This article is based on an official press release from RTX.

RTX’s Pratt & Whitney Canada Secures 15-Year Maintenance Deal with Scoot

Pratt & Whitney Canada, a business unit of RTX, has officially announced the signing of a 15-year maintenance agreement with Scoot, the low-cost subsidiary of Singapore Airlines. The contract, finalized on February 3, 2026, covers the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of the APS5000 auxiliary power units (APUs) installed on Scoot’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

According to the company’s announcement, the agreement encompasses a minimum of 24 APS5000 units. This deal represents a renewal and expansion of a relationship that began in 2014, when Scoot first introduced the widebody 787 into its operations. The long-term contract is designed to provide the airline with predictable maintenance costs and guaranteed dispatch reliability, critical factors for a low-cost carrier operating high-utilization routes.

Scope of the Agreement

The 15-year term underscores a significant commitment from both parties to secure long-term operational stability. Under the terms of the agreement, Pratt & Whitney Canada will provide comprehensive support for the APS5000 engines, which are essential for the ground operations of the Boeing 787. The manufacturer stated that the service model focuses on delivering “long-term durability” and ensuring that the APUs remain at peak performance levels throughout their lifecycle.

Anthony Rossi, vice president of Customer Service at Pratt & Whitney Canada, highlighted the strategic nature of the renewal in a statement included in the press release:

“This new contract builds on the longstanding relationship we have developed with Scoot. The maintenance solutions we provide our customers help ensure the peak performance of the APS5000 APU fleet, delivering predictable maintenance costs, long-term durability and dispatch reliability.”

Technical Context: The APS5000 APU

The APS5000 is a critical component of the Boeing 787’s “more electric” architecture. Unlike traditional auxiliary power units that use bleed air to start main engines, the APS5000 is the industry’s first all-electric APU for large commercial aircraft. It generates 450kVA of electrical power, which is used to start the main engines and power cabin systems, such as air conditioning and avionics, while the aircraft is on the ground.

According to data provided by RTX, the company has manufactured more than 1,400 APS5000 units to date. These units have accumulated nearly 16 million flight hours globally. The system is also marketed as the quietest in its class with the lowest emissions, a key consideration for operators flying into airports with strict noise and environmental curfews.

AirPro News Analysis

We view this 15-year agreement as a strategic defensive move by Scoot to mitigate supply chain volatility. In the current aviation landscape, where MRO capacity is often strained, “locking in” direct OEM support ensures that Scoot receives priority access to parts and technical expertise. For a low-cost carrier (LCC), the APU represents a potential single point of failure on the ground; if an APU fails at a remote airport without adequate ground power units, the aircraft cannot start its engines, leading to costly delays.

By securing a “power-by-the-hour” style arrangement, Scoot effectively transfers the technical risk of these complex, all-electric systems back to the manufacturer. This allows the airline to stabilize its operating expenses over the next decade and a half, ensuring that its widebody fleet maintains the quick turnaround times necessary for its business model.

Sources

Sources: RTX

This article is based on an official press release from Boeing.

Boeing Signs Historic Landing Gear Exchange Deal with Singapore Airlines Group

SINGAPORE, On February 4, 2026, at the Singapore Airshow, Boeing [NYSE: BA] announced the signing of the largest Landing Gear Exchange (LGE) contract in the company’s history. The agreement with the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group covers a fleet of more than 75 Commercial-Aircraft, encompassing both the 737 MAX and 787 Dreamliner families.

According to the company’s official statement, this program is designed to support the maintenance operations of both Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary, Scoot. By leveraging Boeing’s global inventory, the Airlines group aims to streamline supply chain management and reduce the time aircraft spend out of service for landing gear overhauls.

Scope of the Agreement

The contract represents a significant expansion of Boeing Global Services’ aftermarket support. While financial terms were not disclosed, the scale of the agreement, covering over 75 aircraft, surpasses all previous landing gear exchange contracts secured by the Manufacturers.

Under the terms of the deal, Boeing will provide exchange services for:

• Boeing 737 MAX aircraft operated by Singapore Airlines.
• Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operated by both Singapore Airlines and Scoot.

The Landing Gear Exchange program offers a distinct alternative to traditional maintenance models. Instead of removing landing gear, sending it to a shop for overhaul, and waiting months for the same set to be returned, the program allows airlines to swap out old gear for fully overhauled and certified sets from Boeing’s inventory immediately.

Operational Benefits

Boeing states that this model significantly reduces aircraft downtime (AOG). By eliminating the need for the airline to purchase and store expensive spare landing gear sets, the program also improves capital efficiency. The integration of Boeing’s inventory data with the carrier’s maintenance planning is intended to ensure parts are available precisely when scheduled maintenance occurs.

“By combining our global inventory and rapid distribution capabilities with the carrier’s maintenance planning, this agreement helps deliver parts faster and closer to operations, reducing downtime and supporting consistent, reliable service.”

, William Ampofo, Senior Vice President, Parts & Distribution and Supply Chain, Boeing Global Services

AirPro News Analysis

Contextualizing the “Largest-Ever” Claim

While Boeing’s press release highlights the record-breaking nature of this contract, a look at historical data clarifies the magnitude of the deal. Previous LGE agreements have typically covered significantly smaller fleets. For instance, industry data indicates that the launch customer for the 777 LGE program, Air Canada, signed for a fleet of 23 aircraft in 2014. More recently, Air Premia signed a similar agreement in late 2025 for a fleet of eight aircraft.

The Singapore Airlines deal, covering more than 75 tails, is roughly three times larger than these benchmarks. This suggests a shift in strategy for major carriers, who are increasingly outsourcing complex inventory management to OEMs (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to mitigate Supply-Chain volatility.

Strategic Importance for Boeing Global Services

This announcement underscores the growing importance of the Boeing Global Services division. As the manufacturing side of the business faces cyclical challenges, long-term service contracts provide a stable, high-margin revenue stream. Securing a contract of this size with a premier carrier like Singapore Airlines validates the “services-led” growth strategy Boeing has pursued at recent airshows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Landing Gear Exchange (LGE) program?
An LGE program allows an airline to replace landing gear requiring overhaul with a certified, ready-to-install set from the manufacturer’s inventory. This avoids the long wait times associated with overhauling the airline’s own specific gear.

Which airlines are included in the Singapore Airlines Group deal?
The deal covers the main carrier, Singapore Airlines, and its low-cost subsidiary, Scoot.

Why is this deal significant?
It is the largest landing gear exchange contract Boeing has ever signed, covering over 75 aircraft, which helps the airline reduce inventory costs and maintenance downtime.

Sources

• Boeing Media Room

This article is based on an official press release from the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

DLR Successfully Tests “Artificial Muscles” to Slash Helicopters Noise and Vibration

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), in collaboration with a consortium of international aerospace agencies, have successfully demonstrated a new rotor technology capable of significantly reducing helicopter noise and vibration. The breakthrough, achieved under the Smart Twisting Active Rotor (STAR) project, utilizes “artificial muscles” to actively twist rotor blades during flight without the need for heavy mechanical components.

According to the DLR, wind tunnel tests conducted in late 2025 confirmed that the system reduces noise during the critical landing phase by up to 7 decibels (dB) and cuts hub vibrations by more than 50 percent. These results mark a significant step forward for rotorcraft engineering, particularly for the emerging Urban Air Mobility (UAM) sector where noise pollution is a primary barrier to adoption.

The STAR Project: How Active Twisting Works

Traditional helicopter rotors rely on complex mechanical linkages, swashplates, and hydraulic systems to change blade pitch. While effective for basic flight control, these systems are often too slow or heavy to counteract the rapid, complex aerodynamic interactions that generate the characteristic “whop-whop” sound of a helicopter, known as Blade-Vortex Interaction (BVI).

The STAR project takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of mechanical flaps, the rotor blades are equipped with piezoceramic actuators integrated directly into the blade skin. When an electrical voltage is applied, these actuators expand or contract, functioning like artificial muscles to twist the blade.

Static and Dynamic Control

The DLR reports that this system allows for both static and dynamic twisting. Static twisting adjusts the blade for general flight regimes, such as hovering or cruising. However, the system’s true innovation lies in its dynamic capabilities. The actuators can twist the blades hundreds of times per second, allowing the rotor to adapt instantaneously to changing airflow and neutralize the aerodynamic shocks that cause noise and vibration.

“The special thing about this approach is that the active twisting of a rotor blade requires no mechanical components and is only minimally affected by the centrifugal forces acting on the rotor blades.”

, Berend Gerdes van der Wall, Project Manager at DLR Institute of Flight Systems

Wind Tunnel Results: Efficiency and Comfort

The technology was validated during a three-week campaign at the Large Low-Speed Facility (LLF) of the German-Dutch Wind Tunnels (DNW) in the Netherlands. The team utilized a four-meter diameter model rotor, a 40 percent scale model of a BO 105 helicopter rotor, to gather acoustic and aerodynamic data.

Significant Noise Reduction

Data collected during the tests revealed a noise reduction of up to 7 dB during descent. In acoustic terms, a reduction of this magnitude corresponds to cutting the perceived noise intensity by more than half for observers on the ground. This reduction is critical for operations over populated areas, where landing noise is often the most disruptive phase of flight.

Vibration Dampening

In addition to acoustic benefits, the system demonstrated a massive improvement in ride quality. Vibrations acting on the rotor hub were reduced by over 50 percent. According to the project data, this reduction not only improves passenger comfort but also decreases mechanical stress on the aircraft, potentially extending the lifespan of critical components.

“The results show that efficiency increased while noise and vibration were significantly reduced. During the measurement campaign, we were able to successfully test our concept in a realistic environment.”

, Berend Gerdes van der Wall, DLR

International Collaboration

While led by DLR, the STAR project represents a major global effort in aerospace research. The technology was developed and tested with contributions from several leading organizations, ensuring the data is validated across different engineering standards.

The consortium includes:

• NASA and the U.S. Army (USA)
• ONERA (France)
• JAXA (Japan)
• KARI and Konkuk University (South Korea)
• DNW (German-Dutch Wind Tunnels)

AirPro News Analysis

The success of the STAR project has implications far beyond traditional helicopters. As the aviation industry pivots toward eVTOL vehicles for air taxis, noise remains the single largest hurdle to regulations approval and public acceptance. A 7 dB reduction is not merely an incremental improvement; it could be the difference between a vertiport being approved in a city center or being pushed to the outskirts.

Furthermore, the elimination of mechanical parts in favor of solid-state piezoceramic actuators aligns with the industry’s push for lower maintenance costs. If this technology scales effectively from the 40 percent model to full-size aircraft, we expect to see “active twisting” blades become a standard feature in next-generation military and civilian rotorcraft.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the primary benefit of the STAR rotor system?
The system reduces helicopter noise by up to 7 dB and vibrations by over 50 percent without using heavy mechanical parts.

How does the blade twist without mechanics?
It uses piezoceramic actuators embedded in the blade skin. These “artificial muscles” deform when voltage is applied, twisting the blade structure.

Who was involved in the testing?
The project was led by DLR (Germany) with partners including NASA, the U.S. Army, ONERA, JAXA, KARI, Konkuk University, and DNW.

Sources

• German Aerospace Center (DLR)