Thread: Airline News

The FAA was watching the Starship's development closely and was particularly demanding, as the Starship was to be the first FAA-certified composite aircraft. For instance, the FAA required the generation of substantially more aerodynamic loading data than would have been usual for a conventional design, in order to prove that classical loads analysis could conservatively apply to the radical new tandem composite wing design.
The FAA did not have established design-life criteria for composite structures, and designed a rigorous test program involving the cycling of the test structure through damage expected over two anticipated airframe lifetimes (40,000 hours), subjecting it to damage repeatedly and measuring its ability to carry load.
One of the greatest challenges to building and certifying the all-composite airframe was lightning protection. It was found that unprotected composite material could be blown apart by a lightning strike. Substantial study and testing was done; for instance, a fuselage section was subjected to 200,000-amp simulated lightning strikes in Raytheon's test facility. The solution was a mesh of fine wires under the first layer of the composite skin, and a ground-plane system to shield the electronics. Lightning current was allowed to flow through and out, leaving only minor surface and cosmetic damage at the strike point.

More than any other general aviation aircraft of its time, the Starship was a child of the computer age; its design, development, manufacturing, operation and maintenance all relied heavily on computer input. A major portion of the work was done on a system called CATIA, which provided a three-dimensional design environment and interfaced with tooling.

The first full-size Starship made its maiden flight on February 15th, 1986. The second joined the test flight program in June 1986, and the third was ready for flight in the early spring of 1987. In the course of a two-year flight test program, they flew almost 2,000 hours, and on June 14th the Starship received FAA certification. The first production Starship, NC-4, went on flight test late 1988.

The five-and-a-half-year development program cost more than $300 million and millions of man hours. For its investment, which included mastering a new technology, building a new manufacturing facility and training a workforce, Beechcraft/Raytheon only built 53 Starships. Production was halted due to poor commercial demand. Of the 53 built, only a small handful were ever actually sold.

The Production Fleet Today.
5 privately owned Starships are in active service:
7 Starships have been donated to museums:
1 Starship has been donated to a college:
5 Starships have been donated for composite testing:
8 decommissioned Starships are owned by private parties:
2 Starships are in Wichita, KS:
1 Starship is on the lam in Mexico:
24 Starships have been confirmed as dismantled/destroyed:

Originally Posted by thehighlander959

The main issue as I see it is that because not enough is known about composite materials, and how stress plus high speed operations will affect the materials over the short and long term.

Yes I thought someone might come back with a point concerning this.. Flawed design etc. etc.

There is no doubt that the issues with the De Haviland Comet was a major issue during early development of jet aircraft. The main point I believe was how the windows were designed on the airframe being one of the major points.

I believe we ar a lot further developed nowadays, but as I have said previously it will be up to the aircrafy manufacturers to keep their eye on the ball.

However we will just have to watch how the 787 develops over the short term until more composite aeroplanes enter fleet services around the world.

The Composite Aircraft stiil have the un-answered question of pressurization cycles and lightening strikes.
The Aluminium Structure expands when pressuirsed and contracts when de-pressurised. Composites do not expand and contract.
The Aluminium Airframe can handle a lightening strike enters and exits thru the airframe.
The Composite Airframe leaves the engine/powerplant as the only entry and exit strike point.
Aircraft Engines get quiet when lightening strikes pass through them. Not good on a twin engine composite aircraft.
Current Aluminium constructed aircraft have some composite components, winglets, flight controls, access panels, co-pilots, etc. but the electrical deamons have an exit flow.

I have to agree that composites have been around for quite some time and have proved themselves. This would have to be the case for boeing to effectively bet the company on these materials. But in comparison to aluminium these materials are very complex and whilst their mechanical properties can be measured and modelled, their ageing and fatigue properties are not. They are highly dependent upon chemical interactions between the composite materials themselves and the environment, construction techniques and load patterns. Which probably why the a380 is not an all composite aircraft.

Don't forget that it was the lack of knowledge about the proerties of aluminium that lead to the comet crashes and whilst the lessons learned from that mess will prevent the same thing from happening with these aircraft. It can be expected that these all composite aircraft are going to suffer from issues caused by ageing and damage which could affect the integrity of the aircraft. Safety is going to depend upon the vigilance of airframe inspections over the coming decades, vigilance that could well be compromised by not knowing what to look for and inexperience with those charges with the task.

To be honest knowing this would not stop me using a these aircraft, given that I have happily flown the A380 dispute knowing that these new aircraft from airbus and boeing have considerably less software/hardware redundancy in their avionics that previous aircraft.

Ryanair getting cheap & nasty...


November 9, 2011, 10:34 am Laura Anderson Yahoo!7






As if selling lottery tickets wasn’t enough, Ryanair is allegedly planning to go one step further to set itself apart from the rest as the ‘cheapest’ airline around.


The airline’s chief Michael O’Leary has claimed that he wants to make movies that would normally be classed as pornographic available to passengers as an in-flight entertainment option.
“Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn't we?”, said O’Leary in response to questions regarding the appropriateness of the service.
He went on to say that they hoped to include gaming services, allowing passengers to gamble as well as indulge in a bit of erotica to pass their time on flights.
“I'm not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see. It would be on handheld devices.”
Nevertheless, concerns are rampant that having such services available would have an impact on other passengers, particularly children.
These claims come just weeks after the airline claimed it was looking into the possibility of removing toilets from its planes in order to add more seats.
The budget European airline is notorious for schemes that are aimed at cutting corners and to make its fares cheaper, while also finding any possible way to make an extra buck on the side.
Renowned for attempting to sell merchandise, food and drink at exorbitant prices, and even lottery tickets, this new service will no doubt come with a hefty price tag to match.

Originally Posted by IceSpike

Ryanair getting cheap & nasty...


November 9, 2011, 10:34 am Laura Anderson Yahoo!7






As if selling lottery tickets wasn’t enough, Ryanair is allegedly planning to go one step further to set itself apart from the rest as the ‘cheapest’ airline around.


The airline’s chief Michael O’Leary has claimed that he wants to make movies that would normally be classed as pornographic available to passengers as an in-flight entertainment option.
“Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn't we?”, said O’Leary in response to questions regarding the appropriateness of the service.
He went on to say that they hoped to include gaming services, allowing passengers to gamble as well as indulge in a bit of erotica to pass their time on flights.
“I'm not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see. It would be on handheld devices.”
Nevertheless, concerns are rampant that having such services available would have an impact on other passengers, particularly children.
These claims come just weeks after the airline claimed it was looking into the possibility of removing toilets from its planes in order to add more seats.
The budget European airline is notorious for schemes that are aimed at cutting corners and to make its fares cheaper, while also finding any possible way to make an extra buck on the side.
Renowned for attempting to sell merchandise, food and drink at exorbitant prices, and even lottery tickets, this new service will no doubt come with a hefty price tag to match.

I liked Ryan air when they started to kick the but of the big guys. Now they seem hell bent on becoming the class bully. O'Leary just seems very arrogant and too much into ripping off anyone who is stupid enough to fly with them.

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

Originally Posted by IceSpike

Ryanair getting cheap & nasty...


November 9, 2011, 10:34 am Laura Anderson Yahoo!7






As if selling lottery tickets wasn’t enough, Ryanair is allegedly planning to go one step further to set itself apart from the rest as the ‘cheapest’ airline around.


The airline’s chief Michael O’Leary has claimed that he wants to make movies that would normally be classed as pornographic available to passengers as an in-flight entertainment option.
“Hotels around the world have it, so why wouldn't we?”, said O’Leary in response to questions regarding the appropriateness of the service.
He went on to say that they hoped to include gaming services, allowing passengers to gamble as well as indulge in a bit of erotica to pass their time on flights.
“I'm not talking about having it on screens on the back of seats for everyone to see. It would be on handheld devices.”
Nevertheless, concerns are rampant that having such services available would have an impact on other passengers, particularly children.
These claims come just weeks after the airline claimed it was looking into the possibility of removing toilets from its planes in order to add more seats.
The budget European airline is notorious for schemes that are aimed at cutting corners and to make its fares cheaper, while also finding any possible way to make an extra buck on the side.
Renowned for attempting to sell merchandise, food and drink at exorbitant prices, and even lottery tickets, this new service will no doubt come with a hefty price tag to match.

I liked Ryan air when they started to kick the but of the big guys. Now they seem hell bent on becoming the class bully. O'Leary just seems very arrogant and too much into ripping off anyone who is stupid enough to fly with them.

I hang around bars and associate with prostitutes, but that does not mean having no sense of morality. Pornographic movies do not belong on airplanes where children are present, still I think this might be related to O'Leary's other bright idea of charging for the restroom. Anyone who gets too excited watching the movie will have to pay the restroom use fee for to have a private spot for monkey-spanking.

MoD flight suspension after Red Arrows ejector seat death

The Red Arrows pilot was born in South Africa and studied in Nottingham
Training flights in aircraft fitted with ejector seats similar to the one in which a Red Arrows pilot was killed, have been suspended.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) grounded the flights following the death of Flight Lieutenant Sean Cunningham, 34, at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.
Other RAF aircraft fitted with MK10 ejector seats are Hawk T1, Tornado and Tucano.
The MoD said: "The safety of our crews remains our paramount concern."
It added: "All non-essential RAF flying on aircraft fitted with a similar ejector seat to the Hawk T1 has been temporarily suspended."
Continue reading the main story

Since his childhood Sean had dreamed of flying fast jets in the Royal Air Force”

Cunningham family statement
It said the suspension was "pending further investigation and purely as a precautionary measure".
Iraq veteran The Military Aviation Authority is carrying out an independent inquiry to determine the cause of the accident.
Flt/Lt Cunningham, who lived in Coventry and attended Nottingham Trent University before joining the airforce in 2000, had flown with the 617 Dambuster Squadron based at Lossiemouth.
He was involved in several operational tours over Iraq.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I'm sure the hearts of everyone in this house go out to the family of the pilot who was killed in this terrible accident and it comes on top of a second accident that happened in the Red Arrows.
"This has obviously been a very tragic time for something that the whole country reveres and loves and I know that their home to them in Lincolnshire is extremely important. We must get to the bottom of what happened."


Former RAF Navigator Sean Maffett says ejector seat accidents are very rare

Medical teams were called to RAF Scampton, the base of the Red Arrows, after the accident at 11:00 GMT on Tuesday.
Group Captain Simon Blake said: "The pilot was ejected from the aircraft whilst the aircraft was on the ground."
The suspension affects RAF aircraft fitted with Martin Baker Mk 10 ejection seats, and is expected to last for days rather than weeks.
Flt/Lt Cunningham was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, and moved to the UK in 1986 at the age of nine.
His family issued a statement saying: "Since his childhood Sean had dreamed of flying fast jets in the Royal Air Force; through his hard work and dedication he achieved that dream, and the pinnacle of his career was to fly in the Red Arrows. "
Winter training The Red Arrows completed their final display of the season in September and were carrying out their winter training at RAF Scampton.
The accident came less than three months after another pilot with the Red Arrows aerobatics team, Flt/Lt Jon Egging, 33, was killed after an air show in Dorset.
His aircraft crashed on 20 August, after performing a display with the Red Arrows watched by his wife.
The RAF temporarily halted flights on all 126 of its Hawk T1 training jets while preliminary investigations were carried out into the cause of the earlier tragedy.
The Red Arrows have used the dual-control BAE Systems Hawk T1, which has a top speed of Mach 1.2, since 1979.
Hawk T1s are also used for training fast-jet pilots at RAF Valley in Anglesey, North Wales, and RAF Leeming, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

Air planes/Countries/subtype which have this "rogue" ejection seat.




ARGENTINA
PAMPA
AR10LM
ARGENTINA
MB-339
IT10F
AUSTRALIA
HAWK
AU10LH
AUSTRALIA
F-18
SJU9A(Rear/Solo)
AUSTRALIA
F-18
SJU10A(Front)
SJU9A(Rear)
BAHRAIN
HAWK
BA10LH
BAHRAIN
HAWK
BRN10LH
BANGLADESH
Chengdu F-5
BD10LV
BANGLADESH
Shenyang F-6
BD10D
BANGLADESH
Chengdu F-7
BD10LZ
BELGIUM
ALPHA JET
B10N
BELGIUM
MIRAGE
B10LP
BOSNIA-
J-22
YU10JF
HERCEGOVINA
BRAZIL
AMX
BR10LY
BRAZIL
MIRAGE
F10Q
BRAZIL
SUPER TUCANO (ALX)
BR10LCX
BRAZIL
F-5
BR10LF
BRAZIL
EMB-314
BR10LCX
BRUNEI
HAWK
BRU10LH
CANADA
HAWK
BA10LH
CANADA
F-18
SJU9A(Front)
SJU10A(Rear)
CHILE
MIRAGE
B10LP 1-2
CHILE
MIRAGE
B10LP
CHILE
CASA 101
CL10CA
CHILE
CASA 101
E10CA 1-2
CHILE
CHEETAH
B10L
CZECH REP.
GRIPEN
S10LS
CROATIA
SOKO
YU10J
CROATIA
SOKO
YU10LB
ECUADOR
KFIR
IL10P
EGYPT
F-6
EP10D
EGYPT
ALPHA JET
EP10N
EGYPT
MIRAGE
F10Q
EGYPT
K-8
EP10LW
EGYPT
F-6
EP10D
ERITREA
MB-339
ER10LK
FINLAND
HAWK
SF10B
FRANCE
MIRAGE
F10Q
FRANCE
MIRAGE
F10M
FRANCE
RAFALE
F10X
FRANCE
FOUGA 90
F10K
GABON
MIRAGE
F10M
GERMANY
TORNADO
G10A
GERMANY
EUROFIGHTER
10LE
GHANA
MB-339
IT10LK
GREECE
MIRAGE
F10QA
GREECE
F-5
H10LF
HONDURAS
CASA C-101
E10LU
HONDURAS
SABRE
HN10Z
HUNGARY
GRIPEN
S10LS
INDIA
MIRAGE
IN10QA
INDIA
SEA HARRIER
IN10H
INDONESIA
HAWK
BA10LH
INDONESIA
HAWK
IA10B 1-2
IRAQ
F-5
IR10LF
IRAQ
TUCANO
BR8LC
IRAQ
MIRAGE
F10M
ITALY
TORNADO
10A
ITALY
MB-339
IT10F
ITALY
MB-339
IT10LK
ITALY
EUROFIGHTER
10LE
ITALY
AMX
IT10LY 1
JORDAN
MIRAGE
F10M
JORDAN
CASA C-101
E10CA
KENYA
HAWK
KA10B
KENYA
TUCANO
KA8LC 1-2
KUWAIT
HAWK
KT10B
MALAYSIA
HAWK
BA10LH
MALAYSIA
MB-339
IT10F
MALAYSIA
MB-339
IT10LK
NEW ZEALAND
MB-339
NZ10LK
NIGERIA
MB-339
IT10F
OMAN
HAWK
BA10LH
PAKISTAN
HONGDU A-5
PK10LV
PAKISTAN
SHENYANG F-6
PKD10
PAKISTAN
CHENGDU F-7
PK10LZ
PAKISTAN
K-8
PK10LW
PAKISTAN
SHENYANG FT-6
PKD10 TR
PERU
MB-339
IT10F
PERU
MIRAGE
F10Q
PHILIPPINES
S-211
IT10LA
POLAND
PZL I-22
PL10LR 1-2
QATAR
MIRAGE
F10Q
QATAR
HAWK
BA10LH
ROMANIA
IAR-99
RU10LB
ROMANIA
IAR-93
RU10J
ROMANIA
SOKO
RU10J
ROMANIA
SOKO
RU10LB
S.KOREA
HAWK
KR10LH
SAUDI ARABIA
TORNADO
SA10A
SAUDI ARABIA
HAWK
SA10B
SERBIA&MONT.
J-22
YU10JF
SINGAPORE
S-211
IT10LA 1-2
SOMALIA
S-211
IT10LA
SOUTH AFRICA
CHEETAH
B10L
SOUTH AFRICA
MIRAGE
F10M
SOUTH AFRICA
GRIPEN
S10LS
SOUTH AFRICA
HAWK
BA10LH
SPAIN
F-18
SJU10A
SPAIN
F-18
SJU5A(F)/SJU9A(R)
SPAIN
F-18
SJU6A
SPAIN
C-101
E10CA 1-2 /E10LU
SPAIN
MIRAGE
E10M / F1RM4
SRI LANKA
KFIR
IL10P
SWEDEN
GRIPEN
S10LS
SWITZERLAND
HAWK
CH10LH
TAIWAN
MIRAGE
F10QA
TAIWAN
AIDC
X10LQ
TANZANIA
SHENYANG F-6
TZ10D
UAE - DUBIA
HAWK
DU10B
UK
EUROFIGHTER
10LE
UK
AJT HAWK
GB10LH
UK
HAWK
10B
UK
TORNADO
10A
UK
ALPHA JET
GB10LN
UK
SEA HARRIER
10H
UNITED ARAB
HAWK
AD10B
EMIRATES (UAE)
UNITED ARAB
MB-339
IT10F
EMIRATES (UAE)
UNITED ARAB
MIRAGE
F10QA
EMIRATES (UAE)
CANADA
ALPHA JET
CA10LN
USA
SUPER TOCANO (ALX)
BR10LCX
USA
X-31
SJU-5A
USA
F-18
SJU 5A
USA
F-18
SJU 5A / 6A
USA
OSPREY
US10E
VENEZUELA
MB-339
IT10F
YUGOSLAVIA
J-22
YU10JF
YUGOSLAVIA
SOKO
YU10LB
ZIMBABWE
HAWK
ZE10B

Who said the UK doesn't make anything anymore?

Sorry OhOh cannot see the point of that list.

"the seats are fitted in X number of aircraft would suffice"

^I think he was marking his tertiary. my cat does this all the time; its rather annoying

^ ^^ the article indicated that all planes that had the Mk10 seat were being grounded. The list indicated not only who, which countries had planes with the seat, but the range of planes that had the seat.

If they were all grounded it would take out a large percentage of military aircraft around the world.

As a terrorist this may be useful info.

The "marking of ground" shows your lack of constructive thought, but hey ho.

Un-Arm the ejection seats, promise the Fighter Pilots 40 Virgins, Sushi, and Heaven on Earth after their Mission, then go hunting. Business as usual.

Originally Posted by IceSpike

Un-Arm the ejection seats, promise the Fighter Pilots 40 Virgins, Sushi, and Heaven on Earth after their Mission, then go hunting. Business as usual.

What could anyone do with 40 virgins? After about 3 or 4, you would want some dirty slut who would grab that thing with all the confidence of a 20 year airline pilot grabbing an Airbus joystick.

Originally Posted by OhOh

BANGLADESH Shenyang F-6 BD10D BANGLADESH Chengdu F-7 BD10LZ

I wonder why Bangladesh has an Air Force. Who would they fight or defend against?

Originally Posted by IceSpike

Originally Posted by OhOh

BANGLADESH Shenyang F-6 BD10D BANGLADESH Chengdu F-7 BD10LZ

I wonder why Bangladesh has an Air Force. Who would they fight or defend against?

Pakistan.

Originally Posted by Koojo

Originally Posted by IceSpike

Originally Posted by OhOh

BANGLADESH Shenyang F-6 BD10D BANGLADESH Chengdu F-7 BD10LZ

I wonder why Bangladesh has an Air Force. Who would they fight or defend against?

Pakistan.

Me thinks Pakistan wins that one too.
My point is that BAF will get their ass kicked at every vector.
Why waste the jet fuel. They fly dogs. India willl only let them fly hand me downs.

Originally Posted by BobR

What could anyone do with 40 virgins? After about 3 or 4, you would want some dirty slut who would grab that thing with all the confidence of a 20 year airline pilot grabbing an Airbus joystick.

hehehehohohohahaha yes Sir!

But then again, Fighter Pilots!

"(Reuters) - Emirates airline placed a blockbuster order for 50 Boeing (BA.N) 777 jetliners at the Dubai Air Show on Sunday, underscoring the confidence brimming among fast-growing Gulf airlines despite growing fears of stalling global growth.

The Dubai government-owned carrier, expanding its role as the world's largest operator of Boeing's most profitable plane, said the deal was worth $18 billion (11 billion pounds), the largest commercial order by value in the U.S. planemaker's history.

Reuters reported on Friday that Emirates, which has led efforts by Gulf-based carriers to challenge European and Asian carriers by establishing the region as a major East-West hub, would place an order of between 30 and 50 Boeing 777 aircraft.

"This order represents a milestone -- it is the single largest dollar value (order) in the Boeing history," Emirates Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed al Maktoum said at a press conference, before signing the deal with Boeing representatives as Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, looked on.

"(The) 777 has served Emirates very well in terms of seat costs ... especially when we see the fuel price is quite high."

Fuel costs took a big toll on the airline's first half profits, sending them down 76 percent. Emirates said it had adequate financing in place for 2012, and planned no new bond issue. Sheikh Ahmed said the airline, which launched a heavily oversubscribed $1 billion bond in June, would consider a bond if needed and if the timing was right, adding "we don't have a push."

Including options to buy 20 more of the twin-aisle aircraft and other agreements, the total deal is worth $26 billion, Emirates and Boeing said. The airline planned to eye a mix of funding options for the order, including Islamic finance, he added. Delivery of the aircraft is slated to begin in 2015.

James Albaugh, chief of Boeing's commercial division, said the order would sustain thousands of U.S. jobs. Boeing delivered 127 commercial airplanes in the third quarter, including 100 of its best-selling 737 narrowbodies and 21 widebody 777s. The planemaker, which gets paid for its airplanes at delivery, set its commercial airplane delivery guidance for 2011 at about 480, down from previous guidance of 485 to 495.

GULF CARRIERS SPLASH OUT

Gulf airlines and lessors are set to splash out on Airbus and Boeing jets at the November 13-17 air show, underscoring the region's role as the industry's chief paymaster amid Europe's worsening sovereign debt crisis.

Qatar Airways is expected to place a $6.5-billion order for 50 fuel-saving A320neo jets and five A380s from Airbus (EAD.PA), and Kuwait lessor Alafco (ALAF.KW) plans to boost a provisional order for 30 Airbus A320neos, industry sources said.

A muted air show two years ago came days before Dubai lurched into its own property and financial crisis in 2009, but the city state has been recovering after a bailout from neighbouring Abu Dhabi. Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed spent hours at the airshow, looking at commercial and military planes and touring the floor before taking a seat at the Emirates news conference, underscoring the keen interest that the emirate has in the success of its airline and ambitions for Dubai to become a major hub.

Demand for passenger aircraft has been remarkably robust led by rising numbers of middle classes in Asia and the Middle East and a shift of economic power from the West, but some analysts fear a contagion from Europe's spiralling debt crisis. "Nothing goes up forever but we really believe the demand for airplanes is driven by world GDP," Boeing Commercial Airplanes Chief Executive Jim Albaugh said on the eve of the show.
"It goes up by about one and a half times GDP, and while you have spikes .. the long-term direction is pretty positive."

EUROFIGHTER CHALLENGE

Increasing competition to sell military hardware to Gulf states amid rising tensions over Iran's nuclear activities also dominated the start of the show. In a blow to France, an $11 billion contest to sell fighters to the UAE heated up on the eve of the event when the Eurofighter consortium disclosed it had been asked to present its Typhoon warplane to the country's top military.

A spokesman for the consortium from Britain, Germany, Italy and Spain confirmed a report on the briefing in industry publication Flightglobal.com, but declined further comment. The briefing by UK officials took place in October in response to a request from the UAE, which has held long-running talks with France over a purchase of up to 60 Dassault-built Rafale fighters.

The move injected unexpected drama into the military side of the Dubai Air Show, which will feature rival flying displays by both jets.

Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) Chief Executive Charles Edelstenne shrugged off the assault by the Eurofighter club which France backed away from in the 1980s to concentrate on developing its own independent successor to the Mirage. "That's very good, I'm happy," he told Reuters, walking briskly among displays of military U.S., European and Russian military hardware. Asked if he was disappointed about the decision to bring in a potential new bidder, he said, "No." The UAE has been in talks with France since 2008 but discussions have been subjected to occasional disruption and the UAE has also enquired about the Boeing F/A18 Super Hornet.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has made it a priority to find a foreign buyer for the multi-role Rafale, billed as one of the most effective but also one of the most expensive fighter jets in the world.

Analysts say rising geopolitical tensions surrounding Iran could lead to a spike in defence orders"