16 Aircraft to Make First Paris Air Show Appearances
By Woodrow Bellamy III | June 16, 2017



Avionics is gearing up for the 52nd annual International Paris Air Show is set for June 19 to June 25 at Le Bourget Airport. (Come visit us in hall 3, booth D145!) In 2015, the show had a record breaking 350,000 visitors with 150 total aircraft on display, and 91 different countries represented with more than 2,300 total exhibitors, according show organizer Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace (SIAE).

Two of the world's biggest commercial airframe manufacturers, Airbus and Boeing, are not expected to reveal any brand new aircraft types — unless Boeing unveils a replacement for the 757 as its been rumored to throughout the year. But it is planned that 16 new aircraft will make appearances in Paris for the first time:

Antonov AN-132D
According to Ukranian aircraft manufacturing and services company Antonov, its new AN−132D aircraft demonstrator flew from Kyiv to Le Bourget, France, to have an international debut at this year's show. It will be demonstrated as part of the show’s flight programme, and will also remain on static display throughout the show. The AN−132D is the first prototype of the advanced AN−132 multipurpose transport aircraft. The AN−132 program is a collaboration between Antonov Co. and partners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) and the Taqnia Aeronautics Company, as well as an assortment of western suppliers.

Airbus A321neo
Airbus plans to feature the first public flying appearance of the A321neo, the re-engined version of its A321 aircraft. The A321neo is powered by either Pratt & Whitney PW1100G-JM or CFMI Leap-1A engines. It has seating for up to 236 passengers.

Airbus A350-1000
The largest member of the Airbus A350 family, the A350-1000 will also make its first public flying appearance at Le Bourget. The A350-1000 has capacity for up to 287 passengers, and completed a 12 hour demonstration flight in May. It is currently undergoing certification flight testing.

Airbus Helicopters H160
The Airbus Helicopters H160 medium twin engine, powered by Safran Helicopter Engines, was first publicly revealed at Helicopter Assn. International's (HAI) 2015 Heli-Expo conference, and will make its first appearance at the Paris Air Show next week. The H160 features the new Airbus Helionix cockpit avionics suite.

Airbus Helicopters VSR700
Airbus Helicopters' VSR700, which Airbus calls the “future tactical component of France’s Naval Aerial Drone,” will make its Paris debut on static display. Airbus is expected to make the first flight of the autonomous helicopter before the end of 2017.

Boeing 737-9 MAX
The Boeing 737-9 Max completed its first flight in April, and will participate in the flying display at Le Bourget Airport. Boeing has amassed 3,700 orders from 87 different customers globally for the MAX, and expects to complete its first 737-9 MAX delivery next year.

Boeing 787-10
Boeing completed the maiden flight of the 787-10 in March, and will feature the largest member of the Dreamliner in Paris on static display.

Cirrus SF50 Vision
Cirrus aircraft made the international debut of the SF50 single engine jet in May at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE 2017) in Geneva. The SF50 earned FAA certification in October 2016, and EASA certification last month. Cirrus refers to the SF50 as filling the “untapped void between high performance pistons and the very light jet.”

Diamond Dart 450
Diamond Aircraft Co. will feature the Dart 450 turboprop trainer aircraft for the first time at the Paris Air Show. The aircraft made its first international appearance at the 2016 Farnborough Airshow, and will be on static display for the first time in Paris.

Embraer E195-E2
Embraer’s E195-E2, the largest member of its second generation regional jet family aircraft, will make its first international appearance in Paris. The Brazilian airframe manufacturer exhibited the smaller version of the E2 family, the E190-E2, at Farnborough in 2016. The E2 family aircraft are powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PW-1900G, and features cockpit avionics from Honeywell Aerospace.

Embraer KC-390
Embraer will also feature the multi-mission transport and aerial refueling aircraft KC-390 for the first time at the Paris Air Show. The KC-390 will be part of the flying display, and made its first international public appearance in 2016 at the Farnborough Air Show. During a press conference in April, Jackson Schneider, head of Embraer’s defense division, said the company expects to see demand for $1.5 billion in exports annually when the KC-390 enters service next year. The company has also previously forecast a market worth over $50 billion to replace aging Lockheed Martin C-130 military transport aircraft.

Kawasaki P-1
Japanese aircraft maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries’ P-1 maritime patrol aircraft is the successor to its P-3C, and will participate for the first time in the flying display at Le Bourget. Kawasaki first unveiled the aircraft publicly at the 2016 Royal International Air Tattoo show in the U.K.

L-3 Technologies Longsword
After recently announcing FAA certification for its AT-802L Longsword, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, L-3 Technologies will feature the aircraft at the Paris Air Show for the first time. The aircraft is based on the 802-series of Air Tractors, and features a Garmin G600 cockpit avionics package.

Lockheed Martin LM-100J
Lockheed Martin’s commercial freighter version of its C-130J Hercules, the LM-100J will make its first international appearance after completing its first flight in May. Lockheed expects to achieve certification of the LM-100J in 2018.

Mitsubishi MRJ90
Mitsubishi’s MRJ90 regional aircraft will make its first international appearance in Paris this year. In January, Mitsubishi announced a two year delay to the first delivery of the MRJ, after publicly disclosing that the avionics need to be to be relocated, requiring rerouting and rewiring. All Nippon Airways is the launch customer for the MRJ90.

Turkish Aerospace Industries Hurkus
Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) will feature the Hurkus turboprop trainer aircraft for the first time publicly in Paris, where it will participate in the flying display portion of the show. The Hurkus earned EASA certification last year, and new variants are also currently in development.

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