U
P
D
A
T
E
Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles

UPDATE 
Week ending June 27, 1999

+++ An-70 presented in Bonn +++ Delta II boosts NASA Satellite Telescope into orbit +++ US brings Allied Force aircraft home +++ IATA warns on European ATC problems +++ News in brief +++

An-70 presented in Bonn
Antonow stellt An-70 in Bonn vor

On the way back home from the Paris Air Show, the Antonow An-70 military transport made a stopover at Köln/Wahn airport near Bonn for presentations to military and political experts. A westernised An-70 is in the running for a German order of 75 transports to replace the Transall, facing competition by the Airbus A400M. A decision is to be made before the end of 1999, defence minister Rudolf Scharping has said on June 24, without indicating any preferences. The final decision will be taken at a meeting of the entire cabinet, he added.
An-70 marketing got a boost recently as a group of German equipment companies has formed AirTruck to coordinate work with the Russian-Ukrainian MTA-consortium which is developing the propfan-powered aircraft. AirTruck claims that the An-70 is ahead of the A400M both regarding schedules and technology. Also, it can be procured at a much lower cost to the taxpayer, with development coming in at just 850 million Euros instead of 5,6 to 7 billion. Aircraft price would be 45,8 million instead of around 75 million for the A400M. to overcome scepticism regarding financial and political stability in the former Soviet Union, AirtTruck and MTA are proposing commitments at the highest level through Government-to-Government agreements. Also, a German-based joint-venture would be set up. Final assembly in Germany would take place at Lemwerder.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Delta II boosts NASA Satellite Telescope into orbit
NASA-Teleskop mit Delta gestartet

On June 24, a Boeing Delta II launch vehicle lifted off at 11:44 a.m. EDT placing a satellite telescope into orbit that will increase astronomers' abilities to test basic theories about the evolution of galaxies and the formation of the universe. The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite is sensitive to a portion of the energy spectrum of light that is invisible to the eye. FUSE will allow astronomers to study ultraviolet light wavelengths that are unobservable to other telescopes. The launch is one in the series of Medium Light (Med-Lite) launches for NASA and the first using a two-stage Delta equipped with a 10-foot-diameter fairing to protect the payload and three, instead of the usual nine, solid rocket motors on the first stage.
FUSE was developed for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University. This is the first time that a mission of this scope has been developed and operated entirely by a university. In addition, FUSE is being developed in collaboration with the French and Canadian space agencies which are sharing observing time.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


US brings Allied Force aircraft home
"Allied Force"-Flugzeugflotte wird reduziert

After the formal end of the NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia, the US and other countries are beginning to pull out many of the aircraft from the theatre of operations. Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen for example announced the first two increments of the redeployment June 21. The first increment of 124 aircraft will commence redeploying immediately and take place over the next two weeks. Aircraft scheduled to redeploy from bases in Europe to the continental United States include: 12 F-117s from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, to Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.; two EC-130E's from Aviano AB, Italy, to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz.; seven EA-6B's from Aviano to Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash. (four), and to Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C. (three); 12 F-16CJs from Bandirma AB, Turkey, to Shaw AFB, S.C. one P-3C from NAS Sigonella, Italy, to NAS Brunswick, Maine; 11 B-52H's Royal Air Force Fairford, England, to Barksdale AFB, La. (eight), and Minot AFB, N.D. (three); and six B-1s from Fairford to Ellsworth AFB, S.D.
In addition, Task Force Hawk forces without a follow-on mission to Kosovo and which are not participating in continuing support of refugees in Albania will return to home stations in Germany. The redeployment of these aircraft will also allow the release of 27 KC-135 tanker-equivalent air refueling assets. A second increment of more than 243 continental United States-based aircraft will begin redeploying after the first increment has completed its redeployment.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


IATA warns on European ATC problems
Kritik an europäischer Flugsicherung

"Unless the governments of Europe get their act together, now, any prospects for growth in European air transport will be strangled at birth," said IATA Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot. Jeanniot was commenting on delayed flights in Europe. The number of delays has reached crisis levels - caused by a severe lack of Air Traffic Control (ATC) capacity, particularly in Switzerland and parts of France and Italy. The Kosovo crisis has caused only 30 percent of the problem. The main problem is the underlying lack of effective, forward-looking capacity planning.
"Over the last eighteen months IATA, EUROCONTROL, the states and experts from the ATC providers have developed a long-term strategy - ATM 2000+ - outlining the improvements required during the next fifteen years. ECAC Transport Ministers must adopt this strategy and implement it as soon as possible, to achieve 'One Airspace' for Europe, with privatised or corporatised ATC services. Finally, to achieve effective pan-European airspace management, the relevant bodies must be empowered to carry out essential functions. European governments must give EUROCONTROL and the European Union real rule-making powers to create a borderless European sky, to match a borderless Europe on the ground."

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

German air traffic control agency DFS has opened its new tower at Nurenberg airport on June 25. It is the first fully digital tower introduced by DFS and will be responsible for approach and local control fuctions. Its cost is given as 17 million DM. Arrival and departure contro lfor Nuremberg will be moved to Langen in due course.
+++
Delta Air Lines has been choosen by Air France as its alliance partner across the Atlantic. The deal links two major hubs in Atlanta and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Air France hopes that the deal will bring a profit boost of around 157 million US-Dollars over two to three years. Air France is the third-largest European airline.
+++
Vienna airport is planning a 2,2 billion Euro expansion programme until 2015 to double its capacity. A new Terminal 3 is planned as well as a new runway, which is contested though.
+++
Scientist have found a way of studying the hidden far side of the sun, allowing, among other things, to predict the imminent appearance of solar storms originating out of view behind the sun. The new capability is based on images captured by the SOHO spacecraft, using an instrument called SWAN. Video animations can shows how projections of sunspots on the far side of the sun rotate through the sky in time with the sun's own rotation, ultimately emerging on the eastern (left-hand) side of its visible surface. This intriguing discovery could be used to predict the solar storms that periodically threaten the Earth.
+++
On June 19, a Lockheed Martin Astronautics-built Titan II rocket launched the QuikScat satellite for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Each day, QuikScat will provide climatologists, meteorologists and oceanographers with approximately 400,000 detailed measurements of the speed and direction of winds that blow above the ocean's surface. Winds play a major role in every aspect of weather on Earth. With information from QuikScat, scientists expect to better understand the affect of winds on oceans and improve weather forecasting. The satellite weighed 2,140 pounds (970 kg) fully-fueled at launch and its main structure is 6.3 feet (2.2 meters) by 4.9 feet (1.7 meter) by 4 feet (1.4 meter). The satellite is planned for a two-year science mission from its circular, near-polar orbit 500 miles (800 kilometers) above Earth. The cost of the QuikScat mission is $93 million.
+++
British Aerospace has announced the cut of 2200 jobs as part of a $395 million restructuring of its manufacturing units. The company said some 800 job losses would result from the closure of its Dunsfold factory in Surrey, where production of the Harrier is winding down. It expects another 1,400 voluntary redundancies. The restructuring will lead to a one-time pretax charge of 250 million pounds, or 190 million after taxes. BAe did not give details on annual savings from the changes, saying only that if improvements had been made last year results would have been "80 million pounds better." "We're now ramping up for full-scale production of the Eurofigher and we're using the latest manufacturing and production techniques. ... We do not require the same number of people to do the job as before," a spokesman said.
+++
The Canadian Aerospace Group International has announced of a firm order for 15 twin turboprop Panda aircraft and spares. The sale is to a Brazilian transport business consortium in Sao Paulo and comprises 7 float-equipped models and 8 standard utility configuration aeroplanes. This order is a culmination of negotiations and evaluation of the aircraft and business opportunity that began in January 1998 on the Team Canada mission to South America. CASG Technical representatives will travel to China shortly to discuss airframe production allocation and timing. The customer expects to take delivery of the first float equipped Panda by mid 2000. Confirmed orders for the Panda and Windeagle products now total more than $110 million USD for deliveries over the next twenty-four months.
+++

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


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

*June 20, 1999 *June 13, 1999 *June 6, 1999

*May 30, 1999 *May 23, 1999 *May 16, 1999 *May 9, 1999 *May 2, 1999

*April 25, 1999 *April 18, 1999 *April 11, 1999 *April 4, 1999

*January to March 1999 *January to December 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles
Copyright 1999 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved.
Last updated June 26, 1999
FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany