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UPDATE 
Week ending October 17, 1999
+++ Dasa and Aerospatiale Matra to merge +++ European space industry teams up for Galileo satnav +++ Loan guarantees for Fairchild 727JET family +++ British Airways selects Airbus A318 +++ Boeing 767-400ER makes maiden flight +++ Saab and BGT to market RBS15 in Germany +++ Delta cuts Swissair alliance +++ Ikonos delivers first pictures +++ Galileo flies by Jupiter moon +++ News in brief +++

Dasa and Aerospatiale Matra to merge
Große europäische Fusion

Rumours abounded in the last few weeks, but the timing was a surprise: On October 14, DaimlerChrysler, the French Lagardère Group and the French State announced that they have agreed to merge the respective aerospace and defense activities into a new company which will be the world's third largest aerospace company. The signing ceremony by Jürgen Schrempp and Jean-Luc Lagardere was held at Straßburg, under the watchfull eyes of German chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French prime minister Jospin - thus underlining the extreme significance of the event for Europes aerospace industry.
The Franco-German corporation, to be called European Aeronautic, Defense and Space Company (EADS), will be created through the combination of Aerospatiale Matra SA and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (Dasa) and will be Europe's largest aerospace company. EADS will have revenues of approximately Euro 21 billion and employ more than 89,000 people. It will start operating in the first half of 2000 after approval by regulatory and supervisory authorities and the implementation of appropriate capital measures. Dasa CEO Dr. Manfred Bischoff and Lagardère chairman Jean-Luc Lagardère will head the board of EADS. The operative business will be headed by a French and a GermanCEO. EADS will have dual headquarters in Munich and Paris. The corporation will be registered in the Netherlands.
A holding company will control 60 percent of the new company, while the remaining 40 percent will be sold on the stock market. DaimlerChrysler AG and its French partners Lagardère, a French financial institution and the French government will each own half of the holding. The French government is to reduce its stake in EADS to 15% through a secondary offering of shares. EADS, which will include in the near future the Spanish aerospace company, CASA, currently being merged with Dasa, will be the first truly international aerospace company in Europe. The creation of EADS is also a vital precondition to the establishment of Airbus as a truly integrated commercial enterprise.
The engine manufacturer MTU München will not be included in the new company and will continue as a DaimlerChrysler business unit.
British Aerospace today welcomed the announcement of a merger between Aerospatiale Matra and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace - the latest move towards integration of the aerospace and defence industry in Europe. The integration of these businesses creates a stronger partner and offers the potential to enhance the competitiveness of the joint ventures and the many collaborative programmes in which British Aerospace is involved. The merger is a very helpful step towards the creation of the Airbus Industrie Single Corporate Entity (SCE). Only a bilateral negotiation between British Aerospace and the new merged company now remains to be concluded before the highly desirable SCE can be realised

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European space industry teams up for Galileo satnav
Galileo Satellitennavigationssystem soll entwickelt werden

Europe's space industry, backed by a strong team, is preparing for the implementation of the European satellite navigation programme, Galileo. At the Telecom '99 exhibition in Geneva, industrial partners from four European nations, Germany, France, Italy and the UK, agreed to transform their consortium into a joint venture, headquartered in Brussels. The announcement was made by Dornier Satellitensysteme GmbH, which is the spokesperson for the first phase. The other founder-member companies are Alcatel Space, Alenia Aerospazio and Matra Marconi Space. The Definition Phase of the Galileo System will be funded by both the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA). Galileo is a world-wide satellite-based network devoted to precise positioning and timing. End users equipped with receivers will be able to develop efficient value-added services where time and navigation data are required. The Galileo design will permit applications, from mass market to safety critical, which can be addressed to various types of end user. This joint venture will co-ordinate the activities of its members and the European industrial team with regard to the Galileo programme, and will act as prime contractor for the EC and ESA during the Definition Phase. Under the division of responsibilities between the EC and ESA for the definition phase, the EC is in charge of the overall architecture, including the definition of end user requirements. The European Space Agency (ESA) will be responsible for the definition of the space segment and related ground segment required for the navigation satellites and their operation. This ESA programme is called GalileoSat. At the end of September the European industry consortium submitted its proposals to ESA and the EC for the Definition Phase, which will run until the end of 2000. According to current plans, in the operational phase the Galileo System will consist of at least 24 spacecraft in Medium Earth Orbit and some in Geostationary Orbit. Service is scheduled to start in 2005, and the system is expected to be fully operational by 2008.

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Loan guarantees for Fairchild 727JET family
Staatsbürgschaften für Fairchild

The Bavarian state government will support Fairchild Aerospace with a loan guarantee of 80 million US-Dollars for a credit a German banking consortium including Bayerische Landesbank, Hypo-Vereinsbank und Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau. Another 270 million US-Dollars will be guaranteed by the German central government, it was announced by Bavaria on October 12. This decision will help Fairchild to finance development of its 728JET family of regional airliners. Bavaria hopes this programme will create 2000 jobs in the state. Fairchild is still short of its finance riequirements and in urgent talks with new investors, especially Clayton, Bubillier & Rice of New York.

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British Airways selects Airbus A318
A318 für BA

On 11 October, British Airways has announced its eagerly awated decision concerning a new 100setar. It is to acquire from Airbus Industrie up to 24 A318s, including 12 firm orders and 12 options. First A318 deliveries to British Airways are scheduled for January 2003. The airline's decision follows its firm order placed last year for 59 A319s and A320s. British Airways says this decision in favor of the smallest and newest member of Airbus Industrie's single aisle A320 Family is an important step in its short haul fleet and network strategy for the next millennium. British Airways' decision in favor of the A318 brings to 157 the number of orders and commitments placed by eight customers for the new type, less than six months after its formal launch.

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Boeing 767-400ER makes maiden flight
Erstflug der Boeing 767-400ER in Everett

On October 9, the new 767-400ER (extended range) rose into the sky above Paine Field in Everett, Wash. heading west down the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Commanding the airplane were Capt. Buzz Nelson, 767 Program chief pilot, and first officer Capt. John Cashman, Flight Crew Operations director. Liftoff was at 12:10 p.m. "This is as good as it gets," said Pat Shanahan, 767-400ER program manager, who was on hand to witness the event in Everett. The flight lasted about five hours, and Nelson and Cashman will conducted series of tests on the airplane systems and structures. Flight-test equipment on board is recording and transmitting data to flight-test employees stationed in a control room at Boeing Field in Seattle. The debut flight signals the official beginning of a six-and-a-half-month flight-test program for the 767-400ER, during which this airplane, and two other 767-400ERs now in the final stages of completion, will accumulate approximately 800 flight hours and 1,100 ground-test hours. At the conclusion of flight test, the 767-400ER will achieve certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and concurrence by the European Joint Aviation Authorities.

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Saab and BGT to market RBS15 in Germany
RBS15-Lenkwaffe für Deutschland?

Saab Dynamics and Bodenseewerk Gerätetechnik have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to extend their joint activities to naval weapon systems. In the short term, BGT will support Saab Dynamics in the current marketing of RBS15 Mk3 as the ASM (Anti-Ship Missile) system for the German Navy's K-130 programme. RBS15 Mk3 is the latest member of the RBS15 family and offers performance that matches the present and future requirements of the German as well as other Navies. The system will be available for delivery for the K-130 and also for the Royal Swedish Navy Visby class. In the longer term, Saab Dynamics and BGT will alsooffer the RBS15 Mk3, utilizing its growth potential, for the planned German F-125 frigate project. The agreement also stipulates that BGT will be prime for the German workshare in RBS15 Mk3 and will co-ordinate work placed in Germany in connection with any procurement of the system for the German Navy.

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Delta cuts Swissair alliance
Swissair verliert Delta als Excellence Alliance-Partner

On October 13, 1999 Delta Air Lines announced it had terminated its Atlantic Excellence Alliance agreement with Swissair, Sabena and Austrian Airlines so that Delta can concentrate on building its global alliance with Air France and AeroMexico. Delta said unwinding of the alliance with Swissair, Sabena and Austrian Airlines would be performed to ensure that all aspects of customer service are handled in a quality manner during this transition period. In making the announcement, Fred Reid, Delta's executive vice president and chief marketing officer, said, "Ending the alliance with Swissair, Sabena and Austrian Airlines represents a difficult decision. They are quality airlines, and our alliance has provided outstanding service to our customers and good returns for our shareholders. We have been in discussions with Swissair, Sabena and Austrian Airlines over the past several months on the possibility of their joining Air France and Delta in expanding our new global partnership. It has become apparent that benefits associated with such participation were not there for all affected parties. Therefore, it was important that Delta, Air France and AeroMexico move ahead," he said. Delta plans to maintain its daily, nonstop services from Atlanta and Cincinnati to Zurich and from Atlanta and New York (JFK) to Brussels.
The SAirGroup meanwhile says that it has also been involved in ongoing and extensive discussions with American Airlines. The two companies are interested in expanding the cooperation they began earlier this year. Beginning at the end of this month both Swissair and Sabena are planning to introduce codeshare flights together with American Airlines on North Atlantic routes. At the beginning of next year the new partners also plan to successively introduce various connecting flights.

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Ikonos delivers first pictures
Erste Bilder von Ikonos verfügbar

Seeing objects on the ground as small as three feet long with the advantage of looking down from miles above the Earth is now possible for just about anyone. The IKONOS satellite, designed and built in Silicon Valley by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space for Space Imaging of Denver, is set to provide images that are coming from the most sophisticated remote sensing spacecraft ever launched for the commercial market. To get an appreciation of this technological achievement, imagine the scene following a natural disaster and the kinds of information that could be relayed to public officials from the unique position of a satellite zeroing in from space. You could check on a specific property, look closely at airport runways, dams, cities, rivers and highways. How widespread is the damage? The kinds of uses for this commercial remote sensing have only scratched the surface of possibilities. The satellite was produced at Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space facilities in Sunnyvale, CA. IKONOS simultaneously collects one-meter resolution black-and-white (panchromatic) images and four-meter resolution color (four-band multispectral) images. Designed to take digital images of the Earth from an orbit of 400 miles (680 kilometers) with a speed of about four-and-a-half miles (seven kilometers) per second, the satellite camera can distinguish objects on the Earth's surface as small as one meter square, or about three feet, in size. The LM900-series spacecraft lifted off Sept. 24 aboard an Athena II launch vehicle supplied by Lockheed Martin Astronautics of Denver.

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Galileo flies by Jupiter moon
Erfolgreicher Vorbeiflug an Io

NASA's Galileo spacecraft has successfully zipped past Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanic body in our solar system. Instruments onboard the spacecraft peered down at Io from an altitude of only 611 kilometers (380 miles) at 10:06 p.m.Pacific Daylight Time on Sunday, 11 October. This was the closest look at Io by any spacecraft, and Galileo's cameras were poised to capture the brief encounter. If all goes as planned, the data will be transmitted to Earth over the next several weeks and then will undergo processing by mission scientists. New pictures would then be released at a press briefing tentatively scheduled next month. "We're thrilled that the spacecraft handled this flyby so well, particularly because it had to endure a strong dose of radiation from Jupiter," said Jim Erickson, Galileo project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA. "It appears at this point that everything went well." Because Io is the innermost of Jupiter's moons, it lies in a region with the highest levels of radiation from Jupiter, which can wreak havoc with spacecraft instruments. During this Io flyby, it appears the radiation did trigger an error of the onboard computer's memory, which put the spacecraft in a "safe mode," halting all non-essential activities while awaiting further commands from the ground. That occurred Sunday morning at 3:09 a.m Pacific time. Galileo engineers scrambled to prepare new commands to help the spacecraft work around the problem. The commands were transmitted to the spacecraft late Sunday afternoon, they worked as hoped, and Galileo resumed full operations at 8 p.m. Pacific time, just two hours before the Io flyby.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

On October 14 at around 2 pm, a German Luftwaffe A310 arrived at Darwin, bringing in nearly 80 soldiers for the support of the UN mission in East Timor. The had taken off from Cologne/Bonn the morning before. Two Transall C160 followed late in the evening after a torous trip that had begun on October 9. The Transalls are equipped as medevac aircraft and will be on standby to evacuate wounded and ill from East Timor to Australia. The mission, which cost over five million DM per month, will run at least three months initially.
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Unisys Corporation has announced an agreement under which Lufthansa Systems AS will offer the Unisys Customer Loyalty System (CLS). The agreement includes the CLS solution, business and technical services, and support and maintenance. Under the terms of the agreement, Lufthansa Systems AS will act as a Unisys certified partner for business consulting and technical support and maintenance for CLS. In addition, Unisys will promote Lufthansa Systems AS as its preferred service provider for CLS sales and services in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Unisys CLS will be integrated into the Lufthansa Systems AS broad family of products and solutions for systems engineering, application development, data and systems management, and desktop and network services.
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Airbus and China have signed a memorandum of undestanding concerning parts production in Chna. This concerns wing parts. Also, Chinese engineers will be involved in the detail design of the A318.
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The controlled crash of NASA's Lunar Prospector spacecraft into a crater near the south pole of the Moon on July 31 produced no observable signature of water, according to scientists digging through data from Earth- based observatories and spacecraft such as the Hubble Space Telescope. This lack of physical evidence leaves open the question of whether ancient cometary impacts delivered ice that remains buried in permanently shadowed regions of the Moon, as suggested by the large amounts of hydrogen measured indirectly from lunar orbit by Lunar Prospector during its main mapping mission. In a low-budget attempt to wring one last bit of scientific productivity from the low-cost Lunar Prospector mission, NASA worked with engineers and astronomers at the University of Texas to precisely crash the barrel-shaped spacecraft into a specific shadowed crater.
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Interactive Pictures Corporation, a world leader in immersive imaging for the Internet, and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation have sold the first corporate jet over the Internet. With a price of $22.9 million, the purchase of the pre-owned Gulfstream IV aircraft is believed to be the largest e-commerce transaction in Internet history. Gulfstream features its aircraft on www.gulfstream.com with IPIX technology. Interactive Pictures' IPIX technology delivers an immersive photograph that allows viewers to 'step inside' an IPIX image, looking in any direction from left to right and floor to ceiling, and feel as if they are actually in the picture. "Previewing pre-owned aircraft is a time-consuming and expensive proposition," said Richard Hodkinson, president of Elite Aviation. "Gulfstream's Pre-Owned Website greatly simplified the purchase process, saving us time, money and aggravation. We got virtually everything we needed from the Web, including the chance to kick the tires and tour the aircraft at our convenience." Gulfstream became the first aircraft manufacturer to offer its aircraft online when it launched a Website devoted to online, pre-owned sales in June, 1999.
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The launch contract for the NSS-7 telecommunications satellite was signed today at Telecom 99 by Jean-Marie Luton, chairman and CEO of Arianespace, and Dan Goldberg, General Counsel of NEWskies. NSS-7 will be launched by an Ariane 5 or Ariane 4 towards the end of 2001 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. This is the first satellite that NEWskies has ordered from Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, based in Sunnyvale, California. Positioned over the Atlantic Ocean, NSS-7 will provide C-band and Ku-band telecommunications services to the Atlantic region. NSS-7 is considered a large satellite, weighing 4,600 kg (10,120 lb) at liftoff.
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Rolls-Royce has announced the signing of a 15-year contract worth around US$45 million with Executive Jet for the maintenance of BMW Rolls-Royce BR710 engines powering its NetJets(R) fleet of Gulfstream V twin-engined aircraft. The agreement, which is based on a fixed price per flying hour per engine, covers all shop maintenance of the engines by the Rolls-Royce facility in Montreal. Executive Jet takes delivery of its first Gulfstream Vs in October 2000.
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The Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) has celebrated a major milestone with its Northrop Grumman Corporation E-2C Hawkeye aircraft fleet, completing more than 60,000 flight hours without an accident. The JASDF AEW Squadron, whose home base is Misawa on Honshu island, operates 13 E-2C Hawkeyes. The squadron provides three continuous surveillance points over Japan's air and sea lanes. The JASDF also "scrambles" its E-2C's with fighters to investigate intrusions into Japan's airspace, extending long-range surveillance beyond the coverage of ground-based radar. Japan has the largest E-2C force outside of the U.S. Navy, having acquired its first eight aircraft between 1979 and 1984. Five additional E-2C's were ordered from 1989-90.
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A Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite built by Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space was successfully launched today at 8:51 a.m. Eastern time from Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla. This was the second successful launch of the new-generation replenishment spacecraft, designated GPS IIR. The Company will supply 18 more of these satellites to the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., over the next five years. The GPS IIR satellites are compatible with the current system but offer improved performance. Increased navigation accuracy and longer autonomous satellite operation without ground control corrections will improve service for the Air Force and other users.
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Britain will restart negotiations on an "open skies" aviation trade pact with the United States, a UK government minister said. Transport minister Lord Macdonald told the House of Lords that talks would focus primarily on cargo issues and lead to a summit in the United States later in the year. "Talks with the Americans are scheduled for next week. We have agreed that we would like to get the talks back on track on passenger and cargo issues. We look forward to initial exploratory discussions next week, but have in train other possibilities for negotiation with the United States, including an international conference which has been called in Chicago for December," Macdonald told parliament's upper chamber.
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The airline industry needs more efficient engines, cleaner fuels and new ways of offsetting the impact of fuel consumption on the atmosphere, International Air Transport Association (IATA) director-general Pierre Jeanniot told IATA's Fuel Trade Forum meeting in Dubai on Wednesday. If limits on future airline capacity on environmental grounds are to be avoided, there must be a broader debate on concerted action - by regulators, airports, manufacturers and fuel suppliers, he said. Jeanniot pointed out that the environmental challenge is in fact an energy challenge. "This fact makes it particularly frustrating that none of the 22 percent increase in airlines' fuel costs this year has gone to improving fuel efficiency, nor into offsetting the impact of fuel consumption on the environment," he added. Efficiency is the the key to controlling the output of CO2, the principal greenhouse gas, according to Jeanniot. Aviation is responsible for less than three percent of world annual additions to greenhouse gases and less than three percent of the production of nitrogen oxide (NOx-type gases), he said. "Aircraft being produced today are about 70 percent more fuel efficient per passenger kilometre than those of 40 years ago, while future increases in fuel consumption will be well below any projected traffic increase".
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Aero Lloyd has placed a repeat order with Airbus Industrie for one additional A320 and two A321 aircraft. This order brings to 19 the total number of A320 Family aircraft, that the German holiday carrier committed to. Eleven Airbus Industrie single-aisle aircraft are already in service with Aero Lloyd. The newly ordered aircraft will be delivered in 2001. The A320s and A321s for Aero Lloyd are powered by International Aero Engines V2500. The A320s can seat up to 174 passengers, while the A321s can accommodate up to 210 passengers, both in a single class layout. Aero Lloyd is deploying the A320s and A321s on their route network between German and Austrian cities, and holiday destinations in Southern Europe, the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands, and the Near East.
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AlliedSignal Aerospace's 8thannual Business Aviation Market Outlook projects continuing strong demand for new business aircraft with deliveries of 6,800 units, valued at nearly $89 billion, for the period 2000-2010. Based on its 1999 customer expectations survey, an assessment of manufacturer production forecast inputs, a value analysis of future new aircraft introductions and computerized aircraft demand models, AlliedSignal Aerospace's Business Aviation Market Outlook projects a strong near-term market for traditional business aircraft (Gross Take-Off Weight [GTOW] less than 100,000 lbs.). The survey showed that market growth will be driven by the impact of new and derivative aircraft models entering service with corporate flight departments, as well as by rapidly expanding fractional ownership plans. After cresting in 2000, deliveries will remain at or near record levels before climbing again toward the end of the decade. Aircraft backlogs continue to maintain the record high levels established last year, and first half 1999 deliveries of turbofan aircraft rose 27% over first half 1998 levels. The corresponding dollar value of those deliveries increased by over 40%. AlliedSignal Aerospace expects operators to take delivery of approximately 605 new business jet aircraft in 1999 (up from 510 a year ago) and 680 in 2000.
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Boeing marked the completion of its last Classic 737 fuselage in wichita with a ceremony attended by several hundred employees and retirees who worked on the program during the last 34 years. The fuselage sections being rolled out today are for a 737-400 airplane model. The airplane will be delivered to Czech Airways in February 2000. Boeing Wichita's involvement in the 737 Program dates back to 1965, when workers began building portions of the airplane's tail. Wichita's role gradually expanded to production of the fuselage of the Classic and Next-Generation 737 airplanes.
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Boeing has successfully completed structural proof testing of its Joint Strike Fighter X-32A concept demonstrator. The tests validated the aircraft's ability to withstand the rigors of flight testing, which begins next year. "The results validate our design and our design process," said Michael Gibbons, X-32 air vehicle structures manager. To achieve the program's challenging affordability goals, Boeing has applied the latest lean design and manufacturing processes to its JSF, which have paid off in precision and first-time quality. "This test program demonstrates once again the Boeing commitment to delivering both innovation and value without compromise," Gibbons added. The testing was completed Oct. 9. In all, 34 individual structure tests were completed in 26 days.
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On October 12, Boeing has confirmed Cathay Pacific Airways, based in Hong Kong, has ordered two 747-400 freighters. Deliveries for the order are scheduled for September 2000 and August 2001. With the Cathay Pacific order, 10 customers have now ordered 66 747-400 Freighters; 34 have been delivered.
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On October 11, Boeing Business Jets announced the launch the BBJ 2, a new business jet variant of the 737 that is larger than the current product offering and will be built on a 737-800 fuselage, which is 20 feet longer than the 737-700 fuselage upon which the BBJ is based. The BBJ 2 will have 25 percent more floor space, more than twice the luggage space of that in the BBJ. Range for the BBJ 2 will be 5,800 nautical miles, a little less than the 6,200 nautical miles of the BBJ. The first 'green' (no interior or paint) BBJ 2 delivery is scheduled for December 2000. The BBJ 2 has a 'green' price of $43 million (1999$).
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Boeing has announced that 11 of NATO's 17 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft have been retrofitted with Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kits. Completion of the entire fleet is scheduled for early 2000. Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace, under subcontract to Boeing, is installing the kits at its facility inManching, Germany. The RSIP kit consists of a new radar computer, a radar control maintenance panel and electrical and mechanical hardware. RSIP improves the E-3's radar by increasing the sensitivity of the pulse Doppler radar so the aircraft can detect and track smaller stealthy target. It also improves the radar's electronic counter-countermeasures capability -- making it harder to jam the system. RSIP upgrades the radar's existing computer with a new high-reliability multi-processor and rewrites the software to make it easier to maintain and enhance in the future.
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Sea Launch, the multinational, ocean-based launch services company, officially began commercial operations on October 9 with a stellar launch of the new DIRECTV1-R direct broadcast satellite. From the equatorial launch site at 154 degrees West longitude, the Sea Launch Zenit-3SL rocket lifted off from the Odyssey launch platform at approximately 8:28 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Allsystems performed nominally during flight and the 7,600-pound DIRECTV 1-R satellite, built by Hughes Space & Communications (HSC), was successfully delivered to geostationary transfer orbit approximately 62 minutes after lift-off. "Today's successful launch culminates an outstanding year for everyone involved with the Sea Launch program," said Allen B. Ashby, Sea Launch president. "Having our first commercial launch go as successfully as our demonstration launch speaks volumes for the teamwork and dedication that have helped bring the Sea Launch system to fruition. We are now undisputedly in the launch services business." DIRECTV 1-R is a Hughes HS 601HP satellite, a body-stabilized model and the 50th in the HS 601 family to be launched. It features more than 7.5 kilowatts of total power, to operate 16 high-power Ku-band transponders for service to all 50 states. Besides building the satellite, Hughes arranged for the launch services in order to deliver the spacecraft in orbit.
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After an international call for tenders, the Kuwaiti Ministry of Interior has chosen the EC 135 lightweight, twin-engine helicopter to equip its Air Transport Department. With a contract for two helicopters, the Kuwaiti government, whose armed forces already operate helicopters from the Eurocopter range, has thus renewed its confidence in the Franco-German group. These two EC 135 helicopters are specifically earmarked for parapublic missions. This new order thus confirms that the EC 135 is ideally suited for this type of mission. Sixteen police forces around the world have already ordered this new-generation, multipurpose helicopter.
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The Tiger PT3 underwent its hot weather campaign on the Al Bateen air base in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) from September 6 to 22, 1999. The tests were conducted at ground temperatures between 38 and 45 C with a degree of humidity varying from 20 to 80%. This hot weather campaign was intended to assess the operation of the helicopter, its equipment, its ventilation and air conditioning systems in real operating conditions at high temperatures in order to keep extrapolations in the qualification files to a minimum. The other objective was to measure the performance in hover flight, in OEI and AEO climb, in level flight, in the takeoff and landing transient phases and in cross winds. These measurements were intended to consolidate the theoretical models used to calculate the performance values given in the Flight Manual. In order to reproduce the most critical operating conditions, before each flight to test the cooler, the helicopter was left in the sun on the apron for several hours, then the temperatures of the different components were stabilized in hover in ground effect at the maximum weight. The PT3 Tiger Helicopter was operated by a Eurocopter Flight Test crew and by crews from the French and German government agencies on a fifty-fifty basis, as is the general practice for the Tiger program qualification flights.
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The Eurofighter has flown for the first time with a EJ200 engine representing the series production standard.
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Punctually at the start of this year's National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) show, Lufthansa Technik (LHT) delivered the first Lufthansa Technik Executive Jet - The XXL Class. The basic aircraft is either a Boeing 737-700 Business Jet (BBJ) or Airbus A319 Corporate Jetliner (ACJ) with a customized cabin interior. The first customer for the XXL Class, based on the BBJ, is Michael Chowdry, Chairman of the Board and CEO of the U.S. cargo carrier Atlas Air. Precisely at 7.00 a.m. the jet started to its destination Atlanta. Aboard the aircraft on its first flight after delivery from Hamburg to Atlanta, in its cabin resplendently customized to meet the demanding specifications of its U.S. businessman owner, was Chairman of Lufthansa Technik's Executive Board Wolfgang Mayrhuber. When the jet landed in Atlanta, he told media repre-sentatives: "The presentation of this first XXL Class is the highpoint of this year's NBAA show. Interested potential customers can inspect its quality at first hand." To run from October 12th to 14th, this annual show is the most important exhibition in the business-aviation field.
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For the next ten years Lufthansa Technik AG (LHT) will be technically supporting the Airbus fleet of the Spanish carrier Spanair, which already has a combined order of totally of thirty-three A319s, A320s and A321s. A letter of intent to this effect was signed by the two companies as part of the master cooperation agreement between Spanair and Lufthansa German Airlines announced in Madrid on October 7th. This is the largest single-fleet contract ever entered into by Lufthansa Technik. Spainair's more than 900 flights per week will be making unique demands on the logistical competence of the German MRO provider and its global network of companies. LHT's experts have put together for the Spanish airline a customized service package that exactly fits its requirements. Spanair will itself be doing all maintenance up to and including the A check at its base in Palma de Mallorca, leaving all other maintenance events to its German partner. As regards aircraft specifying and engineering, Spanair is also entrusting to LHT's experts the supplying of components. The engines and components will be shipped to special workshops in Hamburg for overhaul.
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At a colorful ceremony in Tokyo on October 15, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Asia's largest passenger carrier, was welcomed as the newest member of Star Alliance. ANA becomes the ninth member of the airline alliance, and expands significantly Star Alliance's ability to serve customers traveling to one of the world's foremost business destinations. "Joining Star Alliance is an important step forward into a new century for ANA," said Mr. Kichisaburo Nomura, President and CEO of ANA . "By further expanding our Japan, Southeast Asia and China networks and strengthening demand, we look forward to playing an active role as a member of the Star Alliance team."
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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:

*October 10, 1999 *October 3, 1999

*September 26, 1999 *September 12, 1999 *September 5, 1999

*August 29, 1999 *August 15, 1999 *August 8, 1999 *August 1, 1999

*July 18, 1999 *July 11, 1999 *July 4, 1999

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

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