U P D A T E
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Week ending August 24, 1997
+++ Antonow An-70 stars at Zhukovsky show +++ MIR successfully repaired +++ Lufthansa: start for a new low-cost-airline? +++ Eurofighter DA1 celebrates 100th flight +++ Amsterdam Schiphol airport faces night operations restrictions +++ Successful launch for LMLV1 +++ News in Brief +++
Antonow An-70 stars at Zhukovsky show
Aerosalon Schukowski: Debüt der An-70
Russian President Boris Yelzin himself opened the MAKS '97 show at Zhukovsky airfield some 30 km southeast of Moscow, which was a big showcase for Russian and CIS aerospace companies. Western presence was also good, with companies like Boeing, Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Dasa, Bell Helicopter and Snecma in attendance. Visitors were again disappointed that the Mikojan 1.42 fighter was kept under wraps, so the new Ukrainian freighter An-70 was the main attraction, together with the Kamov Ka-52 two-seat attack-helicopter. News emerging from MAKS '97 includes:- On August 22, 1997 a Gulfstream V arrived in Moscow, setting a new speed record for a nonstop flight from Tokyo's Narita Airport, a distance of 4,378 nautical miles. Gulfstream V s/n502 completed the flight in 8 hours and 58 minutes, cruising at altitudes of up to 38,000 feet and speeds of up to Mach .87.
- In a radio address, Boris Yelzin remarked about the state of the Russian aerospace industry:
- But if we think of the sector's prospects, we ought to take care of the manpower. Today, the most skilled manpower is growing old. The invaluable experience and enthusiasm of these sectors could be lost. But there is there the broadest realm for investing the strength, knowledge and energy. And I would like to call on the young to come to aircraft factories, designer's offices. New discoveries, enormous prospects lie there. They have a future.
"We will increase allocations of the budget of 1998 to space, aviation, fundamental science and high technologies. The development of these sectors will be given special attention. Russia must not leave the ground won here, must not give up its leading position. One must not forget: the state of our aerospace sector largely determines the status of Russia as a great power. - The Krasnoyarsk Airlines company (KrasAir) has concluded a contract with the Sirocco Aerospace International for the use of ten Tu-204-120 airliners which are produced by that Egyptian-founded company. Contracts for the use of another 20 airliners of this type by other Russian air companies are expected to be concluded soon. Under the terms of the contract, which was signed on August 10, this year, KrasAir will begin to receive the airliners in October 1997. "We are gratified to announce the first order placed for these airliners and hope that other orders will follow soon," Ibrahim A. Kamel, Chairman of Sirocco company, said. KrasAir now runs charter flights to 24 destinations in CIS countries as well as in Bulgaria, China, Cyprus, Germany, the United States, Turkey, Thailand, and the United Arab Emirates. The Company's air fleet consists of 65 narrow-and wide-bodied aircraft, including 22 planes Tu-154. The Tu-204-120 airliners are to be operated by KrasAir on the terms of lease, a procedure for which has been worked out by Citibank, Sirocco's financial consultant.
- Russia and France have signed an accord on broadening bilateral cooperation in aviation industry and civilian aviation. On the Russian side, the treaty was signed by vice-premier, also the economic minister, Yakov Urinson, and on the French side by the executive manager of Airbus Industry Volker von Tein. The accord provides for a support and promotion of several joint projects in the fields of certification, research, designing and production of civilian aircraft. The consortium will render technical assistance in receiving a European certificate for Tu-204 aircraft and its modifications by its Russian counterparts. It will exert every effort to bring the system of quality management at Russian aircraft-makers closer to European standards, the document said. Both sides expressed their interest in the creation of a European-Russian aviation centre in Moscow.
- Aeroflot was granted a European certificate for the right to service the consortium's A-310 planes at the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. According to the company, this will help Aeroflot cut costs of servicing foreign planes as the certificate gives the airline the right to sell its A-310-related services to other carriers.
- Despite the crash of the Berijew Be-103 amphibian the day before the opening of the air show in Zhukovsky, the promising programme for developing the plane will continue, a representative of Russia's Komsomolsk-on-Amur aircraft has said. Pilot Vladimir Ulyanov was killed in the accident.
- Ilyushin has signed a preliminary agreement with cargo airline Volga-Dnepr for the delivery of four Il-96T freighters from 1999. The first series-production Il-96T flew in May this year and Aeroflot will take delivery before 1998, it is said.
- MAPO MiG showed an armed variant of its MiG-AT jet trainer at Zhukovsky. Even heavy weapons like laser guided bombs and AA-11 air-to-air missiles were shown alongside the aircraft in the static display.
- Design bureau Vympel showed a new version of its AA-11 Archer, which is distinguished by an improved infrared seeker able so look up to 60 degrees off boresight. Also unveiled was an AA-11 modification with a laser proximity fuzing system, which reportedly is already in service with the Russian air force.
MIR successfully repaired
MIR-Reparaturen erfolgreich
When shortly after the inspection flight of the new Russian crew onboard the Russian space station MIR the main computer failed during a docking maneuver with Progress on August 18th the international press had new headlines on the MIR status. But what really had happened was no dangerous incident. Whith Progess approaching the space station the main computer crashed and the station turned away from its ideal position to the sun while continuing its stable flight around our planet. Station commander Anatoly Solovyov docked the spacecraft manually using the Torus system. The day after the crew changed the malfunctioing part, an interface modul that had been in the computer from the early days of the station. After some trouble with Vinogradov's space suit was cleared on August 22nd, a defect in one of the gloves was detected and the glove had to be changed, Solovyov and his engineer Pavel Vinogradov started the Spektr repairs. While Michael Foale staid in the Soyuz capsule docked to the node, well prepared for an emergency undocking maneuver, the two Russian astronauts closed all hatches of the docking to node and after that opened the Spektr hatch. Vinogradov then entered the damaged module for a short visual inspection. Both astronauts had to wear the bulky and uncomfortable space suits in the cramped environment of the node and the Spektr module. Vinogradov then exchanged the Spektr hatch to the node against a new one with a new interconnecntion system for nine power cables to the Spektr's solar generators.
After this succesful mission that lasted well over four hours the crew closed the Spektr hatch and opened the other hatches in the node and returned to the main MIR module.
The ground control station in Moscow gave the crew time to sleep and recover. They also had the opportunity to talk to their families on Saturday.
On Monday August 25th three of the four solar generators of the Spektr module were turned to an ideal position using the electrical steering system. From that moment the generators produced electrical energy needed for the operation of the space station and necessary for experiments.
The following Tuesday August 26th ended with another malfunction onboard MIR when the oxygen systems failed for a short period of time. The crew was able to reset the systems soon. US space agency NASA though reported this malfunction but was not aware of the systems being fixed in the meantime. This upset the Russian program managers for a few hours before everything turned back to normal on Thursday.
Meanwhile Russia's deputy finance minister Vladimir Petrov was harshly crititued for his statements on cutting funds for the MIR space station and ending its operation already next year. Valery Ryumin, Russia's coordinator of the NASA MIR program that began in 1994, was quoted saying "Petrov can say what ever nonsense he wants. The information I have says continued support was planned."
President Boris Yelzin had declared while visiting the Krunichev Federal Space Research and Space Center on August 8th more support for Russia's space industry and programs would be given because of the strategic importance of this industry for Russia.
Current plans say MIR will be operational since at least the year 2000. The International Space Station ISS will be manned from 1999 on but only after the docking of the US built main habitat module in 2003 gain full operational status.
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Lufthansa: start for a new low-cost-airline?
Startet Lufthansa eine neue Low-cost-Airline?
In a recent press report by German "Manager Magazin", a Lufthansa executive reveals plans for a new low-cost-airline. A Lufthansa spokeswomen declined to comment on any details but confirmed that the airline is going to set up a team for such a project. Lufthansa is looking for a team leader, she added. According to the report, some loss-making intra-German and European services could be sourced out of the business unit "Passage AG" and organized into a new low-cost-structured-, low-frills-airline. Services connecting Lufthansa hubs Frankfurt and Munich would not be affected. 1996 the German carrier started "Team Lufthansa", a franchise system in which regional services are sourced out to smaller airlines. Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Eurofighter DA1 celebrates 100th flight
100. Flug des Eurofighter-Prototyps DA1
On August 8, the German Eurofighter prototype DA1 made its 100th sorty since its maiden flight in March 1994. Dasa chief test pilot Wolfgang Schirdewahn was at the controls, reaching 33000 ft during the 47 minute mission. Take-off was not in Manching as usual but at the Warton site of British Aerospace, where DA1 was operating for around ten days to conduct some low level, high-speed flights over the Irish Sea to ascertain loads at these condition. Also, DA1 reached Mach 1.87 in a speed run This is the higest number recorded so far by Eurofighter prototypes, remarkable because DA1 still has the RB199 engines with less thrust than the EJ200. Apart from Schirdewahn, a BAe pilot took the opportunity to sample the DA1.Other recent tests by EF2000 was a visit to RAF Leeming to check for compatibility with airfield installations like hardened aircraft shelters (space constraints, noise exposure of ground crews etc.). According to BAe, the results exceeded expectations.
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Amsterdam Schiphol airport faces night operations restrictions
Nachtflugbeschränkungen am Amsterdamer Flughafen
Amsterdam Schiphol airport, the fourth busiest passenger hub in Europe, is to be closed to new services at night. A 11 pm to 6 am ban will also force rescheduling or cancellation of existing services using noise-intensive aircraft. Some aircraft types will be given permission to land but not to take off. The restrictions that will come into effect on October 1st have a major impact on charter airlines and air freight carriers operations. With the measures the Dutch Government wants to prevent airport noise rising above a level agreed with local residents.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Successful launch for LMLV1
Lockheed Martin LMLV1 startet NASA-Satellit
On August 23, a Lockheed Martin Launch Vehicle (LMLV1) successfully launched the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Lewis satellite into sun-synchronous orbit at 11:51 p.m. PDT, August 22, from Space Launch Complex 6 (SLC 6) at Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), Calif. Lewis, built by TRW Inc., is the first of NASA's Small Spacecraft Technology Initiative (SSTI) satellites. Last night's launch marks the return-to-flight for the LMLV.The LMLV1 is a core component of the family of launch vehicles developed by Astronautics to address the launch needs of domestic and international satellite markets. The two-stage LMLV1 is capable of launching satellites weighing up to 1,750 lb., while the LMLV2, a three-stage vehicle, can launch satellites weighing up to 4,350 lb. The LMLV1 consists of components provided by program teammates: Pratt & Whitney, Space Propulsion Operations, second stage Orbus(R) 21D rocket motors; Primex Aerospace, attitude control system; and Thiokol, first stage Castor 120(R) rocket motors. Astronautics performs integration and systems testing for the vehicle.
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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
CAE Elektronik GmbH has signed a contract worth 125 million DM for the supply of eight new helicopter simulators to the German Heeresfliegerwaffenschule at Bückeburg. They will be used in basic training of new army aviation pilots, replicating the Eurocopter EC 135 helicopter used for ab-initio training. Delivery will take place from mid 2001 to end 2002 and thus secure 100 jobs at the Stolberg-based company and more at subcontractors. CAE Elektronik is a long-time preffered supplier for the Heeresflieger, which only a year ago ordered four simulators for UH-1D and CH-53-pilots worth 100 million DM.+++
The first Delta II launch by Boeing since the merger with McDonnell Douglas placed five satellites in space on August 21, completing one-third of the IRIDIUM communications system constellation. Today's successful launch brings the total of orbiting IRIDIUM satellites to 22, one-third of the planned 66-satellite network. The Delta II lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at 5:38 p.m. PDT, placing the satellites into precise orbits. This was the third time in 1997 that Delta II lifted five IRIDIUM satellites into orbit and the fifth successful launch this year. There are six more Delta II launches scheduled this year including a NASA scientific mission scheduled for Aug. 25, from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla.
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Charter carrier Condor and holiday company NUR Touristic will merge on November 1 to form the largest German travel concern, it was announced on August 20. The new holding will trade unter the "C & N Touristic" name, if there are no objections from the German cartel office.
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Aerospatiale Missiles and Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace have signed an agreement on August 20, for the joint development of a new anti-ship missile. Kongsberg had negotiated in the past 18 months with several international missile companies to find a partner for its latest development, presently named the NSM. Development will be finalized in 2003, when joint marketing will begin.
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Space Shuttle Discovery returned to Earth on August 19, performing a perfect touchdown at Cape Canaveral (Florida). During the twelve-day mission, a German science satellite Crista-Spas was put into orbit and retrieved again. The next Shuttle launch will be at the end of September, for a visit to the Mir station.
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China Xinjiang Airlines has taken delivery of the first of five Aero International (Regional) ATR 72-210s. The aircraft will be used in Xianjing province, in Western China, to provide service from Urumqui to touristic areas and domestic routes such as Asku and Hotan.
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On August 20, China successfully launched its first Long March 3B rocket. The first communications satellite for the Philippines. owned and operated by the Mabuhay consortium, was put into orbit.
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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen ist nach wie vor abrufbar:
August 10, 1997
August 3, 1997
July 27, 1997
July 13, 1997
July 6, 1997
June 29, 1997
June 22, 1997
June 15, 1997
June 8, 1997
June 1, 1997
May 25, 1997
May 18, 1997
May 11, 1997
May 4, 1997
January to March 1997
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Last updated August 26, 1997
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