ST Engineering has secured a two-year exclusive agreement with Hebei Airlines to provide Performance Restoration Shop Visit (PRSV) services for 14 CFM56-7B engines. The maintenance program, which commenced in September 2026, will be executed at ST Engineering’s aerospace facility in Xiamen, China.

Announced in a press release on September 23, 2026, the contract reinforces ST Engineering’s position as a primary Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) provider in the Chinese aviation market. The agreement highlights the sustained demand for CFM56 engine maintenance as operators maintain high utilization rates for their current-generation narrowbody fleets.

Expanding the Hebei Airlines partnership

The exclusive contract covers 14 CFM56-7B engines, the powerplant for the Boeing 737-800 aircraft operated by Hebei Airlines. The maintenance work will be conducted at ST Engineering’s established facility in Xiamen, leveraging the company’s regional footprint to optimize turnaround times for the Chinese carrier.

Hebei Airlines Deputy General Manager Yang Jun cited the MRO provider’s technical expertise as a key factor in the agreement.

“Built on mutual trust and technical excellence, this programme marks the beginning of a new chapter of closer collaboration, innovation and shared success. As we begin this 14-engine maintenance programme, we look forward to deepening our technical collaboration and strengthening our partnership with ST Engineering.”

Strategic growth in engine MRO

ST Engineering continues to expand its engine services portfolio across the Asia-Pacific region. Tay Eng Guan, Senior Vice President and Head of Engine Services at ST Engineering, noted that the partnership reflects the confidence Chinese operators place in the company to enhance engine lifecycle value and performance.

The Hebei Airlines contract aligns with a broader expansion of ST Engineering’s commercial aerospace support network. On September 23, 2026, the company also announced three multi-year agreements with RTX’s Collins Aerospace. That concurrent deal expands collaboration on aircraft component support, including new repair capabilities for Boeing 787 components and continued lifecycle support for Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 Line Replaceable Units (LRUs).

AirPro News analysis

We view this agreement as a clear indicator of the ongoing reliance on the CFM56 engine family. As supply chain constraints and delivery delays impact the introduction of newer aircraft powered by CFM LEAP and Pratt & Whitney engines, airlines are forced to extend the operational life of their existing Boeing 737-800 and Airbus A320ceo fleets. This dynamic creates a highly lucrative environment for established MRO providers capable of executing complex PRSV programs. ST Engineering’s ability to secure exclusive, multi-year contracts demonstrates the premium operators place on reliable turnaround times and proven technical capability in a constrained maintenance market.

Sources: ST Engineering

Barnes Aerospace and the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on September 22, 2026, establishing a framework to evaluate the creation of regional engineering and AI centers in Singapore.

The agreement, announced in a company press release, outlines plans to explore the expansion of Barnes Aerospace’s manufacturing, aftermarket component repair and overhaul (MRO), and technology capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region. The MOU builds upon the company’s three-decade presence in the country and follows a recent physical expansion of its local repair footprint.

Evaluating regional centers of excellence

Under the terms of the MOU, Barnes Aerospace and the EDB will assess the viability of designating Singapore as the manufacturer’s Asia-Pacific Engineering Center of Excellence. The partnership also includes plans to evaluate the establishment of a regional Artificial Intelligence Center of Excellence dedicated to aerospace operations.

Company leadership indicated the agreement is intended to support broader technological integration across its maintenance and manufacturing lines. Lee Brough, President of EMEA & Asia for Barnes Aerospace, stated the company is evaluating how automation, artificial intelligence, and new repair technologies can increase productivity and accelerate capability development.

“The opportunity in Singapore extends beyond adding manufacturing and repair capacity,” Brough said in the release.

Barnes Aerospace Chief Executive Officer Mike J. Mosley noted the company’s long-term presence in the country, stating the EDB collaboration provides an opportunity to build on that foundation. Mosley added that the company sees opportunities to expand advanced manufacturing and repair capabilities to solve complex turbine engine challenges for global customers.

Recent Asia-Pacific expansion efforts

The MOU follows a series of capacity increases for Barnes Aerospace in the region. On September 15, 2026, the company announced the addition of a new component repair facility at JTC’s Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore. That addition increased the company’s local component repair footprint by approximately 50 percent, a move designed to address capacity constraints in aerospace engine component repair.

The Seletar site complements the company’s existing MRO facility in Loyang and its manufacturing operations at Changi North Crescent. Earlier in the year, the Seletar facility was the site of a ceremony where Barnes Aerospace received the 2025 Supplier Performance Award from Safran Aircraft Engines.

The company’s global MRO portfolio also expanded in August 2026 with the acquisition of Kansas-based commercial aeroengine component specialist Jet AirWerks LLC, further growing its component repair and overhaul business.

AirPro News analysis

We view the MOU between Barnes Aerospace and the Singapore EDB as a clear indicator of the aerospace supply chain’s ongoing pivot toward advanced technology integration in the Asia-Pacific region. By explicitly targeting artificial intelligence and advanced engineering rather than just floor space, Barnes Aerospace is positioning its Singapore operations to handle higher-complexity turbine engine work. This aligns with broader industry trends where MRO providers are leveraging automation to offset skilled labor shortages and accelerate turnaround times for critical engine components.

Sources: Barnes Aerospace

The Department of Energy (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the Boeing Company have successfully fabricated a two-ton, 3D-printed metal mold designed to accelerate the production of thermoplastic composite aircraft structures. Announced on September 21, 2026, the Stamp Form Die (SFD) will support an initiative by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to dramatically increase commercial aircraft manufacturing rates.

According to a press release from ORNL, the massive mold was developed using wire-arc additive Manufacturing (WAAM) in collaboration with Baker Industries, a subsidiary of Lincoln Electric. The project demonstrates that large, complex tooling can be 3D printed significantly faster than traditional machining, casting, or forging methods. This advancement addresses a critical bottleneck in aerospace manufacturing by reducing the lead time required to produce essential factory equipment.

Advancing high-rate composite manufacturing

The SFD will be utilized by Boeing as part of the NASA Hi-Rate Composite Aircraft Manufacturing (HiCAM) project. The HiCAM program aims to achieve production rates of up to 80 aircraft per month for composite airframes without incurring a weight penalty compared to 2020 technologies.

“NASA and its industry partners are working to increase the production rate of composite aircraft to meet the growing demand for air travel and to reduce aircraft weight, which improves fuel efficiency, lowering costs for aircraft operators,” said Richard Young, Project Manager for NASA HiCAM.

Young added that the effort is essential to maintaining the competitive advantage of the United States in the Commercial-Aircraft industry. Michael Matlack, a Technical Fellow at Boeing, echoed this sentiment, stating that American companies must continue to push technical boundaries to retain a global competitive edge.

Wire-arc additive manufacturing process

The 3D-printed SFD measures 6 feet in height and 4 feet in width, weighing nearly 2 tons. Utilizing the Arc-1 WAAM system at ORNL, the team completed the build in 8 weeks. To compensate for warping during the printing process, engineers ran 32 computer simulation iterations to refine the design before fabrication.

William Carter, a robotics engineer at ORNL, noted that Boeing specifically wanted to evaluate the feasibility of WAAM for this application and worked closely with the laboratory to evaluate the challenges of making the mold. Andrzej Nycz, a senior robotics engineer at ORNL, stated that multi-material WAAM enables new designs that combine fine-tuned mechanical performance with time and cost savings.

The successful fabrication of the SFD also has implications beyond aerospace. Ahmed Arabi Hassen, Group Leader for Composites Innovation at ORNL, indicated that the technology could eventually be used to manufacture large thermoplastic structures for the energy and automotive sectors.

AirPro News analysis

We note that tooling lead times are a persistent constraint in aerospace manufacturing, particularly for large composite structures. Traditional metalworking for dies of this scale can take many months and require extensive material removal. By validating WAAM for a two-ton SFD, Boeing and ORNL are proving that additive manufacturing can shift from prototyping to critical production infrastructure. If the NASA HiCAM project successfully demonstrates full-scale composite fuselage and wing box manufacturing in 2028 and 2029 as planned, rapid tooling methods like this 3D-printed mold will be essential to meeting the ambitious 80-aircraft-per-month target.

Sources: Oak Ridge National Laboratory