Aerospace and Defense Review : News

In June, the company surveyed 65 companies in the middle market of the commercial aviation supply chain. Specialized provider of investment banking services to the middle market of the global aerospace and defense industry, Alderman & Company, published the results of a recent proprietary survey highlighting the growing liquidity crisis in the commercial aviation industry. In June, the company surveyed 65 companies in the middle market of the commercial aviation supply chain. These companies included but were not limited to manufacturers, distributors, and service providers such as maintenance and repair. Some of the key findings of the survey were: - Airline passenger traffic is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels until 2022. - Suppliers are looking to cut expenses ahead of future declines. - Financing for suppliers is not expected to come from banks. "We wanted to get at the heart of both the micro and macro-economic issues industry stakeholders and government officials are facing in light of COVID-19," said Alderman & Company CEO, Bill Alderman. "The pandemic has caused the most significant downturn in the history of commercial aviation and we want to help companies within the supply chain pivot to cope." This latest survey, titled Impending Crisis, is the second in a series of surveys that the company plans to conduct to identify the pandemic's impact on the commercial aviation industry supply chain. Alderman & Company was founded in 2001 and is a specialized investment bank that exclusively provides sell-side M & A advisory services to middle-market companies within the global aerospace and defense industry. The company's clients include family-owned enterprises, microcap public companies, divisions of large corporations, and portfolio companies of private equity firms. Alderman & Co.'s services are built on comprehensive industry knowledge and years of process expertise providing business owners value-maximizing solutions for exiting their businesses. ...Read more

Besides being cost-effective, 3D printing can make parts that are more resilient and lightweight compared to those made by traditional manufacturing 3D printing was not recognized as a valuable opportunity by most industries until a few years ago. The scenario has changed in recent times, with additive manufacturing proving as a cost-effective solution to many industries. The aerospace industry is one such, which has been leveraging 3D printing since as early as the 1980s. The sector is one of the first to invest on a large scale in the technology. In 2015, the aerospace industry contributed nearly 16 percent of the 3D printing industry’s total revenue of USD 4.9 billion. A recent study indicated that a growth rate of 23 percent could be expected for 3D printing in the aerospace sector between 2017 and 2021. With commercial air travel increasing rapidly, the demand indicates an order of nearly 38,000 new aircraft over the next 20 years. As a result, equipment manufacturers, designers, and suppliers need to find cost-effective solutions to quickly and efficiently produce these aircraft. The aircraft industry has a shorter lifespan for various parts, making 3D printing a suitable option for the sector. Besides being cost-effective, 3D printing can make parts that are more resilient and lightweight compared to those made by traditional manufacturing. Some companies claim that additive manufacturing can produce weight reductions by nearly 40-60 percent. An average corporate aircraft travels around 75,000 miles in a month. A single air component manufactured using additive manufacturing techniques can reduce air drag by 2.1 percent, which reduces fuel costs by 5.41 percent. Cutting down fuel costs will also lead to reducing the environmental impacts of the aerospace industry. In an age where conserving the environment is of prime concern, any technology that can minimize the impact on the environment is a splendid deal. Also, 3D printing can produce thousands of parts without relying on expensive tooling changes. Unlike traditional methods, 3D printing enforces a tool-less technology, which requires less energy as modified parts or upgrades can be produced as needed and eliminate the need for costly storage. 3D printing processes can create highly complex and lightweight structures with high stability while allowing for the consolidation of multiple parts into a single component. This results in cost reduction, waste reduction, faster production, greater consistency, and better finishes across the aircraft's surface. Check Out:  Top Technology Companies in Aerospace Sector ...Read more

According to the SDA, the constellation is envisioned as two planes of satellites in near-polar orbits about 1,000 kilometers above Earth, and an inclination range between 80 to 100 degrees The Space Development Agency has decided to select two or more companies later this year to design, build, and test a new mesh network of up to 20 satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by 2022. The project will be the Pentagon-based space agency's first step towards building a much larger constellation by 2024 to provide global connectivity to the U.S. military. SDA Director Derek Tournear stated that the final solicitation for bids for the mesh network that SDA calls “transport layer” will be issued around May 1, 2020. The SDA Director was speaking at an online industry day. The event was scheduled to take place initially at the Colorado Springs during the 36th Space Symposium. However, the symposium had to be postponed to a later date due to the outbreak of the coronavirus . SDA hosted the meeting online and drew an audience of over 500 people. The contracts for the design and production of up to 20 satellites will be awarded as early as August to two or more vendors.   [vendor_logo_first] “The number of providers will be decided upon as a result of the merit and maturity of the responses that are received,” said SDA’s draft solicitation. Vendors will be evaluated in part for their ability to procure or produce satellite buses that meet the military’s needs at prices comparable to what is available in the commercial sector. Under the contract, any design or technology proposed by the vendor and accepted by the SDA will become the intellectual property of the government. According to the SDA, the constellation is envisioned as two planes of satellites in near-polar orbits about 1,000 kilometers above Earth, and an inclination range between 80 to 100 degrees. The plan is to have all satellites operate at the same altitude and inclination regardless of what vendors make them. The satellites will be connected in space using optical links. Also, some of the satellites will have optical links to satellites that are not in the transport layer and to ground terminals. The SDA refused to disclose how much money it intended to award in contracts for the 20 satellite constellation. According to Tournear, the agency has USD 25 million in its 2020 budget for the project and has requested USD 100 million in its 2021 budget, which Congress has not approved yet. See also: Top Aerospace Tech Solution Companies ...Read more