Aviation Week's Le Bourget Update

No room left

Paris air show organizers are giving the first indication of exactly how this year's event -- to start in about three weeks time -- stacks up against prior gatherings at Le Bourget. The exhibitor levels is slated to top 2,000 and exceed the 1,926 of 2005. A total of 42 countries will be represented, one more than at the prior Paris air show. In terms of aircraft numbers on site, that will actually go down. Right now, orgnizers expected about 180 of those, compared with 200 last time. But that's not actually bad news, organizers point out. Space that was being used by aircraft is now available to move some companies from a chalet, to having their own pavilion. Goodrich is one of the firms having taken advantage. In terms of total size, that hasn't changed -- it can't. Organizers point out that the existing geographical constraints leave no room for expansion. Nevertheless, there's a good workout to be had. Le Bourget has about 3 km of chalet lines. Those looking for a nice long walk, start out at the Catic chalet, representing Chinese companies at one end of Le Bourget, and stroll down to the Northrop Grumman location at the other end of the chalet line.

Down to Business

You might think this week's European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Geneva would have sucked up about all the news, leaving little of interest to be announced at the upcoming Le Bourget air show, but that may not be quite true. For instance, Airbus is hoping to unveil the first A380 in a VVIP configuration. A letter of intent has already been signed, according to Airbus. The A380 will offer unprecedented space for designers of interior cabins, but doing the completion is also going to take up a lot of capacity wherever the work is done (more on the bottlenecks in aircraft completion in Monday's Aviation Week & Space Technology). The outfitting process, depending on just how lavish it will be, can take around two years.

Also looming is an important engine announcement. Dassault Aviation suggests it will pick the engine supplier for its new business jet, the twin-engined Falcon 50 replacement. Honeywell, Rolls-Royce, Snecma, General Electric, and Pratt & Whitney are in the running for the nominal, 10,000 lb. thrust engine. Rumor had it at Ebace that Honeywell and Rolls may be the front runners, but then again, who knows who was spreading that rumor.

GWI to stress U.S. Presence for European Companies

U.S. Air Force Secretary Michale Wynne and Aviation Week's Ed Hazelwood (your's truly) will take part in a seminar at the GIFAS Pavilion at the Paris Air Show that will focus on the importance to European companies of having a presence in the United States. Also taking part will be the C-level officers of Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Thales, BAE Systems and Auroa Flight Sciences among others. The event is sponsored by the Greater Washington Initiative and takes place Tuesday June 19, beginning at 10 am. We will all discuss transatlantic aerospace, defense business and procurement opportunities. GWI will also had out copies of its just completed Greater Washington Aerospace and Defense Assets publication. Link here for more details http://www.greaterwashington.org/news/events/paris_0607.htm Seating is limited and you need to register by June 1st.

Ed Hazelwood, Editorial Director, Aviation Week Conferences

Red, White & Blue (pt 3)

With only about a month to go, getting a clear radar track on the F-22's presence at Le Bourget is becoming increasingly difficult. French industry officials say there could be as many as three of the stealth fighters in Paris. That's not the U.S. storyline, for now, though. After U.S. officials first indicated the F-22 would fly at the Paris air show, but not be based here due to security fears, now the aircraft is not even on the tentative deployment list. The Pentagon is still figuring out exactly what the final list of aircraft will be to grace the show. For now, both F-16s and F/A-18s will be in the flying display, with one of each type also in the static area. There, they will likely be accompanied by an F-15E, a C-17, C-130J, and a training Predator unmanned aircraft. Two helicopters are expected to show up, a HH-60 and an AH-64, although the high operational tempo for Apaches makes finding one for air show duty not that easy. In terms of senior Pentagon representatives, Michael Wynne will be back, this time as Air Force Secretary. He was at Le Bourget two years ago when he served as Pentagon acquisition czar.

Droning On

There's no let up in sight for new unmanned aircraft to make their showing at major aerospace trade events, and this year's Le Bourget will be no different. For instance, EADS plans to showcase its new Advanced UAV System concept, which has just been unveiled. There's a local link for Le Bourget, the French part of EADS is now on-board, too -- the German arm of the company has been behind the program longer. Additionally, with the effective demise of the EuroMale program, which the French government had long been promoting, there's a chance of larger French involvement. So far, governments aren't, yet, financially behind the concept, but there's a move afoot to get multi-national funding. The Advanced UAV System embraces a modular build approach, with different wings and payloads depending on the mission operators want to undertake. Others, also, are looking to showcase new UAVs at Le Bourget, notably the Israeli contingent, which has a long track record in this field. Israeli firms plan to show several smaller systems, but there are rumors the largest unmanned vehicle the country has ever built could be in Paris, too. No doubt, several other  concepts will see first light in the various halls and pavilions. No UAVs will be flying, though, that's still not something authorities will agree to.

Powering Down

Airbus is going to have two A380s at the Le Bourget air show this summer. But don't be fooled, the aircraft maker actually will have a much smaller presence at the event than usual -- largely thanks to the A380. The financial crisis created at Airbus parent EADS last year by A380 delays, leading to reduced cash flow, delay penalties, and contract cancellations, has caused to some serious belt tightening. And, with the Power8 program underway to restructure Airbus and shed 10,000 positions, there was a feeling a large airshow presence would be both fiscally unsound and politically foolish. So EADS has cut the space it will be renting at the air show, and it and Airbus will share real-estate, which they historically have not done. By then way, if anyone is wondering if the first A380 to go to a customer will be there, the answer is no. That Singapore Airlines-bound aircraft will be too busy getting ready for the handover several months after Le Bourget.