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Week ending August 29, 1999
+++ German defence budget cuts endanger NH90 +++ Dasa and Russia offer MiG-29 modernization +++ Mi-38 programme gets new impetus +++ Talks on An-7X for Luftwaffe continue +++ Cassini flies by Earth +++ Iridium files for bankruptcy protection +++ Airbus Corporate Jetliner awarded basic certification +++ Raytheon /Indra win German DFS data processing system +++ New Boeing "Super D" Chinook completes first flight +++ Lufthansa profits drop +++ Boeing 767-400ER rolls out +++ NASA finds damaged wires in all Shuttles +++ News in brief +++
German defence budget cuts endanger NH90
NH90 wird verschoben
The planned cuts in the German defence budget for the year 2000 have for the first time hit an important international cooperation project. After a cabinet meeting, defence minister Rudolf Scharping indicated that procurement of the NH90 transport helicopter will not be started next year, but needs to be delayed. Military planners want 243 machines worth around 12,5 billion DM. Scharping said that he has already informed its collegues in France, Italy and the Netherlands of the new situation, which affects Eurocoper, Agusta and Stork (Fokker). On the other hand, Scharping reiterated its hope that a decision on the development of a new tranport aircraft can be reached by year end and that the necessary money will be made available. he hinted that major procurement programmes must be financed outside the normal defnce budget, which will shrink to 45,3 billion DM next year. This does not include the Kosovo operations. Aside from cuts in investments, the personnel strength of the Bundeswehr will also be reduced.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Dasa and Russia offer MiG-29 modernization
MiG-29 Modernisierung: Dasa kooperiert mit Rußland
DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (Dasa, Munich), the Russian VPK MAPO and Rozvoorouzhenie, the Russian state arms trading company, are to join forces in upgrading the MiG-29 aircraft in service in Central and Eastern Europe and also in providing product support. This was announced by Dasa at the MAKS 99 International Aviation and Space Salon in Zhukovsky/Russia. Furthermore, Dasa is supporting the Russian offer to supply MiG-29 aircraft to the Austrian Air Force. Dasa, VPK MAPO and Rozvoorouzhenie have agreed to extend the scope of responsibility of the MiG Aircraft Product Support Company (MAPS), a joint venture founded in 1993 by the three partners, so as to serve the international market. Since the ex-GDR MiG-29 aircraft were integrated into the German Air Force, Dasa has gained comprehensive experience of how to make and keep this type of aircraft operational in the NATO environment. To secure technical and logistic support for the MiG-29 aircraft of the German Air Force, the company 'MiG Aircraft Product Support GmbH (MAPS)' was founded. MAPS is a joint venture under German law with equal shares held by Dasa and Russian industry (i.e. the companies MAPO 'MiG' and Rosvooruzhenie) and is located at Dasa's Manching plant. The German research institute IABG has conducted a study, which has been handed out to the ME and SE European nations and clearly shows that for the time being the MiG-29 upgrade represents a far cheaper alternative than the procurement of new aircraft. Utilising the MAPS expertise, Dasa is the only Western company to offer solutions for the technical adaptation of MiG-29 aircraft to NATO standards and for the application of modern product support philosophies for this weapon system.
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Mi-38 programme gets new impetus
Eurocopter und Mil geben Mi-38 neuen Schub
At the MAKS show in Zhukovsky, Mil, Kazan Helicopters and Eurocopter - the three companies forming EUROMIL, a company incorporated under Russian law - signed a contract for the construction of a feasibility demonstrator for the MI 38 heavy twin in the 15 ton class. Pratt & Whitney Canada will supply the PWC 127 engines. This first ever international cooperation program between Europe and Russia was initiated in 1994 when EUROMIL was set up. Some momentum was lost in the past because of economic difficulties but this demonstrator phase will breathe new life into the project and will make the joint construction of a prototype possible. Today the three EUROMIL shareholders in the MI 38 project each hold a one-third share. In this first phase directed by EUROMIL, each partner will be assigned part of the work:
- Mil will handle the general design, the drawings, the component testing and the flight testing.
- Kazan Helicopters will be responsible for the manufacture of the fuselage and blades and for final assembly.
- Eurocopter will be in charge of the design of the cockpit, avionics, equipment and fittings of the different versions.
- Major Russian subcontractors will supply the vital components such as, among others, the main drive system (Krasni-Okiabr Plant) and the main rotor (Stupino Moscow Plant).
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Talks on An-7X for Luftwaffe continue
Antonow An-70: Gespräche gehen weiter
Delegations of Russia, Germany and Ukraine gathered for another working meeting at the MAKS-99 air show in Zhukovsky near Moscow on August 19 to finalize technical specifications for An-7X which is taking part in a bid to be a perspective military transport aircraft for Western Europe. In attendenance were among others Marshal Shaposhnikov, Valery Kazakov, Ukraine's deputy minister for industrial policy, and Dr. Heinrich Weise from the German defence ministry. Germany reaffirmed its intention to join the An-7X project. If it fails to do so for a political reason, Ukraine and Russia will get along with the programme all alone and will build An-7X for their national air forces and for export to other CIS countries and abroad, Shaposhnikov said in an interview with Itar-Tass. Ukraine and Russia continue the flying tests of the first experimental An-70 aircraft, a prototype for An-7X. The first two An-7X aircraft are planned to be produced at the Aviant plant in Kiev and the Aviakor plant in Samara next year. Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Cassini flies by Earth
Cassini holt Schwung um die Erde
The NASA/ESA Cassini-Huygens spacecraft bid goodbye to Earth as it completed a highly accurate pass by our planet and swung away towards its encounter with Saturn in 2004. The Earth flyby occurred at 3:28 UTC on 18 August and gave the space probe a 5.5 km per second boost in speed, propelling it towards the ringed planet, more than 1 billion kilometres away. Engineers at ESA's control centre ESOC in Darmstadt, Germany, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California, confirmed that the spacecraft came within about 1171 kilometres of Earth, as planned, passing over the eastern South Pacific. Cassini-Huygens may have been visible from small islands in that area, such as Pitcairn or Easter Island. The closest approach point is located at 23.5deg South and 128.5deg West. "Everything worked just perfectly and we're very happy," said Jean-Pierre Lebreton, ESA project scientist for Huygens. "Now we're looking forward to an exciting mission of discovery inside the atmosphere and on the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn." The spacecraft remains in excellent condition as it continues its seven-year flight to Saturn. Having completed its cruise among the inner planets, Cassini-Huygens' future now lies in the cold, dark realm of the outer planets. It will pass by Jupiter on 30 December 2000; the giant planet's gravity will bend the spacecraft's trajectory, which will put it on course for arrival in orbit around Saturn on 1 July 2004.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Iridium files for bankruptcy protection
Iridium meldet Gläubigerschutz an
Satellite constellation operator Iridium LLC has filed bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11. Reportedly, Iridium could not reach a consensual agreement of its investors on a restructuring plan for the financially struggling enterprise. After Iridium had already received three loan extensions from its lenders, the company announced that it had defaulted on two loans worth more than 1.5 billion US dollars. Motorola, which owns 18 percent of Iridium, stated that it is willing to provide full operational support for Iridium, at the same time saying that its willingness to provide additional financial backing to the satellite constellation will further depend on a substantial degree of participation in a financial restructuring by all other relevant parties with a significant financial interest.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Airbus Corporate Jetliner awarded basic certification
Zulassung für Airbus Geschäftsreisejet
On August 16, the Airbus Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) aircraft has received its basic certification from the European JAA joint airworthiness authorities prior to two aircraft being delivered for interior outfitting. The type certificate for the ACJ is not new, but rather is an amendment of the existing A319 type certificate required by additional modifications implemented in the Corporate Jetliner model of the aircraft. The modifications that required re-certification included the installation of up to six auxiliary fuel tanks (ACTs), which give the A319 Airbus Corporate Jetliner up to 11,700 km. (6,300 nm) of range. In addition, the ACJ is certificated to fly at cruise altitudes of 41,000 feet and, in order to better accommodate the weight distribution of the VIP interiors, the aircraft has been certificated with a forward extension of its center of gravity range. In all other respects, the Airbus Corporate Jetliner is exactly the same as the commercial version of an A319, ensuring that the aircraft -- which has the widest and most spacious cabin in its class - retains a high residual value due to the ease with which it can be integrated into a commercial airline fleet. Two ACJs destined for undisclosed customers will soon be delivered from the Hamburg assembly line, at which point the VIP cabins will be installed. One ACJ is being handled by Jet Aviation in Switzerland, and the second by Lufthansa Technik in Germany - both of which are approved outfitters for Airbus Corporate Jetliner cabins. To date, a total of 14 firm orders and commitments have been booked for Airbus Corporate Jetliners. Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Raytheon /Indra win German DFS data processing system
DFS bestellt Flugdatensystem von Raytheon/Indra
The German air traffic control authority Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) has awarded a contract valued at approximately $23 million to a joint venture between Raytheon Company and Indra Sistemas of Spain for the development and implementation of the Very Advanced Flight Data Processing Operational Requirements Implementation (VAFORIT) System. The VAFORIT project was the object of an intense international competition among air traffic management companies, including a team of Lockheed Martin and Airsys ATM. "We're very pleased the DFS has chosen the Raytheon / Indra joint venture to provide this very advanced flight plan processing system," said Frank Marchilena, general manager of Raytheon Systems Company's Command, Control, Communication and Information Systems segment. "The VAFORIT program is in line with our focus to provide the most advanced flight data processing systems in the world. It will enable the DFS to take the lead in advanced flight data processing for Europe." Raytheon is also developing for DFS the en route air traffic management system known as P1, which is currently being used to train controllers. The integration of the VAFORIT and P1 systems will result in the most capable en route air traffic management system in the world. It will provide advanced functions, such as precise trajectory calculation and flight plan-based conflict prediction, which will permit the safe introduction of flexible and dynamic airspace utilization concepts.
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New Boeing "Super D" Chinook completes first flight
Erstflug des CH-47SD in Philadelphia
The first Boeing CH-47SD or "Super D" Chinook tandem-rotor helicopter took to the air on August 25, culminating a process begun in February 1998 with completion of contract negotiations with an unnamed international customer for six of the new Chinooks. The new Super D Chinook took off at the Boeing Philadelphia flight ramp with test pilots Jack Jordan and Armand Barrieault at the controls, Joe Schluck handling engineer liaison duties and John Williams as crew chief. The SD completed basic hover and flight maneuvers before leaving the flight ramp for a successful 1.5-hour flight, followed by another flight later in the day. "The aircraft performed as advertised and met our expectations," said Jordan. "The subsequent test flight program will enable us to ensure the SD digital cockpit management system works flawlessly so we can deliver a superior aircraft to our launch customer on time, on cost and within spec." The Super D is the new standard CH-47 model. Although aimed primarily at the international market, the rotorcraft will also be available to the U.S. armed forces. It incorporates several significant system improvements as standard equipment, such as fully integrated "glass" cockpit with automated flight controls, and full authority digital engine control. The CH-47SD retains the familiar Chinook external profile, but provides long-range fuel tanks with 2,068-gallon capacity, doubling the operational range of the D-model. In addition, the new Chinook will utilize the longer "radar nose," found on the MH-47E Special Operations Chinook and several international CH-47Ds, which can accommodate radar antennas.
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Lufthansa profits drop
Niedrigerer Gewinn bei Lufthansa
Lufthansa became the latest global carrier to be hit by overcapacity on North Atlantic routes, reporting a 40% fall in first-half pre-tax profit. LH said it had made DM578m ($313m) in operating profits in the first six months. It predicted it would produce pre-tax profits of "more than DM1bn", compared with an earlier estimate of DM2bn. Lufthansa responded to the adverse operating conditions at both the operational and strategic level with a whole package of remedial measures. Thus in the strategic segments Passenger Business and Logistics, which have been hit particularly hard by the decline in average yields, steps have been initiated to safeguard profitability. Lufthansa is countering the operational instability caused by the problems in the European air traffic control with the project "Operational Excellence", to which senior management resources are being devoted. The Company strengthened the existing airline alliances both in passenger and freight business.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
Boeing 767-400ER rolls out
Roll-out der neuen Boeing 767-400ER
On August 26, the Boeing 767-400ER made its formal debut during an employee celebration as the airplane rolled out of the factory in Everett, Wash. The 767-400ER (extended range) is the newest derivative design in the 767 family of jets. Boeing kicked off the program in March 1997 with an announcement by Delta Air Lines for 21 firm orders for the 767-400ER. Delta was one of the first customers for the 767-200 and 767-300. The airline has ordered a total of 116 767s. The 767-400ER's major design features were finalized in January 1998, and major assembly began in February 1999. About six months later, employees had assembled the airplane and completed functional tests.The 767-400ER is sized between the 767-300 and 777-200, seating 245 passengers in a typical three-class configuration and 304 in a typical two-class configuration. It is 21 feet (6.4 m) longer than the baseline 767-300 airframe, adds 14 feet (4.3 m) to the wingspan, and up to 15 percent more seating. Efficient design gives the higher-capacity 767-400ER excellent range capability (approximately 6,500 statute miles or 10,460 km). The 767-400ER can serve all U.S. domestic routes, as well as North Atlantic routes such as Los Angeles-London, Newark-Moscow or Chicago-Warsaw. Other potential routes include New York-Santiago, Chile; Seattle-Osaka; and Atlanta-Honolulu. The 767-400ER also features an all-new interior fashioned after the award-winning 777 interior and an upgraded flight deck. In addition to Delta's order, Continental Airlines and General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) and International Lease Finance Corp. (ILFC) have ordered the 767-400ER, bringing the total to 54.
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NASA finds damaged wires in all Shuttles
Alle Shuttle haben beschädigte Kabel
NASA engineers found damaged wires in all of its Space Shuttle orbiters. The fleet-wide investigation was ordered after an electrical short-circuit during STS-93 (Columbia) launch last month triggered two main engine computers to shut down. The problem was traced after landing to a wire that had been damaged douring routine preflight processing. A second damaged wire was later found in Columbia's payload bay, moving officials to ground the entire fleet for inspections. Inspections on Atlantis and Columbia are complete, Atlantis having one affected area. Damage to the orbiter Endeavour, however, seems to be the most extensive, according to NASA. After the already loaded radar payload for STS-99, the SRTM mission, was removed from Endeavour's payload bay NASA found up to 20 areas of potentially hazardous wiring.Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite
NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
On August 17, Bombardier announced the sale of 20 additional CRJ200 Series regional jets to Atlantic Coast Airlines (ACA). The transaction increases to 63 the number of CRJ200 Series aircraft ordered by the Dulles, Virginia-based airline, 20 of which have been delivered. ACA continues to hold options on 27 of the 50-passenger twinjets. Value of today's order is approximately U.S. $430 million (Cdn. $640 million). Deliveries are to be completed in December 2002. The Atlantic Coast Airlines contract raises Bombardier's orderbook to a total of 1,089 orders and options for its family of 50- and 70-passenger Canadair Regional Jet aircraft.+++
Reacting to record demand from airlines around the world, Bombardier Aerospace has announced that it is increasing the production rate of the Canadair Regional Jet. Effective next summer, the production rate for the 50-passenger CRJ100 and 200 Series will increase to 9.5 aircraft per month from 7.5. This will result in an annual production rate of 112 units, an increase of more than 25 per cent at Bombardier Aerospace facilities in Dorval, Quebec. This rate increase will have partial impact in the fiscal year 2000/2001 and will be fully implemented by the fiscal year 2001/2002. Production in the fiscal year 2000/2001 will increase from a scheduled 92 aircraft to more than 100 aircraft, up from 78 aircraft in the current fiscal year. When fully implemented next fall, this increase will create more than 600 new jobs.
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Russia is finishing tests of a newly produced anti-aircraft missile system called Triumph, the chief designer of the Central Design Bureau Almaz, Alexander Lemansky, said at a press conference at the aerospace show in Zhukovsky. He said the new system is intended for protection of facilities from stealth planes. The missile system has a range of 3,500 kilometers. Triumph employes the latest developments of the Russian defense sector, such as multifuctional antenna grids, new-generation signal processors, and the state-of-art computer software. The Triumph system allows the use of different type of missiles including older versions. The new missile system is expected to arm air-defense units in 2001.
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The joint stock company Aviastar (Ulyanovsk), the Tupolev Scientific, Aviation and Technological complex and the foreign economic association Aviaexport have signed an agreement with a firm from Egypt on financing and construction of 15 Tu-204-120 planes powered with British engines in Ulyanovsk in 1999-2000.
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Boeing has confirmed its position in stealth technology development by winning a new U.S. Air Force contract to produce the Common Low Observables Verification System, also known as CLOVerS. The Air Force wants to develop this new, portable system to quickly assess the low observables characteristics of stealth aircraft in the field in order to determine their mission readiness or need for repair. Such aircraft include the F-117, B-2 and F-22, and potentially the Joint Strike Fighter. Currently, the F-117, B-2 and F-22 lack field verification systems that are quickly deployable and can easily prioritize defects by their need for repair. As a result, these aircraft may require expensive, and possibly unnecessary, LO repairs in the field just to ensure safety. CLOVerS solves this problem by having a self-propelled, omni-directional, fork lift-size chassis that can be driven around the flight line and in hangars for a quick assessment of any stealth aircraft.
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On August 17, a Boeing Delta II rocket delivered four Globalstar satellites to orbit today. The Delta II, which lifted off the pad at 12:37 a.m. EDT, brings the total number of Globalstar satellites on orbit to 36. The successful launch and deployment of four Globalstar satellites today gives the Boeing Delta II program the industry record for the greatest number of satellites (17) launched within the shortest period of time, 68 days. The newly launched satellites join 12 Globalstar satellites and NASA's FUSE spacecraft that had been delivered to orbit with four Delta launches since June 10. The Globalstar network is a planned constellation of 48 satellites orbiting at 764 nautical miles (1414 km) above the Earth that will supply global mobile telephony service.
+++
The US Department of Defense has announced the award of a contract signed by Egypt to Lockheed Martin for 24 F-16C/D fighter aircraft, which will be powered by GE F110 engines. The engine program value is approximately $100 million. The new aircraft order, which includes 12 F-16C single-seat and 12 F-16D two- seat aircraft, will begin delivery in early 2001. This is the fourth consecutive time that the Egyptian Air Force has ordered GE F110 engines for its F-16 fighter aircraft.
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The week of August 11, Compunetix Federal Systems Division (FSD) completed installation of the new Mission Support Room (MSR) Voice Communications System (VCS) at Boeing's new Space Shuttle/Station Support Facility in Huntington Beach, California. The VCS consists of a Compunetix CONTEX 500T Digital Voice Communication System and associated equipment, including Compunetix KPI-24 Communication Stations and System Control Computer (SCC). Personnel at the new Boeing facility monitor all systems aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle during missions. This same facility will be used to monitor systems aboard the International Space Station (ISS), as it becomes operational. The Compunetix equipment will allow all operators and managers to monitor all communications traffic occurring during a mission and to talk to anyone else connected to the system.
+++
Northrop Grummans Integrated Systems and Aerostructures (ISA) Sector has been awarded a $31.2 million contract for delivery of 55 replacement wings for the U.S. Air Force's T-38 Talon supersonic trainer aircraft. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2001 and will continue at a minimum of one per month for the following 54 months after Air Force acceptance of the first article.
+++
Thiokol Propulsion, a division of Cordant Technologies Inc, has signed a follow-on contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to continue producing reusable solid rocket motors (RSRM) for the Space Shuttle Program. The contract, valued in excess of $1.7 billion, extends Thiokol Propulsion's RSRM activities until May 2005. This is the sixth in a series of contracts awarded to Thiokol Propulsion for the design, development, production and refurbishment of solid rocket motors for the Space Shuttle Program. Under its provisions, administered by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama, Thiokol Propulsion will deliver 70 flight motors, enough for 35 Space Shuttle flights, and three test motors. This will be accomplished using both new and refurbished hardware. Delivery of the first flight motor is scheduled for September 1999. The three test motors will be static fired at Thiokol's northern Utah facility to evaluate new materials and processes. The static tests are currently planned for May 2001, November 2002 and May 2004.
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Raytheon has been awarded a $4.2 million subcontract by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space, Sunnyvale, Calif., to begin technology development for NASA's Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST). As part of the Lockheed Martin team, Raytheon will be responsible for designing the Optical Telescope Assembly (OTA). The team's design for this observatory will include a lightweight 8-meter-class deployable mirror. To accomplish the ambitious science goals outlined for it, the NGST will have an eight-meter primary mirror and will be equipped with extremely sensitive infrared detectors. Because of its large size, the primary mirror must be capable of deployment on-orbit.
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Algiers-based Khalifa Airways has decided to launch international services this summer with two Airbus Industrie A310-300s delivered in August, becoming one of the first startup carriers in Algeria. The move follows deregulation of the Algerian air transport market. The introduction of the A310, which the airline plans to operate on its routes to France, represents Khalifa Airways' first step in offering passengers a new alternative to and from Algeria.
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LanChile, the Chilean flag carrier, has signed a firm order with Airbus Industrie for seven A340-300 aircraft, with options for seven more. This order is part of the Santiago-based carrier's plans to modernize its long-haul fleet. Already one of Airbus Industrie's largest customers in Latin America, LanChile has chosen the A340 in order to improve services on routes to destinations in Europe, the United States and the South Pacific. LanChile expects to take delivery of its first A340 at the end of 2000. These aircraft will be configured for five first class seats, 36 business class seats, and 228 economy class seats, and will be installed with the latest video and audio systems for an improved overall in-flight experience.
+++
The ATR Training Center (ATC) is celebrating its 10th anniversary this summer. The center was inaugurated in July 1989 to train pilots, technicians and cabin crew for ATR aircraft. The ATR fleet worldwide now stands at nearly 600 aircraft, and this increase in numbers has been reflected throughout the years by a steady growth in activity at ATC. From 60 pilots in 1989 to 260 trained in 1999, 100 technicians passed through ATC's portals in 1989 while 210 trod the same path this year. Since its inauguration, ATC has trained close to 2,000 pilots and similarnumber of technicians.
+++
Extraordinary first images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory trace the aftermath of a gigantic stellar explosion in such stunning detail that scientists can see evidence of what may be a neutron star or black hole near the center. Another image shows a powerful X-ray jet blasting 200,000 light years into intergalactic space from a distant quasar. Both images confirm that NASA's newest Great Observatory, which was just recently launched on Shuttle mission STS-93 is in excellent health and its instruments and optics are performing up to expectations.
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A new report by the US General Accounting Office criticizes delays and cost overruns on the NASA/industry X-33 project and states that the US government may have to bear some of the financial burden. The GAO report also says that the technology demonstrator which is supposed to start with testflights from Edwards Air Force Base in mid-2000, has faced several technical problems that have led to delays and changes in the mission profile, such as a reduction of the test flight speed.
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In an about turn the Canadian federal government is to loosen ist normally tight competition laws in order to allow Canada's airlines the opportunity to be more competitive in the international business. The move is in response to a request by Canadian Airlines who lost $17.8m in the second quarter of 1999, and nearly went bankrupt in 1996. The federal government has granted a three month period for talks and discussions between Canadian, Air Canada and other airlines. The Competition Act will be suspended for Canadian Airlines for the next 90 days. Foreign carriers may also be included in the discussions. Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette said on Tuesday the government's Competition Bureau only had the authority to give advice on any possible airline merger, not to block it. ``The Competition Bureau's role will be to give us advice on this particular issue,'' Collenette told reporters in answer to a question on whether the agency could prohibit a deal. A merger would have serious consequences on the global alliances, because Air Canada is a member of Star Alliance led by German Lufthansa and United Airlines, while Canadian Airlines is - among others - part of oneworld with British Airways and American Airlines who owns a 25% stake in Canadian, too.
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Swiss aviation conglomerate SAirGroup has warned it could not match its strong 1998 earnings after a 31.5 percent fall in first-half profits. SAirGroup Chief Executive Philippe Bruggisser said in a statement he expected 1999 to be a difficult year for the company that operates flag carrier Swissair. Analysts had expected SAirGroup's net profit to decline by an average of 28 percent to between 75 and 120 million francs.
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Under new foreign acquisition regulations, foreign carriers will be allowed to buy up to 49% of an Australian international airline and 100% of an Australian domestic carrier.The exception is QANTAS, which in any event is 25% owned by British Airways and who, last week, came in with an excellent set of results reporting a 38.6% increase in profits to US$273m for the financial year ended 30th June.
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Air Kazakhstan has signed a five-year contract with Lufthansa Technik for Total Technical Support (TTS) of its two Airbus A310-300s. "We are very pleased to have gained Air Kazakhstan as another new customer from that developing part of the world," said Peter Kamenz, head of LHT marketing for Eastern Europe, on the eve of the Moscow air show. Kazakhstan's young national airline came into being in 1996. Its fleet currently includes two Airbus A310-322s and two Boeing B737-200s. Those western-built aircraft types are powered by Pratt & Whitney JT9 respectively JT8 engines. The carrier also flies 64 aircraft from the factories of Tupolev, Ilyushin and Antonov.
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Raytheon has not yet given up in its protest of the selection of Lockheed Martin for the three-year, $250 million Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) risk reduction contract, possibly slowing the development of the missile defense system. "After carefully evaluating NMEADSMA's response denying our protest of the MEADS downselect, we have elected to proceed with the next phase of our protest by requesting international arbitration," Raytheon spokesman Dave Shea said in a statement.
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Major F. A. Evensen, a test pilot from the Royal Norwegian Air Force Material Command recently completed a second series of Eurofighter Typhoon test flights at the Dasa facilites in Manching. The first flight focused on assessment of the autopilot/autothrottle functions based on he new standard flight control system software. With the second flight, Major Evensen checked out the operating modes and air combat modes of the ECR90 radar. The flights were conducted in DA5.
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On August 26, the Falcon 900C, Dassault Aviations new business jet model, was certified by the FAA, just two months after it obtained certification from the French DGA.
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