MH17 downed by Russian military missile system, say investigators

A Russian military missile was responsible for shooting down flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, an international team of investigators said on Thursday, for the first time pointing the finger directly at Moscow.

The Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine on 17 July 2014. All 298 people onboard were killed.

In 2016, investigators announced they had evidence that the BUK systeminvolved in the incident had crossed the border into eastern Ukraine from Russia and returned after the plane had been shot down.

At a press conference in The Hague on Thursday, the investigators showed photo and video evidence that they said proved they had identified the specific BUK missile system responsible.

They said they had “legal and convincing evidence which will stand up in a courtroom” that the BUK system involved came from the 53rd anti-aircraft missile brigade based in Kursk, in western Russia.

Previously, the investigative website Bellingcat has pointed to involvement of the same brigade using open-source information.

The joint investigation team (JIT) looking into the incident is made up of Dutch prosecutors and police and others from Australia, Malaysia and Ukraine. They showed photos and video of the convoy that carried the missile system over the border from Russia to Ukraine, and a series of distinctive markings and serial numbers which they said had enabled them to trace the exact system used in the attack, and trace it to the 53rd brigade.

He said there was other evidence that would be kept secret until a court hearing began. “We don’t want to tell everything we know because then we are opening our cards to the other side and we do not want to do that.”

The big question will be how a future court will operate, given Russia is likely to continue its policy of stonewalling and denial. Investigators had asked Russian authorities for information about the 53rd brigade but had been ignored, said Westerbeke. If specific Russian military personnel or commanders are indicted, Russia is almost certain to refuse their extradition.

Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop said the countries that make up the JIT were now “considering options” about how to proceed. “That a sophisticated weapon belonging to the Russian army was dispatched and used to shoot down a civilian aircraft should be of grave international concern,” she said.

The JIT stopped short of saying it believed the BUK system was deployed as part of a Russian military mission, saying only that they had identified the base from which it came. In a sign that some evidence is still missing, the JIT repeated a call for those with information about the incident to come forward, including information about the 53rd brigade, promising anonymity. 

“The next crucially important step is to identify some members of the military in the 53rd brigade ... who can directly say who was involved in the transfer or operation of the BUK,” said Ukrainian army general Vasyl Hrytsak, a member of the investigation team, in comments to Reuters.

Bellingcat said it would hold a press conference on Friday to present new findings on MH17.

In the weeks before MH17 was shot down, the separatists had shot down a number of Ukrainian military planes over east Ukraine, and intercepted communications between separatist fighters made it clear that they initially believed they had hit another military plane, not a civilian liner.

Russia has repeatedly denied it was militarily active in eastern Ukraine, despite an overwhelming body of evidence to the contrary. In 2014, Russian troops and hardware were introduced at key moments to back pro-Russia separatists fighting against Ukrainian government troops.

After a series of Russian media claims of Ukrainian responsibility were all shown to be false, Moscow appears to have settled on the idea that it was “impossible to tell” which side was responsible. 

This week a group of families of the MH17 victims wrote an open letter to the Russian people before the World Cup begins next month.

“We are painfully aware of the dark irony that the Russian leaders who will profess to welcome the world with open arms are those who are chiefly to blame for shattering our world,” the letter says. “And that it is these same leaders who have persistently sought to hide the truth, and who have evaded responsibility ever since that dreadful day in July 2014.”

Ethiopian marks African aviation history with 100th aircraft in active service

On the planned delivery of the 100th aircraft, Ethiopian Group CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam said: “It is an immense honor for all of us at Ethiopian to reach the milestone of 100 aircraft. This milestone is a continuation of our historical aviation leadership role in Africa and a testimony of the successful implementation of our fast, profitable and sustainable growth plan, Vision 2025.

“Ethiopian was the first to avail jet service in the continent back in 1962, and operated the first African B767 in 1984, the first African B777-200LR in 2010, the first African B787-800 Dreamliner and B777-200 freighter in 2012 and the first African A350 in 2016 and the first African B787-9 aircraft in 2017.

“Ethiopian now operates one of the youngest and most modern 100 aircraft, with an average age of less than 5 years. Fleet modernization and expansion is one of the four critical pillars of our Vision 2025 strategic roadmap, in support of our fast expanding network, which has now reached over 110 international destinations covering 5 continents

“Our new and cutting-edge fleet composed of B787s and A350s offer unparalleled on-board comfort to our customers and offer the best possible connections when traveling within Africa and between the continent and the rest of the world.”

GebreMariam  added: “This 100 fleet milestone, which we have achieved ahead of our Vision 2025 targets, compels us to revise our plans with a view to phase in more aircraft and further expand our network so as to meet the growing travel needs of our continent and support its economic development and integration by facilitating the flow of investment, trade and tourism. We will continue to connect more and more Africans with their fellow citizens of the continent and with their brothers and sisters in the rest of the world to make life better every single day”

Pilatus obtains PC-24 Type Certificates

Pilatus has obtained type certificates from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the US-American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the first ever Swiss business jet.

Certification of the Super Versatile Jet prepares the ground for initial customer deliveries, which will see the PC-24 business jet take off from Central Switzerland for its entry on the global market.

In any project to develop a new aircraft, certification by the aviation authorities is by far the most important milestone, given that it means deliveries to customers may go ahead, generating revenue for the manufacturer. The PC-24 development project was officially announced in 2013, but work on the Super Versatile Jet has in fact been in progress for the past eleven and a half years.

Complex project with a tight schedule

The first PC-24 prototype completed its maiden flight in May 2015. All three prototypes used in the certification programme have flown a total of 2205 hours worldwide so far. Some flight tests were conducted in extreme environments: in icing conditions and very hot temperatures, at altitudes and speeds not usually encountered in everyday operations. Other tests have included bird impacts, structural stress tests, noise tests and general function. All this to prove that customers may depend on this aircraft to operate safely and reliably at all times, in line with statutory requirements. In fact, Pilatus test pilots took the aircraft to the very boundaries of its limits and even beyond, flying it in configurations and maneuvers forbidden to the commercial pilots who will subsequently occupy the cockpit.

Dassault unveils new business jet to carry on where 5X left off

The new 5,500 nm aircraft was unveiled in Paris this morning and will make its first flight in early 2021 and begin deliveries in 2022. 

Pratt & Whitney Canada's Pure®Power PW800 engines have been selected to power the aircraft which offers more cabin volume than any other Falcon ever designed. 

The 6X is largely based on the Falcon 5X aerodynamics and system features which were validated during the 5X preliminary flight test program. It has been optimized to take advantage of the new engine, offering a greater range and a longer cabin.

"The industry has been moving towards ever wider and higher interiors, and customers told us what they wanted most in our new Falcons was more space," said Dassault CEO Eric Trappier. "So we designed the Falcon 6X from the cabin out, making it as passenger-centric as we could while still delivering the high performance and other flying qualities that customers value in Falcons."

The 6X will have top speed of Mach 0.90 and a maximum range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,186 km), and can fly directly from Los Angeles to Geneva, Beijing to San Francisco or Moscow to Singapore at long range cruise speed. It can also connect New York to Moscow, Paris to Beijing or Los Angeles to London at a cruise of Mach 0.85.

The aircraft also comes with noise suppression systems, based heavily on experience with the new Falcon 8X - claimed by the company to be the current benchmark in noise comfort - and an all-new cockpit and third generation EASy III all digital flight deck.

It will be delivered with a full package of equipment, including Dassault's FalconSphere II electronic flight bag and the revolutionary FalconEye Combined Vision System - the first head up display to combine enhanced and synthetic vision capabilities.

The Falcon 6X is equipped with an ultra-efficient wing that minimizes the impact of turbulence and a next generation digital flight control system that controls all moving surfaces, including a novel control surface called a flaperon. The 6X is the first business jet to use a flaperon, which considerably improves control during approach, especially on steep descents.

Eric Trappier SAID  "Dassault Aviation is confident and optimistic that the 6X will interest a worldwide market. " He added that Dassault Aviation will be able to deliver two aircraft per month depending on the market evolution. " We will need to be very reactive, flexible and adapt our production capacity. We hope to get contracts in the coming days, months and years as we have the best model in this segment. Dassault Aviation would like to be more present in African which shows much prospect in business aviation in the coming years. "

Vertical take-off and landing business jet takes-off to the sky

The Starling Jet now has now taken off to the sky taking vertical flight to greater heights.

The disruptive vertical take-off and landing business jet is a product of SAMAD Aerospace, which is a UK-based technology start-up with the dream to revolutionise the way humans and goods fly around the world. 

To achieve that, a group of experts in their respective fields - be it Aerodynamics, Aircraft Design and Propulsion systems -  worked together and developed a range of products that will redefine air travelling experience. 

The company said: “Imagine a transportation which is safer than a car, completely flexible, as eco-friendly as an electric vehicle, less time consuming than any plane or train and as luxurious as a private jet. This is the unique combination of features that will be offered by e-Starling and Starling-Jet in a door-to-door human air transportation, while UAV Starling will transport goods at an unprecedented pace; thus, completely changing perspectives about air travels. The Starling fleet are designed to give back their user’s most valuable asset - time - hence allowing them to achieve more than they would have ever dreamt of.”

P&WC's new PurePower PW812D engine application to power new Falcon 6X

Pratt & Whitney Canada have announced that a new variant of its ground-breaking PurePower PW800 turbofan engine has been selected to power the new Dassault Falcon 6X business jet, unveiled by Dassault Aviation earlier today.

The PW812D engine, thrust 13,000-14,000 lbs, is set to offer exceptional performance, unparalleled reliability and sustainability. Ready to enter service on other aircraft, the PurePower PW800 engine is optimized for high-flying, fast, long-range business jets and shares the same proven, rigorously-tested core technology used in Pratt & Whitney's award-winning PurePower family of geared turbofan commercial engines. The advanced common core technology, employed in 16 different PurePower engine applications, has amassed more than 585,000 in-service hours.

“With the new Falcon 6X, our PurePower PW800 engine once again demonstrates its leadership in the long range business jet category,” said Irene Makris, Vice-President, Marketing, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “The PW812D offers the highest level of technology available, paired with the reliability provided by an award-winning platform." 

Embraer E190-E2 granted certification by ANAC, FAA and EASA

Embraer has announced some final flight tests results confirming the E2 as the most efficient single-aisle aircraft on the market. In fuel consumption, the E190-E2 proved to be 1.3% better than originally expected, a 17.3% improvement compared to the current- generation E190.

The E190-E2 also becomes the most environmentally friendly aircraft in its class, with the lowest levels of external noise and emissions. Flight test results also confirmed the E190-E2 to be better than its original specification in takeoff performance. The aircraft’s range from airports with hot-and-high conditions, such as Denver and Mexico City, increases by 600 nm compared to current-generation aircraft. Its range from airports with short runways, such as London City, also increases by more than 1,000 nm allowing the aircraft to reach destinations like Moscow and cities in the north of Africa.

The E190-E2 will also have the longest maintenance intervals among single-aisle aircraft with 10,000 flight hours for basic checks and no calendar limit for typical utilisation. This means an additional 15 days of aircraft utilisation over ten years compared to current generation E-Jets. Another key gain is with pilot transition training time. Pilots of current-generation E-Jets will need only 2.5 days of training and no full flight simulator to be qualified to fly an E2.