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UPDATE
Week ending July 14, 2002
+++ Virgin Express to expand in Germany +++ Tornado upgrades in Italy +++ Ariane 5 orbits dual satellite payload +++ Turkey signs for JSF +++ AECMA presents results, wants support +++ News in brief +++


Virgin Express to expand in Germany
Neuer Billigcarrier baut Deutschlandbasis aus

In line with its stated intention to expand its operations Virgin Express, the low fare European airline, announces that it will commence flights from Köln-Bonn airport in December 2002. It has secured take off and landing slots to Köln-Bonn from a number of key destinations for the winter season and expects to expand this portfolio for the following summer. Virgin Express foresees demand for up to 20 aircraft in Germany by 2006. Recruitment of German-based crews and ground staff for the Köln-Bonn operation will start in the autumn. The airline, which was profitable last year and forecasts profit again for 2002, sees the development as an important step forward in its growth. The German market offers great opportunities and Virgin Express feels that it is the airline best prepared to develop them. With the best punctuality record in Europe and a reputation for customer care, the Virgin Express product is well suited to the German market. Year to date more than nine out of ten Virgin Express flights depart and arrive on time and customer satisfaction levels are high, reflecting the value for money business model. This model is in line with the philosophy of all companies connected with the Virgin Group.
The headquarters of the airline will remain in Brussels and the intention of the company is to reinforce its position at Brussels Airport, where Virgin Express is at present the largest carrier. Nearly one in six travellers who checks in at Brussels Airport is a Virgin Express passenger. At present Virgin Express offers from Brussels flights to 14 major European destinations: Athens, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Faro, Geneva, Gothenburg, Lisbon, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Malaga, Milan Linate, Nice, Rome and Stockholm

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Tornado upgrades in Italy
Alenia erhält Vertrag für Tornado-Modernisierung

The agreement for the upgrade of 18 Tornado aircraft, IDS version (Interdictor Defense Strike) of the Italian Air Force was signed in Munich (Germany). The total value of the agreement is EUR 45 million, of which 25 million pertaining to Alenia Aeronautica/Finmeccanica. The agreement was signed by the NETMA agency, grouping together aircraft partner countries (Germany, England and Italy) and Consortium Panavia, a venture established by Tornado constructor companies (EADS, BAE Systems and Alenia Aeronautica), and provides for the conversion of the IDS Tornados into IT-MLU (Mid Life Upgrade), 1st upgrade versions. The improvements will affect fleet navigation systems (GPS satellite system) and communication systems (radio, radar altimeter and Tacan through the integration of the Sicral satellite system). The Tornados will also work with the so-called "intelligent bombs" (GPS and laser-guided) and "stand-off weapons” (storm shadow).
The first prototype Tornado in IT-MLU 1st upgrade configuration is currently at an advanced stage of development at Alenia Aeronautica's Caselle plant. The modification of all the 18 aircraft will be completed in 2004. The agreement that was signed today is the first step towards the total modification of the entire Tornado fleet of the Italian Air Force, on duty until 2020 in both IDS and ECR (Electronic Combat and Recce) versions. Another upgraded version of the Tornado, denominated Full MLU, is being studied. This version will increase the aircraft's tactic capabilities, especially during night missions, and implement its self-defense capabilities through the integration of a new self-protection system (DASS).

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Ariane 5 orbits dual satellite payload
Zwei Satelliten mit Ariane 5 gestartet

Arianespace successfully launched two communications satellites: Stellat 5, built by Alcatel Space for the new Stellat joint venture; and N-STAR c, produced by American manufacturers Orbital Sciences Corporation and Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems for Japanese telecom giant NTT DoCoMo. This flight was the eighth successful mission in 2002 for Arianespace. The commercial launch services company's fast-paced schedule has used six Ariane 4 and two Ariane 5 boosters to carry 10 payloads in just five and a half months. Flight 153 was the ninth commercial launch of the Ariane 5 launcher, confirming Arianespace's position as the benchmark launch provider for European, American and Japanese operators. Arianespace has signed up eight new payloads so far this year, a further recognition of its top-flight service quality. The next Ariane mission, designated Flight 155, is slated for late August 2002. An Ariane 5 will boost two satellites into geostationary transfer orbit: Atlantic Bird(TM) 1 for Alenia Spazio, and Eumetsat's MSG 1 meteorological spacecraft. Flight 153 was performed by an Ariane 5 launched from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Liftoff was on July 5, 2002 at 8:22 pm local time in Kourou (11H22 Universal Time, 7:22 pm in Washington, DC, and on July 6 at 1:22 am in Paris).
Stellat 5 is the first satellite to be deployed by Stellat, a joint venture formed in January 2001 by France Telecom (70%) and Europe*Star (30%), a subsidiary of Alcatel Space and Loral Space & Communications. N-STAR c, a mobile telephony satellite, was launched for the American companies Orbital Sciences Corp. and Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems as part of a turnkey contract with Japanese operator NTT DoCoMo.

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Turkey sign for JSF
Joint Strike Fighter mit türkischer Beteiligung

On July 11, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Edward C. "Pete" Aldridge met with Under Secretary for Defense Industries Ali Ercan of the Turkish Ministry of Defense to sign a $175 million memorandum of understanding (MOU) for Turkish partnership in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) systems development and demonstration (SDD) phase. The Ministry of Defense in Turkey was an early advocate of the JSF for their Air Force and took steps during the previous concept demonstration phase (CDP) to begin their association through foreign military sales for $6.2 million. As a CDP partner Turkey gained significant insight into the program concepts and requirements definition and participated in various capabilities modeling and simulation events. Included in these efforts was a life cycle cost control study, an important area of consideration for the Turkish Air Force that examined the changes to Air Force logistics that should be accomplished to support their JSF aircraft. As a Level III partner, Turkey will participate with the United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Canada, Denmark, and Norway over the next 10 years of the systems development and demonstration phase. Turkey's $175 million investment will enable them to share in the technological leaps that are a significant part of this phase.

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AECMA presents results, wants support
Europäische Luftfahrtindustrie brauch EU-Hilfe

The 2001 statistical and financial data indicate a successful year for the European aerospace industry and further improvement of its competitiveness. The figures were published today by AECMA during its Annual Press Conference. But Jean-Paul Béchat, President of AECMA and Chairman and CEO of SNECMA, warned that support from the EU governments is needed in several areas to manage the current difficulties and to continue long-term sustainable growth. The figures for the aerospace industry in Europe reflect its strength and continued positive development in 2001: Turnover has increased by more than 10% to 81 billion Euro; order intake was 137% of turnover; employment has slightly increased by 1.5% to 435,500 employees; trade surplus more than doubled to +5.4 billion Euro. This growth is mainly based on civil business. It reached 70.1% of turnover, with particularly civil exports (49.8% of turnover) contributing strongly to the success.
The events of 11 September have triggered a troubled period for the industry. During the conference, Jean-Paul Béchat said: "Currently it would appear that 2002 is not as bad as anticipated, however, 2003 is likely to be another challenging year." It is essential to make air travel more secure and to restore passengers' confidence, and the approach had to be international and comprehensive. "Actions therefore have to involve all parties, from airlines to governments. Governments have to share a significant part of the responsibility and the cost of security in air travel."
R&D investment in 2001 was again high, at 12.5% of turnover. Over the past five years, the aerospace industry increased its own investment by 20%, while the public sector has reduced its contribution by 45% "This is of great concern for us", said Béchat. "Our US counterparts get almost 3 times our support from their governments to finance R&D. If we want to compete on a level playing field, equivalent institutional investment must be available in Europe. R&D investment today is the foundation for our industry in 15 and 20 years time. Without a competitive rate of spend, we will lose ground in competition, with knock-on effects to the supply chain, employment and technology."
A positive step was the creation of ACARE, the Advisory Council for Aerospace Research in Europe in June 2001. It brings together all stakeholders and will present its first report on a Strategic Research Agenda at the Farnborough Air Show.
In 2001, military business remained at 30% of total aerospace turnover. The industry is highly dependent on civil business. Mr Béchat: "Our dependency originates from the simultaneous rise of successful civilian programmes like Airbus, and continuous cuts in the European defence budgets over the past 20 years. More than ever, we need a coherent European policy on security and defence. European governments must agree on requirements and harmonise procurement."
Finally, Mr Béchat pointed out the STAR 21 initiative launched in 2001 by the aerospace industry and welcomed by Commission President Romano Prodi. The advisory group comprises EU-Commissioners, Members of the European Parliament and Chairmen of the aerospace industry, and is chaired by Commissioner Erkki Liikanen. Its objective has been to define the way forward for aerospace in Europe. Their findings will be published at a press conference on 16 July in Brussels.
Another field in which action is urgent is air traffic management. As people return to air travel the crucial problem of delays will appear again and air traffic is likely to double in 10 to 15 years. Therefore the Single Sky initiative of the European Commission must proceed to provide airways and airports with the required capacity and security. An improved ATM system will generate shorter flight times and ensure air traffic safety. Therefore, it will provide great benefit to the environment (due to less fuel consumption), to the citizens' quality of life (with less flights being delayed), and to the airlines' economics. "A new ATM system is a sine qua non condition to restore sustainable growth," said Mr Béchat.

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NEWS IN BRIEF – KURZMELDUNGEN

Mr. Charles Champion, executive vice-president of Airbus Industrie's A380 programme, officially performed the 'first metal cut' of the new lightweight material Glare at Stork Aerospace/Fokker in Papendrecht. By doing so he initiated the production of this material in the Netherlands for use in the largest passenger aircraft ever designed. Glare is a laminated material made of alternate layers of aluminium and glass fibre. The word 'Glare' stands for Glassfibre Reinforced Aluminium. Glare was developed in co_operation with the Delft University of Technology and the Netherlands National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR). Glare has greatly reduced susceptibility to metal fatigue and is therefore stronger than aluminium, which allows significant weight savings to be achieved. The difficulty was to find a production method that would result in a commercially viable price. The way in which Stork Aerospace has carried out this industrialisation has been recognized by the award of the prestigious Flight International Aerospace Industry Award 2002.
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Frankfurt-Hahn airport has reported passenger growth of 185 per cent in the first half of 2002. 593926 passengers were counted at the German base of low-cost carrier Ryanair, with May 30 the maximum of 5302. Up to the end of the year, another 600000 passengers are expected, tripling the year 2001 figure.
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Goodrich Corporation has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval from the FAA for a new Solid-State Vertical Reference System Model VRS-3000. The Goodrich VRS-3000 is designed as a replacement for conventional spinning mass type vertical gyroscopes. The system utilizes state-of-the-art, solid-state rate and level sensors and provides traditional Aeronautical Radio INCorporated (ARINC) 407-synchro information for pitch and roll attitude. The VRS-3000 also provides stable and consistent attitude, body rates, inertial pitch and roll rates and acceleration outputs in ARINC 429 digital format. It can provide attitude information to drive primary or standby flight displays and autopilots and is compatible with both analog and solid-state attitude indicators.
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Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company's Missiles and Space Operations, Sunnyvale, Calif., has received a contract modification valued at $123 million from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., for work to be performed in support of Servicing Mission 4, the final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Servicing Mission 4 is scheduled for February 2004. Under terms of the contract, Lockheed will be responsible for implementing the Servicing Mission 4 and for post-servicing-mission observatory-verification efforts to ensure the newly installed equipment is working properly and the telescope is ready to resume its scientific observations.
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As part of the Earth System Science Pathfinder small-satellite program, NASA has selected two new space mission proposals that will yield fresh insight into our home planet's carbon cycle and how oceans affect and respond to climate change -- knowledge that will help better life here on Earth.Partnering with NASA centers, universities, industry and international participants, the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and the Aquarius missions will enhance NASA's mission: to better understand and protect our home planet."The Orbiting Carbon Observatory will provide global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide needed to describe the geographic distribution and variability of carbon dioxide sources and sinks," said Dr. Ghassem Asrar, Associate Administrator for Earth Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington.
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Copa Airlines of Panama has become the first carrier in North, Central and South America to operate the Boeing 737-700 with advanced winglet technology. The distinctive winglets reduce drag and provide greater fuel efficiency, increasing range capability by up to 115 nautical miles. Delivered July 5, the airplane is the ninth Boeing Next-Generation 737-700 to be delivered to Copa. Boeing will deliver three more this year, making Copa's fleet one of the youngest in Latin America. Each 737-700 will feature the distinctive, performance-enhancing winglets.
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The Sky and Space Intergroup of the European Parliament, chaired by Gilles Savary (MEP), met in Strasbourg, with a significant number of MEPs and Industry attending. This meeting was dedicated to the EU/US relationships and the implications on Aerospace industries, with Commissioner Pascal Lamy as special guest. In his speech, Pascal Lamy recognised that the aerospace industry is a key one from an economic and strategic point of view, providing a trade surplus of almost 2 bn Euro. Aerospace is also a powerful driver of innovation. On the EU-US relationship, Pascal Lamy recalled two objectives: First is to defend the legitimate trade interest of the EU that is to preserve an environment in which competition can develop on a level-playing field. Secondly to avoid unnecessary tension. The Commissioner confirmed his full support to the launch of the STrategic Aerospace Revue (STAR 21). This shows the commitment of the EC to the sector, he said. On space issues, Pascal Lamy gives priority to the application of fair and balanced rules. The pre-eminence of the US must incite the European to implement a consistent policy, in addition to maintaining capabilities in satellite manufacturing and access to space. The success of Europe over 40 years is the result of the combination of three driving forces: the political will, the industrial capability, and the scientific excellence. Europe must now take up the challenges of ARIANE 5 and GALILEO, and the Commission is ready to contribute to this success.
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The traffic performance of the Lufthansa Group showed renewed signs of recovery in the first half-year. Although passenger numbers and cargo volume remained below the prior-year level, the shortfall was not as pronounced as in the first quarter of 2002. Thanks to capacity adjustments, the Group was once again able to improve its aircraft load factors. From January to June the Lufthansa Group's airlines carried 21 million passengers, 9.3 per cent fewer than in the comparable period in 2001. However, this represents an improvement on the first quarter, when the passenger count fell 11.4 per cent short of the previous year's figure. Despite a 10.8 per cent reduction in available capacity in the first six months of 2002, sales only declined by 8.5 per cent, with the result that capacity utilisation of Lufthansa's passenger aircraft rose by 1.9 percentage points to a record level of 73.7 per cent. The recovery trend was also evident in the freight business: in the first half of 2002 Lufthansa Cargo transported 3.6 per cent less cargo and mail, compared to 6.7 per cent less in the first quarter. The cargo load factor of 67.2 per cent exceeded the figure for the first half-year of 2001 by a gratifying 5.2 percentage points. The Lufthansa Group boosted its overall load factor (passenger business and cargo) to 70.8 per cent, which corresponds to an improvement of 3.4 percentage points.
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Boeing announced the creation of Integrated Defense Systems, a $23 billion business merging the company's total space, defense, government, intelligence and communications capabilities into one business unit. Jim Albaugh, 52, has been named president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. The new organization will be headquartered in St. Louis, with 78,600 employees worldwide. "Integrated solutions – joining network-centric information with integrated military air, land, sea and space-based platforms – is the direction modern defense systems are moving," said Boeing Chairman and CEO Phil Condit. "The platforms our government customers are buying today will be more and more integrated in the future. "Therefore, we are changing our internal structure to bring together those who work on integrated systems and those who design and build platforms. In simple terms, we are aligning our business today with the way we believe future systems are going to be designed, acquired and maintained," Condit said. "We will also strengthen our customer-driven focus, capitalize on our broad-based capabilities and better target advanced marketing and R&D opportunities."
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The Boeing Company will make a significant contribution to improving and enhancing U.S. rocket propulsion technology under a one-year, $2.6-million Air Force contract awarded to Boeing's Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit to pursue hydrocarbon booster studies under the Integrated High Payoff Rocket Propulsion Technology (IHPRPT) program.The Air Force Research Laboratory's Propulsion Directorate has been leading the IHPRPT mission since 1993, with NASA and other government agencies as well as industry representatives actively participating. Boeing Rocketdyne is already supporting IHPRPT in other categories, such as cryogenic propulsion through the Integrated Powerhead Demonstration (IPD) effort. Rocketdyne is also developing a number of other propulsion initiatives, including a reusable hydrocarbon engine – the RS-84 – under NASA's Space Launch Initiative (SLI). "The Air Force envisions a reusable Space Operations Vehicle, or SOV, that is driven by operability requirements," explained Brian Anderson, hydrocarbon boost program manager for Boeing. "The Air Force wants a highly operable vehicle that can be ready to launch on demand. While NASA's Space Shuttle can take up to 180 days to turnaround between flights and is schedule-driven, the Air Force wants a quicker turnaround." The primary focus of this hydrocarbon study is to address IHPRPT hydrocarbon phase II goals. IHPRPT calls for time-phased, integrated technology demonstrations, with each phase successively more challenging.
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Airbus has selected Goodrich Corporation to supply the Rear Secondary Structure for the Airbus A380 super-jumbo aircraft. Composed of Goodrich's graphite epoxy honeycomb sandwich materials, the A380 Rear Secondary Structure provides an aerodynamic surface enclosing a number of the aircraft's systems behind the main pylon box structure and below the wing. It includes an aluminum sub-structure and provides doors and removable panels for access to the internal aircraft systems. The Goodrich structure will accommodate both the Rolls-Royce and Engine Alliance engine types chosen for the A380. First deliveries of the Rear Secondary Structure shipsets are expected in the second quarter of 2004. The Rear Secondary Structure is the second A380 pylon fairing structure to be awarded to Goodrich. Earlier this year, Airbus selected Goodrich to supply the adjacent Pylon Aft Fairing. According to Harry Arnold, Vice President and General Manager, Commercial Programs for the company's Aerostructures business, "The award of both fairings demonstrates Goodrich's broad range of capabilities for composite and metallic commercial Aerostructures. It also firmly establishes Goodrich as a key systems supplier for the ground-breaking A380 aircraft. We're honored to once again have Goodrich technology assist in bringing the A380 to market."
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Virgin Atlantic announced plans to add new services on two key North Atlantic routes in response to an increasing demand for air travel since September 11. From the end of October 2002, Virgin Atlantic will reinstate a fifth daily service between London and New York. The new service will operate between Heathrow and JFK and will feature a morning departure out of Heathrow enabling passengers to arrive in New York in time for afternoon meetings. A second daily service between London and Washington will also be introduced from June 2003 departing Heathrow in the afternoon to compliment Virgin Atlantic's existing morning service. Both of the new routes will be operated by an Airbus A340.
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Severe thunderstorms have damaged the CL 75 AirCrane prototype of CargoLifter at its Brand base. This is a further blow for the company, which is struggling to get a ne footing after being declared insolvent recently.
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Following the mid-air collision on Monday 1 July, EUROCONTROL' s Provisional Council has decided to place safety issues at the top of the agenda for its 14 th Meeting, to be held in Brussels on 12 July 2002. The Council plans to scrutinise existing short-, medium- and long-term safety programmes. It will also identify those areas which need to be enhanced and will draw up a list of new actions to be launched with immediate effect. Together with representatives of airspace users' , controllers' and pilots' associations and other interested parties, the Council will examine existing safety procedures and standards with a view to improving them. The Council also intends to expedite the implementation of planned safety initiatives. Mikko Talvitie, the Provisional Council' s President and Director General of Civil Aviation in Finland, commented: "We believe that the EUROCONTROL Organisation - which includes the Agency, 31 Member States and the Safety Regulation Commission - has the competence and experience needed now to improve air safety. We will take every precaution to guard against another such mishap in European skies.” Víctor M. Aguado, EUROCONTROL' s Director General, observed: "Everything we can possibly do to improve air safety will be done. No effort will be spared in the review and reform of any aspect of air safety which might have played a role, no matter how slight, in the chain of events leading to last week' s accident.”
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Delays attributable to Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) have shown a substantial reduction in the first six months of 2002 when compared to the equivalent period in 2001. The average ATFM delay per flight dropped by approximately 46% over 2001, i.e. from 3.55 minutes to 1.92 minutes. These figures however relate only to approximately 20% of all delays. The remaining delays due to airline operations, airports, etc. are beyond the influence of the EUROCONTROL Agency. Although the reduction in traffic volume has contributed to this downward trend (the total number of 3,958,803 flights handled by the CFMU area from January until June this year was 5.05% down on 2001), other factors have also contributed to this decrease.
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Eurocopter has handed over a EC 135 to the polie helicopter squadron onf Rheinland-Palatinate. A second helicopter has been ordered and it is expected that the third Bo 105 in use now will also be replaced later. The "Sperber" squadron was flying 1051 hours last year.
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Effective July 3, 2002 Orthogon AG and EADS Deutschland GmbH have signed a contract for the delivery of a comprehensive software system for a military air traffic control system. Orthogon provides software for the radar data display, flight plan processing, recording and playback system, and the monitoring and control software for the Aerodrome Surveillance Radar (ASR-S) system. The software is based on the Orthogon products ODS Toolbox and ODSfAir. Both products have been successfully deployed to many ATC service providers worldwide over the past years. Under contract by Germany's Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) EADS supplies the company's first solid-state ASR-S S-band, air traffic control radar for field testing. The ASR-S would control primarily military air traffic, including under adverse weather and dense traffic conditions. Field tests will start in 2003. Pending a positive test outcome, Germany likely will exercise options for the replacement of all currently installed systems at the country's military air bases by ASR-S.
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Worldwide defense and aerospace companies either announced or completed M&A deals worth $18.8 billion in the first half of 2002, with Northrop Grumman's agreement to acquire TRW accounting for 63% of that amount, reports Defense Mergers & Acquisitions in its just-published semi-annual review. "The TRW deal is proof that dinosaurs still walk the Earth," said Stuart McCutchan, editor of DM&A. "While the conventional wisdom holds otherwise, defense is not an overconsolidated industry. In the most recent government fiscal year, the top 10 contractors accounted for less than 40 percent of Pentagon spending. That puts defense well below the concentration seen in other capital-intensive industries -- notably automotive and aerospace.
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The Royal Norwegian Air Force has selected Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control's Precision Attack Navigation and Targeting (PANTERA) pod as the winner of its Laser Target Designator Pods competition. This $27 million contract award is the first international sale of PANTERA. PANTERA, the export equivalent to the Lockheed Martin Sniper extended range (XR) pod, is currently used as the U.S. Air Force's Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) for the F-16, F-15 and other aircraft upgrades. Delivering three times the performance of current targeting systems, PANTERA is the choice for integration on the Royal Norwegian Air Force's F-16 Mid-Life-Update (MLU) aircraft.
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Alenia Spazio, a Finmeccanica company, and Arianespace announce today the contract for the launch of the Atlantic Bird 1 satellite. The satellite will be used and operated by Eutelsat as part of its fleet. Atlantic Bird 1 will be lofted by an Ariane 5 in the second half of 2002 from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana. It will be positioned in geostationary orbit at 12.5 degrees West, above the Atlantic Ocean.
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At a ceremony in Madrid, the Minister of Science and Technology for Spain, Anna Birulés, helped celebrate the official opening of the new Boeing Research and Technology Center there, along with Boeing Phantom Works president George Muellner and a host of other Spanish and Boeing officials. In the process, Boeing announced new collaborative projects with the Sener engineering firm and the Polytechnic Universities of Madrid and Barcelona. The Boeing Company announced its intention to open this R&T Center just over a year ago. Directed and operated by Spanish nationals, the center is the first facility of its kind Boeing has opened outside the United States, and will serve as a center of excellence in environmental, safety and reliability, and air traffic control technologies. It plans to work closely with industries, academia and other research centers in Spain and the rest of Europe in these areas. "We are proud to be opening this new R&T Center in Madrid and look forward to establishing strong new partnerships in Spain and Europe to work in these important areas of technology," Muellner said. "Working together, we can help define the future of aerospace and create a better world."
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The latest version of the Marine Corps' venerable UH-1 Huey utility helicopter, the UH-1Y, made its first flight at Pax River on July 3. With Marine Maj. Jeff Greenwood and Bell Helicopter test pilot Gregg Shimp at the controls, "Yankee One" made a 30-minute flight to check rotor track and balance and to check out instrumentation, according to Robin Locksley, H-1 Integrated Test Team Lead.
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Air Malta has concluded a multi-million dollar agreement which involves International Lease Finance Corporation, Airbus Industrie and CFM International for the renewal of its fleet over a four-and-a-half year period. The deal was based on a unique model which combines the best features of two normally exclusive scenarios, namely a leasing scenario and a purchase scenario. By exploiting this innovative model, Air Malta was able to dispose of its current fleet and secure a new fleet on a leased basis but as if it were purchased. The objectives of the model were to generate immediate cash for the airline, protect the airline's current assets from premature depreciation, acquire a low-cost but high-quality fleet, improve the airline's competitive base, and deliver higher efficiency. The unique deal was given additional impetus by the events of 11th September 2001 that created a window of opportunity which was exploited by Air Malta. The adverse international scenario which threw up severe challenges to the whole airline industry, not least Air Malta, was turned round into a positive outlook for the future.
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Gripen International, the company in which SAAB AB of Sweden and the United Kingdom's BAE Systems have an equal share, has welcomed receipt of a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) for up to 48 new fighters from the Polish government. Gripen International welcomes the opportunity respond and is confident of submitting a fully compliant response to the Polish 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.
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Initial design of a new prototype air-breathing rocket engine for NASA -- one that could revolutionize air and space travel in the next 40 years -- reached a major milestone ahead of schedule last week. The engine's design team, the Rocket Based Combined Cycle Consortium (RBC3(cubed)), completed its first major engine systems requirements review -- an exhaustive examination of the engine's design and performance parameters -- three months earlier than originally planned. To design the radical new engine, the consortium combined the propulsion development skills of the Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power business of The Boeing Co., of Canoga Park, Calif.; the Pratt & Whitney space propulsion business unit of United Technologies Corp., of West Palm Beach, Fla.; and the Aerojet missile and space propulsion business unit of GenCorp Inc., of Sacramento, Calif. The flight-like ground test engine is being developed as part of NASA's Integrated System Test of an Air-breathing Rocket (ISTAR) program, which intends by the end of the decade to flight-test a self-powered vehicle to more than six times the speed of sound, demonstrating all modes of engine operation. Dubbed "ARGO" by its design team, the engine is named for the mythological Greek ship that bore Jason and the Argonauts on their epic voyage of discovery. The team believes the name is appropriate because the ship's technological marvels were surpassed only by the world-class prowess of its crew.
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People around the world will soon get to see their home planet in an entirely new way, as NASA extends the release of detailed topographical maps collected during the 2000 Shuttle Radar Topography Mission beyond U.S. borders to the rest of the globe. NASA and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), partners in the shuttle mapping mission, agreed this week on a policy to provide 90-meter (295-foot) resolution digital-elevation mission data from sites outside the United States to qualified researchers. Selected data will simultaneously become available to the public. The two agencies also this week made public the mission's research-quality 30-meter (98-foot) resolution topographic data for the entire continental United States. National Imagery and Mapping Agency Director James R. Clapper and NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe signed the agreement yesterday at NASA Headquarters, Washington.
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The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and French based company Eurocopter signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation and exchange of information in the lead up to delivery to the Australian Army of the Armed Reconnaissance (ARH Tiger) Helicopter. Chief Defence Scientist, Dr Ian Chessell, signed the MOU. The ARH Tiger Project Director, Marc Jouan, represented Eurocopter during a simple ceremony at DSTO Headquarters in Canberra. Dr Chessell said with the on-going acquisition of the Eurocopter Tiger, DSTO is now focussing on various technology aspects of the capability in order to help the introduction into service and to advise Army of future capability options. DSTO's Land Operations Division (LOD) is playing a leading role in the evaluation of the capability through systems experimentation in the Synthetic Environment Research Facility (SERF).
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The 47th ordinary Annual Meeting of Austrian Airlines AG held on 8 May 2002 authorised the Board of Management to carry out a buy-back of own shares up to five percent of the equity capital for a period of 18 months, for the purpose of granting future share options to employees, senior executives and members of the Board of Management at the company and affiliated companies. The buy-back of a total of 1.7 million shares was concluded on 9 July 2002. The Chief Executive Officer of Austrian Airlines AG, Vagn Soerensen, declared himself satisfied with the rapid and smooth handling of the project.
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SWISS, the new Swiss airline, is going along well with the trend: passenger figures show that, during the first six months, there was a continuing month-by-month increase. In total, 5,169,617 passengers were welcomed aboard in the first six months, of whom 733,501 were carried on intercontinental flights in the second quarter. In European business, the seat-lad factor increased month by month and attained a figure of 62.0% in June. Very good results were achieved in the first two quarters for traffic with Spain and Portugal, and also with destinations in south-east Europe, such as Greece, Hungary, Macedonia and Turkey. Traffic with Ireland was also good, whereas the development of traffic with Germany was below average. With the start of the Summer timetable, SWISS expanded its route network to cover destinations in North and South America, in the Near and Middle East, in Asia and in Africa. The start in intercontinental business was very satisfactorily performed. Following load factors of about 75% in April and May. The seat-load factor increased to 80.6% in June. The links between Switzerland and North America to New York, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington, and Montreal contributed largely to the good results. In the same period, above average load factors were achieved on the routes to Bangkok and Hongkong. Overall, a seat-load factor of 66.1% was recorded for the traditionally weak seasonal months of the first half-year. Whereas for European business the load factor was 55%, for intercontinental traffic it was 76.9%.
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SWISS has decided to name all the aircraft in its fleet after mountains in its home country of Switzerland. The concept is designed to reflect the strong tradition of "Swissness” which the new Swiss airline is striving to embody. The naming policy will also help strengthen the new carrier's corporate identity and design. The aircraft of the long-haul fleet will receive the names of mountains whose summits are higher than 4000 metres – peaks like the Dufourspitze, the Zumsteinspitze, the Signalkuppe, the Dom, the Lyskamm and the Weisshorn. The first of the new Airbus A340-300s currently on order will be given the name "Matterhorn” upon delivery in summer 2003. The short-haul fleet will be named after Swiss mountains, too. The choice here will include the highest or best-known summit in each of Switzerland's cantons – the Uetliberg for Canton Zurich, for example, or St. Chrischona for Basel-Stadt. The policy is a gesture of thanks to the cantons for their financial commitment to the new Swiss airline. The short-haul fleet namings will begin with the arrival of the Embraer 170. The new names should be finalised by the end of the year. And, with 2002 having been declared the "International Year of Mountains” by the United Nations, the names will be officially announced on the Bettmeralp on July 6.
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