|
|
+++ Shutte lands at Edwards +++ Germanwings opens new base at Hamburg +++ IL-76 with new engines flies +++ Ariane 5 lifts heaviest comsat +++ Warrior UAV wins US Army competition +++ ESA's Mars Express collects first data +++ Chinese airlines order 42 Dreamliners +++ Lufthansa lifts operating profit +++ Permira acqures majority in Jet Aviation +++ News in brief +++
Shutte lands at Edwards
Sichere Landung der Discovery
Discovery commander Eileen Collins and the crew of the STS-114 mission, Jim Kelly, Charlie Camarda, Wendy Lawrence, Steve Robinson, Andy Thomas and Soichi Noguchi of Japan, landed at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., at 8:12 EDT on 9 August. "We have had a fantastic mission," Collins said shortly after the crew disembarked from the Shuttle. "We brought Discovery back in great shape. This is a wonderful moment for us all to experience."
Discovery's mission, the first of two Return to Flight test missions following the 2003 Columbia accident, was one of the most complex space flights in NASA history. The crew flawlessly executed its to-do list. After an on-time lift-off from KSC on July 26, the crew tested new capabilities and techniques developed over the past two-and-one-half years to inspect and possibly repair the Space Shuttle in orbit. Collins guided Discovery through an unprecedented back flip maneuver as it approached the International Space Station. The maneuver allowed the Station crew to snap high-resolution photos that added to the wealth of new data mission managers used to ensure Discovery was in good shape to come home.
Robinson and Noguchi, with the help of crewmates, completed three spacewalks. The astronauts repaired one Space Station Control Moment Gyroscope and replaced another. Their efforts put all four of the Station's gyros back into service. They also tested new repair techniques for the Space Shuttle's heat-shielding outer skin and installed equipment outside the Station. When two thermal protection tile gap-fillers were spotted jutting out of Discovery's underside, astronauts and other experts on the ground pulled together to devise a plan to prevent the protrusions from "tripping the boundary layer," causing higher temperatures on the Shuttle during atmospheric re-entry.
Discovery's astronauts and the Station crew, Russian Sergei Krikalev and American John Phillips, transferred more than 12,000 pounds of equipment and supplies to the Station. Discovery returned about 7,000 pounds of Station material back to Earth. Over the next several weeks, engineers will process data from STS-114, the first of two test missions for the Space Shuttle. Teams are already at work looking into why a large piece of foam fell off the External Tank during ascent. NASA managers have committed to understanding why the foam came off the tank, and remedying it if necessary, before clearing the next Space Shuttle Return to Flight test mission, STS-121, for flight.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Germanwings opens new base at Hamburg
Neue Strecken im Angebot
Germanwings comes into the growth metropolises Hamburg. With the opening of a fourth German basis, the low-fares airline will offer the city a clear expansion of the flights with new European cities and a German domestic connection to Munich. Germanwings will station two airplanes in Fuhlsbüttel and will serve eleven destinations With two daily flights to London-Gatwick, Germanwings connects two metropolises between which a large demand exists for business trips. With Stockholm and Oslo, Germanwings expands its market presence in Scandinavia further. Toulouse, the headquarters of the airplane manufacturer Airbus, will be connected with Hamburg four times per week. A further international goal is Istanbul with three weekly connections. Germanwings will also fly to Munich in the future once daily. Besides, the already existing connection between Hamburg and Stuttgart is increased in the winter schedule from two to three daily flights. With Hamburg, Germanwings opens its fourth German basis within shortest time. After its start in Cologne Bonn in the autumn 2002 Germanwings flies since autumn 2003 also from Stuttgart and two months ago opened its third basis in Berlin-Schönefeld.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
IL-76 with new engines flies
Erstflug des IL-76TD-90VD
Volga-Dnepr Group has confirmed that the first new-build IL-76 cargo aircraft designed to meet International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) noise and emissions requirements has successfully completed its initial test flight at the TAPO plant in Tashkent on August 5. The 50-tonnes capacity freighter, equipped with new PS-90A-76 engines and new generation avionics, completed a 30-minute test flight at an altitude of 700 metres. Alexey Isaikin, President of Volga-Dnepr Group, said: “The first flight of the IL-76TD-90VD is the result of a 4-year project that utilised the combined work of the professionals of Volga-Dnepr Group, Ilyushin Aviation Complex, TAPO and Perm Motor Plant within the framework of the national 'IL-76 modernisation' project.” Assembly of the first IL-76TD-90VD aircraft has been financed by Volga-Dnepr through its own resources and investment from Russian and international financial institutions. “The aircraft has been born again thanks to new engines and new digital avionics and will now be able to continue to serve our customers for as long as another 20 years. Practically, the modernised aircraft will be the only civil aircraft in the world in the 30-50 tonnes market segment capable of transporting oversize cargo to any airport,” added Andrei Pakhomov, General Director of Volga-Dnepr-Leasing.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Ariane 5 lifts heaviest comsat
Schwerster Nachrichtensatellit im All
Arianespace's Ariane 5 launcher demonstrated its performance and maturity on 11 August by lofting THAICOM 4 (IPSTAR) during an early-morning mission from the Spaceport in French Guiana. This payload is the heaviest commercial satellite ever delivered to geosynchronous orbit. Built for Shin Satellite Plc of Thailand by Space Systems/Loral, the large telecom platform had a liftoff mass of 14,300 lb. (6,485 kg.), and is to provide Internet access service throughout 14 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The mission was delayed briefly to verify telemetry readings from the Ariane 5's mobile launch table. THAICOM 4 (IPSTAR) and the Ariane 5 Generic vehicle were placed into a safe mode while this activity occurred. After its liftoff from the Spaceport's ELA-3 launch zone, tracking cameras followed the Ariane 5 during its ascent, clearly showing separation of the solid boosters two minutes into the mission. THAICOM 4 (IPSTAR) was released from the launcher's upper stage 28 minutes later. Once in operational service, THAICOM 4 (IPSTAR) will generate 14 kW of electrical power during its planned 12-year mission life, providing Internet access and broadband services to businesses and consumers through 84 spot beams, three shaped beams and seven regional broadcast beams.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Warrior UAV wins US Army competition
Neue Drohne für das amerikanische Heer
General Atomics Aeronautical System, San Diego, Calif., is being awarded a $214,409,789 cost-plus-incentive-fee contract for research, development, test and evaluation of the Extended Range Multi Purpose Unmanned Aerial Vehicle system. One hundred twenty bids were solicited on Sept. 1, 2004, and three bids were received for the U.S. Army's Extended Range Multi-Purpose (ER/MP) UAV Program. “We are very pleased that the U.S. Army has recognized the high-value solution that Team Warrior brings to the ER/MP Program, validating the strengths of the team's unique, yet complementary expertise,” said Thomas J. Cassidy, Jr., president, Aircraft Systems Group, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. “The performance of our combat proven aircraft systems, combined with the dedicated professionalism of the entire Warrior team, were key to our success, and we look forward to growing our long-standing relationship with the Army in support of national security interests.” The SDD ER/MP contract award follows the successful completion of a three-week Systems Capabilities Demonstration (SCD) held at Fort Huachuca, AZ, in late February/early March in which Team Warrior completed all required flight test objectives in record time, flying a minimum number of hours to meet all demonstration objectives. Fulfillment of the initial contract is expected to conclude in mid-2009 and includes the delivery and test of 17 Warrior aircraft from GA-ASI, seven One System ground stations from AAI, and logistics support from SPARTA.
Designed to provide Division and Corps commanders with long-range, armed unmanned aircraft surveillance and attack capability, the Team Warrior solution utilizes proven U.S. military systems and processes to reduce financial, technical and operational risks to the customer. GA-ASI's vast design, development, operational and combat experience in unmanned aircraft systems -- such as Predator, Army IGNAT-ER and Predator B -- along with AAI's combat proven Army One System ground control equipment and Sparta's extensive experience in logistics support services, provides the U.S. Army with a low-risk, high value solution to meet requirements for persistent ISR and tactical strike operations.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
ESA's Mars Express collects first data
Erste Daten vom MARSIS-Sensor
The MARSIS radar started its science operations on 4 July 2005, after the first phase of its commissioning was concluded on the same day. Due to the late deployment of MARSIS, it was decided to split the commissioning, originally planned to last four weeks, into two phases, one of which has just ended and the second one to be started by December this year. This has given the instrument the chance to start scientific observations earlier than initially foreseen, while still in the Martian night. This is the environmental condition favourable to subsurface sounding, because the ionosphere is more 'energised' during the daytime and disturbs the radio signals used for subsurface observations. From the beginning of the commissioning, the two 20-metre long antenna booms have been sending radio signals towards the Martian surface and receiving echoes back. “The commissioning phase confirmed that the radar is working very well, and that it can be operated at full power without interfering with any of the spacecraft systems,” says Roberto Seu, Instrument Manager for MARSIS, from the University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Italy.
MARSIS is a very complex instrument, capable of operating at different frequency bands. Lower frequencies are best suited to probe the subsurface and the highest frequencies are used to probe shallow subsurface depths, while all frequencies are suited to study the surface and the upper atmospheric layer of Mars. “During the commissioning we have worked to test all transmission modes and optimise the radar performance around Mars,” says Prof. Giovanni Picardi, Principal Investigator for MARSIS, University of Rome 'La Sapienza'. “The result is that since we have started the scientific observations in early July, we are receiving very clean surface echoes back, and first indication about the ionosphere.” The first ionospheric measurements performed by MARSIS have also revealed some interesting preliminary findings. The radar responds directly to the number of charged particles composing the ionosphere (plasma). This has shown to be higher than expected at times. “We are now analysing the data to find out if such measurements may result from sudden increases of solar activity, like the one observed on 14 July, or if we have to make new hypotheses. Only further analysis of the data can tell us,” said Jeffrey Plaut, Co-Principal Investigator, from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, USA.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Chinese airlines order 42 Dreamliners
Boeing 787 für China
Four Chinese airlines agreed to buy 42 Boeing 787 Dreamliner jets for about $5 billion. The big sale provides a lift for Boeing, and is the latest sign of the growing importance of the Asian giant as a customer for planemakers. Air China and China Eastern Airlines will each buy 15 planes. Shanghai Airlines will buy nine, and Xiamen Airlines will buy three. The orders, announced in China and confirmed by Boeing, lock in preliminary commitments that were announced earlier this year. In January, six airlines — including the four carriers that firmed their orders Monday — announced intentions to buy 60 of the 787s. China is Boeing's second-largest customer for the 787, trailing only Japan. Confirmation of the Chinese plane orders comes as president Hu Jintao prepares to visit the USA in September.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Lufthansa lifts operating profit
Gutes Halbjahresergebnis für Lufthansa
"Despite record high oil prices, we earned an operating profit of 253 million euro. That is a fine feat in such a tough setting," Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa's CEO and Chairman of the Executive Board, said when presenting the half-year figures. In the first six months of 2005 the Group's operating result increased by 220 million compared with the first half of 2004. The Group maintained its ascending course with an operating profit of 279 million euro in the second quarter. "All of our business segments improved their result. We are now more flexible, more productive and react faster – and we have strengthened our sound financial base," Mayrhuber added. Lufthansa has revised its forecast for the full-year result upwards. It now anticipates an operating profit of over 400 million euro.
Increased sales and higher average yields helped to push up profits in the first six months of 2005 in both passenger and freight business. Other key factors were the successful development of the action plan aimed at ongoing cost containment and the fuel price hedging measures. The Leisure Travel and Catering segments have achieved a continuous and sustained improvement of their performance. "Their efforts are starting to pay off. Thomas Cook is on track to post a profit for the full year. LSG Sky Chefs expects a positive operating result before restructuring costs," Mayrhuber said. "A clear customer orientation is and remains the key to success. We are focusing on our customers' needs and wishes, on quality and on innovative, tailored products. That is our strategy for all our business segments. We shall only forge ahead by convincing our customers of the quality of our products and services: our aim is to be quicker, better and more personal. A successful Lufthansa benefits everyone – our customers, shareholders, employees and Germany as a business location."
In the first six months of 2005 the Lufthansa Group generated revenue of 8.5 billion euro, a year-on-year rise of 2.4 per cent. The airlines' traffic revenue increased by 5.2 per cent to 6.5 billion euro on the back of targeted capacity expansion and higher average yields. Other operating income fell by 31 per cent to 555 million euro. The comparable figure in 2004 had contained book profits of 292 million euro from the sale of an equity stake in Amadeus Global Travel Distribution S.A. Despite a drastic surge in fuel prices, the increase in operating expenses was limited to 1.3 per cent. Overall costs came to 8.8 billion euro. Fuel costs soared by 327 million euro (41.8 per cent) to reach a record high at the halfway stage of 1.1 billion euro. Without the fuel price hedging measures, the Group would have had to pay 111 million euro more for kerosene. In the first six months of 2005 Lufthansa lifted its operating result by 220 million euro to 253 million euro and posted a break-even Group result (0.2 million euro). At the halfway stage in 2004 the Group's net profit, boosted by the capital gain from the disposal of Amadeus, had amounted to 39 million euro. The cash flow from operating activities grew by 11.5 per cent to 727 million euro. The capital expenditure of 690 million euro, of which 324 million euro was invested in aircraft, was thus fully funded from the cash flow.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Permira acqures majority in Jet Aviation
Jet Aviation mit neuem Eigentümer
Jet Aviation, one of the leading business aviation service companies, based in Zurich, announces changes in its ownership structure: The Permira Funds signed an agreement with Jet Aviation to acquire the majority shareholding of Hirschmann-/Jet Aviation Group. Both parties have agreed that further details about the transaction, including the transaction size, will not be disclosed. The deal is subject to antitrust clearance and is expected to be closed by the end of September 2005. “With the acquisition by the Permira Funds, Jet Aviation will continue to maintain its leading position in the business aviation service industry and be able to strategically expand into new markets to better serve our customers around the world,” says Prof. Wolf-Rüdiger Bub, Chairman of the Hirschmann-/Jet Aviation Group. “Jet Aviation is an extremely well positioned company and an attractive investment for the Permira Funds. We look forward to working with management and employees to continue the company's success”, added Thomas Krenz, Managing Director of Permira in Frankfurt.
Jet Aviation, with its worldwide headquarters in Zurich, was founded in Switzerland in 1967 and is the leading business aviation service company today. More than 3,500 personnel are employed in over 60 facilities and stations around the world. The company provides maintenance, completions and engineering services, fixed base operations, airline handling, along with aircraft sales, charter, and management on a global basis. In addition, Jet Aviation operates an aircraft management and charter fleet of more than 160 aircraft in Europe (Zurich), Asia (Hong Kong), in the Middle East (Dubai) and in the U.S. (Teterboro, New Jersey).
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
Based on successful cost management and positive development of revenues during the first six months of 2005, the Fraport Group once again increased earnings substantially in comparison to the same period last year. Revenues at EUR1,002.3 million increased by 6.3 per cent and the Group Result by even 22.7 per cent. The outlook for the entire year is confirmed despite significant negative effects in the second half of 2005. Further challenges will be faced in 2006. Consequently, Dr. Wilhelm Bender, Chairman of the Executive Board, once again called for complete implementation of the company's "We're Making Fraport Fit" project. The substantial increase in revenues is primarily attributed to higher airport traffic charges and more proceeds from security services. The operating costs (non-staff costs and personnel expenses) climbed by 5.0 per cent and were below the increase of revenues. Personnel expenses at EUR512.4 million were 5.2 per cent higher than in the same period of the previous year. ICTS Europe accounted for the largest proportion of this growth with an increase in the number of employees by 14 per cent to a total of 10,343. The Fraport Group had an average of 25,146 employees in the first half of 2005, 6.8 per cent more than in the same period of the previous year. The non-staff costs were up 4.6 per cent at EUR252.5 million. They include the cost of materials, which rose by 9.5 per cent to EUR152.9 million. This cost increase was mainly caused by the volume growth in air traffic and additional security services that the Fraport Group provides. The maintenance expenses, which were incurred due to extensive modernisation and partial expansion of the terminal and retail areas at Frankfurt Airport, were also higher than in the previous year. The other operating expenses were 2.3 per cent lower than in the previous year at EUR99.6 million.
+++
Following its ratification of the ESA Convention, Luxembourg has become ESA's 17th Member State with effect from 30 June 2005. Cooperation between ESA and Luxembourg began with the signing of a dedicated agreement on 12 September 2000 enabling Luxembourg to participate in the Agency's ARTES telecommunications programme. The agreement between ESA and Luxembourg concerning the accession of the Grand Duchy to the ESA Convention was signed by Erna Hennicot-Schoepges, Minister for Culture, Higher Education and Research, on behalf of the Luxembourg government, and Jean-Jacques Dordain, Director General, on ESA's behalf, on 6 May 2004. The latter agreement made possible the application of transitional measures to deal with the practicalities of Luxembourg's accession to the ESA Convention, such as the participation of observers at the meetings of Council and other delegate bodies and increased coordination on industrial policy matters.
+++
The liquidity of AvCraft Aerospace GmbH is secured through to January 2006, following the sale of two more Dornier 328s, Insolvency Administrator Dr. Martin Prager of PLUTA Rechtsanwalts GmbH confirmed today (5 August, 2005). SUN-AIR of Scandinavia, the British Airways franchise airline based in Billund, Denmark, has accepted a second Dornier 328Jet, specially configured for short take off and landing performance. This will give the airline the flexibility to use both its Dornier 328 turboprops and 328 Jets at London City Airport, a new destination for the airline in November this year. Berlin Tempelhof-based executive charter airline, Private Wings, founded in 1991, has also purchased a 328Jet, its third of the type, boosting its total fleet to six aircraft. The company accepted its second 328Jet in May last year. With these latest purchase agreements, three of the four aircraft, originally destined for Hainan Airlines of China are now sold. Having confirmed its order last year, Hainan declined to accept the aircraft on time, so contributing to AvCraft Aerospace GmbH's insolvency. “Owing to a new agreement with Maple Bank GmbH, the liquidity of AvCraft Aerospace GmbH can be guaranteed until January 2006,“ said Dr Prager, highlighting that jobs are secure up until the beginning of next year. This will give the company time to secure more orders. The latest sales demonstrate that the market still trusts the company and its products,“ he said.
+++
The U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth up to $125 million to supply directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) systems to protect the aircrews of its CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from infrared-missile attack. Deliveries of DIRCM systems under a $31.8 million initial firm fixed-price contract will continue through 2010. The initial units delivered will be small, multiband laser-transmitter assembly variations of Northrop Grumman's AN/AAQ-24 (V) DIRCM system, a combat-proven, laser-based countermeasures system. The only such system currently in production, the AN/AAQ-24 (V) DIRCM is being installed on several hundred fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft for the U.S. military and several allied countries.
+++
QUALCOMM and Connexion by Boeing announced that they are working together to test and demonstrate in-flight wireless communications aboard Connexion One, a specially equipped Boeing 737-400 aircraft. The companies have performed a series of test flights that successfully demonstrated the simultaneous use of CDMA and GSM mobile phone technology over an on-board network with infrastructure and integration support from UTStarcom, Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI). Using standard cellular communications, a small in-cabin CDMA2000 and GSM “picocell,” or small cellular base station, is connected to the worldwide terrestrial network by an air-to-ground satellite link provided by the Connexion by Boeing high-speed airborne network.
+++
On 8 August, Bremen-based space technology company OHB-System AG was awarded an additional contract by the German Federal Office of Defense Technology and Procurement worth around EUR 18 million in connection with the SAR-Lupe project. At the end of 2004, OHB had been invited to submit a further offer for technical enhancements to the satellite system. These primarily entail improvements to the protection of communications between the satellites and the ground station going far beyond current standards. The modifications in question are already being successfully implemented for the SAR-Lupe system.
+++
Air traffic over Germany strongly increased again in the first six months of 2005. DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH recorded 1.65 million flights in the first half of the year, representing a 6.2 % increase over the same period in 2004. Traffic in Germany is thus about to reach an all-time high with over three million flights controlled in a year. There were no aircraft proximities registered in the first quarter of 2005. No data is available yet for the second quarter of the year. In 2004, a total of six aircraft proximities (AIRPROX) were noted, three of which were caused by the air navigation services. The number of aircraft proximities is a good indicator of the level of air safety. They are assessed by an independent board called APEG (Aircraft Proximity Evaluation Group) by order of the Federal Ministry of Transport. In addition, DFS itself assesses the so-called infringements of separation. An infringement of separation occurs whenever the applicable separation minima between two or more aircraft is violated. The separation minima are intentionally set high so that an infringement thereof will not necessarily result in a dangerous aircraft proximity. Up until now, such incidents have been evaluated manually. DFS has introduced a two-step collision alert system which automatically records all infringements of separation minima, regardless of size. Since this system was introduced, more incidents have been registered. This electronic system is part of the DFS safety concept which aims to even further improve the monitoring of adherence to separation minima, while handling an ever increasing volume of traffic. In 2004, 186 infringements were recorded throughout Germany, of which two thirds were caused by the air navigation services and one third by pilots. In the first half of 2005, 116 incidents were counted, of which again two thirds were caused by the air navigation services and one third by pilots.
+++
Boeing confirmed that Turkish Airlines has exercised options for eight Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s. The airplanes are scheduled for delivery in 2008 and are worth an estimated $542 million at list prices. The options were part of an order placed by Turkish Airlines in 2004 for 15 Boeing 737s. Turkish Airlines operates a mix of 43 Boeing Classics and Next-Generation 737s. The Boeing Next-Generation 737 has booked 2,719 orders since its launch and the program has a healthy backlog of 984 orders.
+++
Lockheed Martin and MD Helicopters have joined forces to compete for the U.S. Army's Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) program. The team will offer the MD Explorer twin-engine helicopter with the NOTAR no-tail-rotor anti-torque system. The program calls for the production of 322 new LUH helicopters between 2006 and 2015 to perform a wide range of general support missions in the United States and overseas, including transport of personnel and supplies, disaster relief operations, medical evacuation, reconnaissance, drug interdiction and homeland security. Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY, will lead the team as prime contractor, overseeing aircraft assembly at MDHI's production facility in Mesa, AZ, and providing training, simulation devices and contractor logistics support. "The Lockheed Martin/MD Helicopters team will offer the U.S. Army and Army National Guard a proven commercial-off-the-shelf aircraft, and the training and logistics support to ensure long-term aircraft flight readiness," said Jeff Bantle, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager of Multi-Mission Solutions. The teaming agreement comes just weeks after Patriarch Partners, LLC, a New York-based financial firm, acquired a controlling interest in MDHI. The transaction ensures that MDHI will have adequate working capital to continue production of existing product lines to meet commercial backlog and fulfill LUH production requirements.
+++
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) successfully lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla at 7:43:00 a.m EDT on Aug 12. The spacecraft launched from Space Launch Complex 41 aboard NASA's first Atlas V rocket. The MRO is healthy and performing as designed, presently communicating with ground stations and unfurling its solar arrays. The spacecraft now begins its journey to Mars. The MRO's 'cruise phase' to the planet takes 7 months, followed by 6 months spent refining its orbit using a technique known as 'aerobraking'. During the initial cruise phase, controllers plan to test the satellite's instruments and begin preparations to slow it using the atmosphere of Mars. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's mission is to see if long-standing bodies of water ever existed on the planet. While missions like the Mars Exploration Rovers have shown that water once flowed across the planet's surface, scientists are yet to determine if it was around long enough to provide a habitat for life. When the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter arrives in March, it begins a half-year "aerobraking" process. The spacecraft will gradually adjust the shape of its orbit by using friction from carefully calculated dips into the top of the Martian atmosphere. The mission?s primary science phase starts in November 2006. "Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will give us several times more data about Mars than all previous missions combined," said James Graf, project manager for the mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena Calif.
+++
The European Commission has cleared under the EU Merger Regulation the proposed United Launch Alliance joint venture between the US Defence and Space contractors Lockheed Martin and Boeing. The investigation has shown that the proposed transaction will not significantly impede effective competition in the European Union. Both Boeing and Lockheed provide space launch services to governmental and commercial customers. Lockheed is active on the market with its Atlas family of launch vehicles as well as with Proton, a launcher produced in a joint venture with Russian partners. Boeing offers the Delta launch vehicles as well as launchers produced by Sea Launch, also a joint venture with Russian partners. Both Boeing and Lockheed also produce and market satellites. ULA, structured as a 50-50 joint venture, will combine the production, engineering, test and launch operations associated with U.S. government launches of Boeing's Delta and Lockheed's Atlas rockets. ULA is exclusively intended to serve the US government market for launch services. The JV therefore does not have a direct impact on customers in the EEA.
+++
The International Space Business Council announced the release of the '2005 State of the Space Industry.' First released in 1997, the report was developed to provide industry, government, and financiers with an independent assessment of the trends and issues affecting the industry. The report states that, 'now is a good time to be involved in the space and satellite industry. Whether one's focus is on military, civil government, or commercial activities, there are numerous opportunities -- government funding for space is on the rise, commercial orders for satellites and launches have rebounded and stabilized, new exploration initiatives are being pursued, and entrepreneurial efforts related to radio, broadband, and space tourism are generating excitement.' It cites U.S. export regulations under ITAR 'the industry's most serious issue' and states, 'what initially was a nuisance to businesses has evolved into a serious problem for U.S. industry.' Highlights of the '2005 State of the Space Industry' include: World turnover generated from commercial services and government programs reached $103 billion in 2004 and is forecast to exceed $158 billion in 2010; more than $18 billion is spent annually on the development of space systems; U.S. Defense spending on space has grown from around $15 billion in 2000 to more than $22 billion today and is forecast to reach $28 billion by 2010; India and China have joined the U.S., Europe, Russia, and Japan as having fully independent capabilities; Satellite-to-consumer television has become a $40 billion worldwide market; The markets for satellite radio and GPS positioning and tracking are being validated with growth measured in the billions; the successful launch of new satellite broadband services in the U.S. and Canada beginning in 2005 could improve the market for commercial infrastructure; the development of a substantial space tourism market would have a positive but disruptive influence on the industry, though it is not likely to happen before 2010.
+++
Northrop Grumman has taken a significant step toward modernizing the U.S. Army's fleet of Hunter unmanned systems by conducting the first engineering flight of an enhanced, multi-mission variant of the current RQ-5A air vehicle called the MQ-5B. The 66-minute check-out flight of the upgraded air vehicle, which features extended range, endurance and weapon capabilities, was conducted July 8 at Libby Air Field, Ft. Huachuca, Ariz. Compared to the fielded RQ-5A air vehicles, which have flown more than 14,000 hours on combat missions in the Balkans and Iraq, the MQ-5B Hunter offers a longer wing span (34 ft. vs. 29 feet), longer maximum endurance (approximately 15 hours vs. the current 12 hours), and higher operating altitude (approximately 18,000 feet vs. 15,000 feet).
+++
The Boeing 777-200LR Worldliner, the world's longest-range commercial airplane, returned to Seattle this past Sunday after completing its "Going the Distance" tour that took the airplane to 24 cities across the globe. The tour began the evening of June 9 with a flight from Montreal to Paris, where the 777-200LR had a week-long stay at the Paris Air Show. The 777-200LR visited cities across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. Among the cities visited were Singapore, Islamabad, Beijing, Dubai, Sydney, Hong Kong, Mumbai, London, Mexico City, New Delhi, Taipei, Doha and Newark. During the 61-day world tour the 777-200LR flew a distance of more than 70,000 nautical miles (129,640 kilometers); made 38 separate flights, and visited 17 countries. General Electric Aircraft Engines, Bose, Thales, AeroMobile, Motorola and Teague were among Boeing's tour partners. The 777-200LR will continue its flight testing as Boeing prepares the airplane for certification later this year. The first 777-200LR will be delivered to Pakistan International Airlines in early 2006.
+++
Boeing and EgyptAir confirmed they formally concluded contract negotiations on August 1, resulting in an order for up to 12 737-800s. The firm order is for six airplanes with purchase options for an additional six. The complete airplane deal is valued at $850 million at list prices, marking another significant investment in EgyptAir's fleet renewal. The airline currently operates one of the industry's youngest airplane fleets. EgyptAir currently has four Boeing 737-500s, five 777-200s and two 747-300s as part of their mixed fleet of airplanes. The airline will take delivery of its first 737-800 in September 2006, with the remaining airplanes joining its fleet out through December 2009.
+++
UAL Corporation announced that the Company has largely completed its aircraft restructuring effort, saving United approximately $300 million annually. The contractual savings associated with the agreement- in-principle reached with the Public Debt Group (PDG), which is subject to approval from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, when coupled with previous restructurings, will result in the company reducing its fleet costs by approximately $850 million in average annual savings through contractual changes and strategic fleet reductions since entering Chapter 11. This agreement leaves only one transaction left to be restructured, covering 14 aircraft, which is also in process. "This agreement, if approved by the Bankruptcy Court, overcomes one of the last remaining hurdles in United's restructuring and upcoming emergence from Chapter 11," said Jake Brace, Chief Financial Officer. "Coupled with the pending restructuring of the 14 aircraft whose junior notes we have purchased and whose senior notes we intend to purchase, this agreement would resolve all outstanding aircraft lease issues and provide substantial savings in aircraft fleet costs needed to support United's business plan. By significantly lowering our aircraft costs while preserving our global network, we can continue to provide our customers with superior service and reliability." The agreement with the PDG enables the restructuring of financings covering 105 aircraft remaining in United's fleet, and resolves all potential claims associated with these aircraft. In addition to significantly reducing aircraft fleet costs for United, the agreement would secure United's long-term use of those aircraft previously under negotiation with the PDG. Those PDG transactions that no longer have aircraft in United's fleet have also agreed, subject to Bankruptcy Court approval, to a resolution of their administrative claims against the Company. The Company intends to file a motion requesting approval of the PDG agreement with the Bankruptcy Court in the next couple of weeks, to be scheduled for a hearing in early to mid-September.
+++
NASA and aerospace industry partners are flight testing new technologies to see if they can make aircraft quieter. Scalloped edges on engine exteriors and toboggan-like fittings on landing gear are some of the high tech ideas being tested to reduce aircraft noise. Experts at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., and industry team researchers developed advanced noise reduction concepts. They used wind tunnels and computer simulations to initially test the concepts. With the initial conceptual testing completed, the team is assessing the ideas and actual hardware at a test flight facility in Glasgow, Mont. The researchers are using a large, specially equipped 777 passenger jet provided by Boeing. The test facility was outfitted with sophisticated microphone arrays and other measurement devices to record noise levels. The Quiet Technology Demonstrator 2 is a three-week test flight program to validate the ideas, including two improved chevron designs on the engine and a cover that fits on the landing gear. Chevrons are scalloped or serrated edges already used on some newer jet engines. One improved chevron design includes asymmetrical scallops around the engine. "The new design tailors the chevrons to take into account the air flow and acoustic differences that occur when the engine is installed on the aircraft," said Charlotte Whitfield, NASA's Quiet Aircraft Technology manager of airframe system noise reduction.
+++
Blazing hot temperatures welcomed ESA's Venus Express spacecraft as it arrived at the Yubileiny airport of the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on Sunday morning, 7 August. The shipment, including the spacecraft and all the complex equipment needed for ground support to prepare for launch, was carried by an Antonov 124 cargo plane which left the airport of Toulouse, France, on Saturday 6 August. On arrival the precious load was unloaded from the huge cargo bay of the plane and transported by train into the big MIK hangar at the cosmodrome. In these clean rooms the spacecraft has now started its final series of tests before launch, scheduled to take place on 26 October. From now until the end of August ESA and the industrial teams who built Venus Express will check again the integrity of all spacecraft systems and their functionality after the journey.
+++
Northrop Grumman has received a contract from the U.S. Air Force to deploy two production RQ-4A Global Hawk aerial reconnaissance systems early this fall. The air vehicles will join an advanced concept technology demonstration version of the Global Hawk currently in theatre supporting the global war on terrorism. To date deployed Global Hawks have flown more than 4,300 combat hours in 200 missions.
+++
Boeing and Royal Air Maroc announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the purchase of up to five 787 Dreamliners. Boeing Commercial Airplanes regional sales director Ihssane Mounir said the agreement sets the stage for the revolutionary Dreamliner to join Royal Air Maroc's fleet. Boeing and Royal Air Maroc expect to conclude formal negotiations in September. "Royal Air Maroc selected the 787 because of its unmatched capability and value after a thorough analysis,” said Mounir. “We look forward to working closely with Royal Air Maroc to bring the efficient, reliable, comfortable and quiet 787 into service." Royal Air Maroc's Board of Directors agreed to purchase the Boeing 787s on July 29, following a long and well-defined competition that had been extended on two occasions. After declaring the tender to be clear and transparent, RAM's Board of Directors instructed the airline to directly engage Boeing in negotiations for the purchase of the 787 as the best solution for its long-haul fleet.
+++
The Civil Aviation Flying University of China (CAFUC) has purchased 42 Cessna 172 Skyhawk aircraft for use as its Ab Initio (primary) flight training platform. Twenty of the Skyhawks will be equipped with the new, all glass, fully integrated Garmin G1000 avionics package. The remainder will be outfitted with analog flight instruments. Delivery of the 42 Skyhawks is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2006. This order establishes Cessna aircraft as the platform of choice for flight training in China and more than triples the size of Cessna's Single Engine Piston fleet in that country. The CAFUC currently trains 600 students each year but with their new aircraft, plans to increase that number to over 1000 students annually. Following primary flight training, CAFUC students will transition from the Skyhawk 172R to their new Cessna Citation CJ1 aircraft for advanced flight training.
+++
AAR CORP. announced that its Defense Systems and Logistics division has been selected as part of the Northrop Grumman team to provide aircraft-maintenance and design-engineering support services to improve availability and reduce through-life ownership costs for the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force fleet of E-3D Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. Northrop Grumman was selected as the Preferred Bidder by the UK Ministry of Defence in July 2004. The Sentry Whole Life Support Programme contract is valued at approximately 665 million pounds Sterling over 20-plus years. The contract is fixed price for the first five years and target cost incentive fee for the remaining 15 years. In addition, the contract is fully funded for the entire 20-year term. As part of the Northrop Grumman team, AAR expects to generate over 12.5 million pounds Sterling annually for the duration of the contract. Northrop Grumman's IT sector, the overall lead on the programme, will manage the maintenance schedule for the AWACS aircraft to ensure that only one aircraft, out of a fleet of seven, is in scheduled maintenance at any given time. AAR's role is to provide supply chain services, including parts procurement, distribution and repair, to help reduce costs, increase parts availability, shorten lead times and minimize downtime.
+++
Germany's largest airport continued to boom in July; for the first time in the history of the airport more than 5 million passengers were welcomed at Frankfurt Airport. 5,002,618 passengers passed through this hub of international air traffic - a 5.2 percent increase compared to the previous year. Due to continuous growth the passenger figures in July effected a new peak day record for 2005 at Frankfurt Airport. On July 30, 2005, a total of 181,032 passengers were registered within 24 hours. This count is only approximately 1,000 below the existing record for a peak day which was set in September 2000. Capacity utilization of aircraft at 75.4 percent likewise effected a new record high seat load factor for the month of July. This factor (75.4 percent) was 2.1 percentage points higher than in July 2004.
+++
What took years to build required only seconds to knock down Aug. 6 when 171 pounds of strategically placed explosives toppled a historic 179-foot mobile service tower at Cape Canaveral. The 1,300-ton structure was used to launch 51 Atlas/Agena space vehicles in the 1960s and 1970s. The most famous of those launches were five Lunar Orbiter missions for NASA in 1966 and 1967. Those missions photographed about 99 percent of the moon's surface and helped pave the way for men landing on the moon in 1969. The last launch from the complex was in April 1978 and then the pad was abandoned. Mother Nature then whittled away at the complex and the old tower, leaving a badly corroded structure in its wake.
+++
On 31 July 2005, MBDA's Seawolf Block 2 air defence missile entered into service with the UK's Royal Navy. Designed to operate with existing in-service Seawolf missile systems, the new Block 2 variant features a range of new technologies that have not only contributed to improved missile performance but more significantly have allowed for provision to be made for important future upgrades. The Seawolf Block 2 contract was awarded to MBDA in 2000 to meet the RN's future Seawolf warstock requirements. Due to obsolescence in key sub-assemblies within the existing Block 1 standard, a repeat build was not possible. MBDA's task was twofold. Firstly, the company needed to design and integrate new sub-system technologies that would be compatible at a system level with the existing missile. Secondly, and most demanding, was the challenge to achieve this while observing a funding ceiling equal to a comparable buy of the existing standard Seawolf.
+++
EADS Defence Electronics is to supply electronic core components for the EuroDASS self-protection system of the Eurofighter, which will enhance the survivability of the combat aircraft during military missions. As the company announced on Thursday, EADS Defence Electronics has received a contract worth 260 million euros for the delivery of highly specialised components for the 236 aircraft of Tranche 2 of the four-nation project. “An efficient self-protection system such as EuroDASS offers individual aircraft and the crew the highest possible degree of protection against the numerous threats in today's operation scenarios”, explained Bernhard Gerwert, Head of the EADS Defence Electronics Business Unit. “Together with the order for Tranche 2 of the CAPTOR radar already placed in December 2004, the Eurofighter programme makes jobs for highly qualified specialists at EADS Defence Electronics locations secure into 2012.” In the EuroDASS consortium (DASS = Defensive Aids Subsystem), EADS Defence Electronics is collaborating with the companies Selex (JV of Finmecchanica and BAE Systems) in Great Britain, Elettronica in Italy and Indra in Spain, which are the electronic warfare specialists of the Eurofighter nations.
+++
BAE Systems and the U.S. Navy have successfully completed development testing of the AN/ALE-55 Fibre Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD) on the Navy's F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet. The Integrated Defensive Electronic Countermeasures (IDECM) Block 3 program, which includes the AN/ALE-55 FOTD, will now begin formal development and operational testing. A contract award for the Low Rate Initial Production of the ALE-55 is planned for early 2006. Contract award for Full Rate Production is expected to follow the successful completion of Operational Evaluation.
+++
Vought Aircraft Industries delivered its first enhanced wing to prime contractor Northrop Grumman on July 21 for the U.S. Air Force RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV). This wing was successfully tested to 100 percent limit load on May 20. The enhanced wing is one of a number of system improvements Northrop Grumman is making to increase Global Hawk's capability. The improved UAV will accommodate a larger payload while maintaining current platform performance specifications. Vought's work scope includes design development, fabrication, assembly and structural testing of the new wing. The company is currently scheduled to build seven production wings for the new RQ-4B model, with options for future production lots of the new wing configuration. Vought has built two RQ-4B prototype wings and is producing another article for testing ultimate loads. For the RQ-4A model, Vought built two prototype and nine production wings under its Low Rate Initial Production (LRIP) contract with Northrop Grumman.
+++
Boeing confirmed the completion of an order agreement with India-based Jet Airways for 10 Next-Generation 737-800s. Jet Airways announced its intention to order the aircraft, valued at nearly $680 million at list prices, at the Paris Air Show in June. Deliveries will begin in early 2006. "It is important that Jet Airways take the necessary steps to ensure its leadership position in the fast-growing India aviation market," said Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal. "The additional 737s will allow our airline to grow profitably with continued low operating costs and the high customer satisfaction that is expected from Jet Airways."
+++
Boeing and Pegasus Aviation Finance Company announced that the leasing company has ordered six Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 jetliners – the first direct purchase from Boeing by San Francisco-based Pegasus. The new airplanes, with a list price value totaling $400 million, are scheduled for delivery starting in 2006.
+++
Northrop Grumman has reached its first construction milestone in the life of the new-generation aircraft carrier, CVN 21. The company cut one of the first pieces of steel, a 15-ton plate for a side shell unit of CVN 78, the first ship of the CVN 21 program. Design work on the CVN 21 is underway at Northrop Grumman's Newport News sector, with the full construction contract anticipated in 2007. Advance construction began in 2005 to allow shipbuilders to test the design-build strategy before overall construction begins in 2007. Each ship of the class is valued at approximately $8 billion.
+++
British Airways was forced to cancelall flights into and out of London Heathrow airport until at least 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12. This follows the suspension of all British Airways' Heathrow flights on August 11 as a result of unofficial industrial action by staff from catering company Gate Gourmet. This unofficial action spread to British Airways ground staff. Due to the uncertainty of the industrial situation at Heathrow and aircraft and flying crew being out of position, the airline has taken the decision to cancel all Heathrow flights until tomorrow evening. Sir Rod Eddington, British Airways' chief executive, said: "This unprecedented move is a result of the crippling operational impact of unofficial industrial action by staff from the Transport and General Workers union. "Because we have not had sufficient airport staff to operate flights into or out of Heathrow, nearly 100 of our aircraft and 1,000 pilots and cabin crew are in the wrong places around the world and we simply cannot mount a robust operation any earlier.
+++
Within days of the first anniversary of its inaugural flight, the BAE Systems Nimrod MRA4 has successfully completed its first overseas deployment, a ten day visit to the Mediterranean for a series of hot weather trials, based at the Italian Air Force facility in Sigonella, Sicily. Despite punishing daytime temperatures reaching 40 degrees centigrade (104 degrees Fahrenheit) Nimrod passed this latest series of development testing with flying colours. The deployment to Sicily was conducted by a joint BAE Systems – RAF crew. Joe Harland, MD of the Nimrod MRA4 programme was delighted with the outcome. He commented "There is always a risk in deploying a development aircraft away from its home base for the first time, and an operation such as this takes months of careful preparation. The joint trials team worked well together, and we enjoyed excellent co-operation from our hosts, the Italian Air Force. We have collected a lot of important information showing how the aircraft systems stood up to the gruelling temperatures of southern Italy".
+++
At the beginning of 2006 Lufthansa Flight Training Berlin will have invested some 18.5 million euros in the expansion of its facility at the Schönefeld airport. Two new buildings will initially house two flight simulators along with a canteen, several classrooms and terminals for computer-based training. Soon thereafter the complex will be expanded to make room for a total of four training devices. In early 2006 the first of the four, an Airbus A320 simulator, is expected to be ready for training. Today, in the presence of Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Chairman of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the foundation stone of the new structures was laid. Lufthansa Flight Training Berlin (LFT Berlin) already operates five full-flight simulators and a sixth one is based at the flight-simulation research center of Berlin Technical University. With the laying of the foundation stone today Lufthansa Flight Training is taking the first step toward expanding the capacity of its Berlin facility to accommodate a total of ten simulators. "By expanding our training center at Berlin-Schönefeld we attract customers from the surroundings of the airport. This is especially true of Air Berlin, which will be the main user of our new A320 simulator," explains Norbert Wechsel, Managing Director of Lufthansa Flight Training Berlin. "From this location we also have better access to the growth markets of eastern Europe. Our choice of the types of simulator to be installed naturally depends on which types of aircraft are being most frequently flown in the region or have most recently been ordered." The Airbus A320 simulator, produced by the Canadian manufacturer CAE, is expected to be operating by early 2006. It will be qualified according to JAR-STD 1A, Level D. The 18.5 million euro investment does not cover the second simulator, whose type has not yet been decided. However it will certainly be ready for training in the course of the coming year. The new complex is designed to house also mock-ups for the training of cabin crews.
+++
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Marine Corps to begin outfitting their F/A-18 Hornet aircraft with LITENING AT pods and pylons. LITENING AT is a self-contained, multisensor laser target-designating and navigation system and the pods are equipped with the new data link "plug-and-play" technology that enables them to accept a variety of data links without any modification to the pod or aircraft. The $40 million contract calls for the delivery of 24 pods and associated mounting pylons and spares beginning immediately and continuing through early 2006.
+++
Pakistan has successfully tested its first ground-fired cruise missile, capable of carrying nuclear and conventional weapons. Pakistani military officials say the cruise missile was fired early Thursday, but they did not disclose the launch site. The rocket, called Babur, is said to be capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional weapons. Speaking to reporters after the launch, President General Pervez Musharraf said the cruise missile test would further strengthen Pakistan's defense capabilities. "The biggest value of this system is that it is not detectable, it cannot be intercepted. We are proud of this missile. And this is the greatest gift to the Pakistani nation by the scientists of Pakistan," he said. President Musharraf says the Babur missile, with its 500-kilometer range, is superior to neighboring India's Bramos cruise missile, which has a rang of 290 kilometers. He vowed to maintain a military balance with rival India in both conventional and unconventional fields, even if India acquired high-technology U.S. weapons, such as the Patriot missile system.
+++
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Previous UPDATES are still available:
7 August 2005
31 July 2005
24 July 2005
10 July 2005
3 July 2005
26 June 2005
19 June 2005
12 June 2005
5 June 2005
29 May 2005
22 May 2005
15 May 2005
8 May 2005
1 May 2005
24 April 2005
17 April 2005
10 April 2005
3 April 2005
January - March 2005
January - December 2004
January - December 2003
January - December 2002
January - December 2001
January to December 2000
January to December 1999
January to December 1998
January to December 1997
September to December 1996
|
|
