EMBRAER 170 Development Program Update
Certification Date Set for Second Quarter of 2003, HIRF Tests Concluded, Static Tests Under Way, Major Demo Tour to Start Soon
SAO JOSE DOS CAMPOS, Brazil, Sept. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Following a careful reassessment of current and remaining development and certification related activities for the EMBRAER 170 program, along with risk sharing partners and authorities, Embraer - Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. has defined the second quarter of 2003 as the new certification target date for the EMBRAER 170.
This decision results from delays experienced in aircraft systems and software development, which have adversely affected the normal flow of flight tests and the release of certification-related documentation.
The number of EMBRAER 170 aircraft to be delivered in 2003 will not be affected, therefore the total number of scheduled deliveries in 2003, for all Embraer models, will remain unchanged at 145. Development schedules of the other EMBRAER 170/190 family aircraft -- the EMBRAER 175, EMBRAER 190 and EMBRAER 195 -- remain as originally planned with certifications foreseen for the second quarter of 2004, fourth quarter of 2005 and fourth quarter of 2004, respectively.
Meanwhile, the EMBRAER 170 development program progresses at an intense pace. Other relevant facts and milestones are summarized in the following paragraphs.
High Intensity Radiated Fields (HIRF) tests carried out with production standard aircraft S/N 0006, in the presence of CTA (Centro Tecnico Aeroespacial - Brazilian Aerospace Technical Center) and JAA (European Joint Aviation Authorities) inspectors were successfully accomplished last August 20, three days ahead of schedule.
HIRF tests are designed to demonstrate the resistance of the aircraft electric and electronic systems to high intensity external electromagnetic fields such as the ones generated by radio and TV broadcasting antennas.
Lightning tests on main aircraft structures such as the wing, control surfaces and the radome have been successfully completed, with indirect lightning effects tests progressing toward a scheduled completion date in October.
The Full Scale Static Structure Test started in mid-August, with fuselage pressurization and wing-up bending limit load tests already performed successfully, and is on target for completion early next year.
Flooded runway ground tests took place during the third week of August at the Gaviao Peixoto plant. During one of the test runs, aircraft S/N 0003 left the runway and experienced minor damage. As a consequence, the main landing gear had to be replaced and the nacelle is under repair. While the aircraft is expected to resume operations soon, this event had no impact in the decision to reschedule the aircraft certification.
Finally, the EMBRAER 170 is scheduled to perform another important demonstration tour starting in mid September. No less than 20 operators from 15 countries from the U.S., Europe and Middle East are expected to see Embraer''s first member of a new generation of 70- to 110-seat airliners that will introduce a new industry standard for cabin comfort and operating economics for aircraft in its class.
The 100-hour, 72-cycle and 27,000-nm demo tour will be a source of aircraft function and reliability data, therefore playing an important role in the certification and maturity process.
Since its launch at the 1999 Paris Air Show, Embraer has a total of 112 firm orders and 202 options for the EMBRAER 170/190 family. The first production unit of the EMBRAER 170 is to be delivered to launch customer SWISS, of Switzerland, following certification in the second quarter of 2003.
Embraer is one of the world''s leading aerospace companies and is headquartered in Sao Jose dos Campos, state of Sao Paulo, with offices and customer service bases in Australia, China, France, Singapore and the United States, and a total workforce of 11,876 people, as of June 30, 2002. Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A.) has been Brazil''s largest exporter since 1999. As of June 30, 2002, its backlog for firm orders was valued at to US$ 10.1 billion and US$ 13.7 billion in options.
Embraer has 33 years of experience in designing, developing, manufacturing, selling and providing after sales support to aircraft aimed for the world airline, corporate and defense markets.
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