Global Ordnance and Sparkz disclose plans for 500,000 US-made UAV batteries a year
The companies have outlined plans for US$25 million manufacturing lines and initial deliveries in 2027 as Washington tightens restrictions on Chinese UAV components.
GOL has announced the completion of the expansion to its aircraft maintenance centre in Confins (Minas Gerais), where the company performs a full range of maintenance on its entire GOL and VARIG combined fleet.
The expansion, which began in 2008, has added a hangar, offices, storage areas, support areas and an expanded ramp area to the existing maintenance facility.
“The first construction phase of our maintenance centre began in 2005, when the facility was able to service 60 aircraft. With the end of the second phase, we are now able to service up to 120 aircraft a year,” explained Captain Fernando Rockert de Magalhães, GOL’s technical vice-president. “Today the centre is a pinnacle of technological excellence, the largest and most advanced in Latin America,” he claimed.
GOL invested R$65 million in the expansion, which added 28,100 sq m to the existing 17,500 sq m facility, raising the total area to 45,600 sq m. The ramp, which originally measured 27,000 sq m, was also expanded and now covers 47,000 sq m, while the usable area within the hangars is now 107,220 sq m.
“We are seeking certification by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),” declared Constantino de Oliveira Junior, GOL’s CEO, “With this certification, we will be able to serve international airlines, which will generate significant additional revenue for GOL.”
GOL’s maintenance centre meets all the required conditions for environmental licensing and is in accordance with all current legislation, thanks to a team made up of chemical engineers, sanitation experts and chemists, among others. All liquid chemical and oil waste generated by aircraft maintenance or painting is sent to specialised treatment facilities.
GOL also has an advanced chemical effluent treatment centre that receives all water from the washing of aircraft, parts, floors, maintenance hand basins and the medical centre. After being treated, the water is reused inside the maintenance centre to wash floors, equipment and non-metallic materials. Effluents are subjected to constant physical and chemical analysis, in order to improve treatment and aid environmental groups in their monitoring of the facility.
The companies have outlined plans for US$25 million manufacturing lines and initial deliveries in 2027 as Washington tightens restrictions on Chinese UAV components.
Patria OPTIME is a sustainment concept that integrates MRO and lifecycle services into one solution, powered by the ILIAS digital defence platform
US Air Force, Army, Marine Corps and Special Operations Command initiatives signal demand for interoperable uncrewed systems control, creating opportunities for suppliers of hardware, software and integration services.
In Conversation… The geopolitical landscape is increasingly uncertain, with the UK and its allies confronting the most unpredictable international environment for decades. To adapt, defence readiness must begin long before assets reach the front line, forging a resilient support enterprise that can thrive in a time of ongoing disruption, argue the partners of Team ORION.
In conversation… Everfox’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dave Wajsgras and Managing Director, International, Colin McKinty discuss the critical importance of information security in defence, minimising insider risk and the company’s international growth strategy with Shephard’s Andrew White.
In Conversation… Shephard’s Andrew White talks to Zafer Şen, CEO and co-founder of OBSS, about the future of command-and-control software in the age of artificial intelligence, and his company’s ambitions in the UK defence market.