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UPDATE 
Week ending July 16, 2000
+++ Zvezda module was launched successfully +++ Hapag-Lloyd A310 emergency landing +++ NMD test fails again +++ Arianespace Flight 130 postponed +++ Eurocontrol reviews traffic situation +++ News in brief +++

Zvezda module was launched successfully
ISS-Modul Swjesda wurde erfolgreich gestartet

The Zvezda service module is in excellent shape a day after its launch aboard a Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Zvezda was launched at 12:56 a.m. EDT at July 13 and was on its own 10 minutes later after the Proton's third stage separated and fell away from the module.
After launch, Russian ground controllers monitored the module's systems through four ground site passes spaced an hour and a half apart. All systems were reported to be in good shape and operating as expected.
At the same day, Zvezda's propellant system and thruster jets were tested and verified to be in good working shape. Two test firings of the engines took place about 45 minutes apart in preparation for major rendezvous maneuvers scheduled tomorrow. The first was at 11:27 p.m. Wednesday EDT (7:27 a.m. Moscow time today). While it was a test burn only, it did serve as a small rendezvous maneuver for the module on its way to a linkup with the ISS. The result of the burn was a 2 mph (1 meter per second) increase in speed, placing the module in an orbit 210 by 106 statute miles (339 by 172 kilometers). The second burn, about 45 minutes later, occurred at 12:14 a.m. EDT today (8:14 a.m. in Moscow). It too, resulted in a change of velocity of 2 mph and raised the low end of the orbit another 3 statute miles. Again, both burns were designed as test burns to verify systems were working properly and ready to support major rendezvous maneuvers.
Other checkouts today included analyzing telemetry that verified the twin solar array drive motors were operating properly in pointing them toward the sun to gather energy for storage in the four batteries inside the module. Those batteries are reported to be working properly. Four additional batteries will be installed in the module during the next Space Shuttle visit to the International Space Station set for early September.

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Hapag-Lloyd A310 emergency landing
Notlandung einer A310 der Hapag-Lloyd

An A310 operated by German charter airline Hapag-Lloyd carrying 150 people mande an emergency landing at Schwechat airport in Vienna on June 12. It hit the grass before the runway and then slid sideways, resulting in serious damage to one engine and a wing being. Passengers were evacuated using emergency chutes and 15 of the 26 people injured were hospitalised but later released with only minor injuries according to the Associated Press. The A310 was on the way from western Crete and Hanover, Germany, when the engines stopped functioning due to fuel problems. The pilot apparently requested an emergency landing after the aircraft`s landing gear failed to retract after takeoff, which causes extra fuel consumption. The pilot headed for Vienna and had expected to be able to make the journey with the fuel available, however the aircraft suddenly ran out on the approach to Vienna resulting in the emergency landing.

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NMD test fails again
Wieder Fehlschlag bei US-Raketenabwehrtest

The fifth test flight of the prototype National Missile Defense system ended in failure early July 8 when the "bullet" and booster rocket stages didn't separate. A modified Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile with a target warhead was launched at 12:19 a.m. Eastern Time from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The prototype interceptor was launched about 20 minutes later from Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean. Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald T. Kadish, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, explained immediately following the test that the exoatmospheric kill vehicle, the "bullet" of the NMD architecture, apparently waited for a signal from the booster rocket that never came. Lacking the signal, he said, the kill vehicle shut down its timeline and never attempted to intercept the Vandenberg target. The kill vehicle relies on hitting a target to destroy it. Defense officials reported later July 8 that everything else from kill vehicle sensors to ground control systems performed as expected up to moment separation should have occurred. They also said preliminary indications are the prototype tracking radar at Kwajalein performed well and discriminated the mock warhead from all other objects, including debris from an improperly inflated decoy balloon.

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Arianespace Flight 130 postponed
Ariane-Start V-130 wurde verschoben

Arianespace has postponed the launch of Flight 130 until an upper stage anomaly detected during endurance testing on Ariane 5 components in Europe is resolved. The delay was decided after an anomaly was detected during a long duration ground test of the attitude control system for the future "Versatile" version of Ariane 5's EPS upper stage. As a result, a preventive action was taken for the similar attitude control system on the Ariane 5 launcher that currently is undergoing preparations in French Guiana for Flight 130. Additional checks could not yet confirm the flight readiness of attitude control system hardware installed on the Flight 130 vehicle.
In compliance with its policy to give absolute priority to quality and reliability, Arianespace will not authorize the launch of Flight 130 until all causes of the anomaly have been completely analyzed, and corrective measures applied, if needed. Flight 130 had been scheduled for liftoff on July 25, using an Ariane 5 heavy-lift launcher to orbit the Astra 2B satellite for Luxembourg's Société Européenne des Satellites (SES) and the GE-7 satellite for U.S. operator GE Americom.
Arianespace expects to announce a new launch date for Flight 130 soon, with the mission now being targeted for the first half of September. Arianespace's next launch will be Flight 131, which is slated for August 11. This mission will use an Ariane 4 (in the 44LP version) to orbit the Brasilsat B4 and Nilesat 102 telecommunications satellites.

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Eurocontrol reviews traffic situation
Weniger Verspäungen im Luftverkehr

The Members of the Provisional Council of Eurocontrol have noted that the air traffic and delay figures for the first six months of 2000 clearly represented an enhancement of capacity. In spite of 6.6% traffic growth over the same period in 1999, the average en-route delay per flight stood at 2.9 minutes. These encouraging figures are the outcome of a series of capacity enhancement plans undertaken by the various Air Traffic Service (ATS) providers in conjunction with the EUROCONTROL Agency. These include large-scale projects such as resectorisation, transfer of sectors from one centre to another, a new route network and the development of automated systems. The Provisional Council urged all parties involved to continue to make every possible effort to increase further airspace capacity.
Against a backdrop of increasing air traffic delays, the Provisional Council endorsed the new performance-driven approach based on the European Convergence and Implementation Plan (ECIP) as a means of improving the overall European ATM planning process. This will ensure that sufficient capacity is made available in order to meet demand in good time. National performance targets will be set for capacity, and new Local CIP (LCIP) documents will formulate 5-year capacity plans addressing implementation objectives to meet these targets.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Shares in the newly formed aerospace company European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co (EADS) launched on the market in Paris, Frankfurt and Madrid on July 10. The shares started trade well - nearly 6% over the offering price for individual investors, but later finished below the issue price of USD16.92. An undiscounted price of USD17.86 was set for institutional investors. The drop to USD16.21 at the close of trading on Monday is seen as a disappointing start for the company, which had set the offering price below expectations anyway according to the Associated Press. Initial estimates had valued the opening shares at around USD20.68. The IPO raised some USD2.7bn, which was down compared to expectations of raising USD3.1bn. EADS is the world`s third largest aerospace company behind Boeing Co, the US aircraft manufacturer, and Lockheed Martin and is seen as a direct European challenge to Boeing Co. EADS holds an 80% stake in Airbus Industrie, the European aircraft manufacturer.
+++
The LTU tourist group is targeting 63 million DM in savings for 2000 to return to profitability, after a heavy loss of 250 million last year.
+++
Cologne/Bonn airport has opened its Terminal 2 on 11 July, thus boosting its capacity to 10 million passengers a year. This gives a good reserve, as only seven million people are expected for 2000. The new building by star-architect Helmut Jahn is 300 metres long and cost 380 million DM. The main feature of the new terminal is the use of much glass, with a 12500 square metre faccade alone. Cologne/Bonn has also invested in new parking garages and will get an ICE train station later on.
+++
With the formation of EADS, the MTU engine company that was previously part of German Dasa is now directly allocated tot the Daimler-Chrysler portfolio of subsidiaries. MTU has introduced a new logo, but says that strategically there will be no shift.
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The U. S. Air Force has authorized production of the first Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle -- a Boeing Delta IV -- to support the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS). The vehicle will be used to launch a DSCS satellite in May 2002 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. This will be the first launch for the U.S. Air Force's EELV program. The DSCS satellite will be carried into orbit by a Delta IV Medium, which is capable of lifting 9,285 lbs. (4210 kg) to geosynchronous transfer orbit (GTO). There are five variants of the Boeing Delta IV launch vehicle family that are capable of delivering 9,285 - 28,950 lbs. (4210 - 13130 kg) to GTO. Each of the variants can launch single or multiple payloads and together are capable of delivering the entire range of government and commercial payloads to space. In October 1998, the Air Force awarded 19 of the initial 28 EELV missions to Boeing.
+++
A Boeing 767-400ER (extended range) airplane - the newest member in the 767 family of airplanes - is on a around-the-world tour that will take the airplane to 17 cities and three continents. The month-long tour includes a week's stay at the Farnborough Air Show in England where the airplane will be on static display. At other stops the tour also will include flight demonstrations for airline executives and staff, news media, government officials and other aviation representatives. This one-of-a-kind Boeing 767 has a special World Tour design inside and out. Both the airplane's distinctive livery and its interior feature graphics and fabrics that reflect the human fascination with flight. The airplane will be on display in Vienna, Hannover and Frankfurt in Germany, Warsaw, Prague, Larnaca, Cyprus, and Luton and Gatwick in England. The airplane will make four stops in China (in Urumqi, Haikou, Shanghai and Beijing) before traveling on to Tokyo, Taipei, Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul. The airplane returns to Seattle on Aug. 12.
+++
BAE SYSTEMS announced the U.S. Navy has accepted two E-2C Operational Flight Trainers (OFTs) that will be used to train aircrews at the Naval Air Station in Norfolk, Virginia, and the Naval Air Weapons Station at Point Mugu, California. BAE SYSTEMS Flight Simulation and Training (formerly Reflectone) has completed a major upgrade and refurbishment of each OFT during the last two years, including replacement of the visual systems plus new electric control loaders, and enhanced motion systems. BAE SYSTEMS also made significant upgrades to the software systems including improvements to the navigation and joint tactical information distribution simulation. The E-2C Hawkeye is a carrier-based airborne early warning and control aircraft designed to provide early warning of approaching enemy aircraft.
+++
The Asset Management team of BAE SYSTEMS Regional Aircraft announced a major programme of BAe 146 flight deck upgrades designed to enhance the aircraft's competitive position, keep it abreast of regulatory requirements and improve equipment reliability. This new programme has been developed with a customer airline working group and is now being offered as an upgrade package to all BAe 146 operators. Since 1994, the BAe 146 has benefited from its strong Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) backing with a series of upgrades to flight deck, operating weights and performance to keep it technically current. At the same time, the continuing focus of Honeywell Inc. on the ALF502/LF507 engines that power the BAe 146/RJ family has resulted in dramatic improvements in reliability and, combined with the EMCPP (Engine Maintenance Cost Protection Programme), a guaranteed cost of ownership for airlines. In particular, Honeywell's "XRP" engine modifications, now adopted by 65% of the BAe 146/Avro RJ fleet, have dramatically improved engine reliability.
+++
On July 11 Cessna and TAG Aviation USA, Inc. announced the formation of a new company to serve the rapidly expanding fractional ownership market. According to the terms of the agreement, Cessna will purchase a 50% interest in TAG StarShares Holding, L.L.C. and the name of the company will be changed to CitationShares Holding L.L.C. The new venture, based at Westchester County Airport in White Plains, New York, will market Cessna's popular line of Citation jet aircraft to the fractional market. CitationShares will be headed by StarShares' current Chief Executive Officer, Steve O'Neill. The CitationShares' fleet will include the recently certified Citation CJ1 and the Citation Bravo. The CJ1, successor to the best-selling CitationJet, is known for its low acquisition and operating costs, advanced avionics, increased gross weight and jet performance for the price of a turboprop.
+++
EADS is setting up a European Works Council. On Tuesday, only one day after the establishment of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company N.V. (EADS), representatives of the EADS management, the workers council and the trade unions signed a basic agreement to set up a European Works Council subject to Dutch law. The EU Guideline for the establishment of European Works Councils will form the basis for the new body. The aim is to promote cross-border understanding and mutual co-operation as well as offer a common employee forum throughout all the countries included in the new EADS.
+++
The government of the United Arab Emirates has given Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company the official go-ahead for the UAE's purchase of 80 new F-16 aircraft. The program initiation was approved by UAE officials in Abu Dhabi in late June. It follows the UAE Air Force's original selection of the F-16 in May 1998, provisional contract signature this March, and U.S. congressional approval of the sale in late May. The UAE's version of the F-16 includes significant capability enhancements, including electronic systems and a new radar version supplied by Northrop Grumman. General Electric will provide engines for the aircraft, which are scheduled for delivery from 2004 through 2007. Development and production of the F-16s will provide more than 100,000 man-years of employment at U.S. companies across 40 states. Peak employment on the program at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company's site in Fort Worth, Texas, will be about 2,300.
+++
C-130Js the Italian Air Force has on order was unveiled at a special ceremony. During the next several weeks the aircraft will be flown to Pisa in Italy where it will form part of the Aeronautica Militare Italiana's (AMI) 46th Air Brigade. Delivery of the remaining aircraft will be over the next two years. During 1999 the AMI evaluated their long-term tactical airlift needs, and determined that the best solution was a mix of aircraft including C-130Js, C-130J-30's and C-27J's. Last year Italy announced its intent to acquire 12 C-27s.
+++
Raytheon has been awarded a $34.7 million contract from Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) of Kongsberg, Norway, to provide radars and missile interface electronic kits for four Surface-Launched Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) air defense fire units for the Spanish Air Force. As the prime contractor for the 86.6 million Euro award, KDA will supply four Fire Distribution Centers (FDC) and eight launchers based on the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to Air Missile Defense System, currently fielded by the Norwegian Air Force. As the principal subcontractor to KDA, Raytheon will supply AN/MPQ-64 3D surveillance radars and Surface Launched AMRAAM missile interface electronic systems to complete the four fire units in addition to technical and logistics support.
+++
With yet another facility in Asia, Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) is strengthening its presence in the market for aircraft MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul) services. Globally the MRO sector in Asia will experience the strongest growth over the long term. As a joint venture with MacroAsia Corporation (49 percent) Lufthansa Technik AG (51 percent) established in 1999 in Manila Lufthansa Technik Philippines (LTP). LTP is taking over the MRO operations of Philippine Airlines (PAL) in the areas of aircraft maintenance and overhaul plus the servicing of engines and components. When it starts operating in September, Lufthansa Technik Philippines will initially be maintaining the active fleet of Philippine Airlines, which consists of 31 aircraft. LTP's medium-term goal is to turn its Manila facility with its central location in Southeast Asia into another "one-stop shop" offering the full line of aircraft MRO services - at first locally and regionally, then internationally. "This new facility in Asia - plus AMECO in Beijing, plus our components-servicing center being established in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, plus our China Aviation School in Taipei - is a crucial next step in setting up our global network," said LHT Executive Board Chairman Wolfgang Mayrhuber at the signing of the contract in Manila on July 12th. "We are thus better able to meet the airlines' global demand for MRO services." Given the Philippines' central location in Southeast Asia, the new LHT facility in Manila enjoys numerous advantages. All the region's major airtransport hubs are within three hours from it. Manila is already an important hub for many U.S. airlines, and locally available personnel are highly trained and skilled.
+++
The SAirGroup is pleased to note the successful conclusion of negotiations between Volare and Air Europe. The two airlines will merge to form one of Italy's most significant airline groups, the Volare Group. The Volare Group will be the Italian charter airline market leader. The Volare Group is a holding company owned by the SAirGroup, with a 49.9-per-cent stake, the shareholders of Volare Airlines (35.1 per cent), Gino Zoccai, President of the Volare Group and other investors who own the remaining 15 per cent. Plans of the SAirGroup's Italian partner call for close cooperation between Volare Airlines and Air Europe under the Volare Group holding structure. The airlines, both members of the Qualiflyer Group, will take optimal advantage of the available synergies, particularly in the network and fleet sectors. The Volare Group holds controlling shares in both Air Europe and Volare Airlines. Subsequent to this fusion, the Volare Group will be the clear leader in the Italian charter airline market, both for long- and short-haul charter operations. The Volare Group will also be a force in scheduled airline services. Scheduled services travel to the most significant domestic Italian destinations: Milan, Rome, Bergamo, Verona, Venice, Naples, Bari, Cagliari, Olbia, Palermo, Catania and international destinations such as Montego Bay, Havana and Mauritius.
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Swissair Flight Support, the Swissair subsidiary focussing on flight preparation ocumentation, is entering a strategic partnership with Atraxis and Jeppesen GmbH. The partners will specialise in electronic maps, documents and geographic information, using their combined know-how to develop innovative electronic flight navigation products for the Qualiflyer Group airlines. The partners will offer a range of products that include all the significant flight information products for cockpit crews, such as aviation maps and navigation data. As paper documents will increasingly be replaced by electronic data in the future, the partners plan to develop new and innovative solutions that will establish quality benchmarks in information content, currentness and flexibility. Initially, these products will be offered to the airlines in the Qualiflyer Group alliance.
+++
Canadian Minister of National Defense Art Eggleton opened the NATO Flying Training in Canada ( NFTC) program Thursday in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. At the opening ceremony, the minister described the 20-year NFTC program, which is estimated to cost 3.5 billion Canadian dollars (about 2.4 billion U.S. dollars), as "one of the most modern and innovative flying training systems in existence." "NFTC makes a very real and direct contribution to (NATO's) collective defense capabilities," he said. Colonel Ian Milani, director of the project, indicated the project could be a redress to criticism by NATO chief George Robertson last September that Canada failed to keep up with its NATO commitments. The program, jointly run by Bombardier Aerospace and the Canadian Forces, has already secured contracts of more than 800 million Canadian dollars (about 538 million U.S. dollars) from Denmark, Italy, Britain and Singapore, the colonel said.
+++
Pacific Aerospace & Electronics, an international fully integrated manufacturing company specializing in technically demanding components and assemblies, announced today that the Company has received an order from Swissair for the manufacture of improved wing tip components for retrofitting Swissair's A320/A321 fleet of aircraft. The order was placed with Aeromet International plc, a subsidiary of Pacific Aerospace & Electronics located in the U.K. Aeromet will manufacture complex, one-piece wing tip fence components utilizing the Company's proprietary Sophia process, aluminum casting technology. The Sophia process provides considerably enhanced mechanical properties over other methods of manufacture. Swissair anticipates that the winglets will provide their A320 fleet with increased performance benefits, including increased range and reduced fuel usage.
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The proposed NASA Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) for the International Space Station reaches another milestone with the arrival of a more complex prototype, X-38 Vehicle 131R, to NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif., on July 11 at approximately 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. Atmospheric drop tests of the X-38 prototypes will continue at Dryden for the next two years using increasingly complex test vehicles. Vehicle 131 was the first X-38 prototype, and flew three free flights before being shipped to Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas for modifications, becoming V-131R. Vehicle 131R will be transported in Johnson's Super Guppy cargo airplane, regularly used to carry space station elements from manufacturers to the launch site, Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:

*July 9, 2000

*June 25, 2000 *June 18, 2000 *June 11, 2000 *June 4, 2000

*May 28, 2000 *May 21, 2000 *May 14, 2000 *May 7, 2000

*April 30, 2000 *April 16, 2000 *April 9, 2000 *April 2, 2000

*January to March 2000 *January to December 1999 *January to December 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

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