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UPDATE
Week ending May 4, 1997
+++ Lufthansa announces new alliance +++ Northrop Grumman selects ESG as subcontractor for JointSTARS +++ GIFAS: Return to growth +++ Europe's space telescope ISO finds more water in space +++ Eurocopter and Denel sign strategic alliance +++ US airlines: Quality rating ranks Southwest Airlines on top +++ OHB Systems offers launch opportunities +++ Unions warn on German defence job losses +++ New opportunity for STS-83 astronauts +++ Space station program receives another go ahead by Congress +++ News in brief +++

Lufthansa announces new alliance
Neue Allianz der Lufthansa

On April 24th, Lufthansa German Airlines announced a new alliance with carrier British Midland (BM) of the UK. As part of the deal, BM will operate code-sharing services both carrying LH- and BM-flight numbers from Cologne/Bonn airport to London-Heathrow ( two times a day) and Rome (one time a day). Those services will start on may 26th. British Midland in a statement said negotiations with Lufthansa for extending code-sharing services to more destinations are in progress. Since April 1996, both carrier have been cooperating with their frequent flyer programs. British Midland is the second largest airline in the UK. During the last year it carried 5,6 million passengers.

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Northrop Grumman selects ESG as subcontractor for JointSTARS
ESG wird Unterauftragnehmer für JointSTARS

On April 23, Northrop Grumman and ESG of Munich announced the signing of a teaming agreement that establishes ESG as a main European subcontractor for the JointSTARS ground support system if the E-8 is selected by NATO for its Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme. In addition, ESG is an identified source for implementing subcontracts in the areas of feasibility studies, system software co-development, integrated logistics support, ans system software maintenance. "ESG views this agreement as a logical continuation of existing transatlantic cooperation in ESG's frame of NATO activities", said Dr. Norbert Servatius, ESG chief executive officer. Other companies working with Northrop Grumman on the JointSTARS marketing effort Dasa, BAe, Alenia and Alcatel. NATO is expected to select a system in the fall of 1997.

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GIFAS: Return to growth
Französische Industrie wieder auf Wachstumskurs

Gifas Chairman Serge Dassault has presented the French aerospace industry's estimated figures for 1996. Against a backdrop of favourable world economic conditions and a market improvement in the exchange rate between the French franc and the US-Dollar, GIFAS-members reported surging export revenues and orders in both the civil and defense sectors.
As Mr. Dassault stated, unconsolidated revenues stood at FF 108,4 billion, up 7,2 percent (before adjustment for inflation) after four consecutive years fo decline. All three sectors of GIFAS activities benefited: aircraft and missile airframe revenues rose 9,7 percent, powerplant revenues rose 3,8 percent and equipment revenues rose 4,6 percent. The civil market, representing 59 percent of the French aerospace business, experienced a 15,8 percent rise compared to 1995. In contrast, and for the sixth year in a row, defence revenues fell. Overall defence aerospace revenues were down 3,2 percent led by a 13,9 percent decline in national defence revenues due to reduced delieveries to the French armed forces. Defense contractors are suffering as a result of extensions to weapons delivery schedules and delayed payment or interruptions to payment for work allready completed.
At FF58,1 billion, export revenues jumped 27,9 percent compared to a year earlier. The French aerospace industry now generates 65 percent of its consolidated revenues in markets outside France. Aerospace defence exports were up 26,2 percent while civil exports rose 28,4 percent. Space industry revenues continued their steady progress with a rise of 19,2 percent over 1995.
The upturn in order-taking, that began in 1994 continued in 1996. At FF 118,4 billion, the overall volume of orders rose 13,5 percent compared to 1995. For the second consecutive year, orders for the French aerospace industry exceeded revenues. In 1996 export orders represented 63 percent of the total orders bookd by GIFAS members. The progess achieved by the industry was thus due entirely to ist international customers who placed civil and defence orders worth 55,1 and 38,6 percent more, repectively, than in 1995.

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Europe's space telescope ISO finds more water in space
Europas Weltraumteleskop ISO entdeckt mehr Wasser im All

ESA's Infrared Space Observatory ISO continiues to detect water in vapor clouds lying towards the center of the milky way as well as on puter planets like Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. As those cold planets cannot release water from within, they must have a supply of coming coming from elsewhere in the Solar System.
ISO also has detected water vapor streaming from comet Hale-Bopp. ISO is the first space probe that is able to really detect water in space, ESA's director of science Roger Bonnet, commented the recent results. Three ISO instruments hunt the water in space: the Short Wavelength Spectrometer (SWS), the Long Wavelength Spectrometer (LWS) and the phonometer ISOPHOT, operating in the spectroscopic mode. Last year they discovered water in the vicinity of stars W Hydrae and GL 2591, HH-54 as well as other objects. In October and November 1996 ISO discovered water on the three planets Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

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Eurocopter and Denel sign strategic alliance
Zusammenarbeit zwischen Denel und Eurocopter

South Africas Denel Aviation and Eurocopter have formed a "strategic alliance" to collaborate on the Rooivalk attack helicopter and Oryx medium transport helicopter programmes. The accord was signed on April 25 by Johan Alberts (Denel chief executive officer) and Jean-Francois Bigay (Eurocopter president). According to the two companies, the cooperation will focus on development, production and customer support for these two helicopter. Joint international marketing will also be considered. On the other hand, Eurocopter is interested to place its EC 635 light twin (military version of the EC 135) into South African Air Force service as a replacement for the Alouette IIIs.

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US airlines: Quality rating ranks Southwest Airlines on top
Southwest Airlines auf Platz eins unter den US-Carriern bei Qualität

An airline quality rating among the major US carriers, annually conducted by US university researchers, ranks low-cost-no-frills-carrier Southwest Airlines on top position - its second straight first place. Five airlines - American Airlines, United, Delat Air Lines, Continental and Northwest - bunched close together to form a second tier. Bringing up the last three spots in the rankings were US Airways, America West and TWA. Continental was praised as rhe most improved airline. Southwest had the best on-time performance last year and was the only airline to arrive on time more than 80 percent of its flights. It also lost fewer bags than other major carriers, though it did have a relatively poor performance on bumping passengers from overbooked flights. The overall average quality ratings for the nine US major carriers slipped a little in 1996, compared to 1995, one of the researchers said. He added that airlines are doing well financially, but are cutting back on personnel and services, which can be noticed by travellers. The researchers base their ratings on 19 criteria, including on-time arrivals and departures, safety, age of aircraft, customer complaints, financial stability, pilot deviations, number of accidents, denied boardings and mishandled baggage.

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OHB Systems offers launch opportunities
OHB bietet Startdienste an

Bremen based space company OHB offers three launch possibilities with the Russian launcher Cosmos. The international marketing organisation for these launches, Cosmos International GmbH., says there still is the possibility to put small satellites (50 to 100 kg) on the 18th January, 1999, launch of x-rax satellite ABRIXAS at Kapustin Yar, on the July 8th, 1999, launch of CHAMP at Plesetsk and the 2001 launch of another research satellite at Plesetsk.

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Unions warn on German defence job losses
Arbeitskreis Wehrtechnik sieht Gefahr für Stellenabbau

According to the Arbeitskreis der Betreibsräte in Wehrtechnik, Luft- und Raumfahrt (WLR-AK), the common European defence market will put more German jobs at risk. This is due to the massive support British and French firms in the sector get from their Governments while the Bundesregierung in Bonn is very passive. Talks with EU officials in Brussels have convinced the workers representatives that the European Union will be loath to redress this situation. Therefore, more pressure on the German cabinet is urged to get the necessary support.

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New opportunity for STS-83 astronauts
STS-83 Astronauten erhalten zweite Chance

American sapce shuttle Columbia will fly the experiments of the aborted STS-83 mission with the same crew in July. A malfunctioning power generator had forced Columbia to land after only four days after launch.
Meanwhile NASA engineers discovered problems with engine compartment bolts of the space shuttle. The next Atlantis launch scheduled for May 15th therefore is subject to a possible delay. With this mission US astronaut Jerry Linenger is to be put back to earth. Also the mission will bring urgently needed logistic equipment like a spare oxygen generator and other supplies to Mir.

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Space station program receives another go ahead by Congress
US-Kongreß stimmt für Fortsetzung des Raumstationsprogramms

The majority of the House of Representatives rejected an effort to abandon the international space station program by the US. Though criticism towards the Russian role in the program is growing in Congress the program should go ahead. Still the House Science Committee unanimously agreed on an amendment that keeps NASA from spending US money on parts of the station Russia is responsible for. NASA now has to report monthly on the progress of the program and has to develop contingency plans to proceed in the program without Russia. The amendment also sets August 1st as the decision date for the Clinton administration as to decide on whether US hardware will replca Russian components of Alpha.
Meanwhile Russia's president Boris Yeltsin accused General Director Yuri Koptev of the Russian Space Agency for having brought up the subject to his attention earlier. At the same time Yeltsin ordered Koptev to increase the revenues that are generated by commercial launches to $1 billion in 2000 from $475 million in 1996.
Russia has not only been unable to keep track with the space staton program. Development of Angara, the projected successor to Proton, also has been delayed considerably. There also is little money to replace Russian satellites in space that have reached to end of their designtime. That goes for about 78 per cent of 160 satellites still operating.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Northrop Grumman International has opened a bureau in Bonn. The US defence contractor will be represented by Brent Fischmann, who was special envoy for Partnership for Peace programmes at NATO.
+++
NASA has restructured the 2001 Mars lander mission. With a pledge for additional $55 million ew experiments shall be put on the lander bringing up the overall cost for the lander and orbiter spacecraft to $310 million. NASA's administrator Daniel S. Goldwin expressed his firm belief hat humans could be on Mars in 2010, if only the cost of such mission could be brought down by new technologies. If the price would equal the $2.1 billion annual cost for the space station NASA would be going for Moon and Mars landing missions with astronauts.
+++
Jerry Linenger undertook the first spacewalk of an American astronaut from Russian space station Mir on April 29th. Together with Vasily Tsibliev he placed two new experiments on Mir and retrieved two others deployed outside Mir last year.
+++
At the Inter Airport '97 trade fair in Singapore, Daimler-Benz Aerospace announced it had signed a contract for erecting a new air freight terminal at Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong. The project will be realised by Dasa's daughter company Daimler-Benz Airport Technics in cooperation with Lampertsheim, Germany-based ICM Airport Technics. Financial details were not revealed.
+++
Some 2949 combat aircraft valued at 114,4 billion US-Dollars are expected to be built throughout the world in the 1997 - 2006 period, predict the analysts of the US Teal Group in their latest forecast. Although times are still tough for the manufactureres "many countries will need to start replacing some portion of their aging combat air fleets after the turn of the century", the report says. US industry should dominate the market, with McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) and Lockheed Martin getting around 20 per cent each.
+++
Indonesian Telekommunikasi has selected Arianespace to launch satellite TELKOM 1 in late 1998 or early 1999 from Kourou, French Guayana. This will be the third Indonesian satellite launched by an Ariane in a short period of time. In 1996 Ariane carried PALAPA C2 into space and this summer INDOSTAR is to follow. TELKOM 1 will be built by Lockheed Martin and will weigh almost 2500 kg. It will provide voice and data communication by offering 32 C-band transponders. Its lifetime is scheduled for 15 years.
+++
Despite strong pleas to buy Russian, Aeroflot (Russian International Airlines) has decided to order ten Boeing 737-400 in a deal worth 400 million US-Dollars. The aircraft will be used on European routes. Their delivery will begin in April 1998.
+++
As the first European scheduled carrier, Lufthansa will start auctioning selected teckets over the Internet in June. Economy class tickets to destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and South America will be up for grabs. After registering for the auction, the surfers will be able to bid for the very restricted number of seats. Minimum price will be DM 10 (plus taxes at the normal level!).
+++
According to the German statistics office (Statistisches Bundesamt), 93,2 million passengers took off from German airports in 1996, an increase of 3,5 per cent. Internal flights saw less traffic, 15,9 million (- 1,4 per cent), but international routes were frequented by 76,5 million passengers (+ 4,6 per cent). On the freigt side, 1,9 million tons meant a plus of 4,8 per cent.
+++
At trade talks in Toronto, the US has rejected European Union demands to reopen a 1992 bilateral agreement on large civil aircraft subsidies. EU officals are suspecting widening indirect support for US firms through NASA. Also, the imminent Boeing/McDonnell Douglas merger causes concern.
+++
One year after the airport fire at Dusseldorf, insurers and the management of the Rhein-Ruhr-Flughafen have reached a compromise on the amount paid for damages to the buildings. 245 million DM will be paid soon. This is much less than the insurers provided for in their accounts for 1996, but that they pay at all seems to be a success for Dusseldorf, as there were doubts over the implementation of safety measures called for in the insurance contracts.
+++

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Previous updates are still available:

PunktApril 20, 1997 PunktApril 13, 1997

PunktMarch 23, 1997 PunktMarch 16, 1997 PunktMarch 9, 1997 PunktMarch 2, 1997

PunktFebruary 23, 1997 PunktFebruary 16, 1997

Punkt January 26, 1997 PunktJanuary 19, 1997 PunktJanuary 12, 1997 PunktJanuary 5, 1997

Punkt December 22, 1996 PunktDecember 15, 1996 PunktDecember 8, 1996 PunktDecember 1, 1996

PunktNovember 24, 1996 PunktNovember 17, 1996 PunktNovember 10, 1996 PunktNovember 3, 1996

PunktOctober 27, 1996 PunktOctober 20, 1996 PunktOctober 13, 1996 PunktOctober 6, 1996

PunktSeptember 29, 1996 PunktSeptember 22, 1996

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Copyright 1997 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved.
Last updated May 5, 1997