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UPDATE 
Week ending October 14, 2001
+++ Swissair: Schedules until October 27 +++ Air war weakens Taliban, terrorists, says Rumsfeld +++ Austrian Airlines decides further cuts +++ Fairchild Dornier breaks ground for new facility +++ S-92 first flight in new configuration +++ Eurocopter transfers BK 117 assembly to Italy +++ News in brief +++

Swissair: Schedules until October 27
Etwa 60 Prozent der Swissair-Flüge gesichert

Swissair has said that it will be offering its customers some 60 per cent of its usual scheduled European services and 70 per cent of its intercontinental flights from Thursday, October 11 until the assumption of its flight operations by the new Swiss airline on October 28. The new interim schedules will provide services to 25 European cities and 34 intercontinental destinations. Swissair tickets will be valid on Swissair or Crossair flights until October 27. Scheduled intercontinental services will continue to operate to: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Montreal, New York, Washington; Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo; Bangkok, Beijing, Delhi, Hong Kong, Karachi, Mumbai, Riyadh, Singapore, Tehran, Tokyo; Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Dubai, Muscat, Tel Aviv; Accra, Dar es Salaam, Douala, Johannesburg, Lagos, Libreville, Malabo, Nairobi and Yaoundé. Services to 14 intercontinental destinations - Atlanta, Dallas, Newark, San Francisco; Santiago de Chile; Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Osaka, Shanghai, Taipei; Beirut, Jeddah; Abidjan - will be withdrawn. The reduction in flight operations is due to the limited financial resources currently available and the fact that protection from creditors does not extend fully to all destinations outside Switzerland.

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Air war weakens Taliban, terrorists, says Rumsfeld
US-Luftkrieg gegen Afghanistan fortgesetzt

About 25 U.S. military planes struck Taliban and terrorist targets in Afghanistan on October 11, as the military campaign against global terrorism enters its second week. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told Pentagon reporters that air attacks in Afghanistan since Oct. 7 have disrupted Taliban and Al Queda network communications, destroyed terrorist training camps and airfields, knocked out many air defense and command-and-control nodes and pulverized ground-based aircraft and vehicles. "We have weakened the Taliban military and damaged -- but certainly have not eliminated -- their air defense capabilities and we have worked over a number, if not all, of their terrorist training camps," Rumsfeld said. Those camps, Rumsfeld noted, "have been locations where terrorists spread across the globe have been trained."
Myers said yesterday's U.S. air attacks involved about 15 carrier-based planes and 10 land-based bombers. He acknowledged that 5,000-pound penetration bombs had been used with effect on some underground cave strongholds. Rumsfeld remarked that the Taliban still have some jet fighters, transport aircraft and helicopters. The air campaign, he added, would continue.
Operations began October 7 when aircraft and Tomahawk missiles hammered terrorist targets in Afghanistan. About 15 land-based bombers and 25 Navy strike aircraft from carriers participated in the first strikes, said Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition, U.S. and British ships and submarines launched approximately 50 Tomahawk missiles. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the land-based bombers were U.S. B-2s, B-1Bs and B-52s. Most of the munitions dropped were precision-guided.

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Austrian Airlines decides further cuts
Weitere Sparmaßnahmen bei Austrian

Following intensive discussions with staff representatives, the unions and the AMS, the Austrian job center, the Board of Management of the Austrian Airlines Group, under the leadership of new Chairman Vagn Sørensen, has worked out a series of measures. On the one hand, these new steps are designed to keep to a minimum the negative economic consequences for the Group in the short term, following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. On the other hand, the measures should serve to regain control of what is a generally very difficult situation for the company. As well as a range of immediately effective steps designed to lead to a reduction in the cost burden, the total package of measures provides for further, structural measures. These are necessary to ensure the continued existence of the Austrian Airlines Group in the long term. In a demonstration of solidarity, the Board of Management of the Austrian Airlines Group, the second-level managers of Austrian Airlines as well as the management of Tyrolean and the management board of Lauda Air have all declared themselves ready to voluntarily give up 15% of their salaries in 2002.
Amongst the immediate measures, agreement was reached with the staff representatives over greater cuts in open holiday pay, unpaid holiday and part-time working models. Additionally, early retirement options and part-time contracts for staff approaching retirement age are being proposed. Due to structural measures which will take effect in the longer term, there will be a reorganisation of the Group within the Austrian Airlines Group. These will accelerate and conclude the integration process that has already begun. A slimmed down organisational structure and a clear division of responsibilities for the individual airlines operating within the Group should make the company more efficient and more productive. In a first stage, these measures will only achieve part of the necessary savings potential of EUR 50 million from Austrian Airlines Group staffing costs. This aim will therefore only be achieved through a staged reduction in jobs. The number of Austrian Airlines Group jobs will then be reduced by approximately 800, or 10% of current staffing levels, by the end of 2002.

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Fairchild Dornier breaks ground for new facility
Neue Anlagen in Oberpfaffenhofen für 728JET

Fairchild Dornier has broken ground for its new 728JET-assembly facility. The 17,640-square meter facility, to be completed in March 2003, will accommodate series production of the entire 728JET Family of airliners. "This is an investment, not just for the next few years, but for the next 20 to 30 years," Fairchild Dornier Board Chairman Chuck Pieper told a crowd of guests and employees at the ceremony. The facility is designed to handle any size airliner in the new family of aircraft that ranges from 55 to 110 seats. The 728JET is the first family member from Fairchild Dornier and will hold 70 to 85 passengers. The first 728JET is in final assembly in the prototype assembly hangar near the new facility. All flight test and static and fatigue test aircraft will be produced in the prototype hangar on production tooling that will simply be transferred to the new assembly facility. Inside the facility, the assembly system - a unique mixture of assembly line and fixed dock stations - has been designed by Fairchild Dornier using a state-of-the-art digital modeling system for maximum production efficiency. The assembly process will be able to produce all versions of the family in series production, and is set to accommodate a planned production rate of 10 aircraft per month beginning in 2005.
Meanwhile, Fairchild Dornier has received acceptance by the European Joint Airworthiness Authorities (JAA) for its family concept as the basis for type certification of the 928JET now in development. The agreement establishes the 928JET as meeting the standards of a derivative of the 728JET for type certification purposes, allowing for a more efficient and cost-effective development process, according to Dr. Wolfgang Wallwitz, Director of Certification & Airworthiness at Fairchild Dornier. "The agreement validates our design concept to provide our customers the benefits of a family of aircraft that will include common pilot type ratings and common maintenance programs," Wallwitz said. "As the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration also participates in the group, we have a process in place to make global certification for the 728JET aircraft family operate as efficiently as possible."

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S-92 first flight in new configuration
Produktionsmodell des S-92 fliegt

The first S-92 aircraft in the final production configuration that includes the new Rockwell Collins glass cockpit made its maiden flight October 5 at Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation's flight field in Stratford. Sikorsky test pilots Robert Spaulding and Rick Becker flew Aircraft 4 for 1.9 hours through a series of maneuvers that covered virtually the entire S-92 flight envelope. "We are really excited to fly this advanced cockpit," said Spaulding, the S-92 Program Chief Pilot, "and we are really pleased at how very well everything performed." The aircraft will stay in Stratford for additional tests and be flown later this fall to Sikorsky's Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., where it will begin a rigorous flight schedule. The S-92 is scheduled for 2002 certification.
Aircraft 4 is the last S-92 prototype to be completed and the first that incorporates both the customer-inspired design changes and the Rockwell Collins cockpit. In response to requests for additional cabin space and a larger main cabin door, Sikorsky has increased the S-92 cabin length by 16 inches (41 cm), reduced the height of the tail pylon and relocated the horizontal stabilizer. The new Rockwell Collins cockpit in Aircraft 4 provides outstanding field of view and is equipped with a highly-integrated avionics package. Rockwell Collins Avionics Management System (AMS) provides the display and integrated management of primary flight data, presentation and management of navigation information for the S-92. The system also provides flight management data, a digital map, weather radar, terrain information and engine instrument caution and advisory system processing and display.

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Eurocopter transfers BK 117 assembly to Italy
BK 117 wird in Italien montiert

Eurocopter and Helicopters Italia have agreed to transfer the assembly line for the BK 117 C-1 light twin helicopter from its German production facility in Donauwörth to Trento in Italy. The work will be carried out by a new company, Avionline, which is jointly owned by Eurocopter's Italian representative, Aersud Elicotteri, and Helicopters Italia, the Italian maintenance company of Eurocopter and Turbomeca. Eurocopter will continue to handle sales, marketing and delivery to customers of the BK 117 C-1 which is a complementary aircraft to the recently launched, slightly larger EC 145 and serves a sizeable niche market, notably in the EMS field. Avionline in Trento will produce seven BK 117 helicopters per year as of 2002. This move will allow Eurocopter's Donauwörth facility in Germany to concentrate on the production of its EC 135 and EC 145 light twins and to expand in order to accommodate serial production of the Tiger and NH90 military helicopters. At the same time, the industrial partnership between Eurocopter, its Italian network and the Italian industry will be further strengthened by this new agreement. Already, Eurocopter purchases equipment worth approx. 20 million Euro per year from Italian companies for its production lines in France and Germany. These programmes include transmissions supplied by Fiat Avio as well as cabins and crash-resistant seats supplied by Sicamb.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

EgyptAir, the flag carrier of the Arab Republic of Egypt, is the latest airline to take delivery of the popular Boeing 777-200ER. The EgyptAir-Boeing relationship began in 1966 with delivery of the carrier's first 707. EgyptAir has since expanded its fleet with 737s, 747s, 767s and 777s.
+++
The production in Queensland of the Army's Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters ('Tiger ARH') has moved a step closer with the opening of Australian Aerospace's new headquarters at Brisbane airport. Australian Aerospace, which employs 135 people, is a subsidiary of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and will assemble the Armed Reconnaissance helicopters for Eurocopter (also an EADS subsidiary). Eurocopter was chosen in August as the only company to proceed to the tender development stage for the new helicopters. When the contract for the 22 helicopters is finalised it will be worth about $1.3 billion dollars. The first few helicopters will be assembled by Australian technicians in France. While the final assembly site in Australia has not yet been confirmed locations at Oakey and Brisbane are being examined.
+++
"I am very confident that our industry will weather the storm. It will emerge, bruised but reformed and very much strengthened. But all the actors - governments, infrastructure providers and airlines, need to share the same vision," said IATA Director General & CEO Pierre J. Jeanniot, speaking at the Hong Kong International Aerospace Forum. Jeanniot told delegates of potential industry losses of USD 7 billion on international scheduled services in 2001, up from the estimate of USD 2.5 billion before the September terrorist attacks, and of 120,000 job losses amongst airlines in the subsequent three weeks. But he also looked forward to a recovery in 2002, pointing out that flying was still the safest form of mass transport. The Director General said that, in addition to more intense application of conventional airport security screening, defence against potential terrorism should consist of two elements: better government intelligence and a worldwide application of biometrics. "IATA has been advocating biometrics for the past two years. People involved in using the air transport product, particularly frequent flyers, or delivering the air transport product - employees of airlines and airports, etc. - would have been subjected to an iris scan, and their details stored on a data-base. Once they have been positively vetted as a non-security threat, they should then be allowed to go about their lawful business, with no further checking. Resources can then be redirected to thoroughly checking those who have not been positively cleared, and could potentially represent a risk."
+++
Unveiled to the theme from the motion picture "The Right Stuff," Boeing dedicated its new Space Launch Complex (SLC) 37 facility at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. SLC-37 is the newest, most state-of-the-art rocket processing and launch facility and will serve as the home of east coast launch operations for the new Boeing Delta IV, which is part of the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program. The new SLC-37 facility will process and launch all five variants of the Delta IV family that includes the Delta IV Medium, three versions of the Delta IV Medium+, and the Delta IV Heavy. SLC-37 will enable the Boeing Delta team to prepare a Delta IV launch vehicle in fewer than 30 days upon its arrival from the factory, reducing on-pad preparation time to about 10 days, which significantly reduces costs. "This new launch capability enhances our access to space, provides increased operational flexibility, and deepens the commitment of our industrial base teammates to world-class space launch systems," said James G. Roche, Secretary of the Air Force. "We look forward to building on this public-private partnership to serve America's needs in space."
+++
The second aircraft in Bombardier Aerospace's Continental program successfully completed its first flight on October 8, setting an impressive pace for flight testing in the super midsize business jet category. Just eight weeks after the first Bombardier Continental business jet completed its maiden voyage, the second Bombardier Continental jet - serial number 20002 - took off from Bombardier Learjet facilities at Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport in clear but windy conditions at 2:35 PM Central Daylight Time and returned at 5:16 PM. During the course of its two-hour and 41-minute flight, it reached an altitude of 35,000 feet (10, 668 m) and a speed of 250 knots (288 mph; 463 km/h). The aircraft was flown by Bombardier test pilots Doug May and Ed Grabman. Mr. Grabman was also aboard aircraft 20001 when it completed its maiden voyage on August 14, 2001. As of October 8, the Bombardier Continental flight test program had accumulated more than 55 hours during 22 flights. "Both aircraft 20001 and 20002 were airborne today," noted Jim Dwyer, who made the initial flight in serial number 20001 in August.
+++
A team led by Lockheed Martin Space Systems has submitted a proposal to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), a key mission in NASA's Origins Program. The new space observatory, targeted for launch in 2009, will help NASA observe the first stars and galaxies formed in the Universe. The Lockheed Martin team, which includes Goodrich, Jackson and Tull Engineers and the University of Arizona, has delivered innovative technical and management approaches to NASA for NGST. The team's design for the observatory includes a lightweight 6-meter-class deployable mirror. "Our fundamental objective in this proposal has been to define an overall NGST architecture that exhibits sufficient performance, cost and schedule credibility to justify proceeding with the formulation and implementation effort. We believe we've succeeded in that goal," said Jeff Harris, president, Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Missiles & Space Operations. "Our long heritage of building and integrating space observatories, combined with this team's extensive experience with highly advanced optical systems will serve us well in moving this very important mission from drawing board to orbit. In addition, our commitment to management innovation and process improvement will help to chart a successful and low-risk course for NGST in a life-cycle cost-constrained environment." The NGST will be a space observatory optimized for infrared imaging and spectroscopy of astronomical targets. It will be launched to a location about a million miles from Earth opposite the Sun where it will conduct its observations in the cold of deep space. To accomplish the ambitious science goals outlined for it, the NGST will be equipped with extremely sensitive infrared detectors.
+++
On October 9, Boeing and Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd (ST Aero), the aerospace arm of Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engg), delivered the first MD-11 converted freighter to United Parcel Service (UPS) in Louisville, Ky. "In the coming years, the MD-11 will be the primary aircraft flying our international trunk routes, and it will be the centerpiece in our drive to enable global commerce," said Bob Lekites, vice president - UPS Airlines.UPS is the world's largest package delivery company serving more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. The airplane is the first of 13 MD-11s that Boeing will acquire and convert from a passenger airplane to a freighter for UPS. ST Aero's subsidiary, SASCO, has been selected by Boeing to perform the conversion work. The agreement between Boeing and UPS also includes options for 22 additional MD-11s. ST Aero successfully completed the entire conversion program -- design, conversion and maintenance -- in less than 12 months. Another two airplanes are being converted in Paya Lebar, Singapore, and are scheduled for redelivery to UPS by the end of October 2001.
+++
Airbus Deutschland GmbH and Lufthansa Technik AG have handed over the fourth and last Airbus A310-300 to the Luftwaffe. This follows a modification effort, converting the airliner into an MRT (Multi Role Transporter), which can be used for troop and freight transport, or a flying intensive care unit as well.
+++
Bombardier Aerospace announced that its 68- to 78-passenger Bombardier Q400 airliner has been approved by Europe's Joint Airworthiness Authorities for steep approach operations, paving the way for access to London City Airport (LCY) in the U.K. "This is a great opportunity for airlines using London City Airport to expand their business with the Bombardier Q400," said Steven A. Ridolfi, president, Bombardier Regional Aircraft. "The Bombardier Q400 offers 70-plus seat capacity, jet-like speed, the range to reach more destinations, superior passenger comfort and the lowest operating cost per seat of all aircraft operating at that airport." Augsburg Airways of Augsburg, Germany is expected to be the first Bombardier Q400 operator to take advantage of the JAA approval. Augsburg plans to commence flights between London City Airport and Munich, Germany later this month following approval from German regulatory authorities.
+++
IATA's prime strategic objective is to lead global airline efforts to achieve a continuous improvement in safety. The Safety Trend Evaluation, Analysis and Data Exchange System (STEADES) project is one of the most important safety initiatives of IATA's Safety Strategy 2000+. STEADES will collect data from incident reports provided by pilots and support personnel of airlines in a de-identified format to ensure confidentiality. Data will be forwarded to IATA via the safety departments of the airlines concerned. It will then be analysed for trends by IATA and the findings will be shared globally amongst the participants. IATA has formed a committee that includes the safety executives from 10 airlines and operators to support and direct this project and help with its propagation throughout the IATA community and the industry at large. Pierre J. Jeanniot, Director General and CEO of IATA, sees the STEADES initiative as "a great step in the constant quest to achieve safety improvements in the airline community. It is founded on the well proven British Airways BASIS software and will at last enable our airlines to share safety and security lessons arising from incident data."
+++
The Preston Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, has licensed its Total Airspace & Airport Modeller (TAAM) to Edwards and Kelcey, a national airport engineering, consulting, transportation and construction firm. TAAM is a fast-time gate-to-gate simulation tool used by civil aviation authorities, aviation research establishments, airlines and airports worldwide to analyze operations and schedules, redesign airspace, plan for and optimize the use of existing or new facilities (such as airports), and examine capacity. In providing consulting services to airports around the world, Edwards and Kelcey uses TAAM to develop a very detailed airport and airspace baseline of a customer's operations, and then performs "what-if" analyses using TAAM. Alan Yazdani, manager of Aviation Capacity at Edwards and Kelcey, said using TAAM will give his company an even more robust simulation capability for their airport clients."It will allow us to better assist them in addressing their airfield and airspace capacity issues and long-term growth plans," Yazdani said.
+++
A pair of eagle-eyed NASA spacecraft -- the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) and Hubble Space Telescope -- are giving amazed scientists a ringside seat to the biggest global dust storm seen on Mars in several decades. The Martian dust storm, larger by far than any seen on Earth, has raised a cloud of dust that has engulfed the entire planet for the past three months. As the Sun warms the airborne dust the upper atmospheric temperature has been raised by about 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This abrupt onset of global warming in Mars' thin atmosphere is happening at the same time as the planet's surface has chilled precipitously under the constant dust shroud. "This is an opportunity of a lifetime," said Hubble observer James Bell of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "We have a phenomenal, unprecedented view from these two spacecraft." "The beauty of Mars Global Surveyor is that we have almost two Martian years of continuous coverage and this is the first time during the mission that we have seen such a storm," added Richard Zurek of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. This storm is being closely watched by the team operating NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which is heading toward a rendezvous with the Red Planet later this month. The Odyssey team plans to "toe-dip" its way into the Martian atmosphere, gradually deepening its pass through the atmosphere until the desired drag levels are found. A warm atmosphere "puffs up," creating more drag on the spacecraft.
+++
An Atlas IIAS rocket lifted off late October 11 night, successfully carrying a national security payload into orbit. The mission was provided for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) by International Launch Services (ILS), using a Lockheed Martin-built launch vehicle. Liftoff was at 10:32 p.m. EDT (2:32 GMT) from Cape Canaveral's Pad 36B, with payload separation into transfer orbit 29 minutes later. "ILS is honored to have a role in enhancing our nation's security by launching this NRO payload," said ILS President Mark Albrecht. "Every one of these missions is vitally important for national defense." Albrecht noted that this is the second national security payload for Atlas in a month's time, and the third in less than a year. ILS successfully launched an NRO payload Sept. 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., and last Dec. 5 from Cape Canaveral. "The Altas family has a proud heritage in launching government payloads for more than 40 years. We're continuing that partnership into the 21st century with our Atlas II, III and V vehicles," he said. Last night's launch vehicle, the Atlas IIAS, can lift 8,200 pounds to geosynchronous transfer orbit. The upgraded Atlas III can lift up to 9,920 pounds, and the next-generation Atlas V is available in a range of configurations to lift payloads up to 19,000 pounds.
+++
Shenzhen Airport will soon offer helicopter service to Hong Kong and Macao, the chairman of the board of Shenzhen Airport Group Co. Ltd. announced. At a function to mark the airport's 10th anniversary Tuesday, Lu Shenghai said prospect of cooperation among the airports in the three places is fine. According to Lu, cooperation between his airport and Hong Kong Airport has been carried out step by step. There are 12 bus shuttles from Shenzhen to the Hong Kong Airport daily, in addition to speed boat service between the two. More than 20 air companies are operating 81 flights from Shenzhen airports to 51 cities. Shenzhen Airport expects a 14 percent rise in the number of passengers this year, bringing the total to 7.3 million, said Lu.
+++
EADS European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company will equip the European combat aircraft Eurofighter with the state-of-the-art electronic self-protection system "EuroDASS" (DASS = Defensive Aids Subsystem). Following the positive decision by the German Parliament, the Federal Ministry of Defence awarded a contract for the equipment of the Eurofighter aircraft with EuroDASS to the EADS Systems & Defence Electronics Business Unit. As the company announced, the order will be carried out by an international consortium consisting of BAE Systems (U.K.), Elettronica (Italy), INDRA (Spain) and EADS. Dr. Stefan Zoller, President of EADS Systems & Defence Electronics: "Following this contract, it is possible to safeguard highly qualified jobs in our Airborne Systems unit, and especially our know-how in the sensible high-technology sector of Electronic Warfare (EW)".
+++
ATR announced the sales of four New Generation ATR 42-500s.They will be delivered in January, February, July and November 2002. The name of the customer remains undisclosed at this time. Since the beginning of this year, ATR has sold 22 new aircraft (5 ATR 42-500s and 17 ATR 72-500s). In this period of economic slowdown and financial turmoil, we are extremely satisfied with this new contract " said Jean-Michel Léonard, ATR's Chief Executive Officer, "it is a clear sign for us that our products are well positioned to resist the economic impact of the September 11th attacks."
+++
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) began deploying five of its Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft from Europe to the United States. While deployed here the aircraft will operate with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in support of Operation Noble Eagle, helping to defend the continental United States in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The United States asked NATO to deploy the AWACS aircraft to assist in the NORAD mission, to allow other aircraft of this type to deploy elsewhere, and to lower the operational tempo of this high-demand aircraft. The NATO aircraft are flying in from Geilenkirchen, Germany, and will be based at Tinker AFB, Okla., home of the U.S. Air Force AWACS fleet. The NATO aircraft will be escorted by a NATO trainer cargo aircraft, a Boeing 707 used to transport detachment personnel and their equipment.
+++
On 6 October at 20:45 p.m. Moscow Time (1645 GMT) a Proton K successfully launched a Russian military satellite. The launch vehicle is manufactured by Khrunichev Space Center. This was the fifth successful Proton launch this year and the 288th launch to date.
+++
Gripen International, the company in which Saab of Sweden and the United Kingdom's BAE Systems have equal shares, has welcomed receipt of a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) for up to 30 new fighters from the Austrian government. The company, which is responsible for the international marketing, contract management and support of the Gripen new-generation swing-role fighter, is confident of submitting a fully compliant response to the Austrian government tender. This will be based on the supply of Gripen, the world's most capable and cost effective combat aircraft in operation today, supported by a long-term program of industrial cooperation and offset. "Gripen is a truly international fighter, containing the latest technologies from a team of major European and American defense suppliers," states Roger Lantz, Gripen director Austria. "We look forward to the competition process and are confident that our industrial and financial proposals will make Gripen the most affordable choice for Austria."
+++
With signing a long-term agreement LanChile has reaffirmed its confidence in the quality of Lufthansa Technik's services. Over the next twelve years the Hamburg based company will be supplying component and pool services to the Latin-American flag carrier for all together 27 Airbus A340 and A320 aircraft under a Total Component Support TCS contract. For customers, TCS is the best way to ensure a reliable supply of aircraft components, because the entire supply chain including all maintenance and logistics are in the hands of one single supplier, Lufthansa Technik. For LanChile a customized program has already been worked out, based on a so-called positive list of more than 1.100 part numbers which will be covered by Lufthansa Technik's service package.
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The first workshop on the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters took place in Italy at ESA's European Space Research Institute. This one-day meeting was attended by three of the five national space agencies who are members of the Charter as well as more than 50 representatives of the space industry and the civil protection authorities who use satellite data for disaster mapping and prevention. Although the Charter only came into operation in November 2000 it has already been called into operation on 11 occasions to provide the up-to-date information needed to anticipate and manage potential crises when natural or technological disasters occur. The workshop provided an opportunity to introduce the Charter to the European space industry, and to present its objectives, members and mechanisms. Under the Charter, the space agencies of Europe, France, Canada, USA and India agree to provide satellite data to enable emergency and rescue organizations to combat natural disasters. The Charter is a significant step forward as it brings together major Space agencies and civil protection agencies in a long-term dialogue. Although the workshop identified the limitations of current satellite systems, it was also clear that the experience gathered to date will provide valuable information for improving and further defining future satellite systems.
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The assembly of the International Space Station (ISS) passed another major milestone on October 8 as two Russian cosmonauts executed a 4 hour, 58 minute spacewalk outside the complex to begin to outfit the Station's newest module. With Expedition Three Commander Frank Culbertson coordinating activities from inside the ISS, Pilot Vladimir Dezhurov and Flight Engineer Mikhail Tyurin opened the hatch on the Pirs Docking Compartment for the first time at 9:23 a.m. Central time (1423 GMT) to hook up telemetry and data cables between Pirs and the Zvezda Service Module to which it linked up to three weeks ago, and to install handrails, an access ladder, a cargo crane, a docking target and a automated navigational antenna. It was the 27th spacewalk in support of the assembly of the ISS totaling 172 hours, 22 minutes, the third spacewalk staged out of the Station itself, the first external spacewalk from the ISS without the presence of a visiting Space Shuttle and the 100th spacewalk in Russian spaceflight history. It was Dezhurov's sixth spacewalk spanning two flights and the first for Tyurin, who is midway through his first flight into space. Moving with ease, Dezhurov and Tyurin worked leisurely and methodically through their timeline as television cameras on the Canadarm2 Station robotic arm and a camera in the Soyuz return vehicle captured spectacular views of the spacewalk. Because the spacewalk ran slightly longer than predicted, Dezhurov and Tyurin were unable to complete one task --- a test of the rigidity of the Strela cargo crane, using Tyurin as a mock payload. Russian flight controllers said the task would be conducted on a future spacewalk by the Expedition Three crew. With all of the other work successfully completed, the hatch to Pirs was closed at 2:21 p.m. Central time (1921 GMT) and the new compartment was repressurized.
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China will focus on research on the Moon and deep space, said Luan Enjie, director of the State Aerospace Bureau, at the ongoing China Industrial Hi-tech Forum. His bureau has just launched a project cooperating with its European counterpart to make breakthroughs in exploring the moon in the next decade or longer. The plan was initially made public when the Chinese Government released the White Paper for China's aerospace development. Sources with the bureau said China will launch Moon detectors from Long March carrier rockets on the basis of applied technology development. Xu Dazhe, director of the China Institute of Carrier Rocket Technology, said the Moon exploration plan is based on China's improving aerospace technology and the national strength. China is ranked near the top in the world in terms of aerospace technology with a full set of carrier rockets, applied satellites and a related research and development center and production base.
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