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UPDATE 
Week ending February 27, 2000
+++ Shuttle back from radar mission +++ Camus outlines EADS progress +++ Forgeard: Asia is an "absolute priority" for Airbus Industrie +++ Lufthansa grounds 747s after cracks +++ Swissport strengthens position in German market +++ SAS orders Airbus A321 +++ Tiger electronic warfare suite ordered +++ Boeing offers winglets for 737 +++ Airline deregulation "incomplete" says Jeanniot +++ News in brief +++

Shuttle back from radar mission
Shuttle kehrt von Radarmission zurück

German astronaut Gerhard Thiele landed back on Earth Tuesday, 22 February 2000, with his five international colleagues after a ground-breaking Space Shuttle mission that will change the way we look at the Earth. The Space Shuttle Endeavour glided to an early evening landing at the Kennedy Space Center, touching down on the runway after a mission of over 11 days. Elated scientists from all over the world gave the international SRTM team a standing ovation and heralded the mission a huge success. ESA astronaut Gerhard Thiele, completing his first space flight, described the mission as a "fantastic experience". Orbiting at 233 km above the Earth, with two radar antennas mounted in the Shuttle payload bay and two extended on a 60-metre mast, the imaging system has measured the undulations of landscapes that have been sculpted through the millennia. NASA extended mapping operations for nine hours, allowing Endeavour's astronauts to continue collecting data until a day before returning to Earth and meaning they would achieve almost 100 percent of the planned coverage. The mission's target mapping area included about 123 million square kilometres and more than 65 percent of this - nearly 80 million square kilometres - was mapped with two or more passes. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), consisting of a specially modified radar system, was designed to demonstrate the technology for obtaining high-resolution digital topographic maps of the Earth. STRM was a joint project between NASA, the United States National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) developed the C-band Spaceborne Imaging Radar and DLR developed the X-band Synthetic Aperture radar (X-SAR). Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH, a corporate unit of Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace (Dasa), is the prime contractor for the X-SAR system.

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Camus outlines EADS progress
EADS-Pläne: Camus erläutert nächste Schritte

EADS, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, is expected to be operational by July 1, 2000. A Management Board is already in place, and only certain regulatory procedures of the European Union Commission remain to be completed. This was disclosed by Mr Philippe Camus, Chairman of the Aerospatiale Matra Management Board and a Member of the EADS Board, at his press conference during Asian Aerospace in Singapore. Mr Camus told a very large gathering of international and regional journalists drawn from print, electronic and broadcast media, that commercial aircraft production of Airbus Industrie is the most important component in a balanced portfolio of businesses grouped under EADS. According to Mr Camus this will be the most important of five divisions within EADS and British Aerospace has been offered a 20% holding in it. Negotiations with BAe are still going on, Mr Camus confirmed, adding that he expected these negotiations to be favourably concluded soon. Mr Camus sees significant growth opportunities for Airbus with the creation of EADS. He also disclosed that the Airbus A3XX, four engine very long range "double decker" is being developed in several versions with 480 to 660 seats, in a three-class layout.
In Asia, where Aerospatiale Matra already has offices in 11 countries - Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tokyo, China, South Korea, Australia and India - Mr Camus said " new and important opportunities are emerging in several areas, notably commercial and military aircraft, helicopters, satellites, and multimedia broadband services among others. Fielding a question on the delay in launching Eurocopter's Tiger helicopter, Mr Jean Francois Bigay explained that the delay stemmed from the customer's end. This problem has now been resolved and Aerospatiale Matra is going ahead with the delivery of the first batch of Tigers to the French and German defence forces.

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Forgeard: Asia is an "absolute priority" for Airbus
Asien wichtiger Markt für Airbus

With the Asian market continuing as a top priority for Airbus Industrie, the consortium is moving to consolidate its regional leadership in the single-aisle and widebody airliner sectors - while also seeking customer interest for the proposed new 550-seat A3XX. Speaking to reporters at the Singapore air show, Airbus Industrie President and CEO Noël Forgeard said Asia is now "showing signs of a real recovery." Airlines throughout the region are "positioned to take advantage of a return to higher-than-average growth levels, which we expect to take full effect over the next two years," he added.
Forgeard said the Asia-Pacific zone will be a key region for aircraft with passenger capacities of 300 seats and more. According to Airbus Industrie estimates, there is a requirement for some 1,150 airliners in the A330/A340 size range, while a need is foreseen for approximately 660 aircraft capable of seating more than 400 passengers. "The Asian requirement for very large aircraft is about half the total worldwide demand anticipated for passenger aircraft in the size of our proposed A3XX family," Forgeard said. "You will therefore understand that Asia - which traditionally has represented a core market for Airbus Industrie - will continue to be an absolute priority for us." Both Forgeard and John Leahy, Airbus Industrie's Senior Vice President - Commercial, expressed confidence the A3XX will be launched this year - allowing the double-deck airliner to enter service in the second half of 2005. "In the last several weeks, we have had discussions in the big three markets around the world: Asia, Western Europe/Middle East and North America," Leahy said. "We've met with senior airline executives in all regions, and all three regions are expressing interest in the program."

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Lufthansa grounds 747s for cracks
Risse in Leitungen der Boeing 747

After finding a hairline crack in a pipe in the fire extinguisihing unit for engines, Lufthansa temporarily grounded its Boeing 747-400s for inspections on February 22. Inspections were carried out, revealing another eight discrepancies out of 24 aircraft. KLM also did inspect its aircraft. Boeing said the fault could affect 747s with Pratt & Whitney or General Electric engines built before 1995. The fault did not disrupt schedules much as a new part could be fitted in six hours in necessary.

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Swissport strengthens position in German market
Größter unabhängiger Bodendienste-Anbieter in Deutschland

Swissport International Ltd. is founding the largest independent ground handling company in Germany together with the German airlines LTU, Hapag-Lloyd and Germania. The new company, "Swissport Deutschland GmbH", will offer ground handling services at 12 German airports. Swissport International, the SAirGroup's ground handling subsidiary, managed to gain a firm foothold at six German airports over the last two years with its Aerogate subsidiary. As part of a global expansion strategy Swissport held discussions with AHS, the German ground handling company owned by LTU, Hapag-Lloyd and Germania, on amalgamating their ground handling activities in Germany. The partners agreed to settle the operations of both Aerogate and AHS in a new company, Swissport Deutschland GmbH, which is based in Munich. This move will substantially improve the partners' market position in Germany. Swissport Deutschland will offer services at the Frankfurt am Main, Munich, Düsseldorf, Berlin Tegel, Berlin Schönefeld, Berlin Tempelhof, Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover, Cologne/Bonn, Leipzig and Stuttgart Airports.
Swissport Deutschland represents the largest independent handling organisation in Germany. Swissport International will own 55 per cent of the new company while the other three partners will each have 15-per-cent stakes. This agreement is subject to the approval of the responsible competitive and oversight authorities. Thomas Neff, head of Swissport Deutschland, declared that "the new company should be innovative and future-oriented. Together with our strong partners we want to take advantage of the opportunities offered by liberalisation in the German market."

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SAS orders Airbus A321
Airbus schlägt 737 bei SAS

On February 17, SAS announced that it is purchasing twelve new A321-100s and has an option to purchase 10 additional aircraft. Using the A321-100, SAS will expand the most trafficked European destinations and simultaneously support new efforts in international traffic by strengthening the SAS traffic network in Scandinavia. The Airbus A321 represents a new, larger class of aircraft in the SAS fleet and will not replace any existing aircraft type. The A321 is needed in the SAS traffic system as the fight for desirable take-off and landing times in Europe intensifies. With more seats per flight, capacity will be increased while unit costs will be reduced. The SAS version of the Airbus A321 seats between 158-182 passengers, depending on the configuration. A series of airline companies within the Star Alliance have the A320 family in their fleet of aircraft. Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Ansett Australia, British Midland, Lufthansa and United Airlines all use these types of aircraft.

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Tiger electronic warfare suite ordered
EloKa-System für den Tiger-Kampfhuschrauber

The new Tiger helicopters of the German armed forces and the French army will soon be equipped with the most advanced Electronic Warfare Suite (EWS). Eurocopter, the leading helicopter producer, has awarded the first series production contract (order volume: 48 million euros) for this new system to the Airborne Systems operation unit of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (Dasa/Munich). Every system of the EWS, which is being tested by Eurocopter for one year, consists of a passive sensor unit and an active unit for countermeasures. Dasa is responsible for the complete sensor. In cooperation with Dasa's subsidiary LFK Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH and Detexis, a subsidiary of the French Thomson-CSF group, this system had been developed within 2 and a half years. The sensor unit encompasses:
   * a radar warning sensor conducting a threat analysis of all external radars,
   * a laser sensor detecting threats of laser-based weapon systems,
   * a missile launch detector recognizing approaching missiles and
   * an evaluation system analyzing the sensor data and transferring the threats to the crew for optical andacoustic warning.
The complete system is coupled to an ejection equipment. If one of the sensors reports a helicopter-endangering radar/laser detection or the acquisition of an approaching missile, the active unit of the Electronic Warfare Suite will start operation by initiating jamming and deception measures. Flares are activated against infrared homing seeker heads and chaffs (aluminum strips) are ejected against radar threats.

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Boeing offers winglets for 737
Winglets für Boeing 737

Boeing has announced that it is offering Next-Generation 737-800 customers a new, advanced-technology winglet as a standard option. The winglet will allow a new airplane that already flies farther, higher and more economically than competing products to extend its range, carry more payload, save on fuel and benefit the environment. The first Boeing 737-800 with winglets is expected to be delivered in the spring of 2001. All subsequent 737-800s will be equipped with structurally enhanced wings that will make it easier for owners of standard 737-800s to retrofit those jetliners with winglets. A Next-Generation 737-800 equipped with the new winglet will be able to fly farther, burn 3 percent to 5 percent less fuel, or carry up to 6,000 pounds more payload. Other benefits include a reduction in noise near airports, lower engine-maintenance costs, and improved takeoff performance at high-altitude airports and in hot climate conditions. The winglets weigh about 120 pounds each. They are made of high-tech carbon graphite, an advanced aluminum alloy and titanium. The winglet is eight feet long and tapers from its four-foot wide base to a width of two feet at the tip. The blended-winglet technology was developed by Aviation Partners Inc. of Seattle. In 1999, during the design of the BBJ winglet, Aviation Partners and The Boeing Company formed Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), a joint venture that completed and owns the design. APB is developing the capability to make the winglet available as a retrofit for airplanes already in service.

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Airline deregulation "incomplete" says Jeanniot
IATA fordert weitere Deregulierung

Substantial benefits for the consumer have flowed from European airline deregulation - but nowhere close to what was anticipated," said IATA Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot. "Why? Simply because the airline industry's deregulation is incomplete." Jeanniot was speaking to the ATC 2000 Conference in Maastricht. The Director General continued, "For a variety of reasons, and in some cases a lack of political courage, those vital elements of the air transport product - Air Traffic Control Services - are not able to be fully responsive to market demand. The result is higher cost of operation, lack of capacity and increasing inconvenience to travellers and shippers." After pointing out that air traffic delays in Europe this summer are likely to be as bad as during the last two summers, because national ATC authorities are not planning sufficient capacity, Jeanniot identified what needs to be done. "The long-term solution to the world's localised ATC capacity crises will be provided by universal adoption of CNS/ATM. But in the meantime effective change will only happen with sustained and effective political commitment at the highest level: Redesign airspace to increase capacity - giving capacity increases of at least 30 % without the need for many additional controllers or expensive new systems. Plan together - and governments must commit to meet agreed capacity targets. Service providers should be freed from government control and allowed to operate on a commercial basis. Ownership can range from state-owned to privatised, depending on what is appropriate for the country concerned. This would force the entity to think in terms of customer needs, productivity targets and seeking financing on the open market -just as airlines do!

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

A sharp decline in foreign military orders hit Dassault Aviation in 1999, with profits going down 15 percent to 175 million euros. Military sales represented only 32 percent of total turnover for the year, down from 55 percent in 1998 when the group secured a lucrative contract to sell its Mirage 2000-9 combat fighters to the United Arab Emirates. The results led the company to scale back its proposed annual dividend for 1999 to five euros per share from six euros per share in 1998. The company was more positive on its civil activities, which shot up to 68 percent of total sales in 1999 thanks to the sale of 72 Falcon business jets. Dassault will se the retirement of chairman and chief executive Serge Dassault on April 4, handing over his duties to Charles Edelstenne. Serge Dassault, who has run the firm for 14 years, reaches the mandatory retirement age of 75 on April 4 and his departure from an active management role was expected. Following the handover, he will act as an adviser to the company.
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Bombardier has provided an update on its deliveries and order backlogs for the last 12 months for the aerospace and transportation segments. The aerospace segment achieved strong growth in the number of aircraft delivered to customers reaching a new record of 292 units, a 29 % increase compared to 227 units for the same period the previous year. This increase is mainly attributable to the business aircraft segment with 183 aircraft delivered compared to 113 for the same period last year. Deliveries of business aircraft were as follows: 34 Global Express , 40 Challenger 604, 29 Learjet 60, 55 Learjet 45 and 25 Learjet 31A. In the commercial aircraft segment, 104 aircraft were delivered to customers, two more than for the previous year. Deliveries of the CRJ Series 100 and 200 reached 81 compared to 72 during 1998-1999, and deliveries of turboprops reached 23 compared with 30, as follows: 16 Series Q100 and 200, 6 Series Q300, and one of the new Series Q400. Bombardier Aerospace ended the year with a solid backlog totalling 435 regional aircraft on firm order as opposed to 323 at January 31, 1999. Furthermore, five Canadair 415 amphibious aircraft were delivered and the order backlog at the end of the financial year stood at 11 aircraft. The value of Bombardier Aerospace's total order backlog reached $18.9 billion at January 31, 2000 compared to $16.2 billion at the end of the previous year.
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With its second aerospace acquisition this year, Smiths Industries will be adding further to its aircraft equipment and components activities with the acquisition of the Actuation Systems subsidiary of BAE SYSTEMS North America, for $100 million (#63 million). This follows the $175m acquisition of the aerospace division of Invensys plc, completed at the end of January. Together, these deals support the development of a key product area for Smiths Industries Aerospace - the control and management of aircraft utilities. Chief executive Keith Butler-Wheelhouse said: "We are already among the world leaders in avionics and are now building a core business in systems outside the cockpit. We are adding to our activities in power distribution with the manufacture of associated sub-systems and equipment which control many vital functions. Both Actuation Systems and the business acquired from Invensys are at the forefront in the development of this control equipment for utility systems."
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The offer by Saab AB to acquire all of the shares in Celsius AB has been accepted to such an extent that Saab now controls approximately 99percent of the shares and 99 percent of the votes in Celsius. All the conditions for the offer by Saab as stated in the offer document dated 30 November 1999 have therefore been met and Saab will subsequently complete the offer. Saab intends to commence a compulsory acquisition procedure shortly to acquire the remaining outstanding shares in Celsius. Saab intends to accept offers from shareholders in Celsius to acquire shares in Celsius on the market for not more than SEK 179. Such purchases may cease without further notice.
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As a lead-in to Asian Aerospace 2000 being held in Singapore from Feb. 22 - 25, 2000, the Government of Singapore announced that it intends to be a participant in the NFTC training program in Canda. Once the negotiations are completed, Singapore will be the fourth international participant in the program along with Denmark, the United Kingdom and Italy. Jacques G. Auger, president, Bombardier Aerospace, Defence Services said, "The participation of Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) in NFTC is a very welcome and significant milestone for the program. Singapore is the first non-NATO nation to join the program. This additional international endorsement of NFTC is very important to us. We anticipate that there will be other NATO and non-NATO air forces who will also commit in the next few months." The RSAF will send 120 students to the program over the course of the next twenty years. They will take the advanced jet (Phase III) and fighter lead-in (Phase IV) portions of the program. The Singapore students will have completed their basic flying training at their independent training operation in western Australia.
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Only a few days into the first close-up study of an asteroid, data from NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission indicate that 433 Eros is no ordinary space rock. Since the NEAR spacecraft met up with and began its historic orbit of Eros on Feb. 14, NEAR team members at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, MD, which manages the mission for NASA, have pored over images and other early scientific returns. It will take months to unravel the deeper mysteries of Eros, but data from NEAR's final approach and first days of orbit offer tantalizing glimpses of an ancient surface covered with craters, grooves, layers, house-sized boulders and other complex features.
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Bombardier Aerospace has announced the sale of three CRJ200 Series regional jet aircraft to Shanghai Airlines. The sale, valued at approximately US $68 million (Cdn $98 million), constitutes the third new airline customer in China in less than a year. "We look forward to the addition of Bombardier's CRJ200 Series to our fleet," said Shanghai Airlines president Zhou Chi. "Our intention is to develop and build new markets with the CRJ that, at the present time, would not be viable with our larger jet equipment," he said.
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GE On Wing Support, Inc., a subsidiary of GE Engine Services, Inc. has formed its newest On Wing Support center at Asiana Airlines' Kimpo Airport facility in Seoul, South Korea. GE On Wing Support provides quick and efficient on wing engine maintenance and repair by dispatching rapid response teams to airline customers at any location in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. GE On Wing Support facilities are also capable of handling quick "hospital shop" repairs, such as replacing low-pressure turbines, high-pressure turbines, combustors, fans and boosters. "Seoul is an excellent, strategic location for airline customers, and GE Engine Services is fortunate to be there," said Andy Solem, president of GE On Wing Support. "GE plans to make significant capital investments over the next three years to enhance Asiana's maintenance facility, and further improve Asiana's already excellent reliability."
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Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company- Marietta was awarded a $15 million contract on February 17, to initiate engine/pylon integration and define reliability enhancements for the Air Force's C-5 Reliability Enhancement and Reengining Program. The C-5 RERP is the second phase of the Air Force's comprehensive modernization plan for the C-5 fleet aimed at increasing fleet availability and reducing total cost of ownership. The program will focus on upgrading the aircraft with modern commercial engines and systems and making minor structural enhancements to ensure the aircraft is operationally viable until at least 2040. During this contract, LM Aero-Marietta will compete and select the powerplant contractor and a Request for Proposal for the engine competition is expected this week. The engines being considered are the General Electric CF6-80C2, the Pratt & Whitney 4650, and the Rolls-Royce Trent 500. The Air Force anticipates an EMD contract award in November 2000. EMD will last four years and will result in flight qualification of two C-5 aircraft. The Air Force estimates the EMD contract value at $600 million. Upon successful completion of EMD, the program will move into the production phase beginning first with retrofit of the C-5B's. Total program cost is estimated by the Air Force to be approximately $6 billion.
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On February 23, EchoStar Communications Corporation announced the award of a contract to Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems to build a geosynchronous satellite to serve the direct broadcast market in the United States. EchoStar VII is based on the Lockheed Martin A2100 AX satellite bus optimized for direct broadcast applications. The spacecraft, with nearly 10 kilowatts of power, will provide Ku-band services over the continental United States and will include spot-beam coverage to enable EchoStar to serve customers with local broadcast channels in the top U.S. markets.
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The government of Israel has signed a letter of offer and acceptance with the United States Department of Defense calling for 12 of Israel's AH-64A Apaches to be remanufactured into the AH-64D configuration. This is the first step in the procurement process between the two governments. Still to come are contract negotiations for the aircraft and separate negotiations between The Boeing Company and the Israeli government for customer-unique items that will be included on the Israeli aircraft. Israel announced last October that it intended to upgrade its Apaches. The contract with the Army is expected to be signed by April, with deliveries to Israel scheduled to begin in 2003.
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On February 24, WestJet Airlines announced an intent to order 20 Next-Generation 737s with options to acquire an additional 30 airplanes. The airline also announced it entered into an agreement with GE Capital Aviation Service (GECAS) for the lease of 10 of the same airplane type with the option to lease a further 10. The signing of these agreements will provide WestJet with the ability to add up to 70 737-700 or 737-600 series airplanes over the next eight years.
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On 22 February, during a press conference that opened the Asian Aerospace 2000 exhibition in Singapore, Matra BAe Dynamics made its first presentation of the short-range air defence system, Vertical Launch Mica. The Vertical Launch Mica is a new short-range air defence system that has no equivalent anywhere in the world. It was designed to counter threats of saturating attacks by aircraft or missiles. It was designed by the French and British engineers of Matra BAe Dynamics to meet an operational need that had hitherto not been met. Unlike the SHORAD systems currently in use, the Vertical Launch Mica makes it possible to simultaneously engage multiple targets regardless of weather or electronic warfare conditions or to take countermeasures with a total coverage over 360*. These performances can only be obtained by using an all-weather fire and forget missile fitted with a thrust vector control (TVC) system. This feature, which is unique for a missile in this category, allows vertical launching and therefore a very short reaction time, a high shooting rate (less than two seconds between two firings) and easy integration to platforms, without costly dedicated sensor and guidance suite.
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Hong Kong-based Dragonair is embarking on a major expansion of its all-Airbus fleet, following the signature of a contract covering firm orders for five A320 family aircraft and one widebody A330-300, plus two A330 options. Additionally, the airline will acquire one more A330-300 and one single aisle A321 under a lease agreement with International Lease Finance Corporation (ILFC). The aircraft will begin to arrive in Hong Kong later this year, with the ILFC A321, followed in the second quarter of 2001 by the firmly ordered and ILFC A330-300s. The newly ordered A320 family aircraft will be delivered between 2003 and 2005. The latest order from Dragonair brings the total number of orders for the best-selling A320 family to 2,321 from 95 customers worldwide. Total orders for the A330/A340 family now stand at 553 from 55 customers, representing a 55% share of sales for aircraft currently offered in the 250-380 seat category.
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Following an invitation for bids open to all competitors, and a comparative assessment of five competing helicopters, the Spanish Defence Minister and Eurocopter signed by end 1999 a contract worth 100 million francs (15 million euros), which set the terms for the supplying of 15 light single-engine 120B Colibri helicopters. The deliveries will begin in July 2000 and be completed by June 2001. Besides the delivery of the fifteen helicopters, the contract also includes plans for supplying a training simulator, Computer Based Training, stock on consignment, and an initial stock for spare parts and tools. This was the first time that the EC120B Colibri participated in an invitation for bids for this type of mission, and it has now proven that it is perfectly adapted to the pilot training market, which is a very promising one for this aircraft.
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Airbus Industrie's A340-300 testbed has successfully demonstrated written communications between its pilots and air traffic controllers in the Pacific Ocean region - as part of a round-the-world flight - paving the way for certification of a Future Navigation System (FANS) datalink in its aircraft. The aircraft flew Toulouse-Johannesburg-Sydney-Papeete-Los Angeles-Toulouse, testing out datalink communications with many different air traffic control (ATC) centers and other facilities en-route. The communications link between the aircraft and the ground was mostly via satellite but, in regions where this was not available - such as the Los Angeles-Toulouse sector over the North Pole - high frequency (HF) radio links were evaluated instead. Most A330/A340 customers have opted for Airbus Industrie's FANS A datalink, which complements the satellite navigation that has long been available on them. In enabling written communications between pilots and ATC, the FANS datalink has the potential to allow the creation of shorter, more direct routings, saving passengers and airlines time and money, while reducing the cost to ATC providers. It may thus allow a higher load of passengers and cargo to be carried on longer sectors. FANS A also has the potential to enhance safety by removing ambiguity from the voice communications currently used, and by helping to avoid language misunderstandings.
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On February 17, Arianespace successfully launched the SUPERBIRD-4 telecommunications satellite tonight for Japanese operator SPACE COMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION (SCC), part of the MITSUBISHI group. Arianespace has supported the development of telecommunications in Japan and throughout the Asia-Pacific region for many years. To date, it has signed a total of 16 launch contracts with Japanese operators and launched 12 satellites for Japan. The launch was Arianespace's second successful flight of the year, and it orbited the fourth SUPERBIRD satellite. The previous missions carried SUPERBIRD A in June 1989 (on Flight 31), Superbird B1 in February 1992 (Flight 49) and Superbird A1 in December1992 (Flight 55). SUPERBIRD-4 is the 37th satellite from American company Hughes Space and Communications to be launched by an Ariane rocket.
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The Department of Defense awarded Boeing $162 million for production of the Joint Direct Attack Munition to meet both U.S. Air Force and Navy requirements. JDAM kits for the U.S. Air Force total 7,247. The U.S. Navy will receive 916. This is the fourth lot of low-rate initial production JDAM kits. A decision on full-rate production isexpected later this year. LRIP began in the spring of 1997. Boeing has received orders for approximately 16,000 kits of the 87,000 that the U.S. government has plans to procure. Production of Lot 4 will begin in March 2001 and ramp up to a rate of 700 kits per month in the Boeing weapons facility in St. Charles, Mo. Production is scheduled to run through February 2002.
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Looking forward to the formation of EADS and in view of the growing importance to the company of Information Technology, and in particular E-business, a concentration of responsibilities is being proposed to the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler AG. To ensure a smooth transition into the planned European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), the proposal has been made that already on 15 March 2000 the Dasa Chairman and CEO and Co-Chairman designate of EADS, Dr. Manfred Bischoff (57), hand over his duties as Dasa chief to Rainer Hertrich (50), the Co-Chief Executive Officer designate of the future European aerospace company. At the same time it is planned that, looking forward to his future function as Co-Chairman of EADS, after almost eleven years on the Dasa Board of Management and almost five years in the position of Dasa Chairman and CEO, Dr. Manfred Bischoff will replace DaimlerChrysler chief Jürgen E. Schrempp as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG. In addition, Dr. Manfred Bischoff is to assume responsibility on the Board for all non-automotive industrial participations, i.e. in addition to being Chairman of the Supervisory Boards of Dasa, MTU München and ADtranz he will also take on this position at MTU Friedrichshafen and at TEMIC. This will allow Dr. Eckhard Cordes, who up to now has been the Member of the DCAG Board of Management responsible for MTU Friedrichshafen and TEMIC, to place even stronger emphasison the fast growing tasks in the area of E-Business. Dr. Cordes will continue to be responsible for Merger and Acquisitions, Corporate Development and IT Management.
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Fairchild Aerospace has delivered its first U.S.-based corporate 328JET, with a new quick-change interior, to Johnson Controls Incorporated for use both as a corporate shuttle and for key employee and customer transportation. The aircraft incorporates a unique interior providing Johnson Controls the flexibility to operate the aircraft either in a standard 32-passenger airline configuration for employee shuttle operations, or in a 16-passenger executive configuration when special missions are required. It takes only four hours to change from one interior configuration to the other.
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Schreiner Flight Simulator Center USA, a subsidiary of Schreiner Aviation Training, has opened an FAA approved flight simulator in Dallas/Fort Worth for the Fairchild Aerospace 328JET to serve U.S. customers for the new regional jet. The simulator, located at the Schreiner training center near the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, will share a new building with the company's U.S. 328 turboprop simulator. The 328JET simulator currently is approved for Level C training, which supports a full type rating for most customer pilots coming through the training course. The company is also completing requirements for Level D certification.
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Fairchild Aerospace Corporation and Israel Aircraft Industries Ltd. earlier this month completed the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) of the 44-passenger 428JET. PDR marks completion of the conceptual design phase and the beginning of the detailed design process. Critical design review will take place later this year, followed by first flight in 2001, and certification and first delivery in 2002. Fairchild Aerospace launched the 428JET program in 1998 and has orders and options for 95 units. IAI, under contracts signed last year with Fairchild, will design and fabricate the fuselage and perform final structural assembly on the 428JET. IAI will also be responsible for system engineering and integration, flight testing and certification support on the program.
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Raptor 4001 flew the F-22 test program's 250th flight test sortie at Edwards AFB on Feb. 15. Later this year, the F-22 Combined Test Force will begin testing the next-generation fighter's advanced avionic technology with Raptor 4004, a major milestone for the program.
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After more than three years the present cooperative arrangement between Lufthansa Technik (LHT) and Taiwan's China Airlines (CAL) will terminate at the end of February. The 25 LHT engineers, trainers and pilots assigned to work at CAL throughout the project willsoon be returning to Germany. The contract between the parties covered not only consulting services but also the training of pilots, technical and ground handling personnel. The training was provided by LHT together with Lufthansa Technical Training and Lufthansa Flight Training, member companies of the Lufthansa Group that specialise in such training.
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Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) will be doing the overhauls of the General Electric CF6-80C2 engines of the young Japanese carrier Skymark Airlines. Those engines power the two Boeing 767-300s being flown by Skymark, which began operating in September 1998 after the Japanese government deregulated the country's air transport. The overhaul contract runs initially for three years.
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Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) is stepping up its activities in China. In mid-December LHT signed a contract with the Shenzhen Investment Holding Corporation and the Beijing Kailan Aviation Technology Company whereby the three are to set up a joint venture in which they will collaborate on a long-term basis in supplying components. To be known as the Shenzhen Lufthansa Technik Company Ltd., the new firm will be based in Shenzhen in south China. As a first step, it has leased 10,000 square meters (nearly 108,000 sq. feet) of land right next to the airport. That parcel is readily expandable whenever additional capacity may be needed. Not far from Hong Kong, in the midst of one of China's most important developing regions, the excellent infrastructure and available comprehensive technological know-how created by the international firms already settled there, plus a contract term of 30 years, portend great potential growth.
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Rockwell Collins and BFGoodrich Aerospace have entered into a strategic alliance agreement to collectively provide airlines a broad range of equipment, parts, and maintenance services including "single-stop solutions" for avionics, instrumentation and other aircraft components on a global basis. Collins Aviation Services and BFGoodrich Aviation Services Division will manage the alliance. "Rockwell is committed to growing its global service business and joining forces with an industry leader like BFGoodrich Aerospace will help us reach a wider market and accelerate our growth," said Clay Jones, President of Rockwell Collins. Rockwell Collins brings its avionics and in-flight entertainment (IFE) expertise to the alliance, including new and used parts, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of Collins and non-Collins avionics equipment, avionics integration and a global service network. BFGoodrich will contribute its strengths in avionics and airframe components MRO along with the knowledge it has as an original equipment manufacturer of related avionics products. The success of the new alliance will be further enhanced by BFGoodrich's position as one of the world's largest third-party providers of MRO services for airframes, landing systems, nacelles and thrust reversers, evacuation slides and rafts, and engine components.
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Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics announced that the 400th Gulfstream IV aircraft rolled off the production line earlier this month at its manufacturing facility in Savannah, Georgia. The legendary Gulfstream IV continues to be the world's best-selling large-cabin, long-range aircraft. The 400th GIV was delivered to an Asian customer. The aircraft will be completed at Gulfstream's Dallas facility and is expected to be in service by November of this year.
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