The World of Aviation

Eurocopter subsidiary Australian Aerospace has confirmed it will bid in its own right as a prime contractor for the ADF’s Air 9000 Phase 7 Helicopter Aircrew Training System (HATS) program with an offering based on the EC135 helicopter. “Australian Aerospace’s proposal will build on the company’s training systems design capability, its extensive Australian civil and

Phantom Media, publisher of Australian Aviation and Australian Defence Business Review (or ADBR) magazines, has published the first Australian defence magazine app for the iPad, released to coincide with the Pacific 2012 International Maritime Exposition this week. Featuring the January-February Pacific 2012 issue of ADBR, the app is for now a one-off, but Phantom Media

BAE Systems Australia has won a $31m contract from Raytheon Missile Systems for the continued production of Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM) components. The contract brings the value of ESSM business awarded to BAE to $370 million and guarantees continued production work in Australia through 2014, BAE said. Developed under a collaborative agreement between Australia,

Rival firms Eurocopter and Bell Helicopter have both claimed victory over a Federal Court of Canada ruling on a patent dispute over helicopter landing gear. The case centred on a sleigh type landing gear for the Bell 429, which Eurocopter claimed was a “slavish copy” of the landing gear for its EC120 and EC130 helicopters.

US budget carrier Spirit Airlines has added 30 Airbus A320s to an order for 45 A320neos booked in December. A memorandum of understanding for the deal was announced at last year’s Dubai Airshow. Designed for improved fuel efficiency, the re-engined A320neo is due to begin deliveries in 2015. Spirit has not yet announced its engine

Singapore Airlines has discovered wing cracks in all six of the Airbus A380s inspected under a safety directive issued by European regulators. The carrier insisted – as Airbus has stated repeatedly in the past month – that the cracks were discovered long before they posed any potential safety risks. The airline said four of the