FLUG REVUE update: Week ending April 1, 2001

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UPDATE

Week ending April 1, 2001

+++ Greece pushes back Eurofighter +++ Boeing kills 747X, goes for speed ++ Eurocopter hands over 200th EC 120 B +++ Mako with GE engines? +++ X-32B flies +++ News in brief +++

Greece pushes back Eurofighter
Eurofighter-Bestellung verschoben

On March 30, the Greek government has released a statement saying that it will not sign up for the Eurofighter now as was expected. In announcing the deferral, Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis committed his country only to buying a "fourth-generation jet fighter" -- not specifically the Typhoon -- in 2004 - after the Olympic Games, which tie up much of the money Greece wanted to spend on defence. "Nevertheless, we are confident that Greece will stand by the decision it has already taken to order the Eurofighter for the Hellenic Air Force," Rainer Hertrich, one of EADS's two chief executives, said in a statement. The deferral is nonetheless a serious blow to the Eurofighter companies, since Greece's seemingly imminent order had been an endorsement that might help persuade other prospective buyers. Hertrich said Greece was still invited to become a partner in the Eurofighter programme, helping to build the aircraft as well as buy it. "The postponement will have no effect on the profitability of the Eurofighter programme," Hertrich said. Greece and Eurofighter agreed earlier this year on the text of a contract for 60 Typhoons but never signed the deal.

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Boeing kills 747X, goes for speed
Boeing ändert Produktstrategie

Boeing Commercial Airplanes is focusing new product development efforts on a faster, longer-range airplane, President and Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally announced on March 30. "This is the airplane our customers have asked us to concentrate on," Mulally said. "They share our view that this new airplane could change the way the world flies as dramatically as did the introduction of the jet age." The potential for airplanes larger than the current 747 has caused the industry to look carefully at long-term requirements for long-range, twin-aisle airplanes, Mulally said.
"In that context, we have had detailed conversations with our customers, and it is very clear that they would strongly value an airplane that can fly faster, higher and more quietly over very long ranges," he said. The ability to fly at speeds of Mach .95 or faster over extended ranges will allow passengers to fly where they want to go, when they want to go - directly to their destinations, avoiding congested hubs and without the hassle and delay of intermediate stops. Mulally said the market "continues to show us that our current product family is very strong, offering airlines the right mix of flexible and capable airplanes to meet their needs. As always, we will continue to add improvements to those airplanes.
"We also will continue to protect the ability to do a larger 747 if and when our customers tell us they need one," Mulally said. He added: "Because we are making the faster airplane our highest priority, we have asked Walt Gillette, currently the 747X program manager, to lead the development of this exciting airplane."

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Eurocopter hands over 200th EC 120 B
EC 120 erreicht 200 Lieferungen

At Marignane, Jean-François Bigay, President of the Eurocopter Group, handed over the keys of the 200th EC 120B Colibri single-engine light helicopter to Sven Stenvall, President of Kallax Flyg AB. The Swedish company is a subsidiary of Stenvall Trä AB, one of the most profitable European sawmills in its category. Less than a year after the delivery of the 100th EC 120B Colibri, this event is a convincing demonstration of the worldwide success enjoyed by the Colibri, which is a best seller in its category. So far 94 customers in 32 countries have ordered some 256 Colibris. As of today, the Colibri fleet has logged close to 41,600 flight hours. The Colibri has been designed for light maintenance with the emphasis on easy accessibility and low cost. What's more, between scheduled checks, the pilot can even carry out the maintenance himself without any special tools. The technical publications for the helicopter are supplied on CD-ROM. As part of a cooperation program, the EC 120B is manufactured jointly by CATIC (China) and Singapore Technologies Aerospace (Singapore). The industrial breakdown is 24% (China), 15% (Singapore) and 61% for Eurocopter the technical leader of the program.

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GE engine for Mako?
Mako mit F404?

GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with European Aeronautic Defense & Space Company (EADS) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force & Air Defense for study of the development of the MAKO Light Combat & Trainer Aircraft program. GEAE has offered its highly successful F404 and F414 fighter engines as propulsion candidates for the MAKO program. These engines are approved by the U.S. government for export to more than 20 countries and are ideal for the MAKO aircraft. "GE fully supports the MAKO program," said Bjorn Gidner, director of International Business Development at GEAE. "If selected for the MAKO program, GEAE will certify either the F404 or F414 engine for the aircraft and provide to EADS additional program investments."

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X-32B flies
Erstfug der Boeing X-32B

On March 29, the Boeing Joint Strike Fighter X-32B demonstrator successfully completed its first flight, entering a four-month test program to validate the Boeing direct-lift approach to short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing (STOVL) flight. During the 50-minute conventional flight to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., from Palmdale, Boeing JSF lead STOVL test pilot Dennis O'Donoghue put the X-32B through a series of initial airworthiness tests, including flying qualities and subsystems checkout. "I felt right at home in the X-32B," O'Donoghue said. "It flew exactly like the X-32A, which is a real tribute to the commonality of the Boeing design. Today's flight means we'll be as successful in demonstrating STOVL flying qualities and performance with the X-32B as we were with the X-32A in demonstrating conventional-takeoff-and landing and carrier-approach performance." The X-32B will demonstrate the company's direct-lift approach to the STOVL requirements for the U.S. Marine Corps and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Boeing has 30 years experience with direct lift - the only combat-proven approach to STOVL flight.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

On March 23, Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that the European Commission has approved the company's pending acquisition of Litton Industries Inc. On February 22, the company had provided the Commission with the necessary filings related to the Litton transaction. Northrop Grumman also said it remains optimistic that the Hart-Scott-Rodino review will conclude within the current review period, which expires at midnight E.S.T. on March 29, 2001.
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GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS), a GE Capital Company and global aviation solutions provider, accepted its 50th new Boeing Next-Generation 737 jetliner, a 737-700 leased to Aloha Airlines. The new airplane is the second 737-700 accepted by GECAS and leased by Aloha Airlines in the past week. With the new delivery, Aloha Airlines will operate four 737-700s, in addition to 18 other 737s. The GECAS fleet includes nearly the full Boeing family of airplanes. GECAS Next-Generation737 orders total 145, which have been placed with 20 different customers around the world. In February 2000, Aloha Airlines capitalized on the 3,260 nautical mile (6,038 kilometer) range of the Next-Generation 737-700, inaugurating service from Honolulu and Maui, Hawaii, to Oakland, Calif., with its first two 737-700s. Aloha configures its airplanes with 12 first- and 112 coach-class seats. The first-class cabin is equipped with wider seats with lumbar back support controls and footrests.
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"Growing demand for air transport services - both in the UK and elsewhere - requires the best possible management of basic infrastructure" said IATA Director General Pierre J. Jeanniot. "The UK government choice of the Airline Group as the private element of the Public/Private Partnership (PPP) for the UK National Air Traffic Service (NATS) should provide assurance to the travelling public that ATC capacity will grow safely and efficiently in line with the demand." "High safety standards can be combined with a customer responsive management structure and a sensitivity to the professionals who actually deliver the service to the users. Regulation of the service, including safety oversight of course, rests in the independent hands of the UK Civil Aviation Authority." "At the same time, the unique "not-for-commercial return" nature of the Airline Group's successful bid means that efficiency savings can be applied to service improvements. A "not-for-commercial return" scheme also puts less pressure on the charges paid by the airlines for the use of the UK's ATC services."
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The Lockheed Martin C-130J airlifter is now being equipped with a new software configuration that brings the aircraft's avionics system to full functionality. Known as Block 5.3, the new software contains substantial upgrades and new capabilities and is now the baseline for all production C-130J aircraft. The company has completed all necessary testing to prove the airworthiness of the new software and hardware. The first modified aircraft left Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company in Marietta, Ga., March 27 for the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, Calif., where it will undergo USAF qualification testing prior to Block 5.3 being installed in all previously delivered C-130Js. The new software will be installed in the deployed world-wide fleet of C-130J and the longer fuselage length C-130J-30 aircraft over a period of about a year, beginning this summer.
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C Squadron of the Australian Army's 5th Aviation Regiment, based at Townsville, took delivery of two new Boeing CH-47D Chinook helicopters in an acceptance and transition ceremony here today. Maj. Gen. Peter Abigail, AO, Land Commander Australia, presided over the ceremony. The Chinooks, officially delivered to the Defense Materiel Organisation in February after final modification in Australia, join four other CH-47Ds in service since 1995 with the 5th Aviation Regiment. The Regiment transports troops, fuel and heavy equipment in support of ground force operations and has handled a variety of humanitarian and civil relief missions for the Australian Defence Forces and the United Nations in the Southwest Pacific region.
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As the Expedition Two crew gets settled aboard the International Space Station, American crew members for future space station missions have begun formal training to meet launch dates, beginning in 2002. The 14 astronauts, six assigned to primary crews and eight assigned to backup crews, will join a corps of expedition astronauts and cosmonauts previously named to the first four International Space Station expeditions. Russian members of these new expedition crews will be formally announced in the near future. "These assignments signal that the space station is ready for long-term operations," said Charlie Precourt, the chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. "We have an outstanding corps of highly qualified astronauts who will complete assembly and take the station into a new era of scientific research in space." The Expedition Five crew will consist of astronaut Peggy Whitson (Ph.D.) and two Russian cosmonauts, one of whom will be the mission commander. This will be Whitson's first space flight. She was selected as an astronaut in 1996 after serving in a number of research positions at Johnson. Astronaut Scott J. Kelly (Lt. Cmdr., USN), who flew on STS-103 in 1999, will serve as Whitson's backup.
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Bell Helicopter Textron, Fort Worth, Texas, was awarded on Mar. 27, 2001, a $22,543,679 firm-fixed-price contract for 17 TH-67 helicopters for use as instructional aircraft at the U.S. Army Aviation Center, Fort Rucker, Ala. Work will be performed in Mirabel, Quebec, Canada (73%), and Bristol, Tenn. (27%), and is expected to be completed by May 31, 2002. Deliveries are to begin September 2001 and end May 2002. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This is a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 6, 2000. The U.S. Army Aviation & Missile Command, Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is the contracting activity (DAAH23-01-D-0005).
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The first British test pilot to fly Concorde has died in his sleep at the age of 77. Brian Trubshaw died at his home near Tetbury in Gloucestershire, his wife Yvonne said. Trubshaw became every schoolboy's hero when he took the first supersonic passenger aircraft on a 22-minute flight from Filton near Bristol to RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on April 9, 1969. Emerging from the futuristic plane's cockpit he said: "It was wizard - a cool, calm and collected operation." He later said: "It was an awesome experience for myself and my crew. "Many test pilots would have given almost anything to be in my shoes and I well appreciated how lucky I was.
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Indian space ambitions have suffered a setbakc with the failure of the GSLV-D1 launch on March 28. The rocket remeined onthe ground and burned up at Sriharikota seconds after the end of the countdown.l GSLV is designed to transport satellites of up to two tons. ISRO has said that one of the four boostes did not reach teh necessary thrust and so the launch was aborted.
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On March 23, Boeing delivered to Scandinavian Airlines Systems (SAS) its 50th new direct-purchase Boeing Next-Generation 737 jetliner in just three years. With this milestone delivery, the Stockholm, Sweden-based airline now has 15 Next-Generation 737-800s, six 737-700s and 29 737-600s in its fleet. Eight of the airplanes were delivered in 1998, 21 in 1999, 19 in 2000 and one earlier this year. SAS has eight more Next-Generation 737s on order; they are scheduled for delivery in 2001 and 2002.
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The secretary of defense recently approved full production of a guidance kit that will turn free-fall bombs into precision-guided munitions. The approval clears the way for production of nearly 90,000 Joint Direct Attack Munitions conversion kits by 2008, and will double the current inventory once the products are delivered.
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Alenia Marconi Systems Incorporated (AMSI) is delighted to announce the successful completion of flight tests on the company's Diamond Back range extension wing kit. Five flight tests, took place between April and Sep 2000. Tests were conducted at Eglin AFB, Florida and White Sands Missile Range, NM USA in conjunction with Boeing and the United States Air Force. Air to surface flight testing featured Diamond Back wing kits integrated on two Boeing modified Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) BLU-109 weapons and three 250 lb class Small Diameter Bombs (SDB). All flight test objectives were met by demonstration of safe separation, wing deployment, range and cross track performance, maneouverability, and terminal guidance. These "Proof-of-Concept" demonstrations showed that the JDAM Extended Range (JDAM ER) and Small Smart Bomb Range Extension (SSBREX) systems are ready for United States Department of Defense (DoD) development.
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Arianespace, Boeing Satellite Systems, Inc. and Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) today announced the signing of a contract to launch the Astra 3A telecommunications spacecraft on an Ariane 5 heavy-lift vehicle. Astra 3A is to be orbited by the Ariane 5 in early 2002 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. "This latest selection by two major players in the space industry clearly reflects the broad recognition of Ariane's service quality,'' said Arianespace Chairman and CEO Jean-Marie Luton, who announced the new order at the Satellite 2001 conference in Washington, D.C. "The Astra 3A contract follows the launch last year of seven satellites built by Boeing and two launches with spacecraft for SES. To date, Arianespace has launched seven satellites for SES: Astra 1A in December 1988, Astra 1B in July 1991, Astra 1C in May 1993, Astra 1D in October 1994, Astra 1E in October 1995, Astra 2B in September 2000 and Astra 2D in December 2000. With the new Astra 3A order, a total of three SES satellites are on Arianespace's list ofsatellites awaiting launch.
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Fairchild Dornier has delivered the 1053rd and final aircraft in the Merlin/Metro series, ending a production run of 35 years. Fairchild Dornier continues to provide complete customer support for more than 800 aircraft still in service around the world. The last aircraft, a Metro 23 (SA-227-DC 904), was delivered to National Jet Aviation Services, a charter service based at the Zelienople, PA, airport. "The high-speed turboprop Metroliner brought the regional airline industry into a new era," said Fairchild Dornier board member Carl Albert, who led the company from 1991 to 2000. "The Metroliner provided operators with a fast, economically efficient turboprop airliner. The Metroliner was the regional airliner first used by many of the most successful regional airlines of the 1970s and 1980s, including Skywest Airlines, Horizon Airlines, Comair, and Wings West Airlines, which became American Eagle. The Merlin high-speed turboprop, produced from 1965 to 1986 remains a favorite of operators of turboprop business aircraft."
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Iridium Satellite LLC today announced the commercial launch of its global satellite communications services. After more than three months of quality assurance testing, the Iridium gateway in Tempe, Ariz. is fully operational, enabling the delivery of truly mobile, truly global voice telephony services. The company will launch data services, including dial-up access and direct Internet connectivity, in June 2001. Short burst messaging services are expected to be available later in the year. Industrial users can now benefit from reliable mobile telephony to and from remote areas of the globe where terrestrial systems are not available. With complete coverage of the Earth's oceans, airspace and Polar Regions, Iridium is specifically geared for maritime, aviation, oil & gas, mining, construction, forestry, non-governmental organization/relief, and yachting/leisure segments, as well as government customers. The U.S. Department of Defense is an existing Iridium customer.
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DERA's VAAC (Vectored thrust Aircraft Advanced flight Control) Harrier has successfully completed the second phase in the Follow-on Research Programme (FRP) sponsored by the American/UK Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme. This saw ship-based work with HMS Invincible offering a realistic environment at sea to test aircraft control concepts applicable to the STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) variant of JSF. The first, land-based, evaluation phase last year built on the results of previous trials and familiarised new pilots with the advanced control concepts of the VAAC Harrier and resolved known deficiencies. The key objective of the second phase was to assess the compatibility of advanced recovery modes, including novel techniques such as Translational Rate Command, in the demanding and realistic operational environment encountered on the moving deck of a ship. Two main control modes were tested with two variants of the hover positioning sub-mode.
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Abu Dhabi Authorities have announced the C-295 ASW aircraft has been selected by UAE for its Naval Forces Maritime Patrol Aircraft Program Shaheen I. Alberto Fernandez, Head of EADS Military Transport Aircraft Division, and Jean Paul Gut, Head of Marketing and Sales EADS International, expressed their thanks the United Arab Emirates Authorities for the confidence placed in EADS and the C-295 FITS. They emphasised the excellent professionality of the team of experts of the UAE Naval Forces involved in during the evaluation process. The selection has been based on four C-295 aircraft equipped with the EADS CASA Fully Integrated Tactical Systems (FITS), which is the core of a complex mission system that integrates a suite of modern mission sensors for antisubmarine warfare. The system has been conceived to be flexible and modular. It ranges from maritime surveillance to antisubmarine warfare complex solutions and can be installed on any platform, EADS CASA C-212, CN-235, C-295 or larger platforms like P-3 or Atlantique.
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On March 22 Embraer registered another milestone in its history. During a special ceremony held at the company's headquarters in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, Crossair took delivery of the 400th regional jetliner manufactured by Embraer. Registered HB-JAL, the aircraft is the 12th regional jet delivered to the Swiss carrier, which has placed 25 firm orders for the ERJ 145 and 15 additional options. By the end of this year Crossair's fleet will have a total of 18 ERJ 145s. "Embraer has shaped a regional jet family that can truly be said to belong to a class of its own. Slightly more than four years after handing over the first production aircraft, we are now delivering the 400th plane", said Maurício Botelho, Embraer's President and CEO. "Moreover, when one of Europe's leading regional airlines selected our family of jetliners, we knew that it was the beginning of a long-lasting relationship. We are very proud to see that our products have become instrumental in Crossair's development and will continue so for years to come", he added. During the ceremony Crossair's Executive Vice President Technical Division, Jorgen Orstam said "I congratulate Embraer on this important milestone in its production program and I thank the company for the excellent collaboration and warm friendship which exists between our two companies."
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Lufthansa Flight Training (LFT) will remain in future the sole provider able to offer customized simulator training to A319 crews also. On 29 March 2001, in Frankfurt am Main, LFT will take delivery of the world's first A319-100 full-flight simulator from Canadian manufacturer CAE Electronics Ltd. With its fleet of now 14 simulators in Frankfurt, the Lufthansa subsidiary thus rounds out its extensive line of cockpit-training capabilities. This latest addition to the LFT simulator family has made the long trip from Canada to Germany in four sea containers which together weighed nearly 40 metric tons. Seven meters long, 4.5 meters wide and 3.5 meters tall, the simulator's flight compartment had to be packed and secured separately. The heart of the simulator, it is being brought to Frankfurt on a low loader from the Belgian port of Antwerp. In Frankfurt a special crane weighing 80 metric tons, built for just this purpose, will heave the colossus onto a set of rollers on which it will be dragged with strong cables to its final resting place inside the hangar. This impressive feat is supposed to take only four hours - a real challenge for those involved.
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Lufthansa was hit by a token strike by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots union. All in all, the stoppage has up to now caused cancellation of about 100 flights affecting about 15,000 passengers. All intercontinental flights will go ahead. The strike by Lufthansa pilots lasted from 6.30 hours to 9.00 hours this morning. Lufthansa has apologised to its passengers for the massive disruption of air traffic resulting from the strike. The airline had extensive measures in place to minimise the impact of the stoppage on passengers. All the passengers, who were affected by the disruption, were rebooked free of charge on other flights regardless of the class they had originally booked. Alternatively, they were offered the chance of using their flight tickets for rail transport or having them refunded. Lufthansa insists that the token strike called by the Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) pilots union at German airports is totally incomprehensible. There are no grounds at all for actions of this nature. The token strike is immoderate, unnecessary and unwarranted. The airline is looking into the legitimacy of the strike and the liability of those involved in it. The token strike is not only damaging Lufthansa economically, it is a blot on the good name of the airline and that of cockpit crews as responsible management executives.
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At the fourth round of collective bargaining, Lufthansa and the amalgamated service employees union ver.di have reached agreement on a pay settlement for ground and cabin staff in Germany. Aside from a pay rise of 3.5 per cent, effective April 1 2001, the accord envisages a share in last year's profits in the form of a special payment of DM 1,100 and a bonus amounting to ten per cent of a month's salary. Since the collective agreement is to run for a 14-month term, the increase works out at a pay rise of 3 per cent over 12 months. Staff will receive a one-off monthly payment of DM 250 in each of February and March. "In face of very difficult circumstances underlying this year's pay negotiations, we have concluded an agreement with ver.di, which gives Lufthansa staff in Germany a commensurate share in the Group's success," commented Stefan Lauer, Chief Executive Human Resources and chief negotiator of Deutsche Lufthansa AG.
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At its 150th meeting, held at ESRIN, ESA's establishment near Rome on 21 and 22 March 2001, the ESA Council unanimously nominated its new Director of Technical and Operational Support for the next four years, Pieter Gaele Winters (NL). Pieter Gaele Winters, born on 11 March 1951, holds a Masters degree in Economics from the Free University of Amsterdam. He is currently President and CEO of Fokker Space BV, after a distinguished career in the public and industrial sector of the Netherlands. He has always been particularly active in the fields of industrial policy and technology and has been directly associated with the space sector since the early nineties. He has also been Chairman of ESA's Council from 1993 to 1996.
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