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+++ Airbus KC-30 to be promoted by Northrop Grumman +++ Eurocopter flies electrical flap control system +++ Singapore selects F-15 over Rafale +++ German BDLI fears for space funding +++ Boeing forms missile defence team +++ Growth in ISTAR radar market seen +++ News in brief +++
Airbus KC-30 to be promoted by Northrop Grumman
Tanker-Partner in USA gefunden
On September 7, Northrop Grumman announced that it will compete as the prime contractor for the U.S. Air Force's next-generation air refueling tanker. Northrop Grumman's KC-30 tanker will be tailored to meet the Air Force requirements and provide a robust mission-enabling capability that is expected to create greater than a thousand jobs for Americans. The U.S. content of the KC-30 program will exceed 50 percent, further expanding the U.S industrial base in modern wide-body aircraft. As the prime contractor, Northrop Grumman will include EADS as a principal subcontractor and teammate. EADS North America recently announced its U.S. assembly site in Mobile, Ala., for the advanced refueling airframe based on the successful A330 commercial aircraft currently in production. In recent global competitions, EADS has been selected to provide military tankers for the United Kingdom and Australia.
"We have carefully analyzed the competitive landscape and the expected requirements for the Air Force's program of record, and believe that the KC-30 will offer enhanced capabilities to the warfighter in range, fuel capacity and mission flexibility," said Scott Seymour, president of Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "We've heard both Congress and the Air Force stress the need for a competition and we are prepared to address that need by forming a strong industry team based on demonstrated capability, performance, management and affordability."
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Eurocopter flies electrical flap control system
Piezo-Klappen für Rotor im Flugtest
On 8 September 2005 at 2 p.m., the experimental helicopter of the type BK 117 lifted off from the Eurocopter site at Donauwörth for its official maiden flight with an electrical flap control system. This means that Eurocopter has now reached a milestone in the development of a trendsetting helicopter control technology and thus positioned itself ahead of the international technology competition concerning the area of so-called "adaptative rotor systems," surpassing the key competitors Japan and the U.S. The primary objective of this new type of control method is to reduce the system-inherent, relatively high noise level of the rotor blade tip vortices to levels significantly below those of modern Eurocopter helicopters with limit values already below the required standards. At the same time, the vibrations that components and passengers alike are subjected to shall be reduced significantly in order to increase the comfort of passengers during the flight and expand the capacity of future helicopters and thereby promote commercial utilization of these aircraft.
The development program concerning adaptative rotor systems is sponsored by the German Ministry of Economics and Labor and is based on cooperation between the partners Eurocopter Deutschland (management, design, production, controls, tests), the EADS Corporate Research Centre CRC (piezoceramic actuators), DaimlerChrysler (energy supply, data transfer), as well as the German Aerospace Center DLR (controls, data transfer). The control system uses three flap modules located at the trailing edge of each rotor blade. The piezoceramic actuators integrated into the blades respond with a length change to varying electrical voltages and thereby move the rotor flaps 15 to 40 times per second. Actuation is carried out by means of an optical waveguide via a controller without requiring pilot interaction. It neutralizes the blade slap noise typically associated with helicopters that are descending and lowers the overall noise level by up to 6 dBA (a decrease around 10 dBA corresponds roughly with a 50% lower noise impression). The asymmetrical impinging flow of a rotor generates vibration that can be reduced by as much as 90% by generating counter-vibration, which in turn increases the service life of important components as well as passenger comfort.
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Singapore selects F-15 over Rafale
F-15 Eagle gewinnt in Singapur
In response to media queries on the status of the Singapore Air Force's Next Fighter Replacement Programme (NFRP), a spokesperson said that the Ministry of Defence is now in the process of seeking final clarifications and contract negotiation with Boeing. Dassault issued a statement saying that at the end of a long selection and evaluation process in which the elimination of the Eurofighter Typhoon led to a face-off between Dassault Aviation's Rafale and Boeing's F-15, the American vendor prevailed in Singapore. The Southeast Asian city-state has so far had a single source - American - for its air defense. Given the quality of the Rafale bid and its suitability to the technical and operational criteria of the call for tender, dual sourcing seemed to be a possibility. This hope failed to materialize. According to Dassault, there seem to be two main reasons for this decision: the dollar's current weakness is a definite handicap for the economic competitiveness of the French offer; America's power might once again bore out the old Chinese proverb: Bamboo always leans the way it's pushed the hardest The company asserted that the Rafale is a technical and industrial success, as the operational commissioning of the first planes delivered to the French Armed Forces has shown. Its status of finalist at Singapore proves that it has every chance of becoming an export success.
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German BDLI fears for space funding
Raumfahrt: Deutschland verliert Anschluss
The BDLI (German Aerospace Industries Association) has summed up recent comments on manned space flight made by German Research and Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn as “hostile to innovation and technology.” BDLI's Managing Director Hans-Joachim Gante said: “Contrary to Frau Bulmahn's opinion, manned space travel isn't just a matter of prestige. Investing in manned spaceflight means investing in the future. Germany mustn't repeat the mistake of quitting a technology where it is still among the leaders.” Germany has spawned leading space scientists, engineers and astronauts. “Yet given half-hearted commitment to the International Space Station and the practical rejection of manned exploration activity, Germany's international respect and appeal for industrial partnerships will decline,” declared Gante. He added that all the major space nations such as the United States, Russia, China and even India as well as the European Space Agency were now championing manned space flight. The BDLI's criticism refers to something said by Education Minister Edelgard Bulmahn in an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau on August 30. The BDLI also condemned the low funding for German space activities. Next year, Germany's draft budget provides for contributions to the ESA to be slashed by an amount ranging into the double-digit millions while expenditure on the national space program is set to stagnate following years of cuts. The amount earmarked for space research in Germany is about EUR 145 million, a sum dwarfed by France's more than EUR 670 million. “By taking this track, the German Research Ministry is oblivious to the possible slow death of a high-tech sector,” criticized Hans-Joachim Gante.
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Boeing forms missile defence team
Neues transatlantisches Raketenabwehrkonsortium gebildet
Boeing has formed a trans-Atlantic team named "Alliance Shield" to compete for the upcoming NATO Theater Missile Defense Systems Engineering and Integration contract. Alliance Shield is an international team with demonstrated experience in design, development, integration and deployment of missile defense systems and systems of systems.The team members include BAE Systems of the U.K., Finmeccanica of Italy, Havelsan of Turkey, Lockheed Martin of the U.S., MBDA of France, Italy and the U.K., Prezemyslowy Instytut Telekomunikacji (PIT) of Poland, and Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., of the U.S. Dr. David Martin, formerly the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's deputy for strategic relations, is Alliance Shield's strategic advisor.
In March 2005 the North Atlantic Council approved NATO's new Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence program, aimed at providing protection against the threat of ballistic missiles to deployed NATO forces. With approval of that charter, a new NATO program office was formed to procure the NATO theater missile defense capability. The contract is expected to be awarded to an industry team in 2006. "NATO's progression from theater missile defense studies to capability requires new skills from industry," said Boeing Missile Defense Systems vice president and general manager Pat Shanahan. "In Alliance Shield, NATO will find a world-class international team with significant experience in building and integrating complex systems and working with customers to satisfy their needs. Alliance Shield provides the necessary new thinking and capabilities to support fully NATO's evolving needs. "
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Growth in ISTAR radar market seen
Radarmarkt in Europa soll wachsen
NATO force goals are motivating the shift towards smaller but more capable combat fleets, expanded ground surveillance and more efficient airborne early warning capability. Force modernisation and stock replacement programmes will, therefore, promote strong and sustainable growth across the European airborne intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) radar market. To benefit from growth opportunities, however, market participants will need to focus on developing next-generation technologies. Recent research by Frost & Sullivan's Aerospace & Defence Group, estimates that the total size of the European airborne radar market (comprising frontline aircraft radar, other fixed-wing aircraft radar and helicopter/rotorcraft radar) over 2005-2014 is likely to be $5.44 billion, of which $440 million will represent revenues from new opportunities in the market. Currently, a few, strong manufacturers are dominating the European airborne radar industry. However, as competition intensifies and a host of new challenges emerge, leading manufacturers will be compelled to re-examine their position on the value-chain.
Uncertain procurement numbers for next-generation frontline fighter aircraft, together with the limited orders expected for fixed-wing surveillance and airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft beyond 2014 is placing tremendous pressures on airborne radar manufacturers. Such anxieties are being exacerbated by the increasing longevity of current platforms and the rising cost-sensitivity of smaller and mid-sized nations. "To maintain their market share, large manufacturers will need to move up the value-chain and provide more capable solutions in an ever-more networked combat environment," comments Frost & Sullivan Defence Analyst, Marko Lukovic. "To achieve this, market leaders will need to offer more capabilities to their customers by developing next-generation technologies across all three market segments."
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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
Cyber Defense Systems,a designer and developer of next generation unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV''s) and an operating subsidiary of Proxity, Inc. announced the introduction and successful testing of a revolutionary new propulsion system. Cyber Defense''s propulsion systems for the Mid Altitude Airships ("MAA") SA 90 being built by Techsphere Systems International is designed to maintain geo-stationary position at a cruise altitude of up to 25,000 feet. The SA 90 under development is a semi spherical airship with the four engine CyberPOD(TM) propulsion system is designed for continuous operations 24 hour per day for a maximum of 2 days on station. A critical subassembly of the propulsion system is the pylon assembly developed for the MAA program. This system incorporates an optimized large diameter propeller for the high altitude, low specific thrust airship conditions. The support structure, mounting system, and articulating prop-drive has been analyzed extensively by finite element methods. A detailed forced harmonic life analysis of the structures attached to the semi-rigid structure has been performed, indicating a long life capability.
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The THAICOM 5 satellite launch contract was signed at World Satellite Business Week 2005 by Dr. Dumrong Kasemset, Executive Chairman of Shin Satellite Plc, and Jean-Yves Le Gall, Chief Executive Officer of Arianespace. Christine Lagarde, French Minister for Foreign Trade, was present at the signing. This latest contract between Shin Satellite and Arianespace further confirms both the strategic space partnership between France and Thailand and French government support for the Thai space industry. Coming less than four weeks after the successful launch of THAICOM 4 (IPSTAR), this contract reflects the sustained confidence of Shin Satellite, one of the major operators in the Asia-Pacific region, and is also clear recognition of Arianespace's high-quality launch service. THAICOM 5 is slated for an Ariane 5 launch in 2006 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
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Cessna, the world's leading manufacturer of single engine piston aircraft, reached a new milestone Aug. 30 with its 6,000th customer delivery since the company's Independence, Kan., facility opened in 1996. "We've taught the world to fly - more people have learned to fly in a Cessna than any other manufacturer's airplane," said Roger Whyte, Cessna's senior vice president of sales and marketing. "A majority of those people learned through our global network of more than 300 certified Cessna Pilot Centers. So, I think it's fitting today's 6,000th aircraft goes to Dana Atkinson, president of Anson Air, a Cessna Pilot Center, in Sugar Land, Texas." Atkinson purchased a Garmin G1000-equipped 182T Skylane in December, and now will add his new 172S Skyhawk NAV III with the G1000 to his fleet of 11 airplanes.
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The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) re-engined and upgraded Chetak helicopter -- Chetan created history when it successfully completed hot and high altitude tests in the Siachen Glacier recently. With this performance, Chetan has proved that it can conquer the Himalayan heights up to its service ceiling of 21,300 feet. Till now, the operations of the Chetak were restricted to 10,000 feet, due to a number of limitations.Piloted by Wg Cdr P.S. Rao and Wg Cdr S. Jain, the Chetan underwent a series of trials from August 16 to 23rd in the Siachen Glacier under hostile conditions. “We have gone for a trial validation and Chetan had never operated there before. The tests were conducted well within the existing envelope of the original helicopter (Chetak),” the pilots, who are just back in Bangalore, said.
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After leaving the Space Test Centre in Germany on 29 August, CryoSat has safely arrived at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, about 800 km north of Moscow, Russia on 2 September. CryoSat is scheduled for launch on 8 October 2005 at 15:02 UTC. The convoy was initially transported by truck from IABG (Industrieanlagen-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH) in Ottobrunn to Munich airport, where it was stored in a hangar over night before being loaded onto an Antonov-124 cargo aircraft for the three and a half hour flight to Talagi Airport, Archangel in Russia.
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Embraer and Regional, a fully owned subsidiary of Air France, have announced the signature of the final contract for the purchase of six EMBRAER 190 LR aircraft with six additional options of the same model. These airplanes shall replace an existing order for seven ERJ 145s. The contract is valued US$189 million at list price of the EMBRAER 190. Deliveries shall commence in the first quarter of 2007 and the aircraft will be configured in a single class cabin layout seating 100 passengers. "The choice of the EMBRAER 190 LR is the result of a meticulous and rigorous selection process aiming at providing Regional with the best possible fleet to re-enforce its hub and point to point traffic across Europe," explained Jacques Bankir, Regional Chairman and CEO.
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China Southern Airlines has signed a contract with Airbus in Beijing for the purchase of ten additional Airbus A330s, which comprises eight A330-300s and two A330-200s. China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group (CASGC) was also involved in this deal by signing a GTA with Airbus. The ten A330 aircraft will be delivered from 2007 to 2008. China Southern Airlines already operates four A330-200s on domestic trunk and international routes. Si Xianmin, President of China Southern Airlines, Li Hai, President of CASGC and Iain Gray, General Manager of Airbus, signed the contract and GTA in the Great Hall of the People this morning. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and British Prime Minister Tony Blair witnessed the signing ceremony.
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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope entered a new era of science operations this week, when engineers shut down one of the three operational gyroscopes aboard the observatory. The two-gyro mode is expected to preserve the operating life of the third gyro and extend Hubble's science observations through mid-2008, an eight-month extension. This conclusion followed detailed analysis by engineers and scientists at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore. Thorough testing of the two-gyro mode was completed prior to implementation. The gyros are an integral part Hubble's complex pointing control system. The system maintains precise pointing of the telescope during science observations. The system was originally designed to operate on three gyros, with another three in reserve. Two of the six are no longer functional. "Hubble science on two gyros will be indistinguishable from the superb science we have become accustomed to over the years," said senior Hubble scientist David Leckrone at Goddard.
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The U.S. Navy has awarded a subsidiary of Raytheon a $19.9 million contract to produce reconnaissance pods that play a key role in the network-centric environment of the U.S. warfighter. Under this contract, Raytheon Technical Services Company LLC (RTSC) will produce six additional Shared Reconnaissance Pod (SHARP) systems at its Indianapolis facility for delivery to the U.S. Navy in 2006. RTSC procured key subsystems and components that will be used in the production of these six systems under an earlier award from the Navy. "High-resolution, digital tactical air reconnaissance is essential for commanders in today's battle environment, and SHARP provides that capability for the U.S. Navy carrier-based air wings," said Larry Parsons, program manager for Aircraft Auxiliary Systems at RTSC. "RTSC designed an innovative pod that allows the latest optical and electronics technologies to be quickly and reliably used in the rigorous Naval aviation environment. We're pleased that Raytheon's responsibilities on the SHARP program have evolved over the years to our current role of system production and integration. This role enables us to focus on enabling our customer's mission success."
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International UAV manufacturer Aerosonde has been awarded a Foreign Comparative Testing contract worth almost US$700,000 by the US Air Force (USAF) to undertake trials to meet weather reconnaissance requirements for tropical storms as well as military targeting and training. According to the USAF, the addition of the weather reconnaissance data is expected to greatly enhance weather situational awareness in data sparse and data denied areas. It should also improve predictive battlespace awareness via the new inputs to weather forecast models, specifically, resulting in more accurate tropical cyclone and weapon system performance forecasts. Scheduled to commence later this month, the initial trials will be at Aerosonde's North American operations site at the NASA Wallops Island facility, followed by further trials in an operational environment from Guam in the Western Pacific. The trials will evaluate weather sensors and aircraft performance, compared to requirements, and will assess the Aerosonde's ability to improve forecast accuracy by disseminating observations into numerical weather model databases.
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BAE Systems has achieved its first autonomous, untethered flight of its third-generation ducted-fan unmanned aerial vehicle. The company's vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) air vehicle completed a course of 10 waypoints at BAE Systems' Southern California flight test facility. The seven-minute flight of the IAV2 ducted-fan air vehicle demonstrated a pre-programmed flight plan that included automatic takeoff, waypoint navigation with multiple groundspeeds and altitudes, and loitering and automatic landing. The demonstration flight was achieved just 10 days after the air vehicle's first flight and was the 14 th flight of the IAV2. Flights were conducted at temperatures of up to 109 degrees, equating to density altitudes approaching 7,000 feet, in winds of nearly 15 knots. Using a 22-inch-diameter fan with a nominal outside diameter of 37 inches, the Unmanned Vehicle (UAV) is about 5 feet tall and has flown with simulated payloads of up to 25 pounds.
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After intensive exchanges held since January 2004, negotiations on India's participation in Europe's satellite radio navigation programme finally reached approval. The agreement, initialled today in New Delhi at the occasion of the EU-India Summit in the presence of UK Prime Minister Tony Blair as EU Presidency, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will ensure the availability of highest quality Galileo services in India as well as cooperation to establish regional augmentation systems based on EGNOS and GALILEO. Welcoming the outcome of the negotiations, Vice-President of the European Commission Jacques Barrot said: “This is another important step for the development of GALILEO as an international programme, but also a major milestone in the EU/India partnership” The agreement was initialled by Mr Francisco Da Camara Gomes, Head of the EC Delegation in India, representing the European Union, and Mr G. Madhavan Nair, Secretary, Department of Space, representing India. Considering that India has well proven capabilities in space, satellite and navigation related activities, the agreement will provide a positive impulse for India and European industrial cooperation in many high tech areas.
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Goodrich announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sensors Unlimited, Inc. The $60 million cash transaction, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of Goodrich and Sensors Unlimited, Inc. is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2005. The transaction is subject to approval by U.S. regulatory agencies. 2005 sales for the new business are expected to be $19 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Goodrich will acquire a business that has pioneered the design and production of Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) technology. Sensors Unlimited is a leader in Indium Gallium Arsenide (InGaAs) imaging technology -- which provides superior imaging performance in extremely low light conditions -- and has in-house manufacturing capabilities for advanced infrared cameras and short wave infrared and near infrared focal plane arrays.
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The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) announced it has selected the Orlando Orange County Convention Center and nearby Orlando Executive Airport in Orlando, FL., as the new venue for its 58th Annual Meeting & Convention in November. The Convention will take place from Wednesday, November 9 – Friday, November 11, a week earlier than originally planned. The announcement comes after NBAA was forced to move the event from New Orleans, LA, because of the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. "Although we deeply regret having to leave New Orleans, we think that Orlando presents a very good opportunity for our Members and Exhibitors," said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen.
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Northrop Grumman has begun initial flight testing of the advanced fire-control radar being developed for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft. The radar is designed to enable F-35 pilots to effectively engage air and ground targets at long range, while also providing outstanding situational awareness for enhanced survivability. Designated the AN/APG-81, the active electronically scanned array radar was first flown on Aug. 23 and 25 on Northrop Grumman's BAC-1-11 testbed aircraft. During the flights, the all-aspect search, air-track and synthetic-aperture radar mode capabilities of the radar were successfully evaluated against airborne and ground-based targets. “The outstanding performance of the radar on these initial flights underscores the intense development effort under way on the F-35 mission avionics and marks the culmination of a successful design, hardware build, software development and systems integration process,'' said John C. Johnson, vice president of Combat Avionics Systems at Northrop Grumman. “We expect to accelerate the validation of the radar performance during the flight-test program and progress with the systems-integration effort ahead of schedule.''
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Following the successful launch of the DIRECTV 8 satellite in May, DIRECTV has contracted with International Launch Services (ILS) for another mission on a Proton vehicle. The launch, on a Russian-built Proton/Breeze M rocket, is planned for second quarter 2007 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The contract includes an option for an additional launch. This satellite is one of three 702 model spacecraft being built for DIRECTV by Boeing Satellite Systems. The 702 is Boeing's largest satellite, and at more than 6,000 kg will be the heaviest commercial payload launched by Proton. This is the seventh award for International Launch Services in 2005. ILS is a joint venture of Russian rocket builder Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, and Lockheed Martin, builder of the Atlas launch vehicle.
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Wizz Air, Central and Eastern Europe's largest low-fare, low-cost airline has signed a contract for 12 firm A320 Family aircraft, including A319s and A320s, plus 12 options, becoming a new Airbus customer. All the aircraft will be powered by International Aero Engines V2500-A5s and be configured in a comfortable single-class layout, seating up to 156 passengers in the A319s and up to 180 passengers in the A320s. Deliveries will begin in the summer of 2007. The 12 aircraft order underpins Wizz Air's plans to expand its all-Airbus fleet of six leased A320s to meet the increasing demand for air travel in the region. It will also enable the airline to open up new European routes from its present bases (Budapest, Hungary and Katowice, Warsaw and Gdansk in Poland) as well as new base airports in Eastern Europe. Since beginning operations in May 2004, Wizz Air has become the leading low-cost airline in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), an achievement that the carrier acknowledges amongst others as being due to the consistently high standard of operational service and comfort that A320 Family aircraft deliver.
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Boeing and LOT Polish Airlines reached an agreement for up to 14 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, making LOT the first global network carrier in Europe to operate the world's newest and most technologically advanced commercial jetliner. LOT will purchase seven 787-8s, take options on two and hold purchase rights for five more 787s. Excluding options and purchase rights, the order is worth approximately $910 million at list prices. Deliveries begin in 2008. "Replacing our Boeing 767s with the all-new 787 allows us to lead with new and innovative passenger-comfort features on our North Atlantic operations and will be key in opening new Asian destinations," said LOT President and Chief Executive Marek Grabarek. "The 787 fits perfectly with our cost-reduction and profitability strategies."
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Embraer announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued Friday the type certificate for the 100-seat Embraer 190 airliner, allowing Embraer to start deliveries to launch-customer JetBlue and General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) in the United States. The Embraer 190 is the third in Embraer's new four-member jet family to receive type certification. The Embraer 195, last in the family, is expected to be certified in mid 2006.
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QinetiQ and the Verhaert Group of Belgium, have announced the acquisition by QinetiQ of a 90% share of Verhaert Design and Development NV (VDD), the leading Belgian space systems integrator. The company will be renamed Verhaert Space NV. QinetiQ has an option to purchase the remaining 10% of shares at a later date. Announcing the deal, Andrew Rogoyski, Managing Director of QinetiQ's Space Division, said: "With this deal QinetiQ and Verhaert have created a company that is well placed to bridge the gap that currently exists in the European space industry between the two biggest players and a multitude of smaller suppliers. By combining QinetiQ's expertise in space missions and technology with Verhaert's complementary capabilities in small satellites, spacecraft system integration, payloads and instrumentation we believe we can establish ourselves as the leading European mid-tier space company."
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The stock of MTU Aero Engines Holding AG (stock symbol MTX) will be included in the midcap MDAX index as of Monday, September 19, 2005. This follows from a Monday, September 5, 2005, decision of the Deutsche Börse, the German stock exchange operator. Inclusion in the index reflects the promising development MTU has enjoyed since its initial public offering on June 6, 2005. Very nearly 36 million shares were placed at the Euro 21.00 emission price. As of August 31, 2005, the MTU stock ranked 16 th in trading volume and 32 nd in the market capitalization of the MDAX equities. The first six months of this year, MTU increased its sales 14% compared to the same period last year, to Euro 1.026 billion. Its operating profit (EBITDA - earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation and extraordinary items) grew 50%, to Euro 102 million. Its first-half 2005 operating cashflow was Euro 233 million.
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A Russian-built Proton Breeze M launch vehicle successfully placed a satellite into orbit on 9 September for Telesat, one of the world's leading satellite operators. The launch of the new Anik F1R satellite was the sixth mission of the year for International Launch Services (ILS). International Launch Services is a joint venture of Proton builder Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, and Lockheed Martin, builder of the Atlas launcher. ILS, based in McLean, Va., provides marketing and mission management for both vehicles. The Proton vehicle lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 3:53 a.m. local time (5:53 p.m. Thursday EDT, 21:53 GMT). The three-stage Proton booster flew for approximately 10 minutes before separating from the Breeze M upper stage. The Breeze M then fired its on-board engine five times over the next nine hours to place the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. Anik F1R, an EADS Astrium-built E3000 model, will be maneuvered over the next few weeks into its final orbit 36,000 km above the equator.
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The business cycle of the Austrian Airlines Group in the first half-year of 2005 is demanding that the company concentrates strictly on its core business in addition to the intensified countermeasures in place since the first quarter of the year. For this reason, the company will no longer be participating in the privatisation of Bratislava Airport, either alone or as part of a consortium of bidders. Chief Executive Officer Vagn Soerensen made the following statement on the decision: 'Despite the fact that we have continuously improved on our market position since April and that we have recorded some of the best load factors in our history, we will not return in the profit zone within this year. At present the more than ever variable – the kerosene price trend – does not permit us to enter into financial commitments which would only begin to show a profit in the medium- to long-term future. We need to concentrate once again on consolidating our core business, and focus all our strengths and resources on achieving the necessary turnaround. We view our interests and future potential in the Slovakian market as being safeguarded by the strong integration of Slovakia into our global network via Vienna and by our majority shareholding in Slovak Airlines. As well as this, based on our contacts with the Slovak authorities to date, we are also working on the assumption that Bratislava Airport will continue to be managed in a competitive and cost-efficient manner once the privatisation process is complete.'
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NASA signed a $68.35 million modification to the International Space Station contract with The Boeing Company. The modification provides a system to supply Station electrical power to docked Space Shuttles, enabling the Orbiter to stay longer at the complex. The Station-Shuttle Power Transfer System (SSPTS) allows the Orbiter to use electricity generated by the Station's solar arrays. The additional Station power supplements Shuttle fuel cells, saving onboard supplies of hydrogen and oxygen. The Station power will allow Shuttles to dock up to 12 days instead of up to eight days. The longer stay allows additional time for spacewalks, Station maintenance performed by Shuttle crews, Orbiter thermal protection system inspection, contingency repairs, logistics transfers and science operations. The change includes the design, development, manufacture, qualification, testing, delivery and instructions for installation of the SSPTS hardware, software and support equipment into the Station and Shuttle. The SSPTS will be installed in the first Shuttle in spring 2006. The first flight is targeted for Shuttle mission STS-119, the mission to deliver the final component of the truss and solar array structure that provides the Station's power.
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After a gap of 15 years the fleet acquisition plan of the public carrier Indian Airlines has got the approval of the Government and Prime Minister. The carrier will now be acquiring a fleet of 43 Airbus aircrafts, a mix of A319s, A320s and A321s to replace its ageing fleet. This was informed by the Minister for Civil Aviation Shri Praful Patel while addressing a press conference. The Minister says that in the entire process there were two rounds of price negotiations with the aircraft manufacturing company Airbus Industrie. Substantive saving of price was achieved in these two rounds. In the first round of price negotiation which was held in March 2005 by the Oversight Committee headed by Shri C.G.Somaiah, Indian Airlines got a saving of $ 32 million.
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Unmanned Air Vehicle (UAV) history was made at the ParcAberporth Unmanned Systems event in Wales with the first flight in UK airspace of a large UAV. Thales UK and Watchkeeper team partner Elbit systems presented a flight demonstration of the Hermes 450 UAV, which is the basis from which the Watchkeeper air vehicles will be developed. This is the first time a large UAV has been certified to fly in UK airspace, an important milestone in the development of the UK's unmanned system industry. The event was attended by members of the MoD, Department of Transport, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Civil Aviation Authority and other invited guests at this dedicated unmanned systems industry event. This flight demonstration comes only weeks after the £700 million Watchkeeper contract was awarded to Thales UK. The Hermes 450 took off early in the day and maintained constant surveillance during the event. The UAV is able to remain airborne for over 16 hours. The demonstration showed the ability of the Hermes 450 air vehicle and flight management system to operate within UK airspace.
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Chelton Flight Systems (CFS), a Cobham plc subsidiary, announces that it has been selected by Bell Helicopter to provide the glass cockpit system - Chelton's EFIS (Electronic Flight Information System) - for its 407 light single engine helicopter. The contract has a potential value in excess of US$100m. With this selection Bell becomes the first major OEM to offer synthetic vision for all light and medium single engine helicopters. It is intended that CFS equipment will become the preferred equipment offered for the 206B JetRanger, 206L LongRanger, and the new Bell 210.
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Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has added a second G150 business-jet test aircraft to its flight test program – two weeks ahead of schedule. Gulfstream's newest business jet, the Gulfstream G150, is expected to enter service in the third quarter of 2006. The second production G150 aircraft, serial number 202, completed its first flight Sept. 2 in Tel Aviv, Israel , flying 5 hours, 30 minutes. During the flight, all aircraft systems were cycled and the test aircraft reached a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet and flew at a maximum speed of Mach 0.865. Gulfstream will use this second aircraft for function and reliability testing, which started on Sunday, September 4. “The pilots reported G150, serial number 202, flew flawlessly during its maiden flight,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, programs, engineering and test, Gulfstream. “Like the first G150 test plane, serial number 201, this second test plane impressed us with its outstanding performance qualities. The G150 is proving to be quite a business jet.”
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Jim McNerney, Boeing chairman, president and chief executive officer, issued the following statement Friday after learning of the death of Lew Platt, lead director and former chairman of the board: On Thursday night, we lost one of our best friends and one of Boeing's most important leaders—Lew Platt, our lead director and former chairman. I am deeply saddened by Lew's untimely death, and I speak for all Boeing directors and employees in extending our deepest sympathy to his family.
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A new shipment of supplies is on its way to the International Space Station (ISS). The 19th Progress spacecraft to visit the ISS lifted off on 8 September from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 9:08 a.m. EDT. Less than 10 minutes later, the cargo ship reached orbit, and solar arrays and navigational antennas were deployed successfully for the two-day trip. Expedition 11 Commander Sergei Krikalev and Flight Engineer and NASA Flight Engineer and Science Officer John Phillips were flying 220 miles over the Pacific Ocean when the Progress launched. Carrying more than 5,000 pounds of food, water, fuel, clothing, spare parts and other supplies, the Progress is scheduled to automatically dock to the station's Zvezda Service Module on Saturday at 10:50 a.m. EDT. The craft is delivering a new water circulation device, known as a liquids unit, for the station's Elektron oxygen-generating system. The unit will be installed next week to try to bring Elektron back into service. Nearing the end of their fifth month in space, Krikalev and Phillips completed packing the old Progress with unnecessary items. The unpiloted cargo craft undocked from the Zvezda module's aft port at 6:26 a.m. EDT, Wednesday. It was deorbited and burned up in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.
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Delta Air Lines announced that it has successfully completed the sale of Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc. (ASA) to SkyWest, Inc. (Nasdaq: SKYW) for a purchase price of $425 million. As a result of the completion of this transaction, ASA is now a wholly owned subsidiary of SkyWest, Inc. and will continue to operate as a Delta Connection carrier under contract with Delta through 2020. “The sale of ASA to SkyWest represents another important milestone in Delta's transformation as it enhances our ability to operate our business as efficiently and cost effectively as we can,” said Delta Chief Executive Officer Gerald Grinstein. “The transaction strengthens our partnership with SkyWest and we look forward to working with ASA and SkyWest Airlines as they continue to serve Delta customers.” As previously announced, $350 million in cash was payable to Delta at closing, representing $330 million of the purchase price and $20 million relating to certain aircraft financial deposits. An additional $125 million representing $95 million of the purchase price and $30 million relating to certain aircraft financing deposits is payable to Delta upon the earlier of the assumption by Delta of the ASA and SkyWest Airlines Delta Connection agreements should Delta file for reorganization under Chapter 11 or four years after the closing of the transaction. Conversely, SkyWest shall be entitled to retain the $125 million if Delta rejects either the ASA or SkyWest Airlines Delta Connection agreements in a Chapter 11 proceeding prior to the fourth anniversary of the closing of this transaction.
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Bombardier Aerospace officially inaugurated its high-volume 238,000-square-foot (22,110-sq-m) aircraft parts distribution warehouse in Chicago, offering operators of both Bombardier business jets and regional airliners worldwide greater speed, accuracy and quality of service than ever before. Strategically located at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport which offers more connections to more cities, than any other airport worldwide, the newly built super warehouse serves as the central distribution point for all Bombardier aircraft parts - operates around the clock, drawing on an inventory of over 120,000 unique parts.
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