The unveiling of a new Iranian armed ‘drone’ or UAV named the ‘Karrar’ last week produced predictable responses – scorn and laughter from some ‘experts’ and fear from tabloid headline writers about this ‘ambassador of death’ from Tehran.

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After fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the latest frontier for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is the consumer toy market – with the launch of the Parrot AR Drone, a remote-controlled quadricopter controlled over Wi-Fi by an iPhone ‘app’.

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The wildfires that are now engulfing parts of Western Russia have led to massive devastation, with some 600 fires burning and the smoke and heat visible even from space. The human cost is immense too, with over 50 dead in the forest blazes and the daily death rate in Moscow doubled because of the choking smog. To deal with this, the authorities have resorted to aircrews with a unique mission – aerial fire-fighting and currently some 39 aircraft and helicopters are engaged in battling the fires. One of these types used is  a tough helicopter with an equally tough job.

Also high on the agenda at this year’s Farnborough airshow was ‘greener aviation’ and the efforts the aerospace industry is making in pushing forward exciting new developments in sustainable aviation. With aviation growth now set to resume, technologies such as newer ultra-efficient airliners, open-rotor engines and algae-based biofuels will be critical in balancing the worldwide demand for air travel with the need to reduce its carbon footprint. We interviewed two top-level executives – Dr Jean Botti, EADS and Charles Champion, Airbus about some of these ‘green’ developments in aerospace.

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The final trade day of Farnborough International Airshow 2010 on Friday was ‘Futures Day’ dedicated to inspiring young people with special events, stands and activities. We caught up with Ian Godden, ADS and Sir Roger Bone, Boeing UK to quiz them about what the industry is doing to inspire the next generation of aerospace professionals. Go To Item

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Keeping track of nuts, bolts and widgets may be one of the least sexiest parts of the aerospace industry – but is vital in today’s ‘just-in-time’ delivery supply chain. We spoke to Colin Davis, Director of Specialist Technologies Aerospace Group (STAG) about how his company fills a niche market by acting as a ‘critical buffer’ between suppliers and customers – providing the necessary flexibilty in managing stock and why “information is king”.
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The RAeS Publications team report from the final day at #Farn10

While aerospace executives were still celebrating from the bumper orders placed during the airshow, Friday saw Farnborough host a special careers and youth day called Futures Day. Up to 3,000 young people descended on the show to learn more about the exciting world of aerospace and the potential careers in aerospace, defence and security. With a chance to get hands-on with the SCS Bloodhound Supersonic car, check out the Mars Rover, or see the Schools Build A Plane microlight, there was no danger of boredom. The event was supported by A|D|S, Airbus and the South West RDA among others. Go To Item

The RAeS Publications team report from #Farn10

Day 4 of the Farnborough airshow and the weather finally turned, with a torrential downpour that sometimes made hearing what people were saying difficult in the halls. The press conference frenzy also quietened down, allowing the aerospace media more time to fan out across the show for more in-depth interviews and one-to-one chats. Go To Item

The RAeS Publications team report from #Farn10 on the third day.

With the sunshine and heat continuing, the third day of Farnborough airshow continued in an upbeat vein – at least for the civil sector. By midweek, the official show business figures had reported some $37.5bn worth of deals signed at the show, vindicating many attendees who said that the industry had survived the recession in fairly good shape and was now gearing up for the uptick. Go To Item

The RAeS Publications team report from #Farn10

Day 2 of the show continued to be sunny, both in weather and in the new sense of optimism that pervaded the show after Day 1’s bumper aircraft orders. In the halls and chalets, Tuesday also seemed to be much busier. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights Go To Item

The RAeS Publications team report from #Farn10

Perhaps it was the sunshine that put optimism in the air. Perhaps it was yesterday’s arrival of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, or the flying display that including the Avro Vulcan, Red Arrows, A400M and F-22. Whatever the reason, there were a good few many aerospace executives feeling a lot more positive after this first day than at last year’s Paris airshow. Go To Item

It’s that time of year again, where every two years it seems the global aerospace industry decamps to Hampshire, UK, for the Farnborough International Airshow. Part cocktail reception, part travelling circus and part high-level business conference, it leaves the residents of Hampshire unable, for a whole week, to find a spare taxi driver, security guard or waitress, as this massive event hoovers up all in its path. Go To Item

Last Thursday, Boeing released its Commercial Market Outlook – a 20 year forecast that attempts to peer into the crystal ball as to how many airliners the world will need over the next two decades. Presented to the aviation media and transport correspondents in London by Randy Tinseth (you can check out his blog here) it is available in full here. (the last 2009 CMO got downloaded some 259,971 times). Boeing has a full-time staff of six people preparing this annual report and uses it to drive its strategy as well as sharing it with customers. Go To Item

Fractional ownership is a well-established concept in the business aviation sector. In it, a customer pays for a ‘share’ (or fraction) of the aircraft’s value – which guarantees them a certain number of hours usage a year. It allows a customer who by themselves could not afford an expensive asset like a bizjet to enjoy the benefits. Go To Item