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UPDATE 
Week ending August 30, 1998
+++ British Airways orders Airbus +++ BMW Rolls-Royce BR715 certified +++ Boeing Delta III lost on first launch +++ Raytheon Aircraft rolls out first Premier I +++ Arianespace launches resumed after four months +++ Lockheed Martin delivers first C-130J +++ Lufthansa's net profit surges 134 percent +++ News in brief +++

British Airways orders Airbus
Erster Airbus-Auftrag von British Airways

For the first time ever, British Airways - one of the most loyal Boeing customers - has choosen to buy Airbus airliners. On August 25 it was announced at Toulouse that BA is to acquire up to 188 A319s, A320 and A321s, in the largest single commitment ever made for Airbus Industrie aircraft outside the USA. The package of aircraft, including options, is worth around US $9 billion, based on catalogue prices. It features an initial 59 firm aircraft - 39 A319s and 20 A320s - with options and purchase rights on a further 129 A319s, A320s and A321s. This is the largest number of aircraft ever chosen by British Airways in a single deal.
The first 21 new aircraft will be used by British Airways Regional on its routes from Birmingham and Manchester. Subsequent orders and options are intended for the airline's European Operations at Gatwick division, and for Air Liberte and Deutsche BA. Deliveries of the 59 A319s and A320s will begin in September 1999, and will continue through to the year 2004. Deliveries of the options will continue through 2006. British Airways has chosen International Aero Engines V2500s to power all of the new Airbus aircraft.
At the same time as the news of the Airbus deal came through , BA also confirmed that it is to additional Boeing 777 for the long-haul fleet. The order for 16 firm airplanes and 16 options is valued at nearly 5 billion US-Dollars. With this order, British Airways has ordered a total of 45 777-200s and a total of 306 Boeing airplanes.In a move intended to meet the changing demands of the airline's fleet requirements, some of these airplanes will be substituted for five firm 747-400s currently on order. Deliveries of the 777-200 jets are scheduled to begin in January 2000 and continue through 2002.

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BMW Rolls-Royce BR715 certified
Zulassung für das BR715 erteilt

On August 28, just 16 months after its first bench run, the BR715 turbofan has received its approval from the European Joint Aviaton Authorities. The German Luftfahrt-Bundesamt was the first national certification agency to hand over the documents, in a ceremony at the BMW Rolls-Royce plant ant Dahlewith near Berlin. FAA approval is expected for September. The BR715 is a major step of the new company out of the business jet niche (with the BR710) and into the airliner sector, where it is the exclusive powerplant for the new Boeing 717-200 (previously MD-95).
Before receiving its certificate, the BR715 was run for more than 2000 hours on test stands at Dahlewitz and in the UK. This includes a 150 hour endurance test as well as blade-off and birdstrike tests. Rated at 18500 to 21000 lbs initially, there is room for growth to 23000 lbs. The BR715 has a 1,47-m-fan, two-stage low-pressure compressor, 10 stage high-pressure compressor, very environmental friendly burner and two-stage high-pressure and 3 stage low-pressure turbine.

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Boeing Delta III lost on first launch
Delta III explodiert beim ersten Start

On August 26 at 21:17 local time, the Boeing Delta III lifted off Launch Complex 17-B at Cape Canaveral on its maiden flight, only to be lost approximately one minute and 20 later in a bright flash of flame and burning debris. Loss of the launch vehicle occurred over the Atlantic Ocean. No personnel were injured. No estimate on the damage is available at this time, and an investigation is under way to determine the cause of the mishap. The 225 million US-Dollar mission was carrying a Galaxy X satellite built by Hughes Space & Communications for the PanAmSat Corporation. It had been delayed two days because of hurricane Bonnie The new Delta III was designed to haul twice as much cargo as its predecessor, the Delta 2, to compete against Europe's Ariane and the Lockheed Martin Atlas rockets for lucrative commercial launch contracts.

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Raytheon Aircraft rolls out first Premier I
Debüt des Premier I-Jets in Wichita

Raytheon Aircraft has rolled out its all-new entry-level business jet, the Raytheon Premier I, at the company's Plant Three manufacturing facility in Wichita. The first Premier I moved off the production line in preparation for its first flight, scheduled for later this summer. Premier I was escorted out of the factory by more than 500 Raytheon Aircraft employees assigned to the aircraft's Integrated Product Team. Engineers, tool makers, production and assembly workers, product support and quality assurance employees, managers and others surrounded the aircraft as it moved past the hangar doors.
The Premier I is a business aviation design with an all-composite cabin, providing unprecedented passenger comfort, and a swept metal wing, assuring exceptional high-speed performance and low-speed maneuverability. The clean-sheet design allowed Raytheon Aircraft to apply the latest technological advantages in engineering, tooling and manufacturing. More than 120 firm orders have been placed by domestic and international customers. Raytheon Aircraft has assigned four airplanes to the flight test program to achieve FAA certification in summer of 1999, with JAA certification to follow.

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Arianespace launches resumed after four months
Erster Ariane-Start seit vier Monaten

After a break of four months due to non-availability of satellites, Ariane launches resumed on August 25. Flight 109, carried out by an Ariane 44P, the version of the European launcher with four solid-propellant strap-on boosters, successfully launched ST-1, the first telecommunications satellite operated by Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan and Singapore Telecom. The launch was carried out within the scope of a contract with Matra Marconi Space. Liftoff from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana took place at 8:07 pm local time (11:07 pm GMT).
ST-1 was designed and built by Matra Marconi Space. Weighing 3,255 kg (7,161 lb) at liftoff, it is equipped with 16 Ku-band and 14 C-band transponders and will cover an area extending from the Middle East to the Far East, from its orbital position over the Indian Ocean at 88 degrees East. Developing 6.5 kW of power, ST-1 is one of the most powerful telecom satellites in orbit over Asia. The next Arianespace launch, Flight 110, is scheduled for early morning of September 15.

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Lockheed Martin delivers first C-130J
Erste C-130J an RAF übergeben

Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems delivered the first new C-130J Hercules - a C-130J-30 model - to the United Kingdom on August 24. The aircraft will be assig7ned first to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) for an initial test program before being transferred to the Royal Air Force. The delivery comes around two years later than expected in 1995, when the RAF became the first customer for the advanced C-130J, signing a contract for 25 aircraft. The aircraft - 10 C-130Js and 15 C-130J-30s - will be delivered at regular intervals through early 2000. The C-130J models will replace C-130K models originally bought in the 1960s.
Following the delivery ceremony in Marietta, the aircraft - serial #5408 - was to depart for Boscombe Down where DERA will perform further operational test and evaluation. The aircraft will arrive in the UK Aug.26. After DERA completes its evaluation in early 1999, the aircraft will be reconfigured for operational use before its delivery to the Royal Air Force at RAF Lyneham. The DERA flight test program will be an extension to the comprehensive flight test program nearing completion by the company.
To date, the company has orders for 83 aircraft, with options for 63 more. Firm orders include the 25 for the RAF, 12 for the Royal Australian Air Force, 18 for the Italian Air Force, and 28 for the U.S. government. The U.S. government planes are split among the U.S. Air Force, the Air Force Reserve, the Air National Guard, and the U.S. Marine Corps.

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Lufthansa's net profit surges 134 percent
Hohe Gewinne der Lufthansa im ersten Halbjahr

Lufthansa has announced a larger-than-expected net profit of 928 million marks (516 million U.S. dollars) for the first half of 1998, up 134 percent from the same period in 1997. The airline attributed the profit surge mainly to the decline of fuel prices on the world market as well as successful cost-saving measures. The company's sales in the period were 10.6 billion marks (5.9 billion dollars), up 7.6 percent from the same period of last year. Most of the increase was achieved by its passenger services, which grew by 7.6 percent to 7.4 billion marks (4.1 billion dollars). Meanwhile, its cargo services rose by 2.7 percent to 1.8 billion marks (1.0 billion dollars). Lufthansa said that it now also expects a larger-than-expected group profit for the full 1998 year. In 1997, the company already achieved a record 140-percent increase in pre-tax profit of a total of 1.65 billion marks (0.9 billion dollars). Its pre-tax profit for the first half of 1998 was 1.3 billion marks (0.7 billion dollars).

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Two more Panavia Tornado fighter-bombers of the German armed forces have crashed recently, bringing total losses since 1984 to 28, with 20 crewmembers dead. First, a Luftwaffe Tornado went down on August 20 near Monheim in Bavaria, while on August 24 a Marineflieger aircraft from Eggebeck crashed into moorland close to Jerrishoh in northern Germany. It was on a demonstration flight during the MFG 2s family day. In both cases, the crew was able to eject.
+++
The first Boeing 747-400 aircraft to be powered by new production RB211-524G/H-T engines entered into service on 16 August with South African Airways. RB211-524G/H-T engines will, in time, be fitted to the South African Airways six-strong 747-400 fleet. The RB211-524G/H-T, rated at between 58,000lb and 60,600lb thrust, benefits airlines through a combination of reduced fuel burn, excellent on-wing life, and increased revenue-earning capability. The improvements achieved by the G/H-T result from the incorporation of the high-pressure system from the Trent 700, which powers the Airbus Industrie A330. In addition to cost reductions through higher efficiency and cooler running temperatures, Trent benefits also include a 40 per cent reduction in NOx emissions.
+++
On August 24, Northrop Grumman Corporation announced today that it plans to reduce annual operating costs by approximately $300 million, beginning in 2001, through the realignment of its operating units, consolidation of facilities and laboratories, and other management actions designed to strengthen the corporation's competitive position. The series of actions will result in a reduction of approximately 2,100 positions by the end of 2000. The company said the reductions are in addition to about 8,400 job reductions, including temporary workers, planned through the end of 2000. Approximately 4,300 were previously announced and are related to the winding down of the B-2 stealth bomber program and its associated infrastructure.
+++
The Soyuz TM-27 spacecraft with three Russian cosmonauts on board safely landed near the Kazakh town of Arkalyk at 9:23, Moscow time, on August 25. The crew commander, Talgat Musabayev, said after the landing that all the cosmonauts felt well. The Soyuz TM-27 had undocked from the space station Mir early in the morning on Tuesday. Talgat Musabayev and Nikolai Budarin spend 207 days on board the Mir station. The former aide to the Russian president, Yuri Baturin, has spent 12 days in space. He was blasted off from the Baikanur launching pad together with Gennady Padalka and Sergei Avdeyev on August 13. Baturin has carried out his own scientific programme, the results of which together with the results of Russian and Kazakh programmes were brought down to earth. Padalka and Avdeyev continue their work on board the Mir station.
+++
Flight delays in Europe are on a disturbing rise again, the Association of European Airlines has complained. In June, 29,1 per cent of all flights by AEA member carriers were delayed on departure by more than 15 per cent, the worst monthly figure in nine years and the second worst on record, according to an AEA statement. The AEA urges politicians to take action and to establish a single European ATC system instead of the "unco-ordinated patchwork" of national systems.
+++
Augsburg Airways will take over the Hof - Bayreuth - Frankfurt itinerary form Eurowings in November. The regional carrier, operating many flights in a "Team Lufthansa"arrangement, was the only company still interested in the route, which is subisdised by the Bavarian government with a certain seat occupancy guarantee. Augsburg Airways plans to fly three daily rotations from Monday to Friday.
+++
The airports of Munich, Stuttgart, Nurenberg, Halle-Leipzig and Dresden have signed a cooperation agreement to lower costs and push productivity. There are no plans for cross-owenerships, which is thought not advantageous. Further deals with other airports, for example in Austria and Switzerland, is not ruled out. This move will block overtures by dominating Frankfurt airport to form a sort of "Airport Germany PLC".
+++
Singapore Aircraft Leasing Enterprise has signed a new contract with Airbus Industrie for two additional A320 aircraft. Eight more options are held by SALE.
+++
The Aerosonde, built by Environmental Systems and Services of Melbourne (Australia) and the US Insitu Group, became the first UAV to cross the North Atlantic, when it landed on the Benbecula military range on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides (Scottland) after over 26 hours and 3200 kilometres. It had taken off at Bell Island Airport, St. John's, Newfoundland (Canada). Fuel consumption was a mere 6 litres! Aerosonde is a small drone with a 3 m wingspan, wieghing 13 kg and powered by a tiny one-cylinder 20cc engine. It did navigate autonomously by GPS and took weather data en-route.
+++

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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:

*August 23, 1998 *August 16, 1998 *August 9, 1998 *August 2, 1998

*July 26, 1998 *July 19, 1998 *July 12, 1998

*January to June 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

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