U P D A T E
Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles
Week ending April 19, 1998
+++ European aerospace merger pushed +++ Dasa/Boeing sign deal on Space Operations +++ Pentagon picks Lockheed Martin to build JASSM +++ US safety board warns of Boeing 747 wiring problems +++ German Navy gets new Dornier 228 for sea patrol +++ American Airlines chairman to step down +++ Swiss air force grounds F-18s +++ Mir: Successful spacewalk ends early +++ JAA approves Boeing 737-800 +++ Shuttle lifts off for for Neurolab mission +++ Westland and Agusta in merger talks ++ News in Brief +++
European aerospace merger pushed
Minister diskutieren über europäische Fusionsprobleme
French, German and British government ministers will meet April 21 in London to speed up the planned merger of key corporations into a single European aerospace and defense company. In the run-up to the meeting, Industry Ministers John Battle for Britain, Norbert Lammert for Germany and Christian Pierret for France said they want to detail the timetable for the merger this month. In France, a spokesman for Pierret said a single European aerospace company, dubbed Euroco, is essential if Europe hopes to compete in the next century. But in Germany, the Industry Ministry reports the problem with the timetable is French state control of Aerospatiale complicating merger action. The London meeting later this month will also sort out a mutually agreeable legal, political and financial framework for the company, including export licensing rules, and how to tax Euroco. Another obstacle to Euroco is that Germany's Daimler-Benz subsidiary Dasa has some powerful shareholders, including Deutsche Bank and the Republic of Kuwait. The government ministers want to see if Dasa's ownership structure can be changed to avoid such investors having too much sway in a single European aerospace company.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Dasa/Boeing sign deal on Space Operations
Dasa im Boeing-Team für Space Operations-Wettbwerb
On April 13, Boeing announced that Daimler-Benz Aerospace (DASA), Bremen, has signed an agreement to provide technical assistance to its team's pursuit of Phase 2 of NASA's Consolidated Space Operations Contract (CSOC). Dasa's capabilities will significantly enhance the Boeing team's commercial space operations approach, facilitate the use of European commercial space assets and promote international uses of CSOC capability, said Rick Stephens, the Boeing Reusable Space Systems Vice President and General Manager responsible for CSOC.At the recent technical assistance agreement signing ceremony in Houston, Dasa Executive Vice President of Orbital Systems and Operations Dr. Stefan Graul said his company was pleased and excited to be working with the Boeing CSOC team. "DASA has a unique technical capability as one of the leading European space systems companies that can provide requisite experience and expertise in CSOC-related tasks," he said.
In mid 1998, NASA will award one company a 10-year (5-years with a 5-year priced option) multibillion dollar contract to implement a ground systems architecture and space-based infrastructure to provide mission and data services to more than 100 existing and planned NASA spacecraft, while simultaneously lowering the cost of space operations. The contract encompasses NASA's total space operations infrastructure, including all elements currently managed autonomously by multiple contractors and five major NASA centers
(Johnson Space Center, Houston; Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.; Kennedy Space Center, Fla.; Marshall Space Flight Center, Ala.; and Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.)
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Pentagon picks Lockheed Martin to build JASSM
JASSM-Wettbewerb geht an Lockheed Martin
On April 9, the Pentagon announced to let Lockheed Martin build its next generation of stealthy, air-launched cruise missiles in a deal worth up to 3 billion U.S. dollars. The Air Force wants to build 2,400 of the satellite-guided missiles, which pilots would launch while far from their targets. The JASSM missiles will have a range of about 185 kilometers and hug the terrain as they sneak past radar systems to attack enemy air defense systems. Boeing was the loser in the competition for building the joint air to surface standoff missile. The missiles will be designed to launch from a variety of planes, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F/A-18 Hornet, the B-52, B-1 and B-2 bombers.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
US safety board warns of Boeing 747 wiring problems
Elektroleitungen in alten Jumbos problematisch
US investigators trying to establish the cause of the July 1996 crash of Trans World Airlines (TWA) Flight 800 have recommended that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order U.S. airline companies to inspect the wiring of the fuel tanks in their Boeing 747 aircraft. The officials said they believe the explosion may have been caused by a combination of factors including damaged wires and a corroded fuel-measuring rod, which may have created a spark inside the tank, leading to the explosion. Investigators found damage to the insulation of the wiring in the fuel-monitoring system in the Boeing 747 and similar damage in four other 747s, NTSB officials said.The NTSB also asked the FAA to require airlines to separate the wires of the fuel-monitoring system from other wires that carry electrical charges, as contact between the two sets of wires might cause them to catch fire, the officials said.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
German Navy gets new Dornier 228 for sea patrol
Neue "Öl-Do" für die Marineflieger
On April 15, the Marinefliegergeschwader 3 at Nordholz formally introduced its second Dornier 228 equipped for environmental patrols over the North Sea and the Baltic. The aircraft is operated on behalf of the German water and shipping authorities which are tasked with the protection of the seas from pollutants like oil. Thanks to its sophisticated sensor equippment, which was developed in cooperation with the DLR, it is able to detect even small patches of dirt. The environmental observation of the sea from aircraft started in 1983 and took a major step forweard in 1993 with the introduction of the first Dornier 228. Until the end of last year, 3550 sorties with 11100 flight hours were completed. After location of 1,5 dirt spots per flight in the early days, this has now reduced to 0,2, confirming an improvements in standards among the ship crews.
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
American Airlines chairman to step down
American-Airlines-Chef Robert Crandall tritt zurück
FORT WORTH, Texas, April 15: American Airlines Chairman and CEO Robert L. Crandall has announced his retirement from the carrier. American said the 61-year-old Crandall, known for his feisty temper and innovative ideas, announced his intentions today at the monthly board of directors meeting of American's parent company, AMR Corp., which he also heads. Crandall is credited with turning American into one of the most powerful airlines. Donald J. Carty, president of American since March 1995, has been elected to replace him. Crandall, who is marking his silver anniversary with the airline this month, would be leaving the airline after whipping it into profitable shape, with earnings of nearly $2 billion in the past two years.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Swiss air force grounds F-18s
Schweizer F-18 nach Absturz gegroundet
The Swiss air force lost its first Boeing F-18 fighter on April 7, when the second two-seater deliverd crashed near the ski-resort of Crans Montana. Both pilots were killed. The F-18D, stationed at Payerne, was on a tranining mission in formation with an F-18C, which was flown by a US Navy exchange pilot. Weather was reported as poor. After the accident, the remaining 13 aircraft in service were grounded. Switzerland is to receive 34 Hornets, all but two of which are assembled at Emmen.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Mir: Successful spacewalk ends early
Erfolgreiche Reparatur trotz verkürztem Einsatz
On April 11, a planned six-hour spacewalk of Mir cosmonauts Talgat Musabayev and Nikolai Budarin was cut in half when ground controllers reported the data feed from Mir commander Musabayev's spacesuit had been lost. The spacewalk is still being hailed as a success, with the main task of dismantling a failed thruster engine completed on time and without problems. Musabayev and engineer Budarin dismantled the engine and pushed it away from Mir. The engine will eventually burn up in the atmosphere. The engine, which is responsible for the 12-year-old station's orientation in space and alignment to the sun, has a non-rechargeable engine that has to be replaced if fuel runs out. It unexpectedly failed during Monday's spacewalk, sending Mir off its orbit and forcing the cosmonauts to abandon other repair work to deal with the emergency. The spacewalk's premature end means a planned installation of a valve for the removal of hydrogen from the station's Elektron oxygen generator has been postponed until the next spacewalk.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
JAA approves Boeing Next-Generation 737-800
JAA-Zulassung für die Boeing 737-800
The second model in the Next-Generation 737 airplane family, the 737-800, has cleared its last major milestone prior to beginning service with European airlines. Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), which comprise the aviation regulatory authorities of 27 countries, has recommended type validation of the -800 model. Actual type certificates will be awarded by the individual countries. The JAA's approval of the 737-800 comes a month after type certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). FAA certification cleared the airplane for passenger service within the United States. Launch customer Hapag-Lloyd of Germany is scheduled to take delivery of the first 737-800 in April. "Over time, we plan to replace the 737-400s and -500s we currently have in service with this more efficient model," said Wolfgang Kurth, Hapag-Lloyd managing director. More than 350 flight tests were completed before the FAA and JAA validations were awarded. The FAA approved the 737-800 on March 13; the JAA officially gave its approval April 9.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Shuttle lifts off for for Neurolab mission
Neurolab-Flug des Shuttle im Gang
With a 24 hour delay due to a faulty data transmitter, Space Shuttle orbiter Columbia blasted off for its 25th mission on April 17 at 20.19 MESZ. The STS-90 Neurolab mission is to last 16 or 17 days and will concentrate on investigations concerning aging processes in weightlessness. Apart from a full complement of seven astronauts, there is a menagerie of pregnant mice, rats, snails, fish crickets and other creatures on board the Spacelab module in the Shuttle cargo bay. At least 26 experiments are scheduled. Among the equipment is a new Lower Body Negative Pressure device, which Dasa has developed under contract form the DLR in Cologne. Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Westland and Agusta in merger talks
Fusionsgespräche in Europas Hubschrauberindustrie
On April 16, UK engineering group GKN and Italian state holding Finmeccanica announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding under which they would have exclusive negotiations for the establishment of an "alliance of equals" between the their helicopter divisions Westland respectively Agusta in early 1999. David Turner, GKN finance director said that "one of the possibilities would be that it ends up in a merger". A joint statement went on to say that "it is important for the competitiveness of the European helicopter industry that it participates in the consolidation of the aerospace and defence industries". Westland and Agusta are already collaborating on the large EH101 tranpsort and naval helicopter and have highly complementary product portfolios. Whereas Westland is building the Lynx naval helicopter and is due to licence-produce the AH-64 Longbow Apache, Agusta is on the civil market with its A 109 and A 119 models as well as building the light attack helicopter A 129 Mangusta. The logic of the deal was supported by analysts, with GKN shares rising nearly two per cent.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
The CAOC (Combined Air Operations Center) at Vicenza (Italy), overseeing NATO operations over ex-Yugoslavia celebrated its fifth anniversary on April 9. It was set up in 1993 to support Operation Deny Flight, which began on April 12 that year. Today the CAOC mission is planning, directing and coordinating all NATO air operations in support of Operation Deliberate Guard and the peacekeeping efforts air operations in Bosnia-Herzegowina. Over 400 personnel from coalition forces represent 14 NAZO countries. The CAOC is also supported by more than 200 personnel assigned form 5th ATAF.+++
A court-enforced ban of DHL Internationals night operations at Nurenberg airport, which took effect on April 1, will lead to the loss of 70 jobs, the express freight company has said. DHL and other carriers face increasing opposition at many European airports.
+++
The U.S. Air Force has ordered the remaining six Delta II rockets in their launch services contract for the Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR constellation. Previously the Air Force had secured 15 Delta II's to launch the 21 satellites in the Block IIR series.
+++
On April 8, Midway Airlines has placed a firm order for three additional Canadair Regional Jet aircraft, which will increase its CRJ fleet to 13 of the 50-passenger twinjets. The carrier, based at Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, ordered 10 CRJ Series 200ER aircraft in October 1997. Today's transaction reflects the conversion of three options. Value of the three-aircraft order is approximately $63 million U.S.
+++
Two Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RTM322 engines have successfully completed their first ground run in an Apache helicopter at Boeing's Mesa facility in Arizona. The same Apache helicopter is scheduled to begin its flight programme later this year before the first flight of the WAH-64 variant, which has been ordered from GKN Westland Helicopters by the British Army Air Corps. The British Army has ordered 67 of the twin-engined RTM322-powered WAH-64 Apaches from GKN Westland Helicopters as its next-generation attack helicopter.
+++
On April 10, Phil Condit, Boeing chairman and chief executive officer, announced that first quarter earnings will include a $350 million pretax charge to earnings on the Next-Generation 737 program. The charge represents an increase to the previously recognized forward loss amount of $700 million for the Next-Generation 737 program. The forward loss is the amount by which the estimated production costs exceed the estimated revenue for the first 400 units of the program.
+++
The French defence expenditure review, details of which emerged on April 9, will protect major aviation programmes like Rafale, Tiger and NH90. However, funding for the Tirgat LR anti-tank missile will be cut. Instead, defence minsiter Richard said that the system will be bought "off-the-shelf" when anti-tank Tiger versions are introduced in 2011. This of course depends on the Euromissile Dynamics Group Trigat programme surviving this latest blow.
+++
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has ordered four Boeing Next-Generation 737-800s, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group confirmed on April 8. The planes will join four 737-800s KLM previously ordered to expand its European network. The jetliners will be configured in a two-class, 150-seat arrangement that will feature five-abreast business-class seating. The first of the eight airplanes is scheduled to deliver in February 1999.
+++
On April 8, Lockheed Martin announced that its newest family of launch vehicles will be called Atlas III. This includes the Atlas IIAR now in development and on its way to initial launch capability in December, and the Atlas IIARC, which is now being offered for launch opportunities beginning in mid-2000. Atlas IIAR will now be designated Atlas IIIA and Atlas IIARC will be called Atlas IIIB. The defining characteristic of Atlas III vehicles is the use of the Russian-designed RD-180 engine to power the Atlas booster. Atlas IIIB extends the performance capability of the vehicle to 9,920 pounds (4,500 kg) to geostationary transfer orbit, an increase of 1,720 pounds (771 kg) over the Atlas IIAS, the most powerful version of the Atlas II family presently flying. Atlas IIIA, previously Atlas IIAR, is proceeding through development on its way to initial launch capability (ILC) late this year. The first Atlas IIIA began final assembly in mid-March at Astronautics' facilities near Denver, Colo.
+++
Air Canada has signed a contract with Airbus Industrie to purchase five A340-500/-600 aircraft, with options for an additional 10. The firm order follows the airline's August 1997 memorandum of understanding, and completes the second phase of Air Canada's fleet renewal and growth plan. Deliveries of the two A340-500s and three A340-600s are scheduled for 2002 -- the first year these models will be in service worldwide.
+++
According to the German statistics authority (Statistisches Bundesamt), there were a total of 1,75 million flights from, to and within the country in 1997, carrying 98 million passengers. As the airlines offered 158 million seats (plus five per cent), the load factor came out at 65 per cent (plus one percentage point).
+++
Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik at Friedrichshafen is planning to start construction of the first production LZ N07 rigid airship in May. In the meantime, the prototype has completed around 100 test hours since the maiden voyage last September, with the aim to achive certification next summer.
+++
GKN Westland has handed over the fith EH101 helicopter to Lockheed Martin, which is resposible for the systems intergration of the Merlin version prior to delivery to the Royal Navy. Seven more helicopters will follow during the year. RN05 will be the first Merlin HM MkI to be used by the Navy's Intensive Flight Trials Unit at RNAS Culdrose, from the end of 1998.
+++
Chinese airline tickets are becoming cheaper than first class train tickets to the same destinations as airlines slash prices in an effort to fill empty seats and beat the competition, state press reported recently. A plane ticket from Beijing to the coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong Province, costs 342 yuan (41 U.S. dollars) on Shandong Airlines, while a soft sleeper train ticket costs 364 yuan (44 dollars), the Beijing Youth Daily reported. A flight from Beijing to Qingdao takes about 80 minutes, while the train takes 11 hours. Air passenger numbers in China have slowed from a 28% growth rate in 1995 to less than 3% last year as faster trains and more highways made air travel less attractive, the paper said.
+++
Boeing has received new orders worth 3 billion U.S. dollar from United Airlines. Chicago-based United Airlines has placed orders for 16 777-200s, six 767-300s and one 747-400, Boeing said, adding that deliveries will begin in the first quarter of 1999 and continue into 2002. No price was announced for the orders, the largest batch so far this year for Boeing. Boeing's price list for its aircraft would make it worth 2.28 billion to 3.16 billion dollars.
+++
On April 15, Intelsat announced that it has finished procedures for de-orbiting the oldest satellite in its fleet, the Intelsat 502, after a record 17 years of service. The process started with the first of a series of five maneuvers on 9 April. When launched on 6 December 1980, the satellite was predicted to reach the end of its operational life by 1987. Instead, a decision was made in 1988 to scale back the 502's station-keeping operations to simple East-West maneuvers, resulting in dramatic on-board fuel savings. Since the service life of a satellite depends largely upon the status of its fuel reserves, this saving effectively extended the spacecraft's life from seven to seventeen years.
+++
MAPO MiG has closed its shops for five months, sending its workforce on unpaid leave due to a severe lack of orders. In the meantime, efforts will be concentrated to find a way out of the financial crisis, possibly by cutting back to just a few high-priority programmes.
+++
The Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection of ICAO has recommended reducing by an average of about 16 per cent the levels of nitrogen oxides (NOx) that aircraft engines are currently allowed to emmit under Annex 16 of the ICAO convention. This recommendation was adopted by consensus and represents an important breakthrough. the third meeting of the CEAP, in December 1995, had been unable to reach a deal on the subject. CEAP also recommended new noise limits for propeller-driven light aeroplanes that are lower than those in Annex 16. It further agreed to again take up in its future work the establishment of new noise standards for jet aeroplanes thatt will be more stringent that the present Chapter 3.
+++
Unions representing staff in the Star Alliance group of airlines plan international copperation which could eventually lead to joint pay talks, the ÖTV has said. Delegates from 12 unions had met in Frankfurt for three days, agreeing a regular information exchange
+++
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen ist nach wie vor abrufbar:
April 5, 1998
March 29, 1998
March 22, 1998
March 15, 1998
March 8, 1998
February 22, 1998
February 15, 1998
February 8, 1998
February 1, 1998
January 25, 1998
January 18, 1998
January 11, 1998
January to December 1997
September to December 1996
Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles
Copyright 1998 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved.
Last updated April 18, 1998
FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany