FLUG REVUE update: Week ending October 26, 2003

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UPDATE
Week ending 26 October 2003

+++ Concorde bows out +++ ESA astronaut flies Cervantes mission to ISS +++ Korean Air orders A380 +++ EADS Space gets Skynet order +++ Aeolus satellite ordered +++ Emirates takes Airbus A340-500 +++ News in brief +++

Concorde bows out
Letzter Linienflug der Concorde

On Friday, 24 October, three Concordes touched down at two-minute intervals at London Heathrow Airport in a carefully choreographed curtain-call. The flights were from Edinburgh, around the Bay of Biscay and finally from New York. Aboard the last transatlantic BA Concorde, pilot Mike Bannister told the applauding passengers: "Concorde was born from dreams, built from vision and operated with pride. Concorde is a fabulous aircraft and it has become a legend today." Onboard the transatlantic flight was David Hayes, who paid $60,300 in a charity auction to fly with his wife on the historic flight. Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who took the first Concorde flight in 1976 and was now on the last, said: "I don't think we will see it again -- at least in my lifetime." For many it was a sad moment.
The beginning of the end for Concorde came in July 2000 when an Air France flight crashed outside Paris, killing 113 people and grounding the entire French and British fleets. Concorde resumed flying in late 2001 in the teeth of a severe downturn in transAtlantic air travel that followed the September 11 attacks on.
Lord Marshall, chairman of British Airways, said: “Concorde is a wonderful aircraft and her last day is one of mixed emotions.Everyone has enormous pride in all that she has achieved but there is inevitable sadness that we have to move on and say farewell.“Concorde's magic has attracted millions of loyal fans who enjoy her unique blend of speed, grace and beauty. The decision to retire Concorde was a tough one, but it is the right thing to do at the right time.“
Meanwhile, Richard Branson, Chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways, has written to Tessa Jowell asking the Government to intervene to prevent Concorde being lost to the nation. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport places export bans on other masterpieces to prevent them being lost to the nation. BA plans to fly at least three of the remaining five serviceable Concordes out of Britain to foreign museums. Concorde is the British design icon of the twentieth century and has had many of Britain's greatest designers and engineers associated with its proud history from Barnes Wallis to Sir Terence Conran. It is the clear wish of the British public (confirmed by opinion polls Virgin Atlantic has carried out) for Concorde to continue to fly – either commercially, which Virgin Atlantic would love to do, or on a heritage basis - so that future generations can experience the thrill of seeing Concorde fly overhead. Richard Branson called for Government intervention: “To keep even one or two Concordes flying would require BA's fleet to be kept together in one location to allow spare parts to be cannibalised. If BA is allowed to ground its Concordes and fly them to museums around the world then effectively Concorde is destined never to fly again.“

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ESA astronaut flies Cervantes mission to ISS
Neue Sojus-Mission zur ISS

The Cervantes mission, with European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque, and the ISS Expedition 8 crew lifted off in Soyuz TMA-3 on flight 7S to the International Space Station. The launch took place from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on 18 October at 11.38 local time ( 07.38 Central European Summer Time). Duque is Flight Engineer on the Soyuz TMA-3, taking an active role alongside Kaleri, the Commander, in piloting and docking the spacecraft. This is the third Soyuz TMA flight, the first having been in October 2002 with ESA astronaut Frank De Winne from Belgium on board.
The International Space Station's newest crew of Expedition 8 Commander Mike Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri officially boarded the complex when hatches between its Soyuz spacecraft swung open at 5:19 a.m. CDT ( 1019 GMT, 2:19 p.m. Moscow time) on 20 October. They were joined by visiting researcher, European Space Agency astronaut Pedro Duque. Greeting them on the station were Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu, who are 177 days into their six months in space. The two crews will conduct eight days of joint operations and research before Expedition 7 and Duque return home on October 27.
The plan for the two crews includes eight days of handover activities and scientific experiments carried out by Duque for Spanish and other European scientists under a commercial contract between ESA and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency. The astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the International Space Station continued Thursday to press ahead with handover, cargo transfer and science activities. Expedition 7 Commander Yuri Malenchenko and NASA ISS Science Officer Ed Lu had ISS handover discussions and walkthroughs with their replacements, Expedition 8 Commander Michael Foale and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Meanwhile, European Space Agency Astronaut Pedro Duque worked on the experiments that he is performing for European scientists. Thursday's experiments focussed on physical science and bioastronautics research.

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Korean Air orders A380
A380-Auftrag von Korean Air

Korean Air has confirmed that the A380 will play a significant role in its future growth plans by signing a firm contract for the purchase of five aircraft, plus three options. Korean Air will initially introduce the A380 on high density traffic routes from Seoul to the US west coast, with subsequent destinations likely to include cities on the US east coast and Europe. Deliveries to Korean Air are scheduled to take place between late 2007 and 2009. The contract was signed at a ceremony immediately prior to the opening of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines annual Assembly of Presidents' meeting on Jeju Island, South Korea. With Korean Air's confirmation, Airbus has 121 firm orders plus eight commitments, making a total of 129, from 11 customers for the A380 programme.
“Our decision to purchase the A380 aircraft meets our strategy to reinforce Incheon Intl Airport as the strongest hub in Northeast Asia,” said Yang Ho Cho, Chairman and CEO of Korean Air. “As one of the leading airlines in Asia, our long-term fleet plan plays a significant role in this strategy. The A380 will clearly be the flagship of the 21st century and Korean Air is proud to be one of the first airlines to operate the aircraft in Asia.”

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EADS Space gets Skynet order
Skynet-Auftrag unterschrieben

EADS subsidiary Paradigm Secure Communications Limited has signed the £ 2.5bn (Euro 3.6 bn) Skynet 5 Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). Paradigm will contract with EADS Astrium Ltd for the design and manufacture of 2 satellites, complete launch services and corresponding ground segment, to enable it to provide secure military communications services over the next 15 years. This is the second largest defence contract awarded by the UK MOD to EADS in 2003 following the UK's order for 25 A400M military transport aircraft in May. With this new order intake EADS defence order book now exceeds € 45 bn, representing more than seven times the 2002 level of defence revenues. In terms of defence order book, EADS ranks as the n°1 in Europe and n°2 worldwide.
"Through this Skynet 5 PFI contract, EADS has demonstrated a pioneering approach in combining its high technology space capabilities with customer-tailored financing. This demonstrates EADS' ability to design and implement financing schemes that better meet the customer's needs, whilst limiting our financial exposure. This PFI structure is particularly well suited to financing service provision contracts for defence customers. While cash preservation remains the primary focus, EADS is implementing innovative financing solutions to secure profitable growth in this new market environment." the CEOs continued. This PFI scheme involves a debt financing with bank syndication. The syndication for this 12.5-year term bank debt of £963 million took place during the summer period and was very successful, with an oversubscription of more than 300 percent. Around 30 international banks are participating in the deal arranged by the financial institutions BNP Paribas, CIBC and HSBC.
François Auque, CEO of EADS SPACE, stated "This contract is a clear indication of the UK MOD's confidence in EADS SPACE, which is becoming a leading supplier to the British Armed Forces. More than 2,000 employees already work in EADS Astrium UK. By drawing upon the expertise of its UK personnel, EADS Astrium will design, develop and manufacture the Skynet 5 system comprising two satellites, as well as related ground equipment." The Skynet 5 contract extends through to 2018 and the programme revenues could be worth more than £2.5bn over this period. The Skynet 5 contract is awarded to Paradigm Secure Communications Limited, a 100% owned subsidiary of EADS, which is responsible for meeting the UK MOD requirements; for seeking to capture overseas business; and for the relationship with its lead banks (BNP-Paribas, CIBC and HSBC). Paradigm Secure Communications Limited's two primary subcontractors are Paradigm Services (also an EADS wholly owned subsidiary) for end-to-end service delivery, including network maintenance, customer support and technical refresh, and EADS Astrium for the design and implementation of at least two new Skynet 5 satellites, upgrades to existing UK ground control stations, provision of a new fleet of land terminals and full upgrades for the SCOT, Shipborne Communications Terminals on board Royal Navy ships.

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Aeolus satellite ordered
Auftrag für Aeolus

The European Space Agency (ESA) awarded the prime contract to EADS Astrium (UK), to build the Aeolus satellite. The satellite, due to be launched on a three-year mission in 2007, will further our knowledge of the Earth's atmosphere and weather systems by being the first to provide detailed global surveillance of winds from space. At present, there are large areas where wind profiles are not regularly observed - a major deficiency in the Global Observing System. Aeolus data could lead to major improvements in forecasters' predictions of extreme weather conditions, including major storms. Colin Hicks, Director General of the British National Space Centre, welcomed ESA's decision to award the contract to a UK firm:
EADS Astrium (France) will build the on board instrument ALADIN - Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument, - and EADS Astrium (Germany) will procure platform electrical subsystems as subcontractors to their UK sister company. Aeolus data is expected to improve weather forecasts, sometimes significantly. It will be placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 400 km, enabling it to collect information from anywhere on the planet. The ALADIN Lidar (laser detection and radar) instrument will create a wind profile showing the relative strength and direction of winds at different altitudes. This is a major step forward in wind analysis. The only wind profile data available now is from weather balloons, from aircraft and from fixed ground based radars. This means there are huge gaps in profiling over oceans and tropical regions. Measurements from Aeolus, which will provide data on a global basis, are equivalent to launching one balloon every 28 seconds for three years.
The cost of the Aeolus mission is around 300 million euros over approximately eight years. The UK share of ESA's Earth Observation Envelope Programme supporting Aeolus is 19.4% - 57.5 million euros. The UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) is responsible for Britain's subscription to ESA's environmental science programmes.

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Emirates takes Airbus A340-500
Erste A340-500 ausgeliefert

Emirates is to become the first airline to operate the ultra-long range Airbus A340-500, beginning a new era in air travel, following the delivery of the aircraft on 24 October. With the longest range of any airliner, the A340-500 allows the opening up of new non-stop routes – such as from Dubai to Australia or North America – making journeys shorter, more convenient and more comfortable for passengers. Emirates' A340-500s seat 12 in first-class suites, 42 in business class and 204 in economy – with every passenger in the premium cabins benefiting from preferred aisle or window seats. Each aircraft is powered by four Rolls-Royce Trent 500s.
“Our A340-500s will be able to easily fly from Dubai to New Zealand or the US West Coast,” says Emirates Chairman His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. “Quite simply, they will help to make Dubai the new 21st Century world airline hub, re-drawing the route map thanks to their key customer benefit – swift and comfortable non-stop services. “ Emirates is the largest customer in the world for the Airbus A330/A340 family, having ordered 54 aircraft that include A330-200s, A340-500s and A340-600s. It is also the largest customer for the new double-deck Airbus A380, of which it has ordered 43.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

The new helicopter obstacle warning system Hellas of Dornier GmbH, a unit of EADS, has provided a basic prerequisite for a world-wide application. As reported by the company on the 22nd of October, the Federal Office of Civil Aeronautics (LBA) has granted the world-wide first certification for the civil series product Hellas (Helicopter Laser Radar). This certification was preceded by a series of successful certification flights on board a Eurocopter helicopter (EC 135) of the Federal Border Guard (BGS). Certification for further countries has been requested and is to be granted soon. Johann Heitzmann, President and CEO of the EADS Business Unit Defence Electronics (in formation): “The LBA certification will effect a breakthrough of the system in global marketing. Hellas is now offered world-wide and can thus considerably increase the safety of helicopters.” Instead of usual radar beams, the helicopter laser radar scans its environment by means of an eye-safe laser beam. The system allows high-precision detection even of thin wires with a diameter of five millimetres over large distances. Optical and acoustic signals informing the pilot of en-route obstacles will be given in due time, allowing to execute safe collision avoidance manoeuvres.
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The U.S. Air Force's Global Hawk Unmanned Aerial Vehicle completed the first of five planned technical flight tests at Nordholz on Oct. 21. The three weeks of tests are scheduled to demonstrate interoperability between U.S. Air Force and German Ministry of Defense unmanned aerial vehicle systems. The Global Hawk, equipped with a German electronic-intelligence sensor, flew for about four hours and 40 minutes, according to Tom Moss, U.S. Air Force Global Hawk deployment test lead. “This first mission focused on testing the integration and compatibility of the sensor and Global Hawk. It also evaluated the sensor's performance in identifying a variety of electronic emissions,” Moss said. Planned to last eight hours, the mission was terminated early by the ground crew because of sensor-data link connectivity problems. Moss said the team is investigating. Since the Global Hawk arrived in Germany on Oct. 15, the team loaded a German sensor and conducted a series of engine runs and taxi tests, Moss said. Other missions will involve further development and integration of the German sensor, and detection of land-based electronic signals intelligence emitters
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Senate Armed Services Committee Members have cut a compromise deal calling for the lease of no more than 20 Boeing tanker aircraft, rejecting an earlier proposal by the Air Force to lease 100 tankers, Committee Chairman Senator John Warner and Ranking Member Senator Carl Levin announced. The compromise will allow the Air Force to purchase another 80 aircraft using the traditional procurement process. In all, the lease-purchase deal is estimated to cost $16.9 billion, a savings to the taxpayers of more than $4 billion over the earlier proposal to lease all 100 aircraft. However, the deal also would award Boeing Company, the contractor that will build the 767 tanker aircraft, a non-bid $6 billion-plus maintenance and training contract.
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Bell Helicopter's H-1 Upgrade Program received a major boost on October 23 with a big "thumbs up" from the Defense Acquisition Board (DAB). The H-1 Upgrade is a multi-billion dollar program to remanufacture the US Marine Corps fleet of 180 AH-1W SuperCobra and 100 UH-1N Huey utility helicopters to an advanced configuration featuring common engines and flight dynamics. The decision specifically gives the approval for Bell to remanufacture six UH-1N and three AH-1W helicopters to the UH-1Y and AH-1Z standard during FY04. A second LRIP (Low Rate Initial Production) lot, currently scheduled to be another six Hueys and three SuperCobras, should enter production in FY05. Upon completion, the AH-1W will become the AH-1Z and the UH-1N will become the UH-1Y. Currently three AH-1Z SuperCobras and two UH-1Y helicopters are in flight text at the Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, MD. So far the AH-1Z fleet has achieved approximately 900 flight hours with a top airspeed of 220 knots. The two UH-1Y helicopters have accumulated approximately 500 flight hours with a top speed of 196 knots. "We couldn't be more delighted," exclaimed Bell CEO Mike Redenbaugh, who acknowledged "the DAB's decision to proceed with the program is a recognition of the great work of hundreds of Bell employees both here in Texas and at Patuxent River working on the H-1 side-by-side with the Marines".
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SAS Flight Academy will establish a new training center at Oslo Airport (Gardermoen), Norway. Anchor customers are Braathens, Scandinavian Airlines and Widerøe. Inspired by the deep experience within the four organizations, the center is set to be a landmark within aviation training. The new training center will be operational on August 15, 2004, and will initially have three full flight simulators, B737NG, B737 Classic, and Dash8-100/300. There will also be equipment for cabin crew training for the same aircraft types. The building, which is under construction, will be built in an airy and modern style, and will include among other things classrooms, rooms for briefing and debriefing, and CBT-stations.
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Raytheon's AN/ASQ-228 Advanced Targeting FLIR (ATFLIR) pod has achieved two significant program milestones: the successful completion of Operational Evaluation (OPEVAL) tests and Initial Operational Capability (IOC) for U.S. Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 squadrons. Fleet test personnel from Commander Operational Test and Evaluation Force gave ATFLIR the highest grade possible, calling it "operationally effective and operationally suitable," and recommended ATFLIR's introduction into the fleet. The Navy's Milestone III decision to enter full-rate production is expected later this month. In OPEVAL tests, ATFLIR met or exceeded every one of the Navy's key performance parameters. NAVAIR F/A-18 Program Manager Captain "BD" Gaddis said, "This is great news for the fleet. In all my years in the Navy, this is one of the best test reports I've ever seen. It's a testament to the value of teamwork which is shared by all members of the NAVAIR, Raytheon, and Boeing ATFLIR team."
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The Norwegian company Astec has been awarded a manitenance contract worth NOK 1.2 billion by NH Industries. The contract will ensure work at Astec's shops at Sola, Rogaland, for several years. The contracts are part of a major countertrade agreement for Norwegian industry, after the Norwegian Air Force purchased 14 helicopters, model NH-90.
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The Royal Danish Air Force on October 21 accepted three new Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules tactical transport aircraft during a signing ceremony at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Ga., facility where the aircraft were built. Equipped with an enhanced cargo-handling system and a comprehensive integrated electronic warfare system, the new aircraft now will enter a modification program in Marietta for the installation of Denmark-specific equipment. They are scheduled for delivery to Denmark in the first quarter 2004. A total of 105 C-130Js have been delivered to date for the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Royal Danish Air Force.
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In the final step in the company's current senior executive succession plan, Marshall O. Larsen was named Chairman of Goodrich Corporation today by its Board of Directors, succeeding David L. Burner. Larsen is now Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the company. Assessing the changes to Goodrich over the last several years, Larsen stated, "Under Dave's leadership, Goodrich experienced rapid growth and a total transformation into a global aerospace company. We're now a top-tier aerospace systems supplier with a customer base that includes Airbus, Boeing, regional and business aircraft manufacturers, the world's airlines and the U.S. and European defense forces. I am truly honored to be chosen to continue to shape the future of Goodrich, and sincerely wish Dave all the best as he embarks on a new chapter of his personal and professional life."
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Ryanair celebrated carrying more passengers and beating Lufthansa on the London-Dusseldorf route for August 03. Figures released by UK C.A.A. for August 2003, confirms that Ryanair carried 23,220 passengers compared to Lufthansa's 22,084. Ryanair only began serving the London-Dusseldorf route in May 03 and this year almost 300,000 passengers will have taken advantage of Ryanair's low fare service to Dusseldorf Niederrhein Airport. This latest news comes a day after Ryanair announced that the German, Government and IATA confirmed Niederrhein as the third Dusseldorf Airport, despite concerted efforts to block competition from Lufthansa and Dusseldorf International Airport.
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The Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) team completed all U.S. Navy Developmental Testing (DT) free-flight requirements with a successful flight test Oct. 21. The developmental testing included a series of seven free-flight demonstrations of the AGM-154C unitary multi-stage warhead variant of JSOW. The testing took place at the Naval Air Systems Command's Pacific Land Range at China Lake, Calif. The JSOW team includes the U.S. Navy, Raytheon Company, BAE Systems and Thales Missile Electronics. All flights exercised autonomous target acquisition (ATA) capability, which enables the weapon to find and hit a predetermined target with high precision. The final three flights incorporated a live Broach blast fragmentation/penetration warhead, successfully demonstrating its capability to defeat soft as well as hardened targets. The DT phase demonstrated a circular error probability accuracy of four feet, well within the 10-foot requirement.
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The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter team successfully launched the first phase of the F-35 Data Fusion Risk Reduction flight-test program with recently conducted flights over the Patuxent River Naval Air Warfare Center in Maryland. The objective of the nine-month program is to reduce the development risk of the F-35 JSF's fusion functionality by evaluating key architectural concepts using a combination of flight tests and flight-validated ground simulations.The F-35's fusion capability combines and prioritizes information gathered from on-board and off-board sources by way of the aircraft's various sensors. The F-35 sensor suite will be the most advanced ever flown on a fighter aircraft. The two-phase flight-test program uses a Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (NG-ES) BAC 1-11 flying test bed and cooperative targets. Phase One of the flight tests installs and integrates into the BAC 1-11 the performance-representative sensors, a fourth-generation Active Electronically Scanned Array multi radar built by NGC-ES and the Electro-Optical Targeting Demonstration System (EOTDS) developed by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. In addition, the NG-ES Distributed Aperture System sensors will be installed during most flights to collect infrared images on a stand-alone basis.
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Raytheon Company has been awarded a $37.4 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract to define, analyze, design and demonstrate a Space-Based Radar (SBR) pre-prototype payload consisting of an electronic scanned array and an on-board processing component. The Air Force's Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., is the contracting agency. The developmental payload will be designed to meet the tactical/national user near real-time data needs for ground moving target indication (GMTI), synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and digital terrain elevation data. “By combining SAR, GMTI, and digital terrain elevation data, Space-Based Radar will be able to track and target stationary or moving combatants in near real time, almost anywhere on earth, at anytime," said Carol Curry, vice president of Strategic Systems at Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems. "The tremendous capability and transformational nature of this program are extremely important to both the future of America's persistent situational awareness and to Raytheon Company." Contract work is scheduled to be complete by September 2004.
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The world's airlines escalated the urgent issue of rising charges at Toronto's Pearson airport, now one of the top ten most expensive in the world. "We cannot sit back and wait for better times. In the wake of three years of industry losses, we need better economic regulation to eliminate monopoly practices if we are to drive down crippling costs. The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) needs a reality check," said Giovanni Bisignani International Air Transport Association (IATA) Director General and CEO. IATA, representing 275 airlines, cited an unprecedented 300% rise in the cost of operating at the airport over the past seven years and blasted the privately-run GTAA for lack of good governance and accountability statements made at a briefing in Toronto on 21 October. "GTAA is building a Versailles and taxing its faithful subjects - the airlines - for it," said IATA spokesperson William Gaillard. "The only problem is that its subjects are rebelling in the face of a complete lack of a meaningful dialogue and consultation."
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The European aerospace industries, represented by AECMA, welcomes the Communication “A Coherent Framework for Aerospace – A Response to the STAR 21 Report” which the European Commission adopted and published on 15 October. The Communication responds directly to the analysis and recommendations of the STAR 21 Advisory Group to date. It underlines the importance of the initiative and identifies further steps to ensure the competitiveness of European aerospace in the long-term. Industry looks forward to continuing its active involvement in the initiative. Besides implementing EASA and the Single European Sky, priorities will be Defence (Establish an EU-wide defence equipment market; establish a European Armaments, Research and Military Capability Agency), Space (produce a detailed White Paper setting out a comprehensive; European Space Policy which takes account of the strategic nature of this industry) and Resarch (improve support for civil research in accordance with ACARE priorities, establish a European defence aerospace R&D plan, improve European security by creating a comprehensive security research programme). The Communication also intends to raise awareness of the STAR 21 proposals with other EU institutions, in order to pave the way for the necessary political and legislative follow up.
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Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH has two new managment team menbers, namely Dr. Lutz Bertling und Guillaume Faury. They replace Frank Dorn und Alain Rolland.
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Eurocopter Deutschland has opened a new test flight preparation hall for use with the NH90 and Tiger at Donauwörth. The factory is celebrating25 years of helicpter production this month.
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Following an international competition, EADS Astrium in partnership with Alcatel has been selected to build two Arabsat telecommunications satellites. With this new contract, EADS has further confirmed its expertise in the telecommunications satellite domain. Commissioning of the spacecraft is scheduled for 2006. This third contract extends the series of successes achieved by the EADS Space division over the last month. Even before the contract to build two Pleiades Earth observation satellites for the French Space Agency CNES at the beginning of October, EADS Astrium had already signed up to manufacture the HotBird-8 telecommunications satellite for Eutelsat. The EADS Astrium order book now includes a total of 10 satellites. The array of 4 telecommunications satellites represents about 30% of the 2003 market for telecommunications spacecraft.
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As announced in their Memorandum of Understanding of September 22, British Airways and Swiss International Air Lines formally signed their new bilateral cooperation agreement on October 22. The strategic alliance between the two airlines will see the provision of codeshare services, a joint frequent flyer programme, and the provision by British Airways of a CHF 50 million guarantee for SWISS. In an initial step, British Airways and SWISS will be operating all their services between Switzerland (i.e. Zurich, Basel and Geneva) and London Heathrow as a shared operation involving codeshare flights. The codeshare arrangement should then be extended to all services between Switzerland and the UK from the beginning of 2004. The first codeshare flights between Zurich/Geneva/Basel and London Heathrow will be operated on Sunday, October 26. Under the terms of the strategic alliance, British Airways has agreed to enter into a CHF 50 million guarantee for SWISS. The Swiss TravelClub, SWISS's current frequent flyer programme, will be gradually integrated into Executive Club, the frequent flyer programme of British Airways.
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Eurocopter, is in talks with Irkut to assemble helicpters in Russia to tap the country's booming oil and gas services market. "We are negotiating with Irkut, but nothing is signed yet," a spokesman said. Irkut wants to assemble Eurocopter's single-engine EC 120 and twin-engine EC 130 light models, both sides said. Although no deal has been reached yet, Fyodorov said Irkut is already talking with potential customers, primarily oil and gas companies that have to service production facilities in harsh and remote locations. He put current demand for helicopters like the EC 120 and EC 130 at about 100.
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The U.S. Army Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation a contract to provide the U.S. Air Force with 25 AN/APN-241 navigation and weather radars designed to enhance flying safety for Air National Guard C-130H tactical airlift aircraft. The award to Northrop Grumman was through the CECOM Rapid Response contract, an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract available to all federal agencies, and managed by Northrop Grumman's Information Technology (IT) sector. The contract value for the radars is $11.7 million over two years to Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector.
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The handing over of the aircraft cavern at Meiringen to the air force marks the end of the construction projects related to the introduction of the F/A-18 combat aircraft. On Oct. 22, during a small ceremony, the Chief of Procurement handed over to the Commander of the Air Force the cavern at Meiringen, which has been enlarged to protect the F/A-18 combat aircraft. This facility, build under supervision of the Federal office for military equipment and construction, was completed over a period of five years. It will become operational over the coming weeks. Although the builders encountered certain unanticipated geological difficulties during the excavation and roof stabilization phases, the cost and time objectives have been met. Out of a total funding envelope of 120 million [Swiss] francs, building work contracted out to regional companies amounted to about 40 million francs.
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The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), developed by Lockheed Martin, has been certified by both the JASSM Joint Program Office and the B-52 Systems Program Office to meet warfighter requirements and is now ready for operational use. This major milestone represents a dramatically increased capability for warfighting aircrews. “JASSM provides the Air Force with kick-the-door-down capability,” according to Gerry Freisthler, director of the Air Armament Center's Lethal Strike project office at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. “Shrinking force structure, increasing tasking, improving threats and the need to conserve precious lives and assets drive a demand for a standoff, precision strike capability in the conduct of 21st century air operations. JASSM combines several key attributes not available in other cruise missiles needed to satisfy these needs: cost effectiveness, accuracy, flexibility and responsiveness from a tasking perspective and high survivability.”
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The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Affordable Moving Surface Target Engagement (AMSTE) program has demonstrated for the eighth consecutive time the ability to precisely engage moving surface targets using precision-guided weapons. The weapon used this time was a modified live Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). On October 7, the AMSTE team successfully demonstrated the ability to track a moving target from long range and to use this tracking information to continuously direct a JDAM weapon in flight to attack that target. The recent experiment tested the ability of an integrated system to track targets in more realistic target scenarios using feature-aided tracking tools to support long-term track maintenance of high-value targets. Eighteen different military target vehicles were maneuvered through a complex, three-hour scenario to test the improved tracking capability of the AMSTE system. Preliminary results included an operator-assisted track of a nominated target for longer than 40 minutes.
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The Air Force's 13th and final Titan II rocket launched a Defense Meteorological Satellite Program payload from here Oct. 18 at 9:17 a.m. The launch took place following two recent delays. The mission was delayed Oct. 15 when an air-conditioning duct became detached from the booster's payload fairing. The fairing surrounds the satellite atop the rocket. The duct is required to maintain environmental conditions for the satellite before launch. It was delayed again Oct. 16 by an alarm on the booster's guidance system, but workers tested the alarm and cleared the rocket for the Oct. 18 launch. This mission, dubbed G-9, carried the 4,200-pound payload into low-orbit approximately 458 nautical miles above Earth. The payload is one in a constellation of satellites that monitors the Earth's atmosphere and oceans providing real-time weather information to war fighters worldwide.
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The 27th Fighter Squadron will be the first of three squadrons here to transition to the F/A-22 Raptor. The Air Force's newest fighter begins arriving in late 2004, said Col. Frank Gorenc, 1st Fighter Wing commander. “A major factor in this decision is heritage,” Gorenc said. “The (27th FS) is the Air Force's oldest fighter squadron. (Besides its) impressive combat record, (it was) the first unit to fly the P-38 Lightning for the Army Air Force in 1941, as well as the first operational unit to fly the F-15 Eagle. This makes the 27th the first operational squadron to fly the Raptor -- continuing (its) historical legacy.” Langley's 71st FS and 94th FS will also transition to the F/A-22 at later dates. The squadrons are expected to be equipped with 24 aircraft each. The transition is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2007.
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Loral Space & Communications announced that Intelsat, Ltd., was the highest bidder in an auction held for Loral's North American telecommunications satellites. The winning bid was $1.1 billion. The other bidder at the auction was EchoStar Communications Corporation. Intelsat's bid is subject to approval by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. The court will consider Loral's motion to approve the sale to Intelsat at a hearing scheduled for Wednesday, October 22. On July 15, 2003, Loral announced that it had reached a definitive agreement to sell its North American telecommunications satellites to Intelsat. The agreement provided for the sale of the in-orbit Telstars 4, 5, 6, 7 and 13, as well as Telstar 8, which is scheduled to be launched in the first half of next year. Subsequent to that announcement, Telstar 4 failed and was deemed a total loss; it is fully insured.
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US Airways and Lufthansa customers now can enjoy the many benefits of the airlines' codeshare relationship, with codeshare flights now available for purchase. Through this codeshare, US Airways customers initially will be able to codeshare to six cities, including five new cities in Germany. Lufthansa customers will have codeshare access to 17 destinations, including 14 new cities on the East Coast. Codeshare flights begin on Oct. 26, 2003. US Airways first will expand its schedules to include codeshare flights on Lufthansa between Frankfurt and Berlin, Boston, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Philadelphia, Nürnberg and Stuttgart, as well as flights between Munich and Berlin, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. Also on Oct. 26, US Airways and Lufthansa will begin their reciprocal frequent flyer relationship. Members of US Airways Dividend Miles and Miles & More, Lufthansa's frequent flyer program, will be able to earn miles, elite bonuses and class of service bonuses as well as attain elite status on qualifying, paid flights on either airline worldwide.
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The Gripen Export programme took a significant stride forward this month with the commissioning of the production line for South Africa's fleet of 28 Gripen multi/swing-role advanced fighter aircraft. The first sub-assemblies to enter this first Gripen Export production line were the two air-intake fuselage sections, which will be mated with the forward fuselage and cockpit shell. Detailed design and engineering work for the Gripen Export variant is at an advanced stage and flight trials have already commenced on major systems, such as the in-flight refuelling probe, on a specially-instrumented new Gripen test aircraft. The first South African Gripen, which has now moved onto the production line, will undertake flight trials in Sweden in 2005, after which the aircraft will undergo a further flight test programme in South Africa during 2006 where the South African-specific equipment will be proven and certified. This first aircraft is on track to be delivered into service with the South African Air Force in 2007.
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Boeing has installed the Multi-role Electronically Scanned Array antenna on the first 737-700 for Australia's Project Wedgetail, an airborne early warning and control program. The Northrop Grumman-built MESA antenna, at 35.5 feet long and weighing more than three tons, is the critical sensor aboard the aircraft. It's designed to provide optimal performance in range, tracking, and accuracy.
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Loral Space & Communications announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York has authorized Loral subsidiary Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) to execute an existing contract with DIRECTV, Inc., as amended, to complete and deliver the DIRECTV 7S satellite. The court also approved the binding authorizations to proceed (ATPs) issued to SS/L for the construction of two satellites for DIRECTV (DIRECTV 8 and DIRECTV 9S), and one satellite for PanAmSat Corporation (Galaxy 16). PanAmSat also has an option to order an in-orbit spare for one of its existing satellites from SS/L on terms to be agreed upon.
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Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, Denver, Colo., is being awarded a $560,000,000 firm fixed price contract modification to provide for Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle launch services for seven missions. These missions were previously awarded to the Boeing Co. and are being removed from them pursuant to the suspension of Boeing, announced by the Air Force on 24 July 2003. The locations of performance are Lockheed Martin, Denver, Colo., and various other locations. No funds have been obligated. Solicitation began July 2003
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“The ongoing expansion of West-East and East-West transfer services, and with it the continued profiling as the Eastern Europe specialist operating across the Continent, will once again create the focus point for the Austrian Airlines Group in its 2003/2004 winter flight schedule. In Central and Eastern Europe, this programme of expansion features two entirely new destinations and numerous frequency increases. In the long-range segment, our programme of services operating into Asia is also growing fast,” emphasised Chief Commercial Officer Dr. Josef E. Burger, speaking to confirm the company's network strategy at the press conference held to mark the presentation of its new product and winter flight schedule. The Eastern European competence of the Austrian Airlines Group is to be underlined by the introduction of new destinations and a fundamental increase in scheduled flight frequencies into Central and Eastern European states. The new destinations will capitalise on the regional oil and gas boom: situated on the River Don in southern Russia, Rostov is the fourth city in the world's largest country to be integrated into the Austrian Airlines Group route network, with a total of three flights a week. A regular connection to the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku – which has featured in the Group's scheduled programme since August 2003 – will operate four times a week over the winter. The deepening of scheduled services to other growing economic centres in the region such as Budapest and Prague, Kosice (in Slovakia), Bucharest, Chisinau (in Moldova), Sarajevo, Tirana and Poznan, which began during the 2003 summer schedule, will continue apace. Compared to the 2002/2003 winter schedule, the coming period will see increases of 49 frequencies per week in the direction of Eastern and Central Europe alone. All flights into Eastern and Central Europe will move through the regional Vienna hub and have been synchronised to connect smoothly with flights moving into and out of Western Europe.
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The GALILEO Joint Undertaking published a call for tenders to launch the procedure for selecting the concessionaire for the European satellite navigation system. Commission Vice-President Loyola de Palacio issued the following statement: “This is a decisive step on the path towards the smooth functioning of a programme designed to ensure Europe's independence in one of the most promising sectors of the economy in the 21st century. Apart from the technical aspects, the success of GALILEO is also dependent on the completion of the concession process and private-sector funding.” The selection of the concessionaire by the GALILEO Joint Undertaking will be in two stages: first, short-listing and then competitive negotiation. GALILEO, the European satellite radionavigation programme, will be global in scope. Its cost-benefit ratio, put at 4.6, is better than that of any other public infrastructure project. It will be financed by both public and private funds. This is a fundamental aspect of the system which is on the one hand a public service and on the other an enormous potential source of revenue in many sectors. The growth prospects of the products and services markets connected with satellite radionavigation are considerable.
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Following the 10th successful Sea Launch mission on Sept. 30, the Sea Launch Board of Directors met and resolved to go forward with plans to offer launch services from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, in addition to its sea-based launches at the Equator. The new offering, Land Launch, is based on the collaboration of Sea Launch Company and Space International Services (SIS), of Russia, to meet the launch needs of commercial customers with medium weight satellites. Optimizing on heritage hardware, systems and expertise, the Land Launch system will use a version of the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket to lift commercial satellites in the 2000-3500 kg range to geosynchronous transfer orbit, and heavier payloads to inclined or lower orbits. A two-stage configuration of the same rocket will also be available for launching heavy payloads, or groups of payloads, to low Earth orbits. Payloads and vehicles will be processed and launched from existing Zenit facilities at the Baikonur launch site. “Land Launch represents a major opportunity for Sea Launch to expand its role in the commercial space transportation arena,” said Jim Maser, president and general manager of Sea Launch. “We responded to the need for cost-efficiency and schedule assurance in the heavy-lift market. Now, through our Land Launch offering, we are responding to the demand for reliable, single payload capabilities in the medium-weight payload market.”
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In May, Volvo Aero announced a preliminary layoff of 250 employees in Trollhättan, Sweden. The mandatory negotiations with the employees' union representatives have now been concluded. As a consequence, 134 persons will be issued notices of termination of employment and 58 will be offered early retirement. A total of 241 jobs are being eliminated in Trollhättan – 148 positions represented by the Metal Workers' Union and 93 staff and administration positions. In addition to those being released and offered early retirement, the number of employees is expected to be reduced during the year by at least another 49 persons through old-age retirement and resignations.
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EADS will subscribe for five percent of the issued shares of the Chinese aviation and automotive manufacturer AviChina Industry & Technology Company Limited in the current IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The value of this investment will be up to 30 million euros depending on the final IPO pricing. This announcement is the first practical result following last Friday's “Strategic Cooperation Agreement” between EADS and AviChina in Hong Kong. EADS and AviChina will cooperate in the development, manufacturing and upgrade of aviation products, including helicopters, regional aircraft and trainers. At the time China is opening the capital of its aerospace industry to foreign investors, EADS becomes a strategic partner. “We are pleased to intensify the cooperation with our Chinese industrial partners and to contribute to the successful IPO of AviChina”, EADS CEOs Philippe Camus and Rainer Hertrich said. “AviChina will be a strong partner in long-term projects and joint ventures. Almost three decades of successful Sino-European cooperation especially in the field of helicopters have paved the way for this strategic cooperation to be established. The agreement will allow us to reach a new level and quality in the long-standing relationship between Chinese industry and EADS.”
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SWISS will fly to 72 destinations in 44 countries under its 2003/04 winter schedules, which come into effect on October 26. The carrier will provide direct services to all key points in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, while business travellers within Europe who are based near Basel, Geneva and Zurich will continue to enjoy convenient early-morning departures and late-evening returns. SWISS's 50-seater fleets of Embraer 145 and Saab 2000 aircraft will be operated in a single-cabin configuration from the start of the new schedules. SWISS has been offering air tickets at permanently low prices since the end of August through its new “SWISS in Europe” product. SWISS announced the broad parameters of its new route network, which will now be adopted with the start of the winter schedules on October 26, back in July. SWISS will continue to provide direct scheduled air services to 72 destinations which are of major importance to Switzerland and the Swiss economy. The new intercontinental network consists of 30 destinations in 22 countries, while the European network extends to 42 points, also in 22 countries. The SWISS network will be further supplemented by the company's codeshare partners, who will be providing direct services between Switzerland and a further ten destinations.
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The A400M multi-role military transport aircraft being developed by EADS has been opened to competitive-based participation by U.S. industry - creating significant new transatlantic business opportunities for American hardware, equipment and systems suppliers. To facilitate this process, EADS North America, the U.S. holding company of EADS, the world's second largest aerospace and defense company, hosted an A400M U.S. Suppliers Conference in Washington, D.C. this week. The conference attracted managers from more than 30 U.S. companies interested in competing for A400M contracts. Also participating were representatives from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce and Defense, agencies involved in approving American technology and hardware for export. The A400M is an EADS-lead program. The prime contractor is AIRBUS Military. "EADS is firmly committed to involving significant U.S. supplier participation in the A400M program," said Ralph Crosby, EADS North America Chairman and CEO. "This is part of our support for a transatlantic relationship that will result in a strong and viable U.S.-European defense industrial base. Just as AIRBUS depends on U.S. companies to make its passenger airliners the world's most competitive civil aircraft, the A400M will benefit from use of American content for a world-class military airlifter."
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Germanwings is starting its second year with ambitious expansion plans: the low cost airline is aiming to carry between 3 and 4 million passengers in 2004. The number of destinations served should be 50 percent higher than in the first year. “If the economic conditions are right, we will expand above all to destinations in Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and the warm water destinations in the South of Europe,” said Germanwings Managing Director Dr. Joachim Klein on Tuesday in Cologne. He took journalists through a balance of Germanwings' first year. Up to the end of the year Germanwings will have achieved 2.4 million bookings for the year 2003, more than 90 percent of which were made via the internet. Despite the difficult overall economic conditions imposed by the stiff competition in the sector, an average load capacity of 80 percent was achieved. Germanwings has successfully positioned itself as the largest low-cost airline in North Rhine-Westphalia. The ambitious aim of having 20 percent of foreign customers in all markets has been achieved by Germanwings. Within a mere twelve months Germanwings has established itself as a business model and brand like no other German low-cost airline. The concept “Fly high, pay low” has been recognised by virtue of its simplicity: while other airlines are concentrating on frequent flyer programmes and lounges, the Germanwings passenger pays for nothing more than he really needs.
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Virgin Atlantic Airways announced that it is to launch the first solo piloted aircraft to fly non-stop around the world. The aircraft will be piloted either by Steve Fossett, Richard Branson's partner in his last global ballooning record attempt, or Richard. Steve is lead pilot with Richard as reserve pilot. Both Steve and Richard are multiple world record holders and between them [probably] hold more records than any other pair of adventurers. Both pilots are undertaking a rigorous training regime to prepare them for the physical and technical challenges of flying solo round the world. The record attempt is due to take off and return from a central US location and is scheduled to take place next year. It is hoped the attempt will be successfully completed within 80 hours. The aircraft, designed by aviation legend Burt Rutan, is being built in the Mojave Desert by Scaled Composites. It is a single pilot, single engine turbofan aircraft designed for non-stop global circumnavigation. The structure of the plane is entirely made from composite material and will be ultra light. The aircraft will fly up to 52,000ft (17,000 metres) and travel between 19,000 and 25,000 miles (between 32,000 and 40,000 km) at speeds in excess of 250 knots (285 mph, 440 kph). The engine is being produced by Williams Engines and recalibrated for the special requirements of the aircraft. Sir Richard Branson, chairman of Virgin Atlantic, commented: “Virgin Atlantic is delighted to launch this historic, exciting and environmentally important project. Flying an aircraft solo around the world without stopping or refuelling is the last great aviation record left inside the Earth's atmosphere.
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