Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures
Multiple countries have been deploying small arms as the last line of drone defence due to their multiple operational and tactical advantages.
GOL completes maintenance centre expansion
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.
You may also like
More from Defence Notes
-
![Why small guns have been critical to layered CUAS architectures]()
-
![Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family]()
Singapore Airshow 2026: ST Engineering hints at export success for AME assault rifle family
The Singapore-based technology company unveiled its new rifle family at this week’s airshow. Chen Chuanren spoke with the ST Engineering’s head of small arms to find out more about how the weapons have been refined.
-
![High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?]()
High tension in the High North – a wake-up call for NATO’s future Arctic defence efforts?
Any potential ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission would be months in the planning, but with tensions high in the region given the US’s push for Greenland, NATO countries will need to continue to emphasise their commitment to the region, analysts have said.
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues]()
As the new year starts, the UK defence spending delay continues
The UK’s defence spending commitments remain uncertain as the government’s Defence Investment Plan, which had been due by the end of 2025, is yet to be published.
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
