Nigeria zones in on drone regulation

Although the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) targets 2018 to publish standards and recommended practices (SARPs) for the certification and operations of drones, interest in their civil and military use in Nigeria has continued to increase.

The level of interest in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV)/remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) gained prominence when, in December 2013, Nigeria’s then president, Goodluck Jonathan, unveiled the country’s first indigenous UAV, codenamed GULMA.

It was designed and constructed by the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) at the base in Kaduna. 
Speaking during the unveiling ceremony, he congratulated the air force, saying that the achievement marked a turning point in indigenous technological development in Nigeria. He urged the private sector to key into the NAF breakthrough in order to achieve a high level of mass production and the highest and best commercial use of the prototype UAV.

The need for UAVs has increased for Nigeria at a time the nation is diversifying its economy. Drones can be deployed for disaster management, power line survey, telecommunication, weather monitoring, news coverage, oil and gas exploration, aerial imaging and mapping.

“The development of the use of RPA nationwide has emerged with somewhat predictable safety concerns and security threats. Therefore, with the preponderance of these operations, particularly in non-segregated airspace, there has to be proactive safety guidelines,” said Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) spokesman Sam Adurogboye.

He revealed that, by early 2016, some RPA/UAVs had been deployed for commercial and recreational purposes in the country without adequate security clearance, stating that the NCAA had put in place a regulating advisory circular to guide the certification and operations of civil RPA in its airspace.
“No government agency, organisation or individual will launch an RPA/UAV in the Nigerian airspace for any purpose whatsoever without obtaining a requisite permit from the NCAA and the office of the national security adviser (ONSA),” he said.

“In addition, operators must ensure strict compliance with the condition stipulated in their permits and the requirements of Nigeria civil aviation regulations (NCARs).” 

Adurogboye added that violators would be sanctioned according to the dictates of NCARs.
Engineer Ifeanyi Ogochukwu, of the safety directorate of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), said the regulation of drone operations in the country had become an emergency because of the security threat capabilities of the technology.

Another expression of the government’s commitment to UAV regulation occurred on November 21, 2016 when ONSA, in collaboration with the NCAA, held a one-day stakeholder meeting to articulate the use of UAV/RPA in Nigerian airspace. 

Discussions centred on safety implications, risk assessment, oversight, regulations and certification.
NCAA director general, Captain Muhtar Usman, recently took steps to establish an RPA/drones safety team, which will help to develop recommendations to assist his organisation in creating an RPAS registration system in the shortest possible time. This would also help connect an RPAS with its operators in cases where people were not following the rules. 

The RPAS advisory committee, to be overseen by NCAA’s Directorate of General Aviation, is also to help prioritise RPA integration activities, including development of future regulations and policies.
The first regulation for routine RPA use took effect in 2015. According to the NCAA, a new regulation that will put a limit of 25kg as the allowable weight limitation for civil drones in the country will be made public by 2017, providing an important regulatory foundation for allowing additional weight categories in future, to be followed by proposed rule on RPA operations over populated areas.

The announcement by the United States military, in September 2016, for plans to build a $100 million drone base near Nigeria, particularly in Agadez, central Niger, to help the west African country combat militant groups and protect its borders, could be an added emphasis on the importance of strengthening UAV regulation in Nigeria.

Kenya Airways Limited advised on financial restructuring

Global law firm White & Case has advised Kenya Airways Limited on its US$2 billion financial restructuring.

Key features of the restructuring include a reprofiling of payments owed to operating and finance lessors, a conversion of debts into newly issued equity in the company and the provision of a new multi-purpose facility from Kenyan banks. Following the transaction, Kenya Airways has been repositioned for long term growth and is around 90 percent owned by the Government of the Republic of Kenya and a group of 11 local banks.

“Our cross-practice team advised on a significant and multi-faceted transaction involving multiple jurisdictions that ultimately required the agreement of creditors, shareholders, the Kenyan government and other key stakeholders to the business,” said London-based White & Case partner Christian Pilkington, who led the Firm’s deal team. “The leadership and participation of US EXIM Bank was also instrumental to the success of the restructuring.”

“White & Case delivered the combined strength of its experience in African restructurings and aviation finance to successfully execute a complex transaction that ensures the stability of a strategically important national transport resource,” said London-based White & Case partner Justin Benson.

Ethiopian receives second Boeing 787-9

Ethiopian Airlines has taken delivery of its second Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet on November 21, 2017.

In less than a span of a month since Ethiopian took delivery of Africa’s first Ethiopian B 787-9, the 2nd B787-9 aircraft has joined its youngest fleet totaling its operating fleet to 95 among which 21 are from the Dreamliner family.

Gulfstream exceeds G500 and G600 planned performance

Gulfstream Aerospace has announced that during rigorous flight-testing its long-range Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600 offer better performance than originally thought.

As a result, Gulfstream is announcing new performance standards for both aircraft.

Upon entry into service, the G600 will deliver 6,500 nautical miles/12,038 kilometers of range at Mach 0.85, 300 nm/556 km farther than the initially promised range of 6,200 nm/11,482 km. At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90, the aircraft will fly 5,100 nm/9,445 km, an increase of 300 nm/556 km over original projections. 

The G500 can fly 5,200 nm/9,630 km at its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85, providing operators even greater mission flexibility over the aircraft’s original 5,000-nm/9,260-km range. At its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90, the G500 will offer 4,400 nm/8,149 km of range, a 600-nm/1,111-km increase over its projected range of 3,800 nm/7,038 km.

 “As we methodically moved through our concurrent flight-test programs, which are going exceptionally well, we recognised we had both the time and ability to enhance G500 and G600 performance and give our customers a business-jet family that’s better than the one we had promised them,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “Extracting more capabilities from our aircraft has become a Gulfstream hallmark, the result of creating and maintaining a culture committed to continuous improvement, listening to our customers and exceeding our promises.” 

To demonstrate its increased range, a fully outfitted G500 set a potential city-pair record between London and Las Vegas, flying 4,690 nm/8,686 km at an average speed of Mach 0.88 with a 32-knot headwind. Now in Las Vegas, both the G500 and G600 — with fully outfitted interiors — will be part of the Gulfstream static display at the NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition at Henderson Executive Airport. The city-pair record is pending confirmation with the National Aeronautic Association.

Powered by twin Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800-series engines, the G500 and G600 have a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925 — the same as Gulfstream’s G650 and flagship G650ER. 

Embraer announces new IFEC supplier for the E-Jets E2s

Embraer has selected Meggitt Polymers & Composites and KID-Systeme as its new inflight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) system suppliers for the E-Jets E2, the second generation of the E-Jets family of commercial aircraft.

Meggitt will design and produce a high performance radome assembly for in-flight connectivity, while KID-Systeme was selected by Embraer to provide the SKYfi Club – a wireless streaming onboard platform for commercial and executive aircraft.

“To best suit their operating environments, airlines and lessors can choose from the E2's portfolio of in-flight entertainment and connectivity products from multiple suppliers. There are also common smart and modular provisions that accommodate future equipment installation,” explained Rodrigo Silva e Souza, Vice President of Marketing, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “The IFE&C portfolio will include wireless streaming entertainment to personal devices or seat backs, internet via Ka and Ku bands and air-to-ground connectivity, and real-time TV (iPTV).”

Meggitt will design, manufacture, and assemble Embraer’s installation kit, comprised of a radome, skirt seal, adapter plate, and fittings. One of the key benefits to this unique assembly is the tri-band radome capability, allowing each aircraft to be tailored to the customer’s preferred antenna manufacturer.

“From a fledgling commercial radome programme inherited as part of our advanced composites acquisitions in late 2015, I am delighted to have seen the exceptional progress to the creation of a low-risk, convenient, field-proven assembly for airframers and airlines,” said David Horner, Meggitt Polymers & Composites President. “This award makes us an exclusive provider of our unique kit of parts to one of the most progressive aircraft manufacturers in the world, and we are challenging our industry’s market leaders.”

KID-Systeme’s SKYfi Club has been selected by Embraer as a catalogue line-fit option for the E2’s airline customers that will be able to choose KID-Systeme’s streaming solution. SKYfi Club streams content to passengers’ personal electronic devices, giving them access to the entertainment options available, such as: movies, e-books, and magazines. The technology is based on the trusted ALNA (Airline Network Architecture) connectivity platform, already present in over 650 aircraft. The mature system provides a scalable and modular architecture adaptable to customer needs. It enables a wide range of additional services such as internet access, and data services. Additionally, SKYfi can be complemented by SKYpower, KID-Systeme’s in-seat power and cabin power management system.

“KID-Systeme is honored and delighted about this selection, which recognizes our continuous effort in focusing on value-adding innovations, high quality products, and first class customer service,” said Peter Schetschine, Managing Director of KID.

This past April, Embraer announced that Panasonic Avionics Corporation (Panasonic) will also provide inflight entertainment and connectivity for the E-Jets E2.

Trump shift the emphasis in east Africa

US President Donald Trump has approved a mission proposal from the Pentagon that will allow the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) to provide additional support for the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somali Government forces as they strive to defeat Islamist al-Shabaab – a fundamentalist Salafist jihadist terrorist organisation that has pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda.
The president signed a directive designating part of southern Somalia as an “area of active hostilities” for the next six months. This will allow AFRICOM greater freedom of action in its operations in this area, including more aggressive air strikes.
President Trump is understood to have reacted to a request by General Thomas Waldhauser, the head of AFRICOM, who reportedly requested additional authority in giving the command greater flexibility, autonomy and timeliness when making decisions to prosecute targets, allowing commanders to conduct operations without having to consult the White House for each mission.
US Forces are also expected to step up the scope, scale and intensity of their operations against Al Shabaab, moving further away from the Obama administration’s policy of only allowing defensive operations, and missions in support of AMISOM. Some see this as an indication that the US has finally overcome its reluctance to intervene in Somalia, following the 1993 battle of Mogadishu (immortalised in the book and movie ‘Black Hawk Down’), which saw the loss of multiple UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters and 19 US dead, and a humiliating early withdrawal by the remaining US force in March 1994.

Boeing has launched its third major business unit when Boeing Global Services

Boeing has launched its third major business unit when Boeing Global Services began operating alongside Commercial Airplanes and Defense, Space & Security.

This new dedicated services business focuses on the needs of government, space and commercial customers worldwide.  

Boeing Chairman, President and CEO Dennis Muilenburg announced the formation of Global Services in November 2016 to expand Boeing's share of a global—and growing—commercial and government services market worth an estimated $2.6 trillion over the next decade.

"Aerospace services represents one of our biggest growth opportunities for the future," said Muilenburg. "Standing up Global Services will accelerate our capabilities across all Boeing services and support areas—from our traditional parts, modifications and upgrades business to strengthening our data analytics and information-based offerings. Our services expertise, the global reach of our business, and our strong customer partnerships have us well positioned to compete and win in this important sector." 

Boeing has been working since November to fully define and structure the integrated new business, which combines key capabilities of the company's former Commercial Aviation Services and Global Services & Support groups. Led by President and CEO Stan Deal, Global Services will bring innovative service solutions to customers in four key capability areas: Supply Chain, Engineering, Modifications & Maintenance, Digital Aviation & Analytics, and Training & Professional Services. 

"We've been talking with our customers over the past few months as we've prepared for this transition, and tomorrow they can begin to see the value of this dedicated services unit that allows us to deliver agile, cost-competitive solutions so they can reduce costs, drive efficiency and ultimately optimise their operations," said Deal.