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Week ending September 1, 2002
+++ New Berlin airport agreed +++ TUI goes for budget airline +++ Lufthansa slashes fares +++ Eclipse 500 flies +++ Ariane 5 launches Atlantic Bird 1 and MSG-1 +++ Delta, Continental, Northwest in pact +++ News in brief +++
New Berlin airport agreed
Absichtserklärung für neuen Großflughafen
The shareholders of the Projektplanungs-Gesellschaft Schönefeld PPS, Berlin, Brandenburg and the Federal Republic of Germany have reached a general agreement together with the investment consortium Berlin-Brandenburg International Partner BBIP on the construction of the Berlin Brandenburg International Airport and the takeover of the existing airport system Tegel, Tempelhof und Schönefeld. The most important points have been established in a Letter of Intent on which the two parties have reached agreement. The detail negotiations for the development of the contracts will begin immediately after the signing of the Letter of Intent on Friday of this week and are to be concluded by 30 November 2002.The BBIP consortium leaders Hochtief and IVG emphasize that the negotiations managed to establish a fair distribution of the opportunities and risks in this exemplary project for "Public Private Partnership". "The private financing of this, the most important infrastructure project in the Federal Republic of Germany, means a relief of billions for the taxpayer and a fair chance of profit for the investors." Brandenburg's Minister President Matthias Platzeck stated, "The economy of the Berlin-Brandenburg region will also receive a major boost in the construction phase. If you want to keep up in a global economy you have to have a powerful airport. With the expansion of the EU to the East, BBI will serve as a springboard.
Both sides expect that the detail contracts can now be concluded quickly. The talks stated at the beginning of April have been conducted on the principle of releasing the government from corporate risks in the future and to fairly distribute the other risks. The airport is intended to commence operations about 60 months after the courts have ruled in favor of the authorities' permits. The most wide-ranging and extensive privatization and private financing of a public infrastructure project in Europe will be realized with the conclusion of the contracts. The basic points of the agreement:
100 percent of the shares of Berlin Brandenburg Flughafen Holding will be sold; the sales price is Euro 290 million and will be paid in three equal rates; the BBIP consortium will provide a total of Euro 650 million of capital; plans call for Euro 1.7 billion to be invested for the construction, including technical equipment. 75 percent of the services will be open for bids. This regulation introduces a competitive situation to the process. If the bidding process is less than Euro 1.7 billion, the sale price will be increased to the favor of the government. The government will continue to bear the costs for the following: Infrastructure: Railways + train station Euro 496 million, roads Euro 76 million, resettlement of Diepensee and partial resettlement of Selchow: Euro 32.7 million of a total of Euro 81.8 million; the property required for the expansion of the airport will be acquired by the consortium; the term of the concession will be 99 years; after the 51st year the buyer will pay a concession; the landing fees will be regulated by Art. 43 of the Air Traffic Permission Ordinance (cost coverage). Applications for increases of the existing fees by Euro 3 as of April 2003 will be prepared.
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TUI goes for budget airline
Hapag-Lloyd Express to be formed
TUI, Europe's leading travel group, will enter the low-cost airline sector this year with the new brand name "Hapag-Lloyd Express". It will fly from Cologne/Bonn airport and serve European and domestic routes. A new 100 per cent subsidiary of TUI AG will be responsible for sales and operations. The flight operation will begin in the first year with eight Boeing 737-700s chartered from Germania Flugdienst GmbH. The TUI AG supervisory board approved this plan at yesterday's meeting in Hanover. "Our strong aviation brand 'Hapag-Lloyd' and the partner Germania, with whom we have had business relations for many years, form the launch pad from which we will participate rapidly and highly flexibly in the growing low-cost aviation segment," explained TUI AG executive board chairman, Dr. Michael Frenzel in Hanover today. "With 'Hapag-Lloyd Express' we will take up a leading position among the low-cost carriers thanks to a streamlined cost and organisational structure, a market-oriented price and distribution strategy, and clear route selection within Europe." According to the head of the company, the brand name of the new business model is a logical further development of the successful Group aviation brand "Hapag-Lloyd". This name has been a symbol for aviation expertise and competence for the last 30 years. The home airport will be Cologne/Bonn. Flights will start from here from the beginning of December. Destinations include attractive cities such as Barcelona, Milan, Paris and Rome. The route network is initially planned to include around 10 European destinations. The potential destinations flown to within Germany from Cologne/Bonn will initially include Berlin, Dresden and Munich. The benchmark prices are market-oriented and lie within a range from Euro 10,- per person per inner-German route and from Euro 25,- per person for European routes. The Boeing 737-700s from Germania will have the new colour design of "Hapag-Lloyd Express". They have an average age of around four years and there are 148 seats in each aircraft.
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Lufthansa slashes fares
Billigtarife von Lufthansa
To coincide with the start of the 2002/03 winter timetable, the airline is launching a new, more flexible fare concept. Fares for all domestic Lufthansa flights, which can be booked from 10 September and are not limited to a specific period of time, start at 98 euros, including taxes and charges. The lowest fare, if booked online, is only 88 euros. The added benefit is that these fares do not require a minimum stay or advance booking. Lufthansa is also introducing other attractive price categories and so-called "combi-fares", which are of special interest to business travellers. In future, if a particular fare is no longer available for an individual flight leg, the next higher fare will not automatically apply to both the outbound and return flights, but only to the relevant section of the route. With its new concept Lufthansa aims to enhance its offering for customers, while the more flexible fares will boost the capacity utilisation of its aircraft. The new, lower fares and combi-fares will make flying at off-peak times more attractive for business and leisure travellers alike. "The aim of this revolutionary fare concept is not only to offer our customers cheaper flights, but also to give them more flexibility in planning their journey," Ralf Teckentrup, Executive Vice President Network Management and Marketing Lufthansa German Airlines, told reporters today in Frankfurt. "With the new fares, which allow a fairer distribution of bookings, Lufthansa is also creating the precondition for improving the occupancy rate of previously vacant seats. This automatically results in greater efficiency. We expect to attract more passengers with the improved fare concept, in particular customers who today, when planning medium or longer-distance journeys, still opt to travel by car," Ralf Teckentrup continued. Ryanair's Sales Manager for Germany, Caroline Baldwin said: "Lufthansa is clearly buckling under the pressure of the competition from Ryanair. For a company that not so long ago said low fares would never work in the German market, Germany's home carrier has clearly been forced to change its mind. Lufthansa openly says it will offer only 10% of seats at the new fare whereas Ryanair already offers 70% of all of its seats at the two lowest fares. Furthermore, Ryanair's fares start at just 20 Euro one way, making Ryanair over three times cheaper than Lufthansa's lowest fare for a similar journey length.
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Eclipse 500 flies
Erstflug des Businessjets Eclipse 500
On August 26, Eclipse Aviation Corporation announced the successful first flight of its flagship aircraft, the next-generation Eclipse 500 jet. Piloted by Bill Bubb, Eclipse Aviation's chief test pilot, the Eclipse 500 jet took to the air at 9:18 a.m. MDT, flying as planned for approximately 60 minutes. The Eclipse 500 offers performance characteristics and economics that are enabling the creation of alternatives to today's commercial air travel system. The Eclipse 500 will allow travelers to fly point-to-point to more than 10,000 airports in the U.S. alone, ushering in an age where point-to-point private jet travel will be available to everyone at affordable prices. This will be a dramatic departure from today's commercial airline system, which forces 70 percent of all air travelers to pass through 29 increasingly crowded „hub“ airports. Flight-testing was conducted in a designated test zone located south of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The first test flight was designed to investigate basic maneuverability and allow for initial aircraft systems checking. The first tests occurred at 9,000 feet (2,743.2 m) where the flight crew successfully evaluated engine handling, aircraft stability and control, general flying qualities and systems performance. The first flight of the Eclipse 500 marks the start of a 16-month testing program, involving eight test airframes. The flight-test program will culminate with FAA certification, scheduled to occur in December 2003. First customer deliveries of the Eclipse 500 are scheduled to occur in January 2004.
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Ariane 5 launches Atlantic Bird 1 and MSG-1
Meteosat und Atlantic Bird mit Ariane 5 gestartet
Almost 25 years after the November 1977 launch of the very first Meteosat, the first representative of the next generation (MSG-1) of European weather satellites has been placed in orbit and is being made ready to lend new dimensions to the monitoring of our planet's climate. On 27 August at 1945h local time (2245h GMT), a European Ariane-5 launcher lifted off from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's spaceport at Kourou, French Guiana. The two payloads were placed in geostationary transfer orbit. One of these was the first satellite to be launched under the Meteosat Second Generation programme. Controlled from the European Space Agency's operations centre at Darmstadt, Germany, MSG-1 will now make a series of manoeuvres using its onboard propulsion system which will take it to its definitive geostationary orbit a few weeks hence. Responding to the launch, José Achache, ESA Director of Earth Observation, said: "With the world's political leaders gathered in Johannesburg to discuss the requirements for sustainable global development of our planet, ESA is proud to have deployed this satellite on behalf of Eumetsat and for the benefit of countless users. It is going to improve weather forecasting, our understanding of climate change and the issue of the planet's water resources". Built by Alcatel Space Industries, as prime contractor, and a team of over 50 European companies, MSG-1 was developed by ESA on behalf of Eumetsat, the European meteorological satellite organisation.Eumetsat will be taking over MSG-1 at the end of September, following in-orbit checking of its systems, and will then proceed with acceptance of the payload. The first image from the satellite is expected by the end of October. About a year after launch, MSG-1 will commence operational service above the equator, at 0° longitude, taking over from Meteosat-7 as the main weather- and climate-monitoring satellite. Two and a half times larger than the Meteosat-1 to -7 series, MSG-1 is a cylindrical satellite 3.22 metres in diameter and 3.74 metres in height. Its mass on lift-off was 2 tonnes, almost half accounted for by the propellant needed to place it on station and keep it there during its seven-year mission.
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Delta, Continental, Northwest in pact
Marketing-Koopertation in USA
Delta Air Lines announced that it has entered into a proposed marketing agreement with Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines that will provide customers with a wider array of destinations while maintaining competition among the three carriers. The marketing agreement includes: Codesharing - All three airlines will codeshare on each other's route networks; frequent Flyer Reciprocity - Customers will be able to accrue and redeem awards in any of the three airlines' frequent flyer programs regardless of which program they belong to or on which airline they fly; airport Lounge Reciprocity - Customers will be able to participate in each airline's airport lounge program; convenient Schedule Connections - While the three airlines will continue to schedule their respective flights independently, each will evaluate their schedules to optimize convenient schedule connections between the carriers; coordination of Airport Facilities - Customers will gain the opportunity for seamless ticketing, check-in and baggage handling.Subject to necessary reviews and approvals from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Delta and Northwest pilot groups and international alliance partners, the marketing agreements will be implemented first in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, and later on routes in Europe, Asia and Latin America. The agreement provides for discussions between the three U.S. carriers and their European carrier partners with respect to transatlantic commercial cooperation and the inclusion of Continental, Northwest and their international partner, KLM, in the SkyTeam international alliance. SkyTeam's current membership includes Delta, Aeromexico, Alitalia, Air France, CSA Czech Airlines and Korean Air.
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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
The first 'cutting of metal' in the UK for the Airbus A380 superjumbo took place on 23 August. Marking the start of manufacturing in the UK for the new large airliner, machining began of a wing component at the Airbus factory in Filton, near Bristol. This component will form part of the first set of wings to be delivered from the UK to the aircraft final assembly line in Toulouse in Spring 2004 and is one of the furthest outboard ribs for the wings of the aircraft which has a wingspan of 79.8 meters. The machining follows several months of intensive work on test components for the A380 at a new £16.5 million (26 million Euro) rib manufacturing facility at Filton. Made for the first time from weight-saving high tensile strength aluminum alloy, the rib is 2.2 meters long and 0.5 meters wide. It is one of 124 ribs which form part of the interior skeleton of the set of wings (which also contain the fuel). The Filton site is responsible for manufacturing 40 of the ribs for each aircraft, its largest being 3.1 meters by 2 meters. Completed rib sets will be delivered to its sister factory in Broughton, North Wales for final assembly into the wings and then 'delivery to the final assembly line at Airbus' facility in Toulouse.+++
An Airbus Industrie A318 equipped with CFM56-5B engines flew for the first time on August 30 from Hamburg, Germany to Toulouse, France, initiating a flight test program that will culminate in aircraft certification and entry into service in mid-2003. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the French Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile jointly certified two new thrust ratings for the A318 in late July: the CFM56-5B8, rated at 21, 600 pounds (96 kN) thrust, and the CFM56-5B9, rated at 23,300 pounds (103.5 kN) thrust. No hardware changes were required for these new ratings. The CFM56-5B is a member of the CFM56 engine family produced by CFM International (CFM), a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs of France and General Electric Company. With more than 13,000 engines in service, CFM is the world's leading aircraft engine supplier.
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Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev stepped outside the Pirs Docking Compartment of the International Space Station on August 26 to swap out Japanese space exposure experiments and a Russian experiment measuring jet thruster residue on the exterior of the Zvezda Service Module in a 5 hour, 21 minute spacewalk. It was the second of two spacewalks for the Expedition Five crew, the fourth of Korzun's career and the first for Treschev. Today's excursion was the 43rd spacewalk in support of ISS assembly and maintenance and the 18th staged from the station itself. 25 spacewalks at the ISS have originated from visiting space shuttles. While Korzun and Treschev worked outside, Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson tended to station systems and choreographed the spacewalk from inside Zvezda. Whitson and Korzun conducted a 4 hour, 25 minute spacewalk on August 16 to install six micrometeoroid debris shields on Zvezda. After a slight delay to track down a small pressure leak across the hatch between Zvezda and the Zarya module, Korzun and Treschev opened the hatch to Pirs at 12:27 a.m. Central time (527 GMT) as the ISS flew over Russia at an altitude of 235 statute miles. They went to work right away, installing a frame on the Zarya as a “parking place” for modular equipment to be temporarily stowed during future ISS assembly spacewalks and hardware on Zarya which will better route tethers for spacewalkers working around the Russian segment of the station.
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Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (P&WC) is pleased to announce that its new PT6C-67D engine, used in the Huey helicopter P&WC UH-1H Plus upgrade program, has received a Type Certificate from Transport Canada. The certificate, granted on August 12, was validated two days later by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). "This is a significant milestone in the P&WC UH-1H Plus engine upgrade program," said Eric Gizard, Vice President - Turboshaft Engines, P&WC. "The program is delivering the expected benefits. We expect to receive a Supplementary Type Certificate for the conversion in September and to have the engine and aircraft installation kit available later this fall." The P&WC UH-1H Plus program provides operators of UH-1 Huey helicopters with a simple and cost effective upgrade of their current engine to the modern PT6C-67D engine equipped with an electronic engine control. The new engine offers significantly increased performance, range and payload capability while reducing operating costs. It can reduce maintenance costs by up to 40 per cent and provide more than 15 per cent better specific fuel consumption, with a scheduled maintenance interval of only 600 hrs or one year. In addition, the electronic engine control will significantly improve operability and reduce pilot workload.
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Slowly rising from the Northwest region of Manitoba, Canada, near a small gold-mining town called Lynn Lake, a massive NASA balloon began a journey August 25 that took it to the fringes of space. Silently drifting in the rarefied upper edges of our atmosphere, the scientific balloon reached a peak altitude of 161,000 feet (49 kilometers), and with a volume of 60 million cubic feet (1.7 million cubic meters), was the largest balloon ever launched successfully. The balloon carried a solar and heliosphere experiment called Low Energy Electrons (LEE), weighing 1,500 pounds (690 kg), that was provided by Dr. Paul Evenson of the University of Delaware, Newark. NASA's scientific balloons are constructed of very thin polyethylene material about the same thickness as an ordinary sandwich wrap. NASA's largest standard balloon is approximately 40 million cubic feet (1.13 million cubic meters) and reaches an altitude of approximately 130,000 feet (39.6 kilometers). The system includes a balloon, a parachute and a payload that carries instruments necessary to conduct scientific experiments.
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Astrium has signed a contract with the Hellas-Sat Consortium for the supply of Greece's first satellite. Due for launch in Spring 2003, Hellas-Sat will provide television and telecommunications services for the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004. For Antoine Bouvier, CEO of Astrium, “this contract demonstrates the flexibility of Astrium and its ability to adapt to the needs of its customers. It is also proof of the unquestionable reliability of our Eurostar product which has been ordered by nearly a dozen of the world's leading satellite operators. We are extremely pleased to be working for a new, dynamic customer, and we heartily applaud the symbolic link that Greece has made between the Olympic Games and the space age.” Thirty three Eurostar spacecraft have been ordered to date, of which 22 have already been launched and have proved highly reliable in operational service. The high-power Hellas-Sat spacecraft is a Eurostar E2000+ model equipped with 30 active FSS transponders operating in Ku-band, allowing the transmission of digital TV direct to home receive antennas as small as 60 cm. It will have a launch mass of 3250 kg and an end-of-life power of 7.6 kW. Located at 39° East two deployable antennas will provide Pan European coverage, including Greece, the Balkans and Eastern Europe, while two steerable beams can be moved to cover South Africa and the Middle East.
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NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe announced that Chief Engineer Theron M. Bradley Jr. will lead a team to investigate the apparent loss of the CONTOUR mission space probe. The investigation team will independently examine all aspects of the CONTOUR mission, which has been out of contact with controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), Laurel, Md., since a scheduled engine firing Aug. 15. On Aug. 15, CONTOUR's STAR 30 solid-propellant rocket motor was programmed to ignite at 4:49 a.m. EDT, giving CONTOUR enough boost to escape Earth's orbit. At that time, CONTOUR was about 140 miles above the Indian Ocean and out of radio contact with controllers. The CONTOUR mission operations team at APL expected to regain contact at approximately 5:35 a.m. EDT to confirm the burn, but NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas did not acquire a signal. Since then, there has been no contact with CONTOUR. Commands pre-programmed into the spacecraft's flight computer system, designed to instruct the spacecraft to try various alternate methods of contacting Earth when contact is lost, also have not worked to date.
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Citing superior performance and lower maintenance costs as a deciding factor in its decision, Copa Airlines announced firm orders for four Boeing 737-700s and two 737-800s near its headquarters in Panama City. The six-airplane order is valued at approximately $325 million. Copa also announced order options for four additional 737-700s and two additional 737-800s, making the total potential value approximately $650 million. The orders were previously accounted for in Boeing's published order totals and attributed to an unidentified customer.
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On Aug. 26, Boeing delivered to Alitalia the first of six Boeing 777-200ER (extended-range) jetliners that the Italian carrier plans to use for nonstop flights to the United States, Canada, South America and Asia. Alitalia, based in Rome, is the first Italian carrier to purchase a new 777 from Boeing. Alitalia also has options to purchase six 777-300s, a longer version of the 777-200.
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Boeing has completed two more successful flight demonstrations of its EA-18G Airborne Electronic Attack, or AEA, concept aircraft. During the demonstrations on August 20 and 22, an F/A-18F Super Hornet carrying three ALQ-99 jamming pods and two fuel tanks measured noise, vibration, data loads and assessed aircraft flying qualities. The EA-18G is one of the platforms under consideration to replace the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft. The U.S. Navy has an operational need to begin replacing the Prowler by 2008.
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On 1 September Ulrich Schulte-Strathaus will be leaving the Lufthansa Group to take up his new position as Secretary General of the Association of European Airlines (AEA) in Brussels. A highly acclaimed Lufthansa executive will thus be assuming a key function in the European aviation industry. The AEA represents the interests of 28 European airlines at European institutions in Brussels. At this key interface between business and politics Schulte-Strathaus will be in an excellent position to bring to bear his longstanding experience at Lufthansa and to represent airline interests more strongly outside the industry. Schulte-Strathaus will succeed the present Secretary General, Karl-Heinz Neumeister.
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Experts from the large aircraft infrared countermeasures program got the green light Aug. 22 to begin low-rate initial production of the system. They hope to deliver the first laser-protected transport to Air Mobility Command in early 2004. The production decision, made after extensive laser and live-fire tests conducted earlier this year, gives Aeronautical Systems Center officials permission to buy the first four LAIRCM production ship sets, with an additional nine systems scheduled for purchase in 2003. AMC officials have asked the special program office experts to equip enough transports to support one small-scale contingency, a total of 79 aircraft.
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General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft surveillance systems, announced that the combat-proven RQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) successfully launched a mini-UAV while in flight. This is the first time in history where an operational UAV has demonstrated the capability to carry and launch another UAV. Known as a Flight Inserted Detector Expendable for Reconnaissance (FINDER), this 57 lb mini-UAV was carried on a pylon under Predator's wing and released at an altitude of 10,000 ft. MSL. FINDER conducted a 25-minute pre-programmed mission before control was passed from the Predator ground control station (GCS) to a flight technician who landed FINDER on a dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base. Predator is capable of carrying two FINDERs on operational missions.
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The U.S. Air Force and Northrop Grumman Corporation conducted drop tests July 25 and Aug. 13 that successfully demonstrated the feasibility of releasing a Bat submunition from a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Sponsored by the Air Force's UAV Battlelab, the tests were performed at Eglin Air Force Base's flight test range using a UH-1N helicopter as surrogate for the Predator; an MA-4 rack and carriage system, which has been proposed for use on the Predator; and a Bat UAV ejection tube (BUET). Two preliminary tests measured the effects of vibration at hover and at 110 knots air speed. The first drop test successfully demonstrated release of the BUET from the MA-4 rack at a nominal Predator air speed of 70 knots. During a second drop test, the successful release of the BUET was repeated, followed by the successful ejection of a Bat simulant from the BUET. "This test series has shown that the Bat submunition can be integrated rapidly into UAV systems," said William H. Forster, vice president of Land Combat Systems at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector. "Deployed from a UAV, Bat could provide our armed forces with a quick-reaction capability that minimizes sensor-to-shooter timelines against fleeting targets such as SCUD missile launchers and mobile SAM launchers. We are evaluating different configurations for deploying Bat on Predator and plan to meet with Air Force officials to discuss these alternatives. We are also working with the Army and TRW on using the Hunter UAV to deliver Bats."
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The U.S. Navy has granted the MH-60S helicopter program a Milestone III Full Rate Production Decision authorizing the Navy's purchase of up to 237 MH-60S aircraft through 2010, subject to year-to-year budget allocations. "The MH-60S has gone from concept, through development, into production and fleet introduction faster than any contemporary program. Specifically, the program went from Milestone II to Fleet IOC (Initial Operational Capability) in four years," said Captain Bill Shannon, Multi Mission Helicopter (PMA-299) Program Manager. "Adding to the significance of the shortened timeframe is that the development effort was completed for $1.4 million less than the objective cost of $72 million. Today's full-rate production decision is testimony to the dedication and efficiency of the MH-60S team. My congratulations to them all." The MH-60S is currently flying in three operational squadrons. Nine aircraft are operational with Helicopter Combat Support Squadron Five (HC-5) in Guam. Two of the HC-5 aircraft are currently deployed on USNS San Jose (T-AFS 7). There are nine aircraft with the Fleet Replacement Squadron, HC-3 in San Diego, California, and four aircraft with HC-6 in Norfolk, Virginia.
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The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has approved the terms for a new airport lease agreement with the City of Newark. The new accord extends the agency's lease until 2065, ensuring the long-term success of the facilities and their impact on the region's economy. “The Port Authority and the City of Newark have reached an agreement that is fair and equitable, allowing the Port Authority to plan future investments at the airport that will not only improve service but also strengthen the region's economy,” Port Authority Chairman Jack G. Sinagra announced. The airport's investment program includes $3.8 billion worth of public and private redevelopment projects - expanded terminals; improvements to runways, taxiways, road systems and parking; a new air traffic control tower; the popular new AirTrain Newark Rail Link, which enables travel into Manhattan in under 40 minutes.
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GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE), in cooperation with NASA's Space Launch Initiative Propulsion Office, has begun a study to develop a jet engine to power reusable flyback rocket boosters for a second generation reusable launch vehicle. The Space Launch Initiative Propulsion Office launched the study to assess military and commercial jet engines that could power a reusable booster. “We are pleased to once again partner with NASA to develop an advanced propulsion system for future space transportation applications,” said Dr. Mike Benzakein, manager of advanced technology programs at GEAE. “Our goal is to provide a propulsion system that will dramatically increase vehicle safety and reliability while reducing the cost of operating and maintaining reusable launch vehicle boosters.” The Space Shuttle uses solid rocket boosters that are parachuted into the sea and retrieved for reuse after launch. The Space Launch Initiative is considering vehicle concepts that would fly first stage boosters back to a designated landing site after separation from the second stage vehicle. These flyback boosters would be powered by jet engines once the booster rocket engines have shutdown and have been separated from the second stage.
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BAE Systems North America completed the sale of its expendable defensive countermeasures business, located in Lillington, N.C., and East Camden, Ark., on 29th August 2002. The negotiated $67.5 million cash sale to Esterline Technologies was originally announced July 15. Closing of the sale today followed completion of regulatory reviews and approvals. At the Lillington facility, about 65 employees produce radar countermeasure chaff used by aircraft to help protect against radar-guided missiles. At East Camden, about 235 employees produce a variety of aircraft-dispensable flares designed to protect against infrared-guided missiles.
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The European Commission has cleared the proposed acquisition of TRW Aeronautical Systems Group (TRW ASG), the aerospace components unit of TRW Inc of the United States, by Goodrich Corporation, another US company also active in the aerospace sector. The Commission examined the operation carefully and did not identify any serious threats to competition in any parts of the European Union's territory.
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F-22 4003 became the first Raptor used to successfully fire a radar-guided AIM-120 missile while flying faster than the speed of sound. During the Aug. 21 test mission from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., Raptor 4003 launched the air-to-air missile while flying Mach 1.2 at 12,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean. This latest success shows that the F-22 flight-test program continues to make progress and that the aircraft continue to meet or exceed their technical performance requirements. At present, seven F-22s are engaged in some sort of developmental test effort. The ninth aircraft, Raptor 4009 - the last developmental test aircraft delivered to the U.S. Air Force - is expected to join the flight-test fleet at Edwards AFB later this year. To date, the F-22 flight test program has achieved more than 2,273 test hours accumulated during more than 1,021 test missions.
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Kuwait has announced that it will sign an 868-million Dollar deal for 16 Boeing Co. AH-64D Apache Longbow advanced attack helicopters. "The signing of the agreement Saturday comes after US Congress approval to provide the Kuwaiti army with Apache helicopters armed with the most up-to-date navigation and radar systems," Sheikh Jaber Mubarak al-Sabah told Al-Rai al-Aam newspaper. „The contract also comprises an after-sale guarantee, the maintenance of the machines and pilot training. It is a government-to-government deal and involves no intermediaries," Sheikh Jaber said.
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Boeing won a major space shuttle and expendable launch vehicle payload processing contract today from NASA/Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The Checkout, Assembly, and Payload Processing Services (CAPPS) contract continues the Boeing tradition of preparing NASA space flight payloads. Boeing Florida Operations has processed every space shuttle payload -- more than 100 flights -- since space shuttle Columbia's inaugural flight in 1981. In addition, Boeing processes NASA expendable launch vehicle payloads such as the scientific probes Mars Odyssey and Aqua. Both were launched aboard Boeing Delta II launch vehicles.
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