Right, then! We highlighted the tech featured at the Singapore Airshow 2018 in an earlier article, now let’s get to the nitty-gritty and take a look at the stars of the airshow—the aircraft!
HondaJet
Making its global airshow debut in Singapore is the rather sleek and beautiful looking HondaJet, which marks the Japanese motor company’s first foray into the world of passenger jets, following the forming of its aviation wing as the “Honda Aircraft Company” in 2006. Honda Aircraft Company is headquartered in North Carolina, USA.
The HondaJet, which is touted as the fastest, highest-flying, quietest, and most fuel-efficient jet in its class, features a unique Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration that dramatically improves performance and fuel efficiency, reduces cabin noise, and increases cabin capacity. It also boasts a “fully serviceable aft lavatory,” which is a nice feature.
You can see more details on the aircraft’s performance at this link.
Embraer E-190 E2
The narrow-bodied Embraer E190-E2 regional jet from the Brazilian aerospace conglomerate also made its debut at the Singapore Airshow.This commercial aircraft, nicknamed the "profit hunter" by Embraer, features a tiger's face spray painted onto its nose—a specially commissioned design intended as a mark of respect to Asia.
Why is the jet called the “profit hunter”? Well, the E190 shares a lot of its parts and maintenance procedures with other members of the E-Jets E2 platform, so its name reflects the cost reductions associated with the aircraft’s maintenance and parts. Similarly, the crew training qualifications are the same for the entire E2 range, meaning that last-minute changes to crew can be easily managed, and therefore increase efficiency. And finally, thanks to its use of weight-reducing smart materials and high aspect ratio wings, the E190-E2 offers significantly reduced fuel burn.
The E190-E2 is scheduled to enter into service in April 2018, and you can see the aircraft’s specifications at this link here.
Airbus A350-1000 XWB
Making its first appearance before its first production aircraft is delivered to Qatar Airways in two weeks is the Airbus A350-1000, which is the largest twin-engine aircraft ever developed by Airbus and is set to compete against the rival Boeing B777 for a slice of the high-capacity long-haul market.
The A350-1000 is powered by a Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 turbofan, which is not only the most efficient aero engine in the world but also has exceeded performance targets, being capable of hoisting an extra 5.3 tons of cargo in hot weather conditions, and having a better-than-expected EPNdB (effective perceived noise in decibels) rating of 16.5.
Other Featured Aircraft
Although the HondaJet, Embraer and Airbus aircraft were undoubtedly the stars of the show—making their first appearances at an airshow—there were some other birds that had never touched down at an airshow in Asia before.
The Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II made its first appearance at an Asian airshow, as previous shows only contained a nonfunctional mock-up of the aircraft. Clearly, the Republic of Singapore Air Force will be purchasing some of these in the future. They do like their flashy toys here, and the F-35B will complement their squadrons of F-15s and F16s quite nicely. It would make a nice gift to the RSAF, for sure, as 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the nation’s air force.
The Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft also made an appearance at the show, as did the Royal Thai Air Force’s Gripen jet.
There was also a range of business and commercial aircraft, which are appearing for the first time at an airshow in Asia, including the Gulfstream G500 and G600 aircraft, as well as the Cessna Citation Longitude.
Final Note
That’s about all from the Singapore Airshow 2018. There is so much to see here, but, sadly, I have run out of space (and time).
On a somewhat trivial note, I did find a curious tit bit of information in the airshow’s brochure.
Have you ever wondered how much aircraft exhibitors pay for floorspace to show off their new wares? You can see that information in the image below.
Pity the small aircraft companies. The 60-tonne+ class seems to be getting a much better deal when it comes to floorspace.