Iconic. It's a word that is sometimes perhaps a little over used but in the case of Farnborough one which fits the bill perfectly. The black sheds, the chalets, the DH-110 tragedy, Roly Falk rolling the Vulcan…….just some of what Farnborough represents and will be remembered for since the Society of British Aircraft Constructors took its show to the venue for the first time in 1948.
In many ways the event has changed little since then. It still runs for a week, with the last two days billed as the public days, but for the rest of the show it is really all about the global aerospace industry and for many exhibitors, showing off their wares, be it to the media or potential customers. FIA 2010 though took place with a backdrop of recent global recession, ongoing uncertainty over the financial markets and the possibility of defence cuts affecting many nations - all of which are casting a shadow over the industry in these difficult times.
However, figures released last Friday by A|D|S, the UK's AeroSpace, Defence and Security trade organisation and its subsidiary company Farnborough International Limited (FIL) revealed that the show was sold out with an increased number of exhibiting companies (1450) compared to those seen at the 2008 show (1393). Eleven UK Government ministers visited FIA 2010, as well as ministers from overseas with 70 delegations from 44 countries attending alongside over 120,000 visitors on the event's trade days.
Orders for the show totalled $47 billion (£31 billion) as of last week, compared with a high of $88.7 billion of orders taken at the 2008 show, which also contributes about £20 million to the local economy around Farnborough.
Ian Godden, Chairman of A|D|S, said "The 2010 Farnborough International Airshow has been very successful and the figures demonstrate the mood of strong optimism around the show this year, which is very encouraging given the current global economic climate. To see over $47 billion dollars worth of business done and the quality of the business transactions at the show is a testament to the endurance of our sectors, their positive contribution to UK and world trade as well as the significance of the show itself."
There is usually one scene stealer at an event like Farnborough and this year it was undoubtedly Boeing's 787 Dreamliner. As we already detailed in a blogGAR update, this impressive airliner arrived in the UK on the Sunday before the show, its first venture across the pond, and stayed until Tuesday. Departing Farnborough with two Spitfires for company the Dreamliner made a huge impact during its short stay and dominated media coverage for the duration of its visit.
The 787 naturally wasn't alone in representing the world of civilian air transport, however, and the Airbus A380 remains a hugely impressive sight (and airshow performer) despite Boeing's latest creation hogging the limelight this time round. On the trade days at least the A380 was joined in the flying programme by two Russian airliners in the shape of the brand new Sukhoi Superjet 100 and a further debutant, the Antonov An-158.
The Superjet seats between 75 and 95 passengers and has been produced by Sukhoi's civil division, of which 25% is owned by Italian company Finmeccanica, with the aircraft being developed in collaboration with Finmeccanica subsidiary Alenia Aeronautica. The Antonov meanwhile, which was only unveiled in April, is a regional twin jet and essentially a stretched version of the An-148 which will carry around 99 passengers. With no Russian military hardware on show it was nice at least to see something from these two legendary manufacturers and fascinating to hear of early interest in the Superjet from the USA. One can only wonder what Boeing et al will make of that if orders come to fruition!
The remainder of the trade day flying display was largely military by nature and dominated by a shoot out between some of the world's best known combat aircraft. The F-16C Fighting Falcon was joined in the programme by the F/A-18F Super Hornet, F-22A Raptor and no less than two Eurofighter Typhoon routines. Flt Lt Tim Clement's impressive solo display for the Royal Air Force will be familiar to many UK airshow goers by now but that flown on behalf of BAE is something really only seen at shows such as Farnborough. With test pilot Nat Makepeace at the controls, BAE once again decided to display the Typhoon fully loaded and full fuelled, all 13 hard-points utilised with bombs, missiles and tanks. Less aerobatic that Tim's display, Nat's routine did however demonstrate the huge capability of the aircraft at such weight extremely well, with the Eurojet EJ-200 engines powering the aircraft over the Farnborough skies in an impressively manoeuvrable performance.
The F-16C and F/A-18 displays were also impressive with Lockheed Martin utilising a USAFE jet courtesy of the 31st FW from Aviano in Italy and Boeing bringing over two unmarked USN jets. Although legendary Hornet test pilot Ricardo Travern was at Farnborough on demo flight duty and not displaying the jet this time round it remains one of the most potent aircraft in its class and is surely waiting in the wings for any nation unsure whether to go ahead with the troubled JSF. F-16 meanwhile is a veteran these days although with upgrades in the pipeline to take the aircraft well in to the next decade its viability as a legacy fighter and a safe option for purchase remains strong.
What can we say about the Raptor that hasn't already been said in the past couple of weeks since its arrival in the UK? Its appearances at FIA 2010, operating to and from Fairford, lacked some of the impact of those seen at RIAT with Farnborough's self-imposed height regulations but it still stopped the crowd in its tracks and there were very few faces not looking skywards as Zeke put the F-22A through its paces. Its size, immense power and vectored thrust really put it in a category of its own at Farnborough and, despite the fact that the aircraft will never be made available for purchase, we will surely at least be able to compare it to the Russian PAK T-50 at some point in the future - the only comparable piece of equipment in existence.
Other contenders were visible at FIA 2010 with the well-publicised appearance of two JF-17 Thunder aircraft from the Pakistan Air Force and the new Saab Gripen NG both on display, albeit remaining earthbound for the duration of the show, while Dassault's decision not to showcase Rafale this year meant we were deprived a sight of pretty much the final valid option when it comes to purchasing combat aircraft at this moment in time.
The other big battle being played out was that of the military transport sector which saw the brand new Airbus A400M make its Farnborough debut alongside the C-27J Spartan and C-130J Hercules. It's a shame that the row over the naming of the Grizzly has overshadowed what was an impressive showing from what has been a troubled programme to date. The Royal Air Force's Chief of the Air Staff Sir Stephen Dalton was robust in his criticism of the decision to officially name the A400M, with a moniker taken from the title given to the development aircraft by its test pilots, but this shouldn't detract from what was a fine display from an airlifter which is already scheduled to enter service with eight nations. We seem to have witnessed an extraordinary turn-around for a project which looked doomed a few months ago although it remains to be seen whether the ongoing Strategic Defence Review impacts on the A400M's future with the Royal Air Force at least.
The C-27J Spartan has already demonstrated itself to be an incredibly spritely performer on the airshow circuit and is in air force service with Bulgaria, Italy, Morocco, Lithuania, Slovakia, Romania, Greece and the United States. Its superb display was overshadowed however by that of the legendary C-130J with many people remarking that it was not only the best Hercules demo they had ever seen but was actually the highlight of FIA2010's flying programme. A short take off run was followed by an obscenely steep climb out after which the Hercules (a USAF aircraft from Ramstein AFB with company pilots at the helm) performed a routine full of steep turns, large angles of bank and a stunning tactical landing; breathless stuff and one which sent a clear message to the newer contenders that there is definitely life in the old dog yet.
FIA 2010 saw less aircraft on static display than in previous years but with some notable inclusions such as the Turkish Air Force Boeing 737 AEW&C procured under a project entitled Peace Eagle. This was a first for the UK for an aircraft which is roughly half the size of the E-3 Sentry and with half the engines, also featuring a distinctive fixed electronically scanned radar antenna rather than a rotating dome. Named Project Wedgetail for the Royal Australian Air Force the aircraft has also been ordered by the Republic of Korea, again under a different name - Project Peace Eye.
Texas-based Air Tractor's AT-802U surveillance, precision strike and utility aircraft was a fascinating sight, armed to the teeth in the static park with two 50-cal GAU-19 Gatling guns, two new BPWs (Border Protection Weapon - a precision munition with a 10ft circular error probable accuracy), one AGM-114 Hellfire, four direct attack guided rockets (DAGR), two Mk82 (225kg-class) bombs and a launcher for unguided rockets! Towards the end of the show week Air Tractor announced that production of the aircraft is now underway although details of the customer or amount of airframes ordered has not been revealed.
AgustaWestland meanwhile chose FIA 2010 to reveal a brand new product in the shape of the AW169 - a 4.5 tonne class twin engine helicopter designed to challenge Eurocopter's Dauphin and EC145 lines. While no price tag has yet been attached to the design, AW is apparently expecting "at least" 1,000 sales over the next 20 years for the AW169, which should enter service from 2015 and will carry up to 10 passengers.
Even in the two days I spent at FIA 2010 I barely scratched the surface of those companies on display inside the four huge halls, let alone all the aircraft on site, numerous UAV platforms (I lost count!), the vast amount of business being conducted and reams of announcements being made. Having subscribed to the email service for media it was actually quite overwhelming watching the press releases arrive in my inbox both before and during the event - but equally encouraging that so many parts of the aerospace world had so much to say.
Farnborough is, and always has been, primarily about business. I can understand some of the gripes from those who planned to visit on the public days and saw that many of the show's standout performers had already headed for home but, judging by the figures released by A|D|S, the event must be considered a success for all the right reasons. Now we look forward to Paris in 2011 before returning to Farnborough in 2012, with the show already scheduled a week earlier than normal (9th / 15th July) due to the London Olympics.
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