Now that the ILA Berlin Air Show 2008 has officially concluded, I’m devoting my final posting to the final frontier — space. Aerospace activity beyond the stratosphere is often given short shrift by the media at these air shows, but according to analyst briefings here at ILA, space will afford continued growth for aviation companies, even as the industry’s down-to-earth activities wane in the face of economic retrenchment.

This prediction is borne out by the latest statistics from Teal Group. You can purchase Teal Group’s accurate and credible reports on Aviation Today. Click here: http://www.aviationtoday.com/store/tealreports/

Teal Group announced at the Berlin Air Show this year its revised figures for its widely followed Worldwide Mission Model survey of future space payloads. The study encompasses 1,981 payloads proposed through 2008-2027.

Typically in crunching these numbers in the past, Teal has restricted its models for payload missions to only a decade into the future, but it has now stretched out the scope to include payloads that haven’t actually been proposed but that Teal determines will need to be developed and launched to replenish aging operational systems now in earth’s orbit. “We’re applying interpretive analysis to what we think will be needed, to provide a more comprehensive picture of demand, which should make corporate planning more accurate,” explained Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis, Teal Group.

The upshot: the accelerating decrepitude of satellites already aloft will provide plenty of demand for years to come, in the form of replacements, regardless of whether brand new systems get initiated or not.

“The Model serves as a starting point from which to begin creating our forecasts of the market,” said Marco Caceres, lead analyst for Teal Group’s World Space Systems Briefing, the 1,400-page monthly updated competitive intelligence service, which features the Model. “It is the first step in the process of coming up with numbers that reflect the payloads we project will actually materialize and go up during the next decade.”

Among the payloads surveyed by Teal, the company forecasts that roughly 830 of them will be built and launched during 2008-2017, with commercial satellites making up 40% of the total.

Commercial payloads, which include traditional telecommunications and TV broadcasting, digital radio and direct TV broadcasting, broadband and mobile communications, and earth imaging satellites account for 42% of the payloads in the Worldwide Mission Model, as compared to 37% for civil payloads, 17% for military, and 4% for university and other.

In Models released during the past three years, the percentage of commercial payloads relative to other types of payloads has been steadily declining from 39% to 36.2% to 34.5%. But this has now changed, as reflected in the higher number of commercial payloads in the current Model. Dozens of replacement satellites for the Globalstar and Orbcomm mobile communications satellite constellations are proposed for launch before 2010.

Notably for the aviation sector, dozens of Iridium replacements are anticipated by the middle part of the next decade. There also has been a salient boost during the past two years in orders for new geostationary commercial communication satellites.

Gaining attention here at the Berlin show is the fact that it’s European companies, not United States or Asian companies, that account for the most commercial GEO commercial satellites. European satellite operators such as Eutelsat SA, Intelsat plc, and SES Global SA account for 38% of all the GEO commercial satellites in the Model.

North America accounts for 42% of the total payloads in the Model; Europe, 23%; Asia & Pacific Rim, 15%; and Russia and former states of the Soviet Union, 15%; Africa & Middle East, 3%; and Latin America & Caribbean, 2%. The U.S. alone accounts for 41% of the payloads. More than half of all the proposed military payloads are for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Approximately 30% of all the civil payloads are for NASA.

A U.S. regulatory official at the Berlin Air Show, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, pointed out that the North American Terrestrial System is nearing its termination, forcing flight departments to search for alternatives to their airborne telephone systems. What’s worrisome for regulators and operators alike, he said, is that some aircraft communications systems may find themselves completely without airborne telephony later this year. Operator flight departments are frantically seeking replacement systems that replicate the existing cabin communications that pilots and Air Traffic Control (ATC) have long taken for granted.

Stepping in to fulfill much of this gaping need will be NextGen, the Federal Aviation Administration’s blueprint for modernizing the National Airspace System from now until 2025. Through its ambitious NextGen plan, the FAA is developing an integrated grid of new technologies and procedures to enable higher traffic capacity and less congestion. That’s in large part where expected demand for new space payloads comes in.

Well, that’s it for me. My next blog will be from the Farnborough Air Show, starting July 14. On a related note, you can register for Aviation Today’s forthcoming webinar — The Farnborough Survival Guide — by clicking here:

http://www.aviationtoday.com/webinars/2008_0626.html

I’d like to thank my blog readers for their comments and feedback. A blog is always much more useful when it’s interactive and serves as a catalyst for candid dialogue within a “social community”.

Next stop: London. I can’t promise to be as compelling as Ed Murrow, but I certainly can promise the same tireless on-the-show-floor reporting, combined with informed opinion.

Auf Wiedersehen!

Leave it to those wacky Germans: once again, they’re getting into the faces of the Brits. With a population of 3.4 million, Berlin is not only Germany’s largest city but also the center of the Berlin-Brandenburg metropolitan area, comprising 5 million people from over 180 nations. And it’s the state of Brandenburg (with help from Europe-based EADS) that heavily subsidizes the ILA 2008 Berlin Air Show. The Germans’ aim is to assist indigenous aerospace, but one of the consequences is to give U.K.-based Farnborough a run for its money.

Held for the first time in 1909 as the Internationale Luftfahrt-Ausstellung (ILA), or International Aviation Exhibition, this biennial event has a storied legacy, serving as a showcase for major aviation innovations and breakthroughs for almost 100 years. At dinner last night, I spoke with ILA officials (not for attribution). They crowed that attendance at this week’s Berlin Air Show is the largest ever.

“Attendance is running at about 10 percent greater than the previous show,” one official told me. In 2006, ILA welcomed over 1,000 exhibitors from more than 40 countries, with a total of 250,000 visitors. The exhibition has expanded rapidly since 1992, when after German reunification it returned to its original location, Berlin. ILA’s association with Berlin undoubtedly contributes to the show’s success. No city better captures the zeitgeist of modern Europe; aviation insiders flock here to bask in the city’s cultural diversity and richness.

After some prodding from me, my ILA dinner companion also promised to improve media facilities at next year’s show. “We’ll have better infrastructure at the next show,” he said. Power of the press, baby!

He pointed out that ILA’s success reflects the growing role of German aerospace, as exemplified by recent Airbus tanker and helicopter wins. Perhaps that’s why major American firms, such as Boeing and Bell Helicopter, decided to skip ILA this year. To be sure, the United States still has the largest number of companies at ILA, with a total of 51. But this ILA honcho also said that, because of ILA’s proximity on the calendar to the Farnborough Air Show in July, some companies are openly talking about one day skipping the latter event in favor of ILA. It’ll be interesting to see how this “battle of the air shows” pans out.

In yesterday’s blog, I made significant mention of “green aviation” activities at ILA. I also should mention that one of Aviation Today’s sister publications, Regional Aviation News, has produced a three-part special report on the environmental impacts of aviation and what’s being done about it. You can access this series for free: http://www.aviationtoday.com/ran/categories/commercial/14182.html

Speaking of subsidies, Airbus chief Tom Enders took issue with the oft-repeated assertion that European aerospace is a quasi-nationalized endeavor. In a press conference here, the usually unflappable Enders was…well, pissed off. “I just want to clarify [recent news reports],” said a visibly angry Enders. “You all saw it, some of you even wrote it: ‘Airbus is looking for government subsidies,’ blah blah blah.”

He went on to blast the idea that Airbus goes around with hat in hand, looking for an unfair advantage from Europe’s already hard-pressed taxpayers. “There is no application for launch aid, or launch assistance, or whatever for the A350XWB,” he said. “It will be funded entirely by Airbus and our shareholders. All we ever asked for is a level playing field.”

Then his remarks to the assembled Damen und Herren of the press got a bit pointed. “The 787 is the most heavily subsidized aircraft in modern aviation history and we have to take that into account,” he said. “We have to look at the various government contributions to Airbus, if any, and take them into account as part of a WTO-compliant process. Boeing receives $800 million in direct and indirect subsidies on an annual basis. Those are not my numbers, they are the EU numbers. In this cut-throat competitive world it cannot be that one side gets assistance like that and the other doesn’t.” Alrighty then!

Franco-German EADS and its subsidiary Airbus certainly are exerting a major and conspicuous presence here, as you’d expect. Airbus executives said that they are optimistic that Airbus will reach its projected target of 20 A380 orders in 2008. They also pointed out that production of the A320 is on track to soon reach 40 per month, a record-breaking rate build for the airframer. They predicted 700 A320 sales over 20 years, which roughly fulfills the company’s original business plan for the aircraft. With heavy irony, they also pointed to Boeing’s pronouncements in the 1990s that it would soon push the A320 out of the market.

EADS subsidiary Eurocopter also is busy at this show. As I mentioned in a previous blog posting, the helicopter manufacturer is displaying and flying its military aircraft, the Tiger combat helicopter and NH90 tactical transport helicopter. Joining these two aircraft are a French Air Force EC725 in combat search and rescue configuration, and three of Eurocopter’s popular civilian models, the EC120, EC130 and the EC135.

The Tiger, under delivery to Germany, France, Australia and Spain, is demonstrating its in-flight maneuverability here on a daily basis. The same is true for the NH90, of which 507 units are on order by 14 nations. Eurocopter also played a prominent role in ILA’s “Rotor & Rescue” helicopter conference program this week.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are in force. Major UAV manufacturers peddling their wares at ILA 2008 include EADS, General Atomics, Northrop Grumman, Diehl and Rheinmetall. UAVs promoted here include Northrop Grumman’s RQ-4 Global Hawk and its European derivative, dubbed Euro Hawk, which is designed for Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) missions. Euro Hawk features a High Altitude/Long Endurance (HALE) platform carrying Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR); the UAV is slated to support the NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) program.

Engine makers are generating news as well, with large booths and product displays maintained by Pratt & Whitney Canada and Rolls-Royce. P&WC and Helicopters of Russia signed an MoU at ILA to produce the PW127TS engine for Russia’s next-generation MI-38 twin-engine medium helicopter. P&WC will develop the turboshaft version of its PW127 and certify it to Transport Canada and Russian standards. P&WC also announced that in the fourth quarter of 2008, it and Airbus will begin flight-testing the new Geared Turbofan engine, using an Airbus A340 as a flying test bed. The eco-friendly engine is designed to reduce fuel burn, polluting emissions, noise, and operating costs. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce announced that it had successfully completed the first run of its 16,000-pounds-thrust BR725 engine. This new engine will power Gulfstream’s new flagship G650.

And of course, the Eurofighter Typhoon is plying the skies of ILA, performing its usual function of disrupting interviews with its overbearing afterburners. With 707 weapon systems under contract, Eurofighter Typhoon boasts the largest order book and series production in the fighter aircraft market. The delta-wing fighter is designed and built by a consortium of three separate partner companies: Alenia Aeronautica, BAE Systems, and EADS. It’s undeniably a capable aircraft, but as one wag said to me during the aircraft’s flight demo here: “Eurofighter’s slogan should be: ‘You’ll hear it coming.’ ”

As I bang out today’s blog posting in the press room of the Berlin Air Show, I am compelled to ask myself one overriding question: why do the organizers of international aviation shows despise the press? I get the impression that their contempt for us is so thick and rich, you could drizzle it over pancakes.

What other conclusion could I possibly reach, when I survey the airless, overcrowded, stale-smelling, oppressively warm room to which members of the media are consigned? How else to explain the press room’s lack of air conditioning, toilet facilities and amenities of any kind?

Well, the powers-that-be need to remember that journalists always get the last word. Governments and big shots may come and go, but the press abides forever.

Alright, I got that off my chest. Let’s get down to business.

First, I’m gratified to see so much feedback to my previous posting. These reader comments speak for themselves; you can easily view them by clicking the “Comments” button below. Feel free to post your own comment. Most are edifying, although one comment that excoriates green aviation as a Communist conspiracy reveals that, intellectually, the writer is perhaps a few fries short of a Happy Meal. His comment reminds me of Gen. Jack Ripper’s diatribe in Dr. Strangelove: “Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous Communist plot we have ever had to face?”

The other comments this blog received regarding green aviation are substantive and worth answering. A common theme was a request for more information regarding alternate fuels and greater fuel efficiency.

The problem of aviation-generated pollution is real, not imaginary or hyped. Scientists in attendance here used ILA as a forum to reveal that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions now account for more than 84% of all greenhouse emissions in the United States alone. They warned that aircraft emissions will emerge as one of the largest contributors to global warming by 2050. Engine manufacturers are painfully aware of the fact that aeroengines are the biggest source of emissions pumped into the upper atmosphere, where pollutants exert a more intense warming effect than when they are released in identical amounts from the ground.

Nonetheless, progress is being made, especially in the area of fuel. Since 2001, commercial aviation has racked up a 35% improvement in fuel efficiency. In 2006, absolute fuel consumption of U.S. carriers remained 5% below the peak reached in 2000, even though carriers last year transported 12% more passengers and 22% more cargo.

So, what’s being done? Plenty. From my attendance at various green aviation conferences at the show, it emerged that both Boeing and Airbus are heavily involved in developing and implementing fuel cell technology. A fuel cell is an electrochemical device that produces electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen; pure water and heat are the only waste byproducts of the process.

Better jet engines are a major focus here at ILA. The most advanced engines on new jets have far lower carbon dioxide emissions, but they also increase nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Indeed, some new engines emit about 40% more NOx than the older engines they’re replacing. That’s why NASA is now developing technology that would allow Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 jets, by 2018, to burn 25% less fuel and reduce NOx emissions by 80%.

Eco-friendly engines on showcase here are new powerplants such as the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000, the Pratt & Whitney geared turbofan (GTF), and the General Electric GEnx. Rolls-Royce is touting the fact that it has embraced environmental benchmarks set by the Advisory Council for Aeronautics Research in Europe (ACARE), a group comprised of roughly 40 members, including government agencies and private companies. ACARE calls for the following achievements by 2020, compared with the starting point of 2000: 50% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions per passenger kilometer; 80% reduction in NOx; and a 50% reduction in perceived external noise levels.

I hope this information above answers questions posed by my blog readers. Moving along to other matters:

This morning, I interviewed Bruce A. McKinney, vice president, Sikorsky Europe, at Sikorsky’s booth. He shed light on the rotorcraft market in general and Sikorsky’s latest priorities in particular.

Despite economic clouds on the horizon, he was sanguine about the helicopter industry’s future prospects. “We are experiencing record level demand for our products,” he told me. “We expect this demand to continue, in both the military and civilian sectors and in the after market. Our major challenge is dealing with our backlog of orders, which now totals $11.4 billion.” He said that Sikorsky expects revenue growth in the mid-teens in 2008, compared to 2007.

He noted that the S-92 continues to be under consideration by the U.S. Air Force to meet the USAF’s Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR-X) requirement. He also said the naval version of the S-92, based on the CH-148 Cyclone being built for Canada, was being offered to Denmark and Germany.

One operator niche that’s especially promising for the S-92, he said, is oil and gas transport. As oil supplies dry up, oil companies are looking farther and farther offshore for new supplies. “Deepwater drilling requires longer distances, making the S-92 more desirable for operators and unions, because it’s bigger, more efficient, more comfortable, and safer than many other helicopters in the oil and gas sector,” he said.

McKinney emphasized Sikorsky’s commitment to new technology development. “Better technology will provide for future growth [during economic downturns],” he said, noting that Sikorsky recently achieved a major milestone on its X2 Technology Demonstrator program, when it successfully ground tested the aircraft with rotor blades installed and spinning for the first time. He said the ground tests are continuing at Sikorsky’s Schweizer Aircraft rapid-prototyping facility, in preparation for the X2 Technology Demonstrator’s first flight.

The X2 Technology Demonstrator combines an integrated suite of technologies designed to advance the counter-rotating coaxial rotor helicopter, a state-of-the-art concept. “It’s designed to show that a helicopter can cruise comfortably at 250 knots, whereas most other helicopters cruise in the 160 knot range,” he said. The X2 Technology Demonstrator utilizes fly-by-wire flight controls; counter-rotating rigid rotor blades; hub drag reduction; active vibration control; and an integrated auxiliary propulsion system.

McKinney also pointed to technological advancements on the S-76D, saying the first prototype is expected to fly this year. He confirmed 100 customer positions for the aircraft, with demand coming from corporate/VIP, Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the oil and gas sectors. McKinney said that the S-76D offers a more than a 1,000-lbs increase in useful load and extended range performance over the S-76C+ aircraft currently fielded. In addition, he said the D model will feature all-composite, flaw-tolerant main rotor blades; a Rotor Ice Protection System (RIPS); Advanced Thales avionics system and autopilot; dual speed rotor with active vibration control; a Pratt & Whitney 210S engine; a quieter tail rotor; and a Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS).

In my far-ranging interview with McKinney, he paid particular emphasis to the the S-70i International Black Hawk program and how it reflects the sort of tightly integrated global supply chain that Sikorsky is pursuing for its products. “We’re putting into place plans for the aircraft’s final assembly and hangar operations at our PZL Mielec facility in Poland,” he said.

The International Black Hawk will be produced with global partners and delivered from outside the U.S. The helicopter will be designed with a modular platform that can be tailored to meet specific operator requirements. He said the first helicopter cabins are now under construction at PZL Mielec; initial deliveries of the aircraft are expected to begin in 2011.

He said supply chains for Sikorsky products are “under strain”, requiring a methodical, rational approach. That’s why, he said, the company has consolidated and integrated all of its after-market support around the world. One innovative aspect of Sikorsky’s Maintenance Repair and Overhaul network is Web Helotrac RL, a maintenance management software tool that allows operators to access via the Internet their aircraft compliance information related to inspections, life limited parts, overhaul, and Alert Service Bulletins.

That’s it for today. The work day is winding down; industry receptions beckon. I’ll be back tomorrow morning, with more news straight from the hellish Berlin bunker known as the press room.

Your intrepid correspondent is here at the 2008 ILA Air Show, held all this week at the Schonefeld Airport, Berlin, Germany. I’ll be filing daily dispatches from the show floor. You don’t have to possess the perceptiveness of the famous correspondent William L. Shirer, who covered Berlin during the 1930s and 1940s, to recognize that Berlin is a modern miracle — a mere 63 years ago, Allied bombers reduced the city to little more than smoking rubble. Today, this rebuilt and reunited city is a vibrant business hub and hip cultural center, boasting the reclaimed mantle of capital.

Meanwhile, what I’ve witnessed so far at this year’s ILA reflects the vibrancy of the contemporary aerospace market. The show itself is administered by ILA officials with the heel-clicking efficiency you’d expect of the German people. Unlike other international air shows, you can set your watch by the press conference itinerary. If an event is scheduled to begin at, say, 1:00 p.m., then by Himmel, it starts at 1:00 p.m. sharp.

For starters, this year’s ILA is bigger than ever, a heartening sign amid widespread worries that the aviation industry will suffer from the global economic slowdown. “This year will be a record with 1,127 exhibitors from 37 countries, and more than 300 aircraft on display — more than at any other aerospace trade show anywhere,” said Dietmar Schrick, managing director of the German Aerospace Industries Association BDLI, which organizes ILA with Messe Berlin.

Indeed, while walking the trade show floor, conducting interviews and attending press conferences, I’ve gleaned the overriding sentiment of optimism. The mood I’m describing is not the false optimism of PR functionaries on puppy uppers who are peddling the corporate line. Rather, it’s a genuine and justified feeling that aviation is experiencing rare boom times that show no sign of relenting, even in the face of stratospheric oil prices. The numbers and new business deals emerging at ILA tangibly back this up.

On the first day of the show, Germany’s Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel stood in front of Airbus’ massive 380 to officially launch ILA. In a brief speech, she expressed her pride to be here at ILA, during the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. She also alluded to the fast-growing aviation sector of the show’s partner country, India, whose minister of defense, Arrakkaparambil Kurian Anthony, stood nearby. (Yes, I spelled his name correctly.)

To be sure, India is exerting a high profile at this show. Arbus delivered at ILA an A330-200 to India’s Jet Airways; accepting delivery was Jet Airway’s chairman Naresh Goyal with Airbus chief executive Tom Enders. The A330 dovetails with the operator’s intention of flying fuel-efficient aircraft that also have low operating costs. “India is experiencing the world’s fastest passenger traffic growth in the near term,” Enders commented. The aircraft delivered at the show is part of a two-phased order for 15 of the model and represents the seventh A330 for Jet Airways. The airline plans to use its A330 aircraft on newly opened far eastern routes.

Airbus also announced at the show that British Airways has agreed to buy two A318 aircraft, to handle all of its business class operations between London and New York. The A318 is the largest aircraft certified by EASA for the particularly steep approach procedures at London City Airport, where operations are sharply limited by high buildings, short runways and strict noise limits. The A318 can land at a 5.5% decent angle, as opposed to the standard 3%.

Airbus’ rival, Boeing, has been busy here as well. The Chicago-based manufacturer and Alenia Aermacchi signed a teaming agreement under which the companies will cooperate in selling the Italian OEM’s M-311 basic and M-346 advanced jet trainers on the international market. Alenia Aermacchi is producing 15 M-346 trainers for the Italian air force. The trainer also is in the final phase of a competition to provide an AJT to the United Arab Emirates; providing fierce contention for the coveted contract is the Korean Aerospace Industries/Lockheed Martin T-50.

Boeing also announced, though, that it is jettisoning efforts to develop a successor to the B737, citing insufficient in-house technology that can deliver the outsized boost in performance that operators seek for a next-generation single-aisle aircraft. Insiders say that Boeing’s surprise decision to abandon the Replacement Study — dubbed 737RS — will probably affect how its competitor Airbus proceeds on its ASOX replacement for the A320. Boeing officials said that the new imperative will be in fundamental research in aerodynamics, composites and advanced hybrid alloys.

Other OEMs crowed about the seemingly endless prosperity in aviation. Embraer boasted a firm order backlog for its commercial, executive and defense markets of a record $20.3 billion; orders jumped an astounding $1.5 billion in the first quarter of 2008. The Brazil-based airframe maker delivered 45 aircraft; it expects to deliver up to 200 E-jets this year and as many as 15 Phenom 100 jets.

New avionics technology is making a big splash here. Notably, Rockwell Collins is pulling out all of the stops to spark European interest in its open architecture glass cockpit systems. This marketing push comes in the wake of its newly won contract win from Eurocopter Deutschland to develop a German Avionics Management System (GAMS) for the German Army CH-53G helicopter. The GAMS is based on Rockwell Collins’ Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) and integrated into the new glass cockpit of the Sikorsky CH-53G.

The modular open system architecture (OSA) cockpit and mission management system includes new navigation sensors, a flight management system, five displays and a communication suite tightly customized to pre-existing requirements mandated by the German army. Rockwell Collins officials took pains to point out that a considerable amount of the development and production work for these avionics systems occur on German soil, at the company’s Heidelberg plant.

EADS Defence and Security and Thales signed an agreement in Berlin to develop, manufacture and sell a common-passive radar on the international market, targeting such customers as the German, French and other NATO military forces. Passive radar is designed to detect small, low flying, low speed aircraft, such as ultra-light unmanned aerial vehicles.

On a daily basis in the skies over Schonefeld air field, the German Army is flaunting the flying pyrotechnics of its newest operational helicopter, the NH90. As I watch the pilot put the helicopter through its paces, I have to admit that it’s strikingly nimble and maneuverable for its size. The German Army was the first customer to take delivery of the multi-role NH90 and is to date the largest operator, with 80 firm orders and 54 options. The German Luftwaffe has ordered 42 more.

The aircraft’s sensors include a Thales European Navy Radar (ENR) 360 degree nose-mounted surveillance radar. It’s also outfitted with an under-nose Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR), a Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) and a sonar system. The helicopter uses the identical Thales Topowl helmet-mounted sight as found in Eurocopter’s Tiger attack helicopter, which also is on daily flying display here.

The NH90 is being produced by the NHI consortium, a joint venture among Europe’s major helicopter companies, including EADS Eurocopter, AgustaWestland, and Stork Fokker. The consortium so far holds more than 500 orders for the NH90, from 18 customers spread across 14 countries.

That said, the aircraft’s fat order book, and dazzling aerobatics over the skies of Berlin, can’t disguise an embarrassing fact: the program is running badly behind schedule, mostly because of software glitches that were easily avoided. Deliveries to some customers have experienced highly publicized delays, raising the question as to whether NHI has properly managed customer expectations. It also doesn’t help that the perception among some cynics is that the NH90 is largely a government-subsidized jobs program. There are five assembly lines for the NH90, in Germany, France, Italy, Finland, and Australia, with Spain on the verge of setting up its own production facilities.

As is often the case at air shows these days, the buzzword “green aviation” is ubiquitous here. Whether the eco-rhetoric in Berlin is sincere or just a lot of hypocritical lip service is open to debate. Perhaps it’s a combination of both. Regardless, companies of all types at ILA are falling over themselves to portray their products and services as environmentally friendly. Notable case in point: Airbus teamed up with Honeywell International Aero Engines and the discount operator JetBlue to develop a sustainable second-generation biofuel for commercial aircraft. “Over the last 40 years, aviation has reduced fuel burn — and therefore carbon dioxide emissions — by 70%, but more needs to be done,” said Sebastien Remy, chief of Alternative Fuels Research Programs at Airbus. “We need to find something that has much greater yield than the current biomass sources available.”

Green rhetoric certainly was in abundance during an international conference held at the show, called “Greener Skies Ahead”. The theme was ways in which to reduce the carbon footprint and overall environmental impact of air transport. Aircraft OEMs, engine makers, and Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) operators, as well as research scientists and engineers, spoke during a full-day program. I popped in and out of the proceedings; some of the conference was genuinely interesting and some of it was, predictably, a lot of posturing and chin-wagging, as companies sought to burnish their green credentials in front of the gaggle of press.

Unfortunately, my colleagues in the Fourth Estate are not always notable for their healthy skepticism. If a company makes a statement (e.g., “We’re going green!”), then pack journalists tend to believe it wholesale, without first checking it out.

To be fair, legitimate advances in “green engine” technology are coming to the fore at ILA. General Electric and Rolls-Royce, for example, announced with great fanfare that they had finished design reviews for ultra-high pressure ratio compressors to be rig-tested under the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory’s Highly Efficient Embedded Turbine Engine technology demonstration. The engines reduce fuel burn by a significant 25% for embedded engines that power future tanker, transport, surveillance and unmanned combat aircraft.

Well, that’s enough for one day. I’ll post another ILA dispatch, tomorrow. A quick reminder: this blog is very much an interactive, participatory medium. Please don’t hesitate to submit your comments, which I will review and then post for everyone’s consumption.

However, as you give me feedback, please remember: this is family-friendly web site.