Farnborough preview

In an event that happens just once every two years, bringing the multitudes together, it is important to get as much technology as possible into the open, and to find solutions to hard problems.

Farnborough International is one of the world's very few premier aerospace events, and this year the technology focus will be wide, ranging from the enhanced capability of unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs)-a trend seen at last year's Paris Air Show-to the creation of Airbus' twin-deck and Boeing's 7E7 Dreamliner. And there will be the continuing issue of growing importance: the reduction of the environmental effect of commercial aircraft.

General Electric and Rolls-Royce will be adopting high profiles at Farnborough. Both have been selected to provide powerplants for the 7E7: the GE90-based GENX and a new generation Rolls-Royce Trent, the 1000, both evolved versions of established production engines.