations are obliged to avoid the creation of, reduce, and even remove, space debris to allow all states to participate in

Right: This image shows how a net capture of space debris might be carried out. Below: An artist’s impression of space debris currently orbiting Earth.

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Another obstacle associated with fault-based liability is the difficulty of proving a causal connection between the debris-causing ‘accident’ and damage. The most practical problem in establishing liability for damage caused by orbital debris is proving who is responsible for its generation. The Registration Convention seeks to provide for information to assist with determining liability by mandating that all ‘launching states’ maintain a register of objects launched into space. Article VI of the Registration Convention directs nations with monitoring or tracking facilities to aid in the identification of space objects that cause damage. However, proving that damage has been caused by space debris may be difficult. It may not be possible to trace the damage to orbital debris or to the owner of the debris-generating launched object. Currently, only space debris larger than 10cm is tracked and catalogued. Therefore, the origin of smaller pieces of orbital debris, that cannot be tracked or catalogued by the launching state, is likely to be uncertain.

There is then also the issue of whether it can be said that the launcher of the debris-generating object was at ‘fault’; for example, the if the debris generation was as a result of collision of uncontrolled objects (or debris!). As with many of the questions and issues surrounding the subject, that is an untested question.

There is also a question of who has jurisdiction to hear space debris claims and of the law applicable to any such claim in private national law. This gives rise to a ‘patch-work’ of domestic legal regimes that would be applied, varying from national to nation across the world.

the exploration and the use of outer space with acceptable risk from debris. However, whether the provisions are intended to encompass space debris may be vigorously debated, as the provisions are vague.

The Liability and Registration Conventions are relevant to the liability of signatory states for damage caused by their space objects.

Article III of the Liability Convention deals with damage that occurs in outer space and makes signatory nations liable to other nations for damage caused by space objects for which they are the ‘launching state’. Nations are responsible and may be held liable for the commercial activities of their citizen private companies in space, including (arguably) for the consequences and resulting damage of space debris created by those activities.

While the Liability Convention may cover damage caused by orbital debris, there are difficulties establishing liability under that regime. For compensation to be payable, a victim nation must demonstrate ‘fault’, causation, and damage. The Liability Convention does not define ‘fault’ and there is uncertainty whether the standard of care to which the wrongdoer should be held equate to the common law or civil law standards of fault. The uncertainty is compounded by the lack of mandatory international standards of conduct regarding debris mitigation in space. Commentators have advocated for a strict liability system as an alternative to a fault-based system for in-orbit damage, and such regimes (with liability limitations) have been used in other areas of human endeavour to foster the expansion of commercial operations, such as in international aviation (for example).

SPACEFLIGHTSpace debris – the legal questions

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The Liability Convention only applies to states and each country has authority to make laws regulating various outer space activities by their nationals. While the Liability Convention scheme focuses on diplomatic solutions to address claims caused by a space object, Article XI leaves open the possibility for claims to be brought before the national courts or administrative tribunals or agencies of a launching state. Article XXIII of the Liability Convention also allows states to enter into their own agreements without interference from the Liability Convention.

The Liability Convention establishes joint and several liability when there is more than one launching state. The existence of multiple launching states increases the available jurisdictions for disputes for orbital damage claims to be brought. In the absence of an international convention or other international legal regime providing a clear liability regime for damage caused by orbital debris, national laws will most likely be applied in respect of claims arising from private commercial space activities. Against this backdrop, the potential for different national laws and legal regimes to apply creates ample opportunity for parties (and their lawyers) to engage in extended argument over which jurisdiction is appropriate and which law should be applied.

In addition to the liability challenges raised, the lack of a clear mechanism for dispute resolution in the Liability Convention and the need to involve signatory nations to bring claims against other nations on behalf of private operators for whom they are responsible, has inevitably resulted in the Liability Convention not being commonly used or relied upon. There has yet to be a claim on the basis of damage occurring while in orbit. The Liability Convention

has not been widely applied; the only instance of a formal claim arose out of the re-entry of a Russian spacecraft which caused radioactive debris to be scattered on Canadian territory. The claim was settled by diplomatic means.

The possibility of having numerous dispute resolution avenues and applicable laws raises the

spectre of uncertainty, and a very significant barrier to enabling wider commercialisation of orbital space. Without an adequate legal international framework addressing the regulation of orbital debris and liability issues, an operator suffering loss in orbit will face very significant issues when seeking to recover compensation for damage caused by orbital debris. Such a regime may also provide for the cost of remediation of this arena for new commercial endeavour.

Conclusion

As discussed above, the current legal regime is inadequate to address liability and complex issues related to space debris collision. The space-faring nations must take the lead to garner international co-operation on

the development of binding international laws and policies to address the growing space debris problem. Given the scale of the debris problem, any inaction will impact the long-term sustainability of space activities and fail to preserve Earth’s orbital space as the common heritage of all mankind.

The law (both international and domestic) in this growing area of interest remains untested and unclear and therefore, has the potential to be of great importance to current and future users of space. It is a topic that needs to be watched carefully and clarified for the benefit of all concerned.

Above left: Entry hole created on Space Shuttle Endeavour’s radiator panel by the impact of unknown space debris.Above right: An impact crater on one of the windows of the Space Shuttle Challenger following a collision with a paint chip

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SPACE-FARING NATIONS MUST TAKE THE LEAD TO GARNER INTERNATIONAL CO-OPERATION ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF BINDING INTERNATIONAL LAWS AND POLICIES

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TIM ROBINSON FRAeS reports from Britain’s historic rotorcraft centre of excellence, Yeovil, as Leonardo pitches its AW149 for the UK’s New Medium Helicopter requirement.

We are dropping down to 500ft and racing over the English countryside, in a sleek black flying machine – with the aircraft tilting first this way and then the

other as the co-pilot calls to avoid flocks of curious sheep. Minutes later, we are hovering behind a treeline, in a ‘battle position’ while using the auto-hover to peek over the wood. I’m in the rear cabin of Leonardo’s AW149 Common Platform Demonstrator (CPD), while two of Leonardo’s senior test pilots, (Mark Burnand, Chief Test Pilot and Lee Evans, Test Pilot) put the helicopter through its paces on a short demo flight to show off the aircraft.

In flight, the main rotor being tilted forward very slightly means that the aircraft flies in a fuselage level attitude, cutting down on drag but there is no difference in visibility to be seen once in the hover.

Two things stand out immediately. Firstly – despite its size (it is a 19-seat helicopter) it is uncommonly agile for such a largish aircraft – as if there is a Lynx or Wildcat fighting to get out – a feature noted by Evans – with his background in the smaller, more agile Lynx. We barely need power reserves and the AW149 pulls impressive wingovers that would thrill an airshow crowd. With six passengers on board and 1,400kg on fuel the AW149 was able to climb at over 4,000ft per minute. In the hover too, it is safe with a single-engine,

should one powerplant suddenly shut-down.The second is the smoothness of the flight and

the quietness of the cabin. True, it is only a short flight but we arrive back in Yeovil refreshed and raring for more. Longer flights, therefore, will see troops arrive with minimum fatigue from the flight itself.

The AW149 demonstrator being used by Leonardo is actually a civil AW189 company aircraft, repainted in a military colour scheme and fitted with Safran’s Aneto-1K engines. While it lacks military specific equipment, such as seat armour, EO/IR sensors, defensive aids and armament, Leonardo believes the demonstrator gives a broadly accurate view of the type’s performance, dimensions and baseline avionics fit and has been flying media, MoD officials and decision makers to inform them of its potential to meet the UK’s New Medium Helicopter (NMH) requirement.

The New Medium Helicopter

The NMH emerging requirement, as stated in this year’s Integrated Review, aims to replace the 50-year old Puma in RAF service, along with other niche mini fleets of AAC Airbus Dauphins and Bell AB212s, as well as RAF Bell 412s operated in Cyprus. This will see four types replaced with one single helicopter – covering a

Chopper country

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THE SIZE OF THE CABIN AND THE PAYLOAD CAPABILITY, FOR A RELATIVITY SMALL, RELATIVITY LIGHT AIRCRAFT, SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. Mark BurnandChief Test Pilot,Leonardo UK

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variety of roles from troop transport, underslung loads, special forces assault, CASEVAC/MEDVAC and Combat SAR.

With the Puma out-of-service date just four years away in 2025, industry is expecting a fast decision from the MoD with around 35-40 airframes needed to replace these four fleets. Though this UK procurement is relatively small compared to the NATO Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) and the giant US FVL (Future Vertical Lift) progammes, it is nevertheless attracting attention as the first UK defence competition post-IR and one in which industry is keen to compete in.

Compact footprint, roomy cabin

For this, Yeovil-based Leonardo is proposing its twin-engine AW149 medium helicopter. Leonardo’s Mike Morrisroe (Head of UK Campaigns) explains the choice of the AW149 for the NMH: “We looked at those roles today and how they might progress in the future, and we looked at the AW149 and likely configurations, with mission analysis and costs. For us, the AW149 will hit the sweet spot”.

The AW149 rectifies some of the Puma’s shortcomings, with a large cabin, compact footprint and low centre of gravity, with a wide-track undercarriage. The higher centre of gravity on the Puma led to incidents (particularly on sloping terrain) where the helicopter would roll over if pilots were not careful.

The wide cabin features a large 11.2m3 space, able to fit 19 passengers or 16 fully-equipped soldiers in crashworthy seats, or four stretchers and eight seats in a medvac role – with the ability to carry a payload of 3,700+kg. There is also cabin access to a 2.4m3 rear stowage bay, which can be used for extra cargo, equipment or even an optional fuel tank that ups the range to 500nm. Use of this rear stowage bay for extra fuel keeps the main cabin clear of fuel. Says Mark Burnand, Chief Test Pilot: “The size of the cabin and the payload capability, for a relativity small,

relativity light aircraft, speaks for itself”, adding: “You want it compact but you want it like a Tardis inside”.

Its compact footprint is not just useful for confined forest clearings or urban landing zones but also in giving flexibility to potentially deploy on smaller ships. Though the AW149 is not a dedicated marine helicopter, this versatility is extremely useful given the wide range of missions that it could perform and where global Britain may be involved in the future. It is also air-transportable by C-17 or A400M.

Meanwhile, a large window behind the pilot’s seat means that a gunner can be clear of the main sliding door – important for assault landings or extractions from hot lamding zones where troops may need supporting fire from the helicopter itself, without the door gunner obstructing the main cabin door.

One unique feature are external cameras which allow the pilots to monitor loading and unloading of personnel from the cabin – aiding situational awareness when in confined spaces or on the ground and also acting as another check beyond a rear-crew member that all troops are embarked or disembarked.

Next-gen avionics

While the Puma itself received a digital cockpit refresh nearly ten years ago with the Mk2, the AW149 features the newest glass cockpit and airliner-style avionics – leveraging the latest advances in civil aerospace and the offshore helicopter sector. This is not just four large 10in x 8in screens but integrated navigation systems such as area navigation (RNAV) and performance-based navigation precision approaches to allow single pilot instrument flight rules (IFR) if need be (for example self-deploying overseas), as well as traffic collision avoidance system (TCAS) for situational awareness. This allows seamless IFR transit through civil airspace, as well as a reduced pilot workload. While performance-based navigation is common in the airline world, for many militaries this is still ‘aspirational’, says Leonardo.

Hands-off precision approach back to Yeovil in the AW149 Common Platform Demonstrator.

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Optional extras

As noted previously, the CPD lacks military mission specific kit – and getting permission to fly a rocket-pod armed civilian helicopter over places such as Westminster for photoshoots, could have generated reams of paperwork and delayed Leonardo getting it in front of the right decision-makers. However there is a vast array of optional equipment that could include IR suppressed exhausts, EO/IR sensor pod, night vision goggle (NVG) compatibility, defensive aids system, flotation system, crew-served weapons, datalinks, encrypted communications and full ice and snow protection. There is also provision for fast-roping frames or a rescue winch for SAR.

Leonardo has also publicly displayed a weapon carrier ‘wing’ which could carry heavy machine guns (HMGs), rockets or even guided missiles such as MBDA’s Brimstone 2 – which would give the AW149 a fearsome punch in the assault role.

Industrial benefits

Should the AW149 be selected by the UK MoD for the NMH requirement, Leonardo says that it would establish a UK-production line for the type in Yeovil – with potential to meet additional export orders and a promise to grow the UK content to 60-70% – from the rotor blades and transmissions the company already produces in UK. Leonardo also stresses that it will not just be about sustaining existing jobs but also creating new ones, both in Yeovil and in the wider UK supply chain.

In fact, Morrisroe notes that this would be a ‘re-established’ line, as the civil AW189 medium twin was produced in Yeovil for the UK’s SAR service, operated by Bristow on behalf on the MCA and means: “We are not starting from zero.” This previous experience on the AW189 and a hot supply chain, means that Leonardo say that, if chosen, the company could deliver a military specced but ‘off-the-shelf’ helicopter in less than 24 months. Tom Grant, AW149 UK Product Marketing Lead, says: “We are not selling a developmental aircraft. Its capability will be available by the time it’s required”.

Start-up is also extremely fast and automated via the enhanced control display unit (ECDU), with most time (at least for this demo flight) being spent on radios rather than flicking multiple switches across several panels. The demo flown by AEROSPACE, saw the AW149 conduct a precision approach and recover back to Yeovil on autopilot, with the pilot flying hands off and just adjusting the speed of deceleration required – with the helicopter coming into a hover automatically.

This type of precision approach is not limited to airfields or airports either but could be a landing anywhere in the world, using GPS – providing safe, accurate approaches in all weather, day or night and allowing the crew to focus on the mission itself. While some of the avionic functions are re-used from search and rescue (SAR) and the civil world, these themselves have military applications – such as SAR search patterns or let-down in degraded visual conditions.

Says Burnand of the A149’s next-gen avionics fit: “The RNP (required navigation performance) capability to launch and recover, safely repeatedly in marginal weather conditions workload is a gamechanger”.

A fully militarised AW149 would build on these with enhanced and additional mission systems – for example by allowing a multi-function display (MFD) to display the EO/IR video imagery and a threat warning display screen.

Engine choices

The AW149 would come with a choice of two engines – either the 2,500shp Safran Aneto 1k or the 2,000shp GE CT7-2EI. While a quick comparison would suggest that the more powerful Safran turboshaft would be the obvious choice, the GE CT7 has lower fuel burn and commonality with the GE T700-GE-701D engines that power the Boeing AH-64E, now entering service with the UK Army Air Corps. Thus, whether extra performance (for example in hot and high conditions) or commonality and lower fuel burn is prioritised will be up to the customer. Maximum speed is 155kt while endurance is five hours.

DEFENCELeonardo AW149

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Leonardo’s state-of-the-art training academy at its Yeovil site trained 3,042 students in 2020, including aircrew and maintainers despite the global pandemic.

Other NMH contendersLeonardo faces competition for the NMH from rival Airbus Helicopters, which is proposing a military version of its H175 twin that has been stripped of Chinese content – and which could be potentially built at its Oxford HQ. Meanwhile, Lockheed Martin UK is coy about offering its Black Hawk but says its is ‘looking carefully’ at ways it could market it to the UK MoD for NMH. A third contender may be Bell’s 525 Relentless super-medium twin helicopter.

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47th European Rotorcraft Forum, Virtual Conference 7-8 September 2021

Outside the UK, there could be further potential in the form of foreign exports, although the only military users of the AW149, at present, are Thailand and the Egyptian Navy. However, having ‘as used by HM Forces’ tagline may well be a shot in the arm to securing additional foreign sales. (It is also worth recalling that Leonardo, as well as Airbus, has been extremely successful in penetrating the US rotorcraft market with the MH-139A Grey Wolf, TH-73A and, in Airbus’ case, the UH-72 Lakota). Leonardo believes that there is minimum export potential of over 500 aircraft for the AW149 – a conservative estimate.

The heart of the UK rotorcraft sector

Whitehall’s ‘levelling up’ and prosperity agenda which focuses on the UK’s regions, rather than than the prosperous SE England, should, on paper, tilt the playing field towards the historic choice of Leonardo and Yeovil in SW – a centre of excellence for rotorcraft that encompasses everything from avionics, to training, to skills and apprenticeships and MRO – as well as manufacturing.

Its helicopter training academy, for example, features the latest in computer-based conversion to type training for pilots and ‘virtual’ helicopters that allow maintainers to flick switches and see how systems operate – even before getting near the real aircraft.

Yeovil also boasts its own avionics lab – where it is able, in-house, to integrate the growing number of advanced sensors, and cockpit functionality that modern multirole helicopters demand. The AW101SAR for Norway, for instance, features Leonardo’s Osprey AESA radar, EO/IR sensor and required a custom map, and digital terrain database, and a tweaked autopilot to be incorporated for Norways unique needs.

Another key facility at Yeovil is the company’s flight

simulation engineering lab, where future rotorcraft cockpit designs can be demonstrated, evaluated by engineers and pilots, and refined further.

However, despite this impressive powerhouse of helicopter design, manufacture, training and support, and the IR’s stated aim to ‘onshore’ and choose military equipment built in the UK wherever possible, it would be wise for Leonardo to not get too complacent. A recent UK MoD decision saw MBDA’s Brimstone missile sidelined in favour of the US-built joint air-to-ground missile (JAGM) – reportedly on cost grounds as JAGM was already integrated with the AH-64E. There is then still all to play for in this small, yet vital, UK military helicopter procurement competition.

Summary

Whichever single type replaces the Puma and others, it will leverage some of the key technology advances in rotorcraft – particularly on the inside with next-gen avionics that have been developed for SAR and offshore customers in the past decade.

NMH may also be seen as a ‘bridge’ to the far larger, and multi-national NATO NGRC both in keeping production lines in Yeovil running but also in helping Leonardo to further craft and develop the kind of modular, affordable airborne platform, that, at one end could be a simple utility flying truck, yet at the other, a sophisticated command and control helicopter – that Europe’s armed forces may be leaning towards. Finally, NMH will also be a crucial test of the IR’s ‘Prosperity Agenda’ for the UK.

Leonardo’s test pilots themselves, with hours in previous types such as the Lynx, Wildcat and Merlin, as well as other helicopters like the Gazelle and Black Hawk, are highly enthusiastic about the potential of the AW149. Says Evans: “It’s a hugely capable aircraft”.

AW101 SAR for Norway on the factory floor at Yeovil. The helicopter features a custom-designed navigation and terrain database and autopilot developed in-house by Leonardo to allow the helicopter to hover hands-off in mountainous terrain, as well as a system that can use smartphone signals to home in on those needing rescuing and even call them in-flight.

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AIR TRANSPORTAirport service personnel

ANDY FLETCHER, PAUL HARRIS and DAVID MORIARTY from the RAeS Human Factors Group ask whether the traditional model of ground-handling operations is fit for purpose in a post-Covid world.

Restart from the ground up

Since before the millennium, the public has come to expect the cost of flights to be lower than nearly all other forms of transport. With margins tightening to meet this expectation, the ground operation (a

necessary but non-revenue generating activity) has been under scrutiny. At that time, we were using equipment and procedures that were recognisable from the early days of air travel and were quite resource-heavy. The drive towards economy forced change and innovation. However, have we reached a point where our enthusiasm to meet flyers’ expectations has pushed the industry a little too far?

We understand that all airlines are, first and foremost, businesses. Indeed, some of the changes have had very positive results. For example, load control had varying success in achieving good trims for flights depending on the load controller. A well-trimmed aircraft results in a lower fuel burn and can generate significant cost savings. Training up enough load controllers to cover all duty shifts

is expensive and results were ‘inconsistent’, with some still only just managing to achieve legal trims. The drive to minimise fuel costs led to tighter requirements for efficient trim targets. This drove the industry to invest in automated load control systems that have led to more consistent processes than ever.

Tickets with perks

Many carriers removed the traditional ‘all-in’ price of the flight ticket. An additional service charge was levied on those who wanted food, priority boarding or to take extra bags. This in turn drove a behavioural change in passengers, with more people taking only cabin baggage. This meant fewer staff were required to load bags or cater to the aircraft and, consequently, the turnaround times were shortened. The ultimate outcome was that resources used in ground operations, particularly one of the highest costs – people – could be reduced.

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Is this the shape of things to come? KLM’s robot, Spencer, completed tests guiding KLM passengers at Schiphol in 2016

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Out went the dispatcher’s role, the person who traditionally directed turnarounds with authority over all aspects and skills to deal with any eventualities. The industry empowered the passengers by letting them check-in at home, thus reducing the required passenger services staff. We replaced local load control with a centralised load control using automated systems. Automatic gate readers were introduced, reducing gate staff. Additional operational resilience became less frequently required and so its cost was questioned and, in many cases, cut. Some ground operations providers did not survive this process.

Faceless flying?

When we lost check-in desks, we perhaps lost the more personal side of flying. More importantly, we lost an essential barrier in preventing people boarding who were not fit to fly, for example, due to intoxication. The check-in desk staff checked passports and visas and could help allocate seating

appropriate to passengers’ mobility, the aircraft layout or the needs of the aircraft’s trim. There also appears to be less tolerance and more frustration from passengers when they see no one on hand to help or when they encounter long queues. All this has put the onus increasingly on the flight crew to deal with. The crew increasingly handled the fuelling, loadsheet and passenger issues while also under the same pressure to achieve their tasks during the turnaround. Without the resources that contributed to operational resilience, the ability to deal with off schedule (early or late) aircraft often leads to waiting for equipment and staff to arrive. Any out of sequence aircraft plays havoc with the programme and can have knock-on effects for the rest of the day, causing stress to flight and ground crews.

The cuts made in the hope of improving efficiency have happened. Skilled but more expensive staff are sidelined in favour of cheaper but less experienced ground crew. Once employed, the work is hard. As a loader, even if you are young and fit, you will be stacking hundreds of bulk bags (sometimes 25-30kg plus) in a hold where you cannot stand up. In summer, aircraft holds can be plus 50C degrees and in winter, –10C, along with storms and high winds. Neither the organisation nor the aircraft operators tend to view this as particularly fulfilling or valuable work. However, we must appreciate the vital job these loaders do.

Passenger staff are affected as well. Lone agents working at the gate may need to stop passengers who do not have documents, appear drunk or want to take their oversized bag into the cabin. Agents’ interventions can lead to them being bullied, intimidated, threatened or physically assaulted.

Flight path – career path

For many ground staff, remuneration is less than they would get stacking shelves at the local supermarket. Career progression is also more difficult, making this side of the industry less attractive. Thirty years ago one could start building experience as a loader or passenger agent. This career could then progress to supervisory, dispatch, load control and then into the airports and airline operations, cabin crew and flight crews. Now that this traditional career path is a thing of the past, many are avoiding ground operations as an entry into aviation. Colleagues have observed fewer and fewer young people are seeking employment in ground operations which leaves an increasingly ageing workforce.

This feeling of fewer people joining is not speculative either. For two years or more before the current pandemic hit, senior ground operations managers were already raising concerns that recruitment was becoming more and more difficult. With more positions advertised than available applicants, they no longer had the opportunity to employ the ‘best’ recruits for our safety-critical roles. If they showed up, they got a job. Whereas previously the peak season would start with a full complement of staff, more recently it usually started down on numbers. Subsequent high turnover rates meant recruitment had to continue throughout the season. Ground operations manuals were required to move away from text-based information to a more graphical format. The industry had to simplify the procedures to allow for lower educational levels and diverse language skills. Providing practical on-the-job training required increased dependency on experienced ground crew to impart the need-to-know information that kept the operation running safely.

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before Covid-19 struck. The global lockdown, the subsequent shutdown of the industry and associated staff layoffs have caused many to consider whether they want to stay in aviation. Many decided it was the catalyst needed to retire a little earlier than expected or retrain and move elsewhere. Some have since spoken about the relief of being out of ground operations. The pandemic gave them the push they needed to leave an industry which they no longer enjoyed or in which they no longer felt valued.

Everyone is now waiting for the big switch-on when airlines reintroduce their flight programmes and people’s pent-up desire to travel leads to the inevitable surge in air travel. We have to question whether the increasingly dire situation in ground operations will impact negatively on this.

There are calls for risk assessments from regulatory and trade bodies but the industry safety representatives are among those most likely to have left the industry. When operators and their contractors’ management re-evaluate their old risk assessments, they must consider a presently unknown factor: the (probable) loss of the ‘old hands’, the people who we had relied upon to deliver all the on-the-job training. These were the respected staff with years of experience who could identify and resolve evolving problems early on and look after the new recruits. We have no idea yet if they will come back. Waiting to see or hoping that they reapply is not enough. Operators need to start making efforts to definitively evaluate how many might be returning. If the numbers are not sufficient, it may be time to reconsider the terms and conditions that these experienced operators can expect to receive.

Crucially, airlines need to consider the state of ground operations in their restart plans. They also need to factor in that their third-party providers may have five, six or more other airlines who all need to restart their own operations. Many airlines and ground organisations are teetering on the brink

The baggage of baggage staff

While more advanced ground operations automation is on the horizon, no one has yet designed a bag stacker that will fit into the myriad of aircraft types being operated. Small operations will certainly rely on humans for many years. However, driverless pushback tugs, steps, baggage tugs, airbridges and belt loaders are already being evaluated. Powered wheel hubs could allow the aircraft to self-manoeuvre on the ground without running engines or using a tractor unit. Load control systems become better and are learning route profiles to anticipate problems. However, we need to remember the lessons learnt during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s when it came to flight deck automation; the notion that ‘automation will get us out of trouble’ must be carefully challenged at every turn in the design and training phase as it rarely works out that way.

The future of ground operations

As we have laid out, it was clear that the ground operations sector was facing many challenges even

AIR TRANSPORTAirport service personnel

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COLLEAGUES HAVE OBSERVED FEWER AND FEWER YOUNG PEOPLE ARE SEEKING EMPLOYMENT IN GROUND OPERATIONS WHICH LEAVES AN INCREASINGLY AGEING WORKFORCE

37SEPTEMBER 2021

of survival. It would be all too easy for commercial teams to demand (or promise) a programme that the operational ground teams are unable to deliver safely. Everyone needs to be realistic with their initial and increasing demands on their contractors. Providers must offer what is safely deliverable and commercial pressure to become operationally over-committed, with the subsequent consequences for safety, must be resisted.

Training and recruiting in a post-Covid age

A realistic minimum recruitment, training, and lead-in period to get someone who can effectively work alone is four months. Security clearances can slow the process further. As the industry restarts, it may be that trainers and line expertise does not return. In that scenario, assessing how formal and on-the-job training can be completed needs to be considered carefully. In order to sufficiently shorten the lead-in time to satisfy the demand for new staff, training may need to begin even without a guarantee of granting a security pass. Those fortunate to have stayed employed and those experienced and returning to the industry are likely to be busy. They will be relied upon to train, educate, and protect those new recruits less aware of ground operations hazards. Organisations should ensure they monitor and address any real (or perceived) pressure these staff may feel they are under. The welfare of these crucial members must be regularly reviewed to avoid overloading or other detrimental impact to the operations.

Assessing expectations

The industry should assess what passenger expectations will be like in the post-Covid-19

world too. Managers and trainers should determine what training is provided for staff to defuse or de-escalate effectively, especially where supervisory or other support may be unavailable in a timely fashion. This is now an integral part of cabin crew training material. Operators should look at the benefits of sharing such material with their contracted handling agents to provide a good service for their passengers and help with onboard safety.

More than ever, all parties contributing to the aviation environment need to work together to understand the extraordinary nature of this industry restart. Flight crews and managers need to understand and be advised about the difficulties and pressures facing front-line staff discussed here. There will likely be some anger and frustration from all sides over the next few years.

The combination of pre-pandemic industry problems and the pressures that we can expect in the post-pandemic start-up may be a perfect storm. At the very least, it should lead us to ask whether this ‘lowest possible cost’ business model for ground operations is fit for purpose? In aviation, we pride ourselves on being an industry with an open questioning culture, one that welcomes evidence prompting us to review what we do and seeing if it could be better or safer. Paying the lowest possible price for a service always has consequences. With the historic under investment in ground operations, we should ask whether we are reaching a point where safety, passenger experience and the sector’s resilience have been critically degraded. It is our hope that assessment of the emergent risks and sensible investment and management in ground operations will help get us through this critical restart period with minimal disruption so that the industry can emerge better, stronger and safer.

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EUGENE GERDEN reports from the Moscow MAKS air show in July – a showcase for Russian aviation and aerospace.

The 25th anniversary MAKS air show took place in Russia in the airfield of the Gromov Flight Research Institute of the city of Zhukovsk (Moscow regions) from 20 to 25 July. This year the number of

visitors exceeded 138,000, which is a new record for the show.

With the show focusing particularly on Russian aviation, this year, claim the organisers, saw 538 Russian and 91 foreign companies participate in the show. According to official information, the overall value of contracts, signed during the show exceeded RUB 265bn ($3.58bn). These figures exceeded results for 2019, both in terms of the number of agreements signed and the scale of business programmes.

This year saw a number of new announcements and new projects revealed.

Checkmate unveiled

The biggest news of MAKS 2021 became the reveal of a fundamentally new Russian fighter, with the official presentation taking place on the opening day of the event on 20 July. The fifth-generation Su-74 ‘Checkmate’ light tactical aircraft, which is capable of carrying up to five air-to-air missiles, is intended primarily for export sales. It is intended primarily to compete with the F-35 fighter and export sales are particularly targeted at Middle East countries. (See Blueprint in August 2021 AEROSPACE.)

Yak-40LL flying lab on display

The unique Yak-40LL flying laboratory made its first flight as part of flight tests at MAKS-2021. It is equipped with a hybrid power plant based on a gas turbine engine and a superconducting electric motor. The first tests of the hybrid unit began in February in Novosibirsk. In flight tests one of the Yak-40 engines was replaced with a turboshaft gas turbine engine with an electric generator. The electric motor is installed in the forebody of the aircraft and uses the effect of high temperature superconductivity and a cryogenic system.

LMS-901 ‘Baikal’

A prototype of the LMS-901 ‘Baikal’ utility aircraft was officially presented in Zhukovsky. This aircraft is expected to be the successor to the legendary An-2 on regional airlines. The important elements of the project were the use of domestic components and assemblies, high maintainability in local conditions as well as efficiency.

MS-21-310

The medium-haul MS-21-310 Russian commercial passenger aircraft was officially presented during the Show this year. It is characterised by advanced aerodynamics, engines and systems. Such characteristics of the aircraft are enabled by its extended wing made of polymer composite

MAKS factoredAEROSPACE MAKS show report

The Su-74 ‘Checkmate’ fighter is a single-engine design optimised for the export market.

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materials. The aircraft has the widest fuselage in its class (4.06m), while its capacity can be configured from 163 to 211 passengers. The flight range is up to 6,000km. The new Russian aircraft is intended to compete with similar size aircraft from Airbus and Boeing.

IL-114

Also on show at MAKS was the Il-114, a short-haul turboprop aircraft designed to replace the An-24 and Tu-134. One of its advantages is the ability to operate from short runways, including Arctic latitudes. The aircraft is also adapted to poorly equipped airfields: it has a built-in gangway and is capable of starting engines without assistance. According to its developers, the aircraft aims to compete in both civil and military markets.

IL-112V*

This is the first military transport aircraft that was designed from the scratch in Russia after the collapse of the USSR. The Il-112V will be used to transport paratroopers and military equipment. Its maximum load lifting capacity is 5t. The cruising speed of the aircraft is 470km/h, while the flight range is 1,200km. After the first flight, which took place in 2019, the MoD made a number of comments – with the main complaint being excessive weight. Since then, the designers have carried out a number of measures to reduce the weight, including changing the design of the cargo door, replacing some metal parts with composite ones and modifying the fuselage.

Strizh supersonic civil aircraft

One of the most interesting announcements at the show was the Strizh supersonic civil aircraft from the Zhukovsky Central Aerodynamic Institute

(TsAGI). It features a low sonic boom design while ensuring high aerodynamic characteristics, stability and controllability over the entire range of flight modes. The innovative metal-composite structure of the aircraft is created using biomicry principles. The use of alternative materials in the construction of the aircraft ensures some significant advantages in terms of its weight and fuel economy.

Mi-8AMTSh-VN helicopter

The newest transport and combat helicopter, Mi-8AMTSh-VN, was shown for the first time. This is the most modern version of the well-known Russian multipurpose helicopter, which was developed on the basis of experience from recent Russian military experiences, including Syria. The helicopter is equipped with VK-2005-03 engines, which operate well in hot climates, while its cockpit is protected with titanium plates. The protection of the transport compartment is ensured with light aramid armour. The helicopter’s armament consists of external guns, machine guns, guided and unguided missiles. With its impressive firepower, the updated Mi-8 is called a ‘flying airborne combat vehicle.’

Angara-A5V launch vehicle

No MAKS show would be complete without a space element and this year was no differrent. Among this year’s interesting exhibits was a prototype of the new Sokol-M rescue spacesuit for cosmonauts who will fly to the Moon on the crewed spacecraft Orel, as well as a model of the Angara-A5V launch vehicle with a hydrogen-fueled third stage. Using hydrogen fuel, the Angara is supposed to lift 37t of payload into low-Earth orbit, which is significantly more than the carrying capacity of the usual heavy Angara-A5.

The biennial MAKS air show will next take place in 2023 at Zhukovsky.

Some of the aircraft on display at MAKS – clockwise from top left: LMS-901 Baikal, Mi-28 attack helicopter, Aviadvigatel PD-14 domestically developed turbofan now undergoing flight tests on the MS-21 airliner, model of S-70 Okhotnik-B UCAV.

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* Sadly, as AEROSPACE went to press in mid-August, the Il-112V prototype crashed on 17 August, west of Moscow, killing all three flight test crew onboard.

40 AEROSPACE

GENERAL AVIATIONUncrewed aerial systems and regulation

DEWAR DONNITHORNE-TAIT FRAeS, from the RAeS UAS Group, reports on ICAO’s fourth uncrewed aircraft systems industry symposium.

Implementing UAS –the regulator’s viewpoint

Over five days in April (13-15 and 20-21 April) the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) held its DRONE ENABLE (DE4) virtual symposium which brought together

stakeholders from industry, academia, government and international organisations in the uncrewed aviation sector come together to exchange best practices, lessons learned, research material and challenges related to the introduction of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) and UAS traffic management (UTM). In addition to updates on ICAO’s progress with UAS and a focus on current UAS activities in Brazil, the main topics were:

● Interaction with key aviation and non-aviation stakeholders

● Uncrewed aircraft (UA) performance requirements in an uncrewed traffic management (UTM) environment

● UTM system certification requirements

● UTM development and deployment lessons learned

● UTM integration into aerodrome environments/activities

● Cyber resilience

● Advanced air mobility (AAM) and urban air mobility (UAM)

● Flight rules in an evolving environment

Policy catch-up with innovation

Dr Young Tae Kim, Secretary General, International Transport Forum, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), noted that the private sector is innovating ever faster. Such acceleration requires policy changes to deal with innovation in order to address tomorrow’s challenges today. Drones should be seen as part of the overall transport system and there was a need for policy assessment in the following areas: economics, public acceptance, environmental impact and infrastructure requirements. Drones may be used to fill gaps in existing systems and should not be viewed in isolation but play a complementary role. The aim was to assist access for all and provide new transport opportunities. It was important not to

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widen differences between rich and poor, as drones need to benefit all of civilisation.

Drones in action

Both the City/State of Hamburg and the Antwerp Port Authority described the special characteristics and requirements for extensive drone use over their local jurisdictions. In addition to legal frameworks, it was appropriate for the local authority to collaborate with the national civil aviation authority in authorising air operations. There were many potential drone applications but capacity was finite and limited by evolving regulatory, technical and operational factors. The Port of Antwerp, as part of the SAFIR Project, had established two drone trial zones, one for ‘fully autonomous drones’.

Drones should integrate with other airspace users safely and equitably, through outreach and consultation. Both pre-flight planning and operational situational awareness has to be fully shared between UAS and other airspace users and between air traffic management (ATM) and UTM with a step-wise approach being generally favoured. It was noted that the time taken to obtain a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) to permit emergency UAS operations varied widely between states – within Europe, in one state it could take 30 minutes while, in another, two days.

Performance requirements

It was agreed that the use of performance requirements, which were technology agnostic, was the best way forward but it was challenging. As things develop, ‘the best might be the enemy of the good’ and premature standards might stifle innovation. Equally, to overcome some of the initial challenges of performance requirement approaches, the use of prescriptive standards might be better for short term situations.

There appeared to be many visions of what UTM might be and how it might be approached. There was general agreement that standards and interoperability were required for three key systems

components: communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) and that the standards should be technology independent. Shared situational awareness was a central requirement and a local, relevant operational picture should be available to all airspace users, UTM and ATM, with safety margins to mitigate issues such as system latency. Progress had been made with methodologies to identify UTM airspace classes, UA navigation performance classes and error budgets.

Modes of operation

There were several implementation models for UTM, ranging from a monolithic, centralised service delivered by an authority to a fully federated approach with many service providers, each of which were ‘qualified’ or ‘certified’ to levels appropriate to the nature of the services provided. It was noted that there was a need, in certain critical areas, to have a ‘single version of the truth’ as a basis for safe navigation. There were different approaches to ‘certification’, including ‘self-declaration’, ‘regulator-delegated’ and ‘regulator-approved’. A new approach could involve a ‘designated industry body’ (DIB) and some precedents existed.

Safety assurance

Because UTM is likely to be highly automated and will provide safety critical service to both UAS and other airspace users, safety assurance measures are needed which have not been implemented with existing ATM. This represents a significant change. While current developments towards UTM are somewhat in isolation of existing ATM, there is a recognition that there has to be an initial high degree of information sharing and co-operation followed, in the longer term, by substantial integration. The move towards more ‘data-driven’ ATM is likely to improve the convergence of the two. Several speakers described work on the use of cloud computing, architectures, verification,

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Still from a YouTube video showing drone surveillance operations in the Port of Antwerp.

City rooftop skyport concept.

THE TIME TAKEN TO OBTAIN A NOTICE TO AIRMEN (NOTAM) TO PERMIT EMERGENCY UAS OPERATIONS VARIED WIDELY BETWEEN STATES

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aviation trust framework (IATF) was described. The IATF prototype implementation demonstration used a secure public key infrastructure (PKI) with the use of tokens, certificates and secure exchanges. JARUS (Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems) was working on the concept of a cyber SORA (specific operations risk assessment), in which differing levels of cyber security mitigations are linked to risk/threat and degree of vulnerability. Cyber security requirements must be sensibly tailored to increase as risk does. However, security is never perfect and one has to plan for failure conditions, such as back-up and recovery. This needs to be planned from the outset, not later.

Full ecosystem

Many different approaches to the carriage of small numbers of passengers by innovative aircraft, which were human-piloted, remotely-piloted and fully-automatically-piloted, were described. Many speakers stated that the safety of such operations would meet or exceed the levels of safety achieved by commercial aviation. A full ecosystem had to be developed, including UTM, ‘verti-ports’ and transport inter-modality. Technologies were driving down the costs to ensure more equitable access, and harmonisation was required at all levels, local to global.

authorisation, design assurance levels and the use of simulation. One aim was to deliver a fully integrated air traffic control officer (ATCO) interface, which could be tailored for each operational segment and avoided ‘over-informing’ an ATCO.

The challenges of integrating UAS and UTM into complex aerodrome environments were discussed. The eventual integration of UTM and ATM was a key consideration as was the deployment of trusted systems to deliver better safety, security and integrity. In the short term, interfaces between ATM and the emerging UTM had to be established so that effective information sharing could be enabled. The AURA Project (SESAR JU) was described, with 20 partners and use cases to define requirements and to validate information exchange between ATM and UTM. One approach included the concept of airport collaborative decision making.

Cyber resilience

New capabilities, such as UTM, have brought new threats and risks. The entire UTM ecosystem architecture has to be designed at the outset with end-to-end resiliency in mind. There are many threats and potential attacks which are hard to anticipate. Work is required to ensure that UAS does not become the weakest link in the overall ecosystem and progress towards an international

GENERAL AVIATIONUncrewed aerial systems and regulation

Flight Testing eVTOL Aircraft lecture: 18 November 2021, OnlineIntegrated Integrated Air Traffic Management – towards a fully digitised airspace management system:

23-24 November 2021, Online & RAeS HQ London

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A comprehensive air traffic management system will be essential for the safe operation of UTM in cities.

THE ENTIRE UTM ECOSYSTEM ARCHITECTURE HAS TO BE DESIGNED AT THE OUTSET WITH END-TO-END RESILIENCY IN MIND

Afterburner

44 Message from RAeS

– President“I also wish to sincerely thank Sir Brian for all has done for the Society, both in the past and most recently as Chief Executive. Thanks to his particular dynamic, open and appropriate response to the challenges facing the Society during the pandemic, Sir Brian has carefully reconfigured and realigned the operation of the Society in a way that will provide us with a very strong base for the future going forward.”

– Chief Executive“This is my final Chief Executive’s Message before I hand over to David Edwards of which more on p 53. While my three-year stint has flown by, it did not quite go to plan!”

46 Book Reviews

Sketches of Fiji, In His Own Words and Hawker’s Secret Cold War Airfield.

49 e-Library Additions

Books recently added to the National Aerospace Library’s e-Library.

50 NAL’s lockdown lectures

Tony Pilmer, RAeS Librarian & Archivist and Mike Stanberry, NAL volunteer, select their favorite NAL lectures placed online during the lockdown.

53 New RAeS CEO

David Edwards has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society in place of Sir Brian Burridge who is stepping down.

54 New Member Spotlight

55 RAeS Diary

Find out what Society events are happening.

56 Elections and 95th anniversary of the Coventry Branch

www.aerosociety.com

43SEPTEMBER 2021

Diary

17 September 2021

Next Generation Opportunities in SpaceYoung Persons’ online Conference

On 16 August 2021, Vega lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana on flight VV19 to deliver into two separate Sun-synchronous orbits the Earth observation satellite Pléiades Neo-4 and four auxiliary payloads: SunStorm, RadCube and LEDSAT developed through ESA and BRO-4. ESA/CNES/Arianespace-JM Guillon.

Message from RAeSOUR PRESIDENT

Howard Nye

AND LAST BUT BY NO MEANS LEAST, I WISH TO SINCERELY WELCOME DAVID EDWARDS FRAeS AS THE NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF THE ROYAL AERONAUTICAL SOCIETY

We all recall that in response to Covid-19, the Society was obliged to move to on-line provision of its conferences and events. The first-ever online conference was held on the 9-10 of September 2020 and was entitled ‘Safeguarding Earth’s Space Environment’. It addressed the global challenges related to space debris, a subject becoming increasingly important, particularly in view of the new constellations made up of thousands of satellites being prepared by several companies including SpaceX, Blue Origin and OneWeb. In addition, as reported in this article last month, MP Chris Skidmore gave an excellent briefing to Westminster in July on the same subject, indicating the attention now being paid around the world.

As the Society exists ‘to further the advancement of aeronautical art, science and engineering around the world’ (www.aerosociety.com/about-us), we have agreed to assist the photographer Max Alexander (www.maxalexander.com) in preparation of an exhibition entitled ‘Waste in Space’, supported by international experts and funding from several interested parties, including ESA and the UK Space Agency. The exhibition is aimed at bringing awareness of the challenges both to the authorities and the general public and will open in the UK mid-2022 and then to move on to other nations.

Despite the fact that the long-awaited UK Space Strategy, originally planned for publication in Q4 2020, then in Q2 2021, will, according to BEIS July’s announcement ‘be published in due course’, significant progress been made on other fronts. On 29 July a joint announcement1 was made by the DfT, the CAA, the UK Space Agency, Science Minister Amanda Solloway MP, and UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps that: “Another step towards space exploration from UK soil has been unlocked, with the passing of the spaceflight regulations.” I was honoured to have been quoted in the same announcement and to have participated in a short live interview on Times Radio on 30 July.

Under the principal leadership of Paul Cremin, recently nominated as a co-opted member of the RAeS Council, the Department for Transport has, in partnership with the UK Space Agency, Government Legal Department, Civil Aviation Authority and Health and Safety Executive, put in place the legal and regulatory framework that will facilitate commercial spaceflight launches from the UK. This

is indeed a substantial achievement giving the UK the most modern piece of spaceflight legislation in the world and, unlike NASA or French legislation, designed with the commercial market in mind from the outset. In addition, the CAA, nominated as the regulator for UK spaceflight is ready and waiting to process licence applications for satellite launch with immediate effect.

Linked to this new legislation, on 9 September I will be hosting a Highland Branch event at which David Oxley, Director of Strategic Projects at Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), a Scottish government body, will be speaking about the progress of the three planned vertical launch sites in the region and the positive impact on the local and national economy.

I will also be participating in the 2021 Royal Aeronautical Society’s Young Persons Conference ‘Next Generation Opportunities in Space’ to be held virtually on Friday 17 September and sponsored by Telespazio UK.

Last but by no means least, I wish to sincerely welcome David Edwards FRAeS as the new Chief Executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society, taking up the post on 20 September in place of Sir Brian Burridge who is stepping down. David clearly brings a lot of valuable and relevant experience not only as the former Chief Executive of the Air Charter Association but also as former Executive Vice President of Qatar Airways among other roles and has expressed his strong advocacy for both diversity, inclusion and the encouragement of our future generations to join the aerospace, aviation and space domain. I look forward to working with him and wish him fulfilment in his new role and success in delivery of the Society mission.

I also wish to sincerely thank Sir Brian for all he has done for the Society, both in the past and most recently as Chief Executive. Thanks to his particular dynamic, open and appropriate response to the challenges facing the Society during the pandemic, Sir Brian has carefully reconfigured and realigned the operation of the Society in a way that will provide us with a very strong base for the future going forward.

1 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/lift-off-for-uk-spaceflight-as-regulations-passed

AEROSPACE44

Sir Brian Burridge

OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE

● As summer airline travel reaches its peak, changes to Covid-19 restrictions have had a positive effect. Eurocontrol’s early August figures point to a plateau in customer numbers at 70% of 2019 levels. Predictably, the low-cost carriers have made most progress with mostly double-digit growth over the past two weeks. Meanwhile, in the US, the predicted growth has stalled as the Covid Delta variant takes increasing hold. On a brighter note, US airline JetBlue launched its London–New York service in mid-August using a long-range Airbus A321 amid much acclaim from the media: the shape of things to come perhaps, particularly once the A321XLR enters service.

● There was welcome news in the defence aerospace sector with Italy’s announcement of a €3bn investment in Tempest and the Eurofighter nations confirming a €300m capability enhancement package for Typhoon. This will include improved Meteor functionality, Brimstone integration, a harmonised approach to E-Scan radar and other integration enhancements. In announcing the Tempest deal, the Italian government was quick to point out the importance of their participation in a sixth-generation fighter programme. As the then Prime Minister Romano Prodi pointed-out at Farnborough in 2006: “Design and engineering is the life-blood of the Italian economy.”

● Meanwhile, the UK’s new space regulations came into force at the end of July making the Civil Aviation Authority the UK’s spaceflight regulator and providing, for the first time, the legal underpinning for space launches from UK soil. The President’s supportive comment was included in the government’s official press release. This legislation will see an expansion in career opportunities in space which will be highlighted in the Society’s 2021 Young Persons Conference, ‘Next Generation Opportunities in Space’. Topics from speakers within the first 10-15 years of their careers will include space debris, space law, aeromedicine and Earth observation. We are grateful to sponsors Telespazio: more details are at www.aerosociety.com/ypcconference.

● Other conferences are the 2021 European Rotorcraft Forum which will be held virtually from 7-9 September and which is a long-standing, key event for the rotorcraft community. With COP26 looming, we will host our annual climate change conference on 19-20 October. Entitled ‘Cutting Aviation’s Climate Change Impact’, we have a high calibre set of international speakers who will provide expert insights and constructive challenge on aviation’s route to net zero. Our thanks go to Airbus as lead sponsor and our events team can

provide details of other sponsorship opportunities by which to raise your company’s profile in this important and topical area. For Corporate Partners, we have a briefing on 20 September by the CEO of NATS, Martin Rolfe, on how they worked through the complexity of Covid and the role of air navigation service providers in addressing climate change.

● Work on updating the Society’s documentation to align with the revised Engineering Council Standards has progressed throughout 2021 and the UK SPEC 4th edition registration documentation and guidance is now live on both the Society’s website and within the online application. In addition, we are training more than 20 new volunteer Professional Review Assessors. Meanwhile, the Membership Committee and staff have begun work to implement the Competency Handbook and new Membership Grade criteria ready for 2022.

● We are also pleased to see so many Corporate Partner bookings coming through for this year’s Careers in Aerospace & Aviation LIVE, our flagship careers event on 3 November. Over 500 individual attendees have already signed-up, indicating that there is a recognition that careers in our sectors represent an exciting future. We are grateful to Boeing UK for its continued support for the event as part of their Project Altitude funding. This programme will also see the launch later in the Autumn of our new Falcon2 STEM challenge for schools. Here, we aim to provide hands-on STEM inspiration and learning to teachers and young people while also challenging perceptions around disability. The requirement will be to use inclusive engineering solutions to develop a fully accessible flight simulator designed by young people, for young people.

● This is my final Chief Executive’s Message before I hand over to David Edwards of which more on p 53. While my three-year stint has flown by, it did not quite go to plan! Nevertheless, the Society has made some notable advances in exercising its influence as a learned society and in enhancing its reputation as a professional engineering institution, notably through achieving OFQUAL recognition. These and other achievements – not least in weathering the pandemic – owe much to the dedication of the staff, the sage advice from the Trustees and Council, and the unstinting efforts of our Boards, Committees, Divisions and Branches. Underpinning all of this is the vast cohort of volunteers who give freely of their time, wisdom and enthusiasm in support of the Society and our sectors. For all of that, I am personally very grateful.

WE ARE ALSO PLEASED TO SEE SO MANY CORPORATE PARTNER BOOKINGS COMING THROUGH FOR THIS YEAR’S CAREERS IN AEROSPACE & AVIATION LIVE

SEPTEMBER 2021 45

Book Reviews

AEROSPACE46

as “unique and plays a large part in defining our people.” Equally his descriptions of the idyllic lifestyle as he grew up in Fiji paint a picture of a time and lifestyle which is much harder to find in today’s world.

Those of you who remember the renowned movie Blue Lagoon starring Brooke Shields will be interested to hear it was filmed in the Fijian Yasawa Islands, as was the earlier version of the film. The author of this book was CEO of Blue Lagoon Cruises between his stints at Fiji Airways and Air Pacific, and shares some marvellous anecdotes of his experience in learning the ropes of tourism, sales and marketing after having started out as a licensed engineer. Blue Lagoon Cruises even built some of its fleet in Fiji.

This memoir provides some fascinating insights into the fledgling aviation and tourism industry in Fiji. There is something here for everyone, whether you are a pilot, engineer or other professional aviation person, or from the boat cruise industry, government or colonial administration. However, it is much more than just these anecdotal tales. It contains an intimate and personal story of life in an idyllic Pacific Island nation, during a time when it is transforming from a British colony to a proud and independent nation. It has an underlying social commentary on a gentle and peaceful people with a friendly personality, impish humour and a nostalgia for a simpler world that is no longer.

David ForsythFRAeS

SKETCHES OF FIJI

By Andrew Drysdale

Mentor Aviation Services, 2019, 377pp, £19.80.

This book offers a perspective memoir on Fiji from several angles. Of interest to RAeS members will, of course, be stories of Fiji Airways and Air Pacific, featuring aircraft such as the HS748, Trislander, Heron, DC-3 and BAC 111 at Fiji Airways, and the ATR42, B737, B767 and B747 at Air Pacific. Operating small fleets in distant lands is fraught with difficulties and there are not too many places more remote and isolated than Fiji. There are many anecdotes from both operations which will tickle the memories of those who have seen similar remote airline operations. Also of interest on the airline side is the technical and management support provided to Air Pacific by then part-owner Qantas Airways. There are some candid assessments from this former CEO of both airlines of relations between the Fijian airlines and Qantas, other Pacific Island national carriers and, of course, the political situation during and after the military coups in Fiji.

However, there is a lot more to this memoir than just the aviation side. The author spent most of his childhood in Fiji, at a time when Fiji was moving from a colonial outpost of the British Empire to self rule and independence. His insights into the tensions which surrounded these important changes ring true for many people in similar circumstances in former colonies. The author’s obvious admiration and appreciation of the native Fijians shines right through this book. He describes the Fijian humour

This memoir provides some fascinating insights into the fledgling aviation and tourism industry in Fiji. There is something here for everyone

Airbus A350-941, DQ-FAI, of Fiji Airways at Sydney Airport. On 2 May 2019 Fiji Airways announced its intention to lease two Airbus A350-900s from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise as a part of its fleet expansion. Bidgee.

Top: The third production Gloster Gladiator I, K6131. The Gladiator used a cantilever landing gear strut to take advantage of the Dowty internally sprung wheel.Above: Concorde 102, F-WTSA, displays its Messier-Dowty main undercarriage.Left: Sir George Herbert Dowty, FAIAA, FRAeS, 1901-1975, Royal Aeronautical Society President 1952-1953. All RAeS (NAL).

IN HIS OWN WORDS

The aviation historian has to dig a bit to extract the aerospace nuggets but, as an insider’s view of a successful British manufacturing enterprise, a fine way to have spent a lockdown afternoon.

Professor Keith HaywardFRAeS

By Sir George Dowty

The Hobnob Press, Gloucester, 2020, £9.95.

Books about the UK aerospace equipment industries are relatively sparse in number; an autobiography by one of its most illustrious names is therefore quite a treat. The Dowty name, now buried in a French-owned aerospace multinational, is unquestionably one full of historical resonance. This is not a polished, illustrated volume but his son’s record based on a typed manuscript from 1975, written just before Sir George’s death in 1975. It is a fascinating read nonetheless and adds personal reminisces to Rolt’s two-book Dowty story.

Sir George’s career as an engineer and industrialist spans over half a century of tumultuous aeronautical history. Worcestershire born, draftsman Sir George launched his business in 1930 with £50 to his name. He had started his aero connection as an undercarriage designer for A V Roe and then the Gloster Company. While at Gloster, he was already innovating with patents to his name. This provided the intellectual foundations for a specialist firm focusing on landing gear. The early 1930s were not an easy time for a start-up company but Dowty’s venture was one of several aircraft equipment companies that began to appear, as aircraft design and construction became more complicated, requiring specialists from outside the ‘prime’ company.

Hard going initially but, by the mid-1930s, Dowty undercarriages had a European reputation. Buoyed by British rearmament programmes and, despite some difficult financial issues, by 1939 Sir George’s company was a key Air Ministry contractor. Lancasters, Typhoons and Halifaxes were just three of the aircraft depending on Dowty ‘legs and wheels’. During the war, he was a frequent visitor to the US, sometimes accompanying Sir Roy Fedden on his investigatory missions, on occasion at variance with Fedden’s advocacy of ‘all things American’. He was right about the superiority of hydraulics over electrics for undercarriage operation.

The post war years brought diversification into other areas, such as mining equipment, as well as other aircraft equipment interests, including Rotol and British Messier, which consolidated much of the UK undercarriage industry. Like many of his counterparts, Sir George was not a fan of Duncan Sandys and his 1957 axe but, unlike many of the ‘hero-owners’ of the leading aircraft companies, he had fewer direct dealings with politicians. Indeed, the Dowty Group needed no urging to acquire and rationalise other equipment companies. Nor was his company much affected by the trials and tribulations of European collaboration. The transfer of Dowty into French hands was long after his death.

SEPTEMBER 2021 47

HAWKER’S SECRET COLD WAR AIRFIELD

Dunsfold, home of the Hunter & HarrierBy Christopher Budgen

Air World, 2020, 303pp, £25.

Dunsfold undoubtedly occupies a very important place in the development of military aviation in the UK. This book surveys the development of Dunsfold as Hawker Siddeley’s main test and development site from the early 1950s until its closure in 2000.

The early use of the airfield, firstly by the units of the Royal Canadian Air Force and then the RAF, are not dealt with in any detail. The story begins with Hawker’s need to move from its unsuitable site at Langley, near Slough, to a rural location preferably within easy travelling distance from the main factory and design office at Kingston. The somewhat difficult relationship with the Air Ministry is described in some detail but eventually a lease was secured which enabled Hawker to construct assembly buildings and flight sheds.

The book is as much a history of Hawker Siddeley’s long and successful military development programmes, which led to the Hunter, Hawk and Harrier, as it is of the airfield itself. The foundation of that success, in the post war era, was the development of a number of early jet fighters which eventually led to the hugely important Hunter. The evolution of the Hunter is described in some detail and it is interesting to note that Hawker’s business plan included not only the production of nearly 2,000 Hunters but also the refurbishment of large numbers of aircraft which re-purchased from their original operators and recycled for sale to a number of overseas air forces. This work enabled Dunsfold to survive during some difficult times when shockwaves caused by the cancellation of the P1154 (the supersonic Harrier) and the AW681 led to a significant contraction in the size of the aircraft industry.

Dunsfold will always be known as the home of the Harrier and many of the milestones achieved in the development of that revolutionary aircraft occurred at Dunsfold. These included the early work on the P1127 and the Kestrel which led to several successful versions including the GR5, Sea Harrier and the AV-8A/B produced in quantity for the US Marine Corps. Development flying of the Hawk also took place at Dunsfold. Exports of the Hawk, including contracts for the licence build of the US Navy version kept Dunsfold busy almost to the end. Christopher Budgen worked at Dunsfold and he came into contact, and knew as friends, the test pilots who flew the prototype and development aircraft. These included such famous names as Neville Duke (who secured the absolute world air speed record in a Hunter in 1953), Bill Bedford, Duncan Simpson and John Farley.

Although the book is almost entirely confined to the Hawker era, Chapter 6 suddenly, and somewhat illogically, dives back into history and describes the use of the airfield by Skyways for its air charter business. The association with Folland Aircraft, then a member of the Hawker Siddeley Group, is also covered; some of the Gnat production was transferred from Hamble to Dunsfold and included the aircraft supplied to the Red Arrows team. The quality of some of the photographs is poor and the diagrams are hardly legible. I would have also appreciated a map of the airfield in its final form. I found some of the expressions used in the book were not appropriate to a serious historical account – for example ‘The Yanks are Coming’ is the title of the chapter about the initial involvement of the US Government with the Harrier.

Christopher Budgen provides us with an interesting and readable account of what happened ‘behind the wire’ at Dunsfold. As such, it provides us with a considerable insight into a world that few of us were ever privileged to witness.

Philip RileyFRAeS

The first Hawker P1127, XP831, during tethered hovering tests at Dunsfold. RAeS (NAL).

48

Book Reviews

AEROSPACE

The book is as much a history of Hawker Siddeley’s long and successful military development programmes, which led to the Hunter, Hawk and Harrier, as it is of the airfield itself

Update your Details

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Ensure you continue to receive the latest communications and access your full range of membership benefits from the Royal Aeronautical Society by keeping your personal details up to date.

If you would like to update your details or preferences at any time simply log into your online account by visiting https://www.aerosociety.com/login and click on update my details.

If you are unable to locate your username and password please contact the membership team at membership@aerosociety.com or by calling +44 (0)20 7670 4304 / 4332

SEPTEMBER 2021 49

BOOKS

www.aerosociety.com/elibrary

AIRCRAFT

The Story of the Spitfire: An Operational and Combat History by Ken Delve, 2016.From Nighthawk to Spitfire: The Aircraft of R J Mitchell by J K Shelton, 2015.BAC One-Eleven: The Whole Story by S Skinner, New edition, 2013.

The Avro Type 698 Vulcan: The Secrets behind its Design and Development by D W Fildes, 2012.Miles M.52: Gateway to Supersonic Flight by Eric Brown and D Bancroft, 2012.Fairey Rotodyne by David Gibbings, 2009.

BIOGRAPHIES

Daring Women of History: Amelia Earhart by Mike Roussel, 2017.

Mike Roussel charts Earhart’s life and achievements and explores the investigations and theories surrounding her mysterious disappearance.Testing Tornado: Cold War Naval Fighter Pilot to BAe Chief Test Pilot by J David Eagles, 2016.From Lysander to Lightning: Teddy Petter, Aircraft Designer by G Davies, 2014.

Spitfire’s Forgotten Designer: The Career of Supermarine’s Joe Smith by Mike Roussel, 2013.From Bouncing Bombs to Concorde: The Authorised Biography of Aviation Pioneer Sir George Edwards OM by R Gardner, 2006.

SPACE

Spacecraft Dynamics and Control: The Embedded Model Control Approach by E Canuto, C Novara, L Massotti, D Carlucci and C Perez Montenegro, 2018.

This book provides a uniform and systematic way of approaching space engineering control problems from the standpoint of model-based control, using state-space equations as the key paradigm for simulation, design and implementation.

Returning People to the Moon After Apollo: Will It Be Another Fifty Years? By Pat Norris, 2019.

This book assesses the legacy of the Apollo missions based on several decades of space developments since the programme’s end, provides a comprehensive assessment of today’s programmes and current plans

Spacecraft Modeling, Attitude Determination and Control: Quaternion-Based Approach by Yaguang Yang, 2019.

This book discusses all spacecraft attitude control-related topics: spacecraft (including attitude measurements, actuator, and disturbance torques), modelling, spacecraft attitude determination and estimation, and spacecraft attitude controls.

AIR LAW

Fundamentals of International Aviation Law and Policy by B I Scott and A Trimarchi, 2019.

The book covers the major areas of international aviation law and provides an introduction to the multifaceted international regulation of aviation activities in the sphere of public and private law.

e-Library Additions

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aviation heritage. So, you have to stop and listen when you get a lecture given in 1965 by an old and bold chief test pilot at Farnborough before the First World War. Another Biggles character; they don’t make them like this anymore.

The Rise and Fall of the Hawker Siddeley P.1154 by Dr Michael Pryce MRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/p1154podPlanned to succeed the Harrier even before the Harrier flew, Michael Pryce tells a fascinating but familiar story of how organisational, financial, technical, and political problems collided and lead to Denis Healy cancelling the project in 1965. As an expert in today’s defence procurement projects, Pryce then examines the project’s legacy, both technically and as a lesson in advanced project planning.

Pioneering the Australian air routes with Qantas by Capt L J Brainhttps://www.aerosociety.com/qantaspodReturning to the swashbuckling theme, in 1954 the Australian Broadcasting Corporation broadcast a talk from a pilot who joined Qantas after World War 1 and helped to open up the Empire routes. It is tremendous fun. Of course, as was in the spirit of the day, the only way to land was to crash on a very small desert island and wait to be found. Seemed quite usual really!

The Stewart LecturesPerhaps one of the best kept secrets of the Society is the annual Stewart Lecture where the Aviation Medicine Group gives the floor to one of the finest in their business. We know it is a cheat to roll three lectures into one choice, but they are worth it:Aviation Medicine Research: An Unending Adventure by Dr Charles Billings MS MD FRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/billingspodTaking the story of his career ‘as he lived it’, he explores studies of the body in high-altitude conditions and endurance flying and pioneered the

It is not just the BBC and ITV that have been putting some of the best of their archive content on primetime and online. When we went into lockdown last March, we pushed the accelerator on our Classic Lectures project so members and the rest of the worldwide aero community could look forward to a recording of a classic Society event every Monday. We seemed to have done something right as, throughout lockdown, material from the Society’s audio archives were accessed over 125,000 times, with the vast majority coming from the NAL’s releases.

Though we have aimed to bring out a blend of Society material that will cater for all aero tastes, we both have our favourite lectures. For Mike, the best are the ones that replicate the exploits of ‘Biggles’-like pioneering early adventures and bravery and the others are very understandable technical lectures suitable for a wider audience. Here, in no particular order, are our 12 recommendations.

Highlights of a life in aviation by Capt Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown HonFRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/winklepodHe must be the members’ biggest hero. Every Branch lecture he gave was highly oversubscribed and followed by an invitation to return. He had his ‘Biggles’ time in the war and his adventures in Germany at the close of the war are truly fascinating. Every lecture was different and spontaneous and delivered with tremendous clarity. This lecture should be made compulsory for all the family where there are teenage children who need some direction in life! There are both sound and video versions of this lecture.

Barnstorming with Cobham by Sir Michael Knight FRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/cobhampodCobham’s Flying Circus brought the excitement and glamour, challenges and enthusiasm, thrills and spills of aviation to literally millions of people across Britain and parts of the Empire between 1932 and 1935 and, in this lecture, Sir Michael Knight brings them back to life. There are both sound and video versions of this lecture.

Memories of a pre-World War 1 Chief Test Pilot by Sqn Ldr S C Winfield Smith DSOhttps://www.aerosociety.com/winfieldsmithpodWorking at the NAL at Farnborough, the birthplace of flight in the UK, cannot help but fill you with

NAL’s lockdown lectures

Above: The arrival of the first de Havilland DH9C at Charleville in 1923. Capt G Mathews, pilot, on the left and A N Templeton, Director, QANTAS Ltd, right.

Below: Capt S C Winfield Smith, East Surrey Regiment attached to the RFC, who became a Prisoner of War in 1916. Both RAeS (NAL).

AEROSPACE50

NATIONAL AEROSPACE LIBRARY

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Above: John Theodore Cuthbert Moore-Brabazon, later Lord Brabazon of Tara, 1884-1964, makes the first ‘official’ air freight flight in 1909. The pig was secured in a waste-paper basket which was attached to the fuselage of a Short biplane. RAeS (NAL).

Below: A self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover shows the vehicle at the ‘Big Sky’ site, where its drill collected the mission’s fifth taste of Mount Sharp, October 2015. NASA.

51SEPTEMBER 2021

ASRS accident reporting system. The results of his study on the effect of alcohol on pilots may not be a surprise, but is great fun!The Spin Behind the Story: The Human Centrifuge in Aerospace Medicine by Wg Cdr Nicholas Green MRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/spinpodThe dangers of losing consciousness while flying has been a continual danger for airmen. ‘Spin Doctor’ Wg Cdr Nicholas Green gives a fascinating and entertaining history of G, G-protection and the medical and other uses of the centrifuge.Into thin air & thick mud: aircraft accidents & how to survive them by Wg Cdr Matt Lewis MRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/stewart2008podWant to know the safest way to travel by air next time you go on holiday? Listen to the top tips from a man who has investigated over 130 air accidents.

An evening with… Lord Brabazon of Tarahttps://www.aerosociety.com/brabpodIf you want a first class after-dinner speech, go no further than these three recordings of ‘Brab’. The first man to hold a Royal Aero Club pilots’ licence, friend of the Wright brothers, the man who Churchill chose to specify which civil aircraft should be produced by the post-war aircraft industry and the Chair of Air Registration Board at the time of the Comet Inquiry, retells some of his finest stories.

Designing and flying a man-carrying ornithopter by Prof James DeLaurierhttps://www.aerosociety.com/ornithopterpodWe finished our lockdown podcasts with this hidden gem. This is an understandable technical lecture on a project where (unusually) nobody crashes. As Mike has been able to match the audio with the presentation, you can see clips of a model of the ornithopter flying with great panache and then of the real aircraft being flown by a pilot – a great achievement in an incredible looking machine with huge flapping wings.

Handling the Olympic and Paralympic traffic at Heathrow by Andy Garner FRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/olympicheathrow Try putting through thousands of athletes and VIPs through one of the world’s biggest airports during summer and with luggage including firearms, specialist wheelchairs and canoes! Don’t worry, it was all done smoothly and with the London 2012 spirit!

55 years of flying fun by Clive Rustin FRAeShttps://www.aerosociety.com/flyingfunpod

Stories from a career testing 70 aircraft types, all in 96 minutes of great entertainment in this General Aviation Group lecture from 2012. Clive retells stories from his time at RAE Bedford and RAE Farnborough and includes work for Concorde, the Hawker Siddeley P.1127/Kestrel and projects exploring short-field landing and blind landing V/STOL aircraft, together with clearance programmes at Boscombe Down and his work with the Jaguar, Harrier, Phantom and Hunter.

Curiosity, The Next Mars Rover by Dr Matt Wallace https://www.aerosociety.com/curiositypodWe must also mention the timely inclusion of the lecture by Dr Matt Wallace on the Curiosity Mars Rover delivered in 2012 before the actual landing and the ‘seven minutes of terror’. Its two-year mission has been extended indefinitely and it remains active on the Martian surface. Mike again combined the audio with the video and slides shown which leaves us wondering if it would ever work …we now know the skycrane approach worked perfectly.

Last but not least…https://www.aerosociety.com/filmcompAs the last of our 12 podcasts we must add the Christmas quiz that Mike made for the members. (OK, so not actually a podcast!) The Library had launched its movie archive of cine films for all to watch and Mike thought it would be a good idea to help advertise the project by setting two aircraft identification quizzes using film from archive. Even then, on the second film nobody got all the right answers. And Mike thought it was easy!

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Major Robert M White next to an X-15 aircraft after a research flight. On 17 July 1962 he flew the X-15 to an altitude of 314,750ft qualifying him for USAF astronaut wings, becoming the first ‘winged’ astronaut. NASA.

have helped to track down the copyright holders and, last but not least, Mike who tirelessly improved each recording before its release. We would not have been able to do this project without them.

Tony Pilmer, RAeS Librarian & Archivist and Mike Stanberry FRAeS, NAL volunteer

Thank you to Sir Brian BurridgeNEW RAeS CEO

AEROSPACE52

…and there are still more to come

Though we have slowed down to release one podcast per month, we have still got more gems in the vaults. Highlights ahead include more interviews from those who pioneered civil flying from the UK to Australia, Major Robert White on flying the X-15, George N Tompkins, Jr on his career in air law and Dr H H Gardner on ‘Brooklands – Cradle of Aviation’.

Want to listen to more classic recordings?Over 300 recording are now available to listen to via the Society’s website at https://aerosociety.com.podcasts, or you can subscribe via the AeroSociety feed on iTunes, Google Podcasts and Soundcloud.

A big thank you to all that have helped with the project

As with most NAL projects, these releases have only been possible thanks to a large number of volunteers, first of which are those who originally wrote and presented the lectures and those who organised the original events. Over the past few years, a band of volunteers have helped to listen and review a large number of recordings so we could release only those that stood the test of time. We also received help from a number of people who

It seems incredible that three years have passed since Sir Brian answered the call to take on the role of Chief Executive of the Society. After such an illustrious career in the Royal Air Force and in industry many may have thought that Sir Brian might have been considering a very well earned retirement but I had no doubt that he would bring his incredible energy and intellect to the role and play a major part in driving the Society forward.

What none of us knew at the time was that Covid-19 would arrive in March 2020 bringing major disruption to the Society, its traditional business operating model and indeed the sectors it represents. Working with Trustees and Council, Sir Brian has provided phenomenal leadership in guiding us through this massively difficult period. All of us have been deeply impressed by his calm, matter of fact approach to the crisis and his ability to embrace new and innovative ways of working. While the Society, in common with many of its peers, still has some considerable challenges ahead, I believe we can be confident of a vibrant future. Sir Brian has guided us through a thoroughgoing review of strategy, governance and operations which is laid out in the new Corporate Plan. Some of the lines of development were already in train but the process has been accelerated

and I believe that the Society can look forward to growing its reputation and influence as it transforms to become genuinely more international, genuinely more digital and genuinely more diverse.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I offer deep thanks to Sir Brian for all his hard work and his influence as Chief Executive. He has given massive service to the Society over many, many years in a wide range of roles and I hope that the end of his tenure as Chief Executive will merely be the prelude to his ongoing involvement. I wish him the very best of success in all that he takes on in the future.

We look forward to welcoming Dave Edwards as our new Chief Executive in the knowledge that he will inherit an organisation well prepared to play its part in the recovery of aviation and aerospace and in promotion of the vital contribution they make, along with our burgeoning space industry, to wider society and the economy.

Martin Broadhurst OBE FRAeSChair of Trustees

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David Edwards has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society in place of Sir Brian Burridge who is stepping down. David Edwards will take over as Chief Executive on 20 September.

Until recently David was Chief Executive of the Air Charter Association and led that organisation through a significant period of change and growth and represented the sector to government and regulators during the Brexit transition and Covid-19.

He also has experience as a former Executive Vice President of Qatar Airways and 15 years with Gama Aviation where, latterly, he headed the company’s expansion into the Middle and Far East, as well as serving on the group’s board.

David has been a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society since 1999 and was appointed a Fellow in 2010. He’s had a Private Pilot’s Licence since he was 17 and holds a degree in Transport Management from the University of Plymouth.

David is a strong advocate for diversity, inclusion and encouraging the next generation of talent to join the aviation and aerospace industries.

David Edwards FRAeS said:“I am delighted to be joining the Royal Aeronautical Society at this challenging, but nonetheless exciting time.

“Sir Brian and the team have placed the Society in a really strong position to embrace the collective knowledge of our membership and contribute to global debates on issues such as aviation’s

contribution to climate change, the burgeoning space industry, supporting tomorrow’s aerospace professionals and promoting diversity.

“I am looking forward to carrying on that work and ensuring that the Royal Aeronautical Society continues to grow its membership and its relevance within our industries and beyond.” Martin Broadhurst OBE CDIR FRAeS FIOD, Chair of the Trustees of the RAeS said:“David is a perfect choice for us, and I am delighted that we were able to appoint him.

“I pay tribute to Sir Brian as he prepares to move on. His time as Chief Executive was fraught due to Covid-19 but he led our Society exceptionally well, and brought his vast experience as a senior Royal Air Force and industry figure to bear in helping us make big strategic decisions and prepare us for the future. He leaves David an extremely well-run organisation to take over and one which is well prepared to play its part in the sector’s recovery and in promoting the vital contribution they make to wider society and the economy.” Sir Brian Burridge CBE FRAeS, outgoing Chief Executive of the RAeS said:“David Edwards is extremely well-placed to take forward the Society’s ambition as a learned society in continuing to provide independent, evidence-based and authoritative thought leadership. He also well understands the nature of engineering businesses and the challenges that they face. With David in place, alongside our excellent staff and hard-working Trustees, Council members and supported by our enthusiastic cohort of volunteers, we can be assured that the Society is in good hands.”

53SEPTEMBER 2021

NEW RAeS CEO

Appointment of RAeS CEO

AEROSPACE54

NEW MEMBER SPOTLIGHTName: Sean Goldsbrough FRAeS, 37

Location: Barnsley, UK

Job title: Operations Director – NORSS/Senior Orbital Analyst – UK Space Agency.

What inspired you into aerospace? I think most people are fascinated with space from an early age, myself included. Even as a youngster, anything to do with space and the Solar System was high on my list of desired toys, books and TV shows. Just as I was finishing my education, I was presented with a fantastic opportunity to work in the space industry, specifically at RAF Fylingdales where satellite surveillance and tracking is a major focus. Once I began in the role, I had an instant realisation that it was exactly what I wanted! The more experience I gained while in that position, the more obsessed I became with space. Throughout my tenure there, I worked with a number of fantastic people who were a true inspiration to me and helped me to become who I am today. I look at some of those I worked with then but also even still and the incredible, impactful roles they’re fulfilling and hope that when my career is over, I can look back with real pride and think ‘I made a positive contribution’ to this industry and the people within it as they do.

What is the best thing about your current role? I find great pleasure in working with young people who are just starting or are early in their careers, helping them to achieve their own goals and aspirations. In my current role, I am responsible for the fantastic technical teams we have brought together and the operational analysis and tasks they are involved with. We have a desire to enable opportunities for bright, young individuals who wish to develop within our industry and to-date I feel we have been successful in that area. I take great pleasure in watching such people evolve and grow while assisting by passing on knowledge and ensuring they can be involved in many exciting projects.

Furthermore, I represent the UK in a number of programmes and forums on behalf of the UK Space Agency, from EU and European Space Agency projects through to being a working group lead at the Inter Agency Debris Committee (IADC), for which I am extremely grateful and have been proud to be a part of for a number of years. Having the opportunity to work with fantastic individuals across many areas of government, commerce and academia, both nationally and internationally, has had an incredibly positive impact on my own personal development and is something I continue to take great pleasure from today.

I believe there are things we can do better in how we behave in space operations and the

governance of those actively operating in the space environment, and I have been given the rare opportunity of having an impact in exactly that.

What made you join the Royal Aeronautical Society? The Royal Aeronautical Society is famous for bringing together the best and brightest in aerospace to further the advancement of the many areas within which we are all involved. I had a real desire to be a part of such an important endeavour. Additionally, I believe having the opportunities to hold discussions with other members will be invaluable for my own personal growth and the ability to work with others to advance new ideas and further develop relationships with international peers is something I am always looking to build on.

What do you hope to get out of your membership with the RAeS? I look forward to the opportunities being a Fellow of RAeS will present to me with regards to meeting with others and learning new things from them, while having the ability to pass on my own knowledge where possible. Being a part of what the Society is designed to do will bring me great pleasure if I can have a positive influence in such things along the way.

What three items would you take with you to the space station? I’d take a pencil, a notebook and a camera so I could record everything I did while on board. I should probably take a picture of the family but I think I could attach one of those to a page in my notebook before I left so, technically, I would say that is still three things…!

What’s your favourite aircraft? One particular aircraft which I have always considered to be incredibly impressive is Lockheed Martin’s C-130. The versatility and impact the aircraft has made to the armed forces is so impressive, proven by the length of time is has been in operation.

Who is your biggest inspiration? I don’t believe I have one specific person who I could call my biggest inspiration but, if I had to break it down as best I could, I would say, my father is someone who has always pushed me to be the best I can be. I always looked up to both my parents growing up and he has been very successful in his own career, something I have always wanted to emulate. Another would be Bob Clarkson, who was a mentor to me in many ways for the first ten years of my own working life. He taught me how to work with people in an effective manner and how to approach complex situations. I think it would be fair to say Bob has been the most influential person I have had the pleasure of working with in my career to-date.

1 SeptemberJack Pritchard and the R.38 Airship Disaster, one hundred years onWendy Pritchard, granddaughter of Major J E M Pritchard who was killed in the accidentOnline lecture

1 SeptemberDarwinian aeroplanes – evolving to a future of sustainable aviationDr Albert S J van Heerden, Cranfield UniversitySingapore Branch and SIT-UoG online lecture

2 SeptemberProject ACCEL – Progress to First FlightAndy Roberts, Flight Test Engineer, Rolls-RoyceOnline lecture

7-9 September47th European Rotorcraft ForumOnline conference

7 SeptemberBritain’s First Space Rocket – The Story of the SkylarkRobin Brand, Proprietor, New Forest Electronics Boscombe Down Branch online lecture

8 SeptemberLockheed Martin’s role within delivering an orbital vertical launch from the Shetland Space CentreBrough Branch online lecture

9 SeptemberSustainability in Aerospace Seminar – The Sky AheadIET online conference

9 SeptemberThe Rapidly Growing Space Industry in the HighlandsDavid Oxley, Director of Strategic Projects, Highlands and Islands Enterprise Highland Branch online lecture

14 SeptemberSome Significant Turning Point British AircraftDr Ron SmithOnline lecture

14 SeptemberWhere’s my flying car? – The 100 years plus history of the flying carGary Murden FRAeS, Retired – Education Co-ordinator, The Jet Age MuseumGloucester & Cheltenham Branch lecture

15 SeptemberHigh altitude, long endurance UAVs – the challenges and applications of the eternal aircraftPaul Brooks, CEO, PrismaticPreston Branch online lecture

17 SeptemberNext Generation Opportunities in SpaceYoung Persons’ online conference

DiaryEVENTS

21-22 SeptemberInternational Flight Crew Training Conference – Debriefing the PandemicOnline and at No.4 Hamilton Place conference

28 SeptemberEngineering AI to produce autonomous capability in the airRAeS online seminar

4 OctoberThe RAF and the Lessons of the First Gulf WarDr Sebastian RitchieOnline lecture

6 OctoberCierva Lecture: Flying on Mars: Development of the Ingenuity Mars HelicopterBenjamin Pipenberg, Aeromechanical Engineer, AerovironmentOnline named lecture

12 OctoberPreviewing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)John Thatcher CEng MRAeS. Project Manager, Mid-Infrared Instrument, RetiredLoughborough Branch lectureRoom U020, Brockington Building, Loughborough University

13 OctoberWW2 German Fighter Aircraft Piston Engines, a Counterpoint with British StrategyCalum E DouglasBrough Branch online lecture

13 OctoberFaster for the FutureLibby Vallance-Bull, Head of Air Labs, Chief Technologist’s Office, BAE Systems – AirPreston Branch online lecture

14 OctoberThe Orkney Sustainable Aviation Test EnvironmentProfessor Andrew Rae, University of the Highlands and IslandsHighland Branch online lecture

For further information and booking: www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/

NASA’s Mars Perseverance Rover captures Ingenuity’s second flight on 22 April 2021. The Ingenuity Mars helicopter is the subject of the RAeS Cierva Lecture on 6 October.NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.

55SEPTEMBER 2021

www.aerosociety/events-calendar/

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On Sunday 25 July the Coventry Branch celebrated its 95th anniversary with a dinner and talk at Brandon Hall, Coventry. A very insightful and informative talk was delivered on ‘post war aircraft’ by Prof Keith Hayward FRAeS.

There is so much history and so many people to acknowledge and thank for keeping this great Branch going for 95 years, not least our current committee members.

Here are a few notable facts:● The Coventry Branch was the first to be officially

formed under the rules for the formation of the Branches issued by the Council in 1926 and remains the longest running Branch within the Society.

● The first Branch lecture was delivered by Sir William Farren in 1926.

● The first Branch President was Sir John Siddley (Lord Kenilworth) 1926-1939.

● Sir Frank Whittle was Branch President 1946-1947.

In recent years the Coventry Branch engaged in the ‘schools Build-a-Plane scheme’, in conjunction with a local academy (Ernesford Grange Community Academy). On successful completion of the ‘build & flight’ many of the academy pupils enjoyed their first flying experience. The legacy of this project remains today with many of the academy students engaging with further engineering projects and indeed careers in engineering and aerospace.

The Branch continues to maintain strong links

and support from both Meggitt, based at the new facility at Ansty, and Coventry University where all lectures are held.

Stephen Pilling, Branch President, said: “Looking forward, with one eye on our centenary anniversary in five years’ time, it’s our focus now to further strengthen the Branch with the recent introduction of our Young Members committee representative to drive a ‘younger generation’ into the Branch, while building on our historic past.”

We were also joined by Scott Philips, Corporate Affairs Officer, representing the Main Society and past Society President, Air Commodore Bill Tyack CBE FRAeS.

Stephen Pilling CEng FRAeS, Branch PresidentRon Carr MRAeS, Branch Chair

Branch celebrates its 95th anniversary

From left: Scott Philips, RAeS Corporate Affairs Officer; Prof Keith Hayward, after dinner speaker; Ron Carr, Branch Chair; Air Cdre Bill Tyack, RAeS past President; and Stephen Pilling, Branch President.

ElectionsKerstin AlickiPat BerginPhilippa DaviesSylvain GlouxCharles GrahamScott LoughranDan MartinJohn McDowallAdam NemenyiRicardo Pilon

Christian AgiusDarren BurgessTerry ButchartAmy CaddickDavid CampbellJames ClarkAustin Cook

Alexander CutajarTimothy DaviesJeremy FarthingMehdi GhoreyshiCis Guy M De

MaesschalckKazi HaqueRobert HeadJustin ImazMustajeeb KhanDeepa KishnaniAllyson KukelIain MeekAndrew MelzerBiju NanukuttanPhill RawlinsIrina SirbuAndrew StevensAleksandra TopolinskaAdam WordsworthRadu Zaharescu

WITH REGRETThe RAeS announces, with regret, the death of the following members:

Alan William Howell FRAeS 66

Gabriel Lancaster MBE IEng AMRAeS 99

Dr John Anthony Mudway FRAeS 61

Donald Mckay Ridland CEng MRAeS 100

Norman Rogers FRAeS 94

Robin McTaggart Stanier CEng FRAeS 82

FELLOWS

Shanum Rais BangashGlenn MontanezMudita RathoreGavin RyanJason Smith

Eric CritchleySteven LauBen Roberts

Tom GreenLuke McConvilleJastej Sidhu Christopher SykesNatalie Meehan

AFFILIATES STUDENT AFFILIATES

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

ASSOCIATES

E-ASSOCIATES

56 AEROSPACE

MEMBERS

We can support you in your journey to become a Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer or Engineering Technician

Apply now: www.aerosociety.com/loginmembership@aerosociety.com +44 (0)20 7670 4300

WebinarsWe have hosted a range of webinars from introductory to more in depth professional registration ones. Register or watch previous ones here: aerosociety.com/support

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Online ResourcesMake use of our wealth of online resources including exemplars of applications, handbook and guidance notes. Take a look at: aerosociety.com/registration

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YOUNG MEMBERS

RAeS Young Persons Conference: Next Generation Opportunities In Space

17 September 202110:00am - 16:30pm BSTVirtual

The annual Young Persons Conference is back! This inspiring conference will seek to represent the variety of specialist areas covered within the space sector.

For more information and to register contact: YPN@aerosociety.com or visit www.aerosociety.com/ypcconference

Thank you Telespazio UK for sponsoring our virtual event!

YPC conference advert.indd 1YPC conference advert.indd 1 10/08/2021 09:36:2710/08/2021 09:36:27

continued to support ex-President Trump’s moves to isolate China. The CFM engine consortium, involving the US and France, have been put on a warning about continued supply to Comac. Any restrictions on the supply of components to the C919 would be a body blow to the already long-delayed programme.

But the gun can point both ways

This time the US might be in line for direct retaliation. China is evidently exploring limiting the export of rare Earth minerals crucial in the manufacture of the F-35 and other American weapons systems. There are alternative sources of supply but substituting these for Chinese-sourced materials might be hard to do in the short term and the Chinese might then swamp the world market to drive down prices, rendering other suppliers uncompetitive. All of these ‘interesting’ scenarios might yet fizzle out as compromise emerges as a better strategy than confrontation. However, it is clear that China is proving to be a much more difficult adversary than the old Soviet Union. It has many more strings to pull in retaliation, including access to its civil aviation market. Boeing has already lost out to Airbus following the Trump years. The French government will not appreciate potential damage to Airbus or to Safran as a CFM partner. The Chinese are quite prepared to cold shoulder hitherto important trading partners over issues, such as Hong Kong and have a political and economic system more readily subject to orders and controls imposed by the government. China may still look for legal and illicit means of collecting scientific and technological data from abroad to improve its economic and military position but, looking at the array of deployed and emerging Chinese military technologies, this stable door has long been knocked off its hinges. In any event, more and more of this equipment is based on home grown capability and not reverse-engineered or stolen from foreigners.

In 1982, the then US Defense Secretary, Caspar Weinberger, complained that both legal and illegal channels transferring technology to the Soviet Union were providing “rope to hang us” by bolstering its military capabilities.

Controls in place since the late 1940s had been relaxed during the détente years of the ‘70s but the Reagan administration now felt that the Soviet Union was modernising its military helped by westerners. A number of high profile examples, mainly involving its European and Japanese allies, triggered a more aggressive stance. These allies were not amused, and American actions caused much resentment.

From Bear to Dragon

Into the 21st Century, China is the new target and, again, the role of America’s allies is as much in the frame as they were back in the ‘80s. The big difference now, as opposed to then, is that the Chinese have more ways of making life difficult for the West. The Soviet Union and Russia today has little in the way of technology or manufactured goods to use as counter leverage. Raw materials, especially gas to warm Western European countries, remain the one weapon in the Russian armoury. China is a different kettle of fish; it is emerging as a technological equal to the West and the US in particular, although it is perhaps more vulnerable to imports of raw materials than Russia. The Huiwei saga has shown that the Chinese have reached parity, if not better, in some areas of telecommunications. Their space programme does not need to steal technology from the West. However, the Chinese civil aircraft industry is still struggling to make a commercial breakthrough and is highly dependent on US and European technology and is thus vulnerable to targeted sanctions. President Biden has moved rapidly to distance himself from his predecessor but he has

The Last Word

China and the US – a new technological Cold War?

Professor Keith HaywardFRAeS

COMMENTARY FROM

58 AEROSPACE

IT IS CLEAR THAT CHINA IS PROVING TO BE A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT ADVERSARY THAN THE OLD SOVIET UNION

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