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UPDATE
Week ending February 16, 1997
+++ Daimler-Benz Aerospace back on the road +++ Boeing 737-700 flies +++ Lufthansa restructures its passenger operations +++ Eurofighter DA7 flies as German decisions are delayed +++ Eurocopter sells 30 Cougars to Turkey +++ Russian airlines facing deep crisis +++ New Tornado Recce Pod in flight test +++ Fairchild Dornier picks PW306 for jet-powered 328 +++ Tiger begins cold-weather trials in Sweden +++ Polyphem test launch succeeds +++ V-22 Osprey: EMD aircraft flies +++ News in brief +++

Daimler-Benz Aerospace back on the road
Dasa mit verbesserter Bilanz für 1996

The strict measures which were taken by Daimler-Benz Aerospace AG, Munich, to increase the company's competitiveness and earnings capacity have taken effect. "We notice a significant stimulation of our business activities. Our efforts to increase cost efficiency, which can be directly applied to price policy, were much appreciated by our customers", said Dasa President and CEO Dr. Manfred Bischoff on the occasion of the annual press conference in Munich.
According to Dr. Bischoff, incoming orders in 1996 significantly increased by 54 percent to about DM 16,9 billion compared to DM 11 billion in 1995. Turnover (US GAAP) increased by about 13 percent to DM 13 billion. Labour force was reduced by 1956 to a total of 44936.
The increase in turnover mainly resulted from activities in the aeroengine and space sectors which enjoyed growth rates of a good 35 percent an 10,5 percent to achieve a turnover of about DM 2,3 billion and DM 2,1 billion. In the aircrfat sector, which mainly comprises Dasa's Airbus activities, turnover increased by 13 percetn to about DM 6 billion. Only the Defense and Civil-Systems-Group experienced a one-percent decrease to DM 2,6 billion due to a further reduce defense budget in 1996.
An important corner stone in lastingly strengthening the entire company, Bischoff stated, has been the agreement met with representatives of the labor force last summer on the unrestricted implementation of Dasa's competitiveness improving initiative, called DOLORES: "Through the adjustment of staff and material capacities, increased efficiency in operational procedures, intensified research and technological development and well-aimed market offensives, this program will bring Dasa's effectiveness and cost efficiency up to world standard. We are not afraid of international comparison. Our success shows that Germany is not as bad an economical location as it is made out to be. We at Dasa will not stop to join our forces in the future." For 1997 the Dasa President expects a further increase in turnover by roughly 6 percent to about DM 14 billion.

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Boeing 737-700 flies
Erstflug der Boeing 737-700

The first Boeing 737-700 made its maiden flight on February 9, Mike Hewett and Ken Higgins at the controls. At 10:05, the airplane -- painted in the traditional Boeing red, white and blue paint scheme -- took off from Renton Municipal Airport (Washington). After heading north over Lake Washington, the pilots flew the newest member of the 737 family north over Tattoosh, east to Spokane and then back to Western Washington for landing at Boeing Field in Seattle.
During the 3 hour, 35 minute flight, Hewett and copilot Higgins conducted a series of tests on the airplane's systems and structures. Using flight-test equipment on board the aircraft, information from the tests was recorded and the pilots transmitted verbal data back to Flight Test personnel working at the control room at Boeing Field. he same team of specialists later will analyze the data.
Since the Next-Generation 737 product line was launched in 1993, 24 airlines worldwide have ordered a total of 523 new 737-600/-700/-800 jetliners, setting a new aviation industry sales record before rollout of the first airplane. The Next-Generation flight-test program consists of 10 airplanes, including four 737-700s, three 737-800s and three 737-600s. Each model's flight-test program is planned to last approximately seven months and will consist of more than 2,300 in-flight test hours.
The 737-700 offers 128 to 149 seats and is equivalent in size to the current 737-300, but with greater range. The 737-800 is the second member of the Next-Generation 737 family and will roll out in June 1997 followed by first flight in July and certification in early 1998.
The 737-600, equivalent in size to the current 737-500, provides seating for 108 to 132 passengers. Currently, more than 40 percent of this model's "product definition" is released, with rollout planned for December 1997, first flight in January 1998 and certification in July 1998.

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Lufthansa restructures its passenger operations
Umstrukturierung bei der Lufthansa Passage-Airline

In a move to cut costs, Lufthansa German Airlines is restructuring its passenger operations. From April 1st, the company is creating an independend passenger division containing marketing, network management, operations, cockpit and cabin crew as well as ground stations. This will effectively separate the running of the airline from the group management. At least 100 managers will have to leave the company, Lufthansa CEO Jürgen Weber said. The new passenger business unit will be led by a an executive board consisting of six persons. Klaus Nittinger, up to now member of the Lufthansa group board and responsible for operations, is resigning for "health reasons".

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Eurofighter DA7 flies as German decisions are delayed
Eurofighter Prototyp DA7 fliegt während Entscheidung in Bonn weiter aussteht

According to the Arbeitskreis der Betriebsräte in Wehrtechnik, Luft- und Raumfahrt (works councils of companies involved in aerospace and defence), the long awaited decision on the production investment for the Eurofighter is delayed yet again. A proposed discussion of the subject at a meeting of the German cabinet on February 4 was postponed at the last minute by Chancelor Kohl himself, it is said. This is disturbing news for the workers, who once again point out that 18000 jobs are at stake.
Meanwhile, flight testing of the EF2000 has made a step forward with the maiden flight of prototype DA7 on January 27. Napoleone Bragagnolo was at the controls as the second aircraft assembled by Aeritalia at Caselle (Turin) took to the air at 2.14 pm for a 35 minute mission. One of the early major tasks for DA7 will be the second Official Assessment by representatives of the four Nations'Air Forces in April. Further on, it will mainly be involved in navigation and communications systems performance development and weapon systems integration.
Two of the EF2000 developmental aircraft are still to fly - DA4 in the UK, the second two-seater, and DA5 in Germany, which has all the avionics systems on board. Both flights are months behind schedule.

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Eurocopter sells 30 Cougars to Turkey
Türkei bestellt 30 weitere AS 532 Cougars

On February 13, Eurocopter clinched a long expected order for 30 more Cougars from Turkey. The contract, signed in Ankara in the prsence of the Turkish defence minister Turan Tayan, covers ten AS 352ULs, assigned to the Turkish Army to complement the first 20 Cougars ordered at the end of 1993, plus twenty AS 532ALs to perform search and rescue and combat SAR missions with the Turkish Air Force. Contact value is put at 2,5 billion French francs.
This latest order includes a cooperation accord, which provides for the creation of a consortium between Tusas Aerospace Industries (TAI) and Eurocopter. This consortium will be called EUROTAL. The tasks of TAI will ultimately include manufacture of the airframe, assembly, and acceptance testing of the helicopters. The first two Cougars, built in Marignane, will be delivered in 1999. Deliveries of the remaining 28 coming off the THAI assembly line will be spread from 1999 to 2002.

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Russian airlines facing deep crisis
Krisenstimmung im russischen Luftverkehr

118 Russian Airlines had to cease operation in 1996, Gennady Zaitsev, Director of the Federal Aviation Service in Russia, has been quoted in press reports. In total, carriers in Russia lost more than $220 million compared to a small profit of $76 million in 1995. Nearly 200 carriers have gone out of business in the last three years, Zaitsev added. Aviation experts blame the economic problems in the area, fuel prices and landing at a high level as well as the fact that less people can afford to fly. Passenger numbers show a 13 percent decline from 31 million in 1995 to 27 in 1996.

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New Tornado Recce Pod in flight test
Neuer Aufklärungsbehälter für Tornado im Flugtest

The new recce pod for the Luftwaffe Tornados has started the first phase of its flight test programme. The aim of the first half dozen flights, conducted from Manching, is to check the mechanical integration of the pod and the aircraft and to look for adverse effects on the sensors. In a second phase, starting in July, the cameras will be fitted for more tests. Following successful completion of development, 37 pods will be delivered to Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 "Immelmann" at Jagel.
The new recce pod, developed by Dasa, is 4,3 m long and weighs around 250 kg. It will include Trilens 80 and Pentalens 57 cameras from Zeiss as well as a infrared linescanner form Honeywell plus the necessary cooling ind data processing equipment.

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Fairchild Dornier picks PW306 for jet-powered 328
PW306 für strahlgetriebene Dornier 328 ausgewählt

The planned 328 Jet regional airliner will be powerd by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW306/9 turbofans, Fairchild Dornier has announced. The engine will be rated at 6050 lbs for the 32-seat aircraft. It will give the jet-version of the Dornier 328 a 375 kts cruise speed and a climb rate of 2500 ft/min. In addition to this new variant, a 50-seat derivative is also to be offered, with an in-service date of 2000.

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Tiger begins cold-weather trials in Sweden
Kaltwettertests des Tiger in Nordschweden

The Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopter is in northern Sweden for cold-weather trials until mid-February. The flight tests in the Kiruna/Boden region are supported by the Swedish Armed Force, who also carry out operational trials wiht the helicopter with a view to Sweden's future attack helicopter requirement. Tiger's work schedule in Sweden culminated in a demonstration to the country's armed forces during the "Polar Star" exercise.

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Polyphem test launch succeeds
Versuchsstart aus dem Kanister erfolgreich

The first launch of y Polyphem missile out of a canister was succesfully demonstrated at the Italian test range in Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, on 29 January. The unfolding of the missile wings, the behaviour of the fiber inside the canister and during flight showed the expected positive results, say the manufacturers. Three further launches are planned this year, with the final system demonstration scheduled to take place at the French test center CEL. The Polyphem programme is conducted by Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH and Aerospatiale Missiles.

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V-22 Osprey: EMD aircraft flies
Erste Osprey-Vorserienmaschine in der Erprobung

On February 4, the first Bell/Boeing V-22 Osprey conforming to the series standard made its maiden flight at Arlington (Texas). It involved two vertical take-offs and landings as well as assorted tests of components. Test pilots Tom Macdonald and Jim Lindsey were on board.
Osprey No.7 and three other aicraft which have been assembled at Arlington will be ferried to Naval Air Station Patuxent River during the year for the formal test programme, an integrated effort between the manufacturers and the Navy. According to Bell/Boeing, the fully redesgned machine is meeting its weight targets, but still has some three million Dollars to go on the way to a targeted fly-away cost of 29,4 million Dollars.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

German cosmonaut Reinhold Ewald and his Russian collegues Wasilij Tsibliew and Alexander Lasudkin have successfuly reached the Mir space station on 11. February. A day-to-day log of activities of the Mir '97 mission can be found at the DLR site (http:/www.dlr.de/MIR97).
+++
Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH has successfully test flown a Taurus ITU (Interface Test Unit) on a Tornado. The check ride from Manching was in preparation for the proposed MAW Taurus and KEPD 350/150 stand-off weapons, which are offerd to the German and Swedisch air forces.
+++
Members of the Association of European Airlines (AEA) have sold 410 billion passenger kilometres in 1996, a plus fo 8,1 percent. Load factors were up 0,3 points to 70,4 per cent.
+++
Nahema has choosen the Milds AN/AAR-60 missile launch detection system for the NH90 helicopter. It will be tailored for this application by LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH in a 5,6 million DM contract. Milds is part of the Electronic Warfare package of the NH90, which will be developed by Dasa Sensorsysteme, Thomson-CSF and Elettronica (Italy).
+++
Rheintalflug Altenrhein has carried 48000 passengers last year, an increase of 14,7 per cent.
+++
Hans Fischer has taken over as Managing Director of MTU Turbomeca Roll-Royce GmbH. He succeeds Hartmut Tenner, who returns to MTU as programme director for the RB199.
+++
Brian Phillipson from British Aerospace has been appointed Managing Director of Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH at Hallbergmoos near Munich. He replaces William F. McNaughron, who is to retire. Phillipson was formerly EF2000 programme manager at Bae.
+++
A modification programme will allow MiG-29s of the German Luftwaffe to fly 3000 km without refueling. Structural and wiring changes permit the carriage of two 1150 liter tanks under the wings. The mod was developed by Dasa in close cooperation with MAPO MiG and tested by WTD 61 at Manching. Only six verification flights were necessary for approval.
+++
On February 14, the European Space Agency has signed a contract with Dasa for the development and delivery of a microgravity science glove box (MSG), to be installed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The order is worth 20 million DM. Delivery is scheduled for June 2000. Together with Dasa, which is acting as main contractor, Bradford Engineering (Netherlands) and Verhaert Design & Development (Belgium) are involved in the system, which should have a design life of ten years and can be serviced in orbit.
+++
The DFS (Deutsche Flugsicherung) has completed the building of a new tower for Nurenberg airport. It will enter service in the autumn of 1998. By this time, arrival and departure control will be relocated to Langen near Frankfurt, leaving around 60 DFS personnel at Nurenberg.
+++
After a break of nearly a year, Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH and Aerospatiale have got the green light to continue with the concept- and validation phase of the ANNG anti-ship missile. This work should lead to the development phase, due to start in 1999.
+++

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Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved.
Last updated February 14, 1997