The World of Aviation

According to the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics’s Domestic Air Fares Index, airfares for travel during February 2010 remained largely the same as those during the same time last year. The index showed that best discount economy fares for the month fell by 2.2 points to 60.6, with the restricted economy index falling

The Rolls-Royce/GE F136 engine for the F-35 JSF program has returned to test status after a minor redesign of a lug nut which was ingested by a test engine last year. GE spokesman Rick Kennedy told DOD Buzz that “Delay costs were minimal — there has been no re-​programming of the F136, and we’re on

BAE Systems Regional Aircraft has signed an agreement with Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation which will see the British company provide design integration and certification for the propulsion system on the Mistubishi Regional Jet (MRJ). A team from BAE Systems Regional Aircraft will provide engineering expertise on a number of work packages for the aircraft which include

The USAF has ditched the CSAR-X project to find the next generation of combat search and rescue helicopter, and instead will buy more Black Hawk helicopters and modify these for the role. Speaking to US media, USAF Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said “a successor model” of the current HH-60 Pave Hawk CSAR variant

Robinson Helicopter’s all-new five-seat turbine offering, the R66, became available for order on February 7 ahead of the helicopter making its first ‘public’ display at Heli-Expo 2010 in Houston, Texas, later this month. The R66, powered by Rolls-Royce’s new RR300 turbine, a modernised derivative of the Rolls-Royce Model 250, has a base ex factory price

The ‘Team Soteria’ consortium, comprising CHC, Thales UK and equity partner RBS and offering the Sikorsky S-92, was selected as preferred bidder for the UK Minsitry of Defence’s £5bn (A$8.9bn) SAR-H search and rescue helicopter contract on February 9, beating rival consortium AirKnight (British International Helicopters, Lockheed Martin and VT) which had offered the Eurocopter