FLUG REVUE update: Week ending January 19, 2003

UPDATE
Week ending January 19, 2003

+++ Rosetta mission abandoned for now +++ Lufthansa starts Connexion flights +++ Airbus outlook gets cloudy +++ CH-53GS crash in Kabul due to maintenance error +++ Shuttle on Spacehab research flight +++ Ireland buys PC-9Ms +++ Galileo: EU Commission proceeds +++ Management change at dba +++ News in brief +++

Rosetta mission abandoned for now
Kometenmission sucht neues Ziel
Europe's one billion euro mission to land a spacecraft on the Wirtanen comet has been abandoned, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on 15 January. The project was thrown into doubt following the explosion of an enhanced Ariane 5 rocket soon after its launch from the ESA spaceport in Kourou in French Guyana in December 2002. The Rosetta satellite was due to launch from Kourou in January onboard a similar class of craft, but after lengthy discussions, a review board felt that despite a full investigation into the incident, too many unanswered questions remained to risk the 10 years of work that have already gone into the project.
ESA spokesperson Franco Bonacina described to CORDIS News the mixed feelings of the project scientists following the decision: 'There is obviously a degree of sadness, but they fully understand the reasons for the delay and realise that it is not the end of the world. Our scientists have their minds in space but their feet firmly on the ground,' he said. Due to the complexity of manoeuvres required to catch Comet Wirtanen, involving slingshot passes round the Earth and Mars, the next opportunity to rendezvous with it after 31 January will not present itself for 170 years. The Rosetta team will instead have to select another comet as a target for the ESA satellite. As Mr Bonacina explained: “The search for a new target begins today. There will be different parameters to consider, but we hope to apply the same science and minimise the cost.” The final decision on a new target rests with the ESA governing bodies and the scientific policy committee. A decision on objectives and timeframes for a new mission are expected following the committee's next meeting in February.

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Lufthansa starts Connexion flights
Internet an Bord wird getestet

On January 15, commercial airline passengers experienced inflight broadband Internet access for the first time. Passengers aboard a Lufthansa German Airlines Boeing 747-400 were able to use their personal laptops and ones provided by the airline to gain high-speed connections to the Internet, including full access to their personal or business email accounts and files. They were able to attach files to their outgoing emails or open attachments from incoming emails, get the latest news, look up information about their destination or shop online. The service, which Lufthansa has branded as FlyNet, is powered by the Connexion by Boeing system developed by Boeing. During the three-month demonstration, Lufthansa will make the service available free-of-charge to passengers throughout the airplane, which flies daily between Frankfurt and Washington-Dulles International Airport as flights LH 418 (westbound) and LH 419 (eastbound).
"With broadband connectivity, the Connexion by Boeing service gives travelers new and unprecedented choices for managing their time in flight and on the ground," said Connexion by Boeing President Scott Carson. “Lufthansa is widely recognized and respected as a leader in innovation, in communication and in customer service, and is demonstrating to its passengers today what the world of tomorrow will be like. Our collaboration with Lufthansa has resulted in the shared vision that has made this historical service available today." Lufthansa, the inaugural commercial airline customer for Connexion by Boeing, intends to equip approximately 80 long-range Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A330 / A340 jetliners with the Connexion by Boeing service capability beginning in mid-2004.

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Airbus outlook gets cloudy
Zeiten werden schwieriger

In 2002 Airbus continued to generate healthy commercial results despite the industry downturn. Its extensive high-tech product line and customer-focused approach, combined with industrial flexibility and the results of cost saving measures adopted in 2001, enabled Airbus to meet all its objectives for the year. Airbus obtained 300 new firm orders worth US$ 24.3 billion in 2002, representing 54 per cent of the market in terms of aircraft units and 54 per cent in terms of value. Firm orders booked in 2002 comprised 235 A320 Family aircraft, 55 long range A330/A340s and 10 A380s.
Airbus delivered 303 aircraft, exceeding an annual delivery rate of 300 aircraft for the third consecutive year and generating an estimated turnover of 19.5 billion euros. These deliveries, comprising 236 single-aisles and 67 widebody and long range airliners, correspond to 44 per cent of the industry total, up six percentage points from 2001. Airbus' year-end total orders stood at 4,632 orders, which takes into account 67 cancellations in 2002. Airbus' 2002 net order intake therefore stands at 233 aircraft worth US$18.4 billion representing 57 per cent of the market in terms of aircraft units and 54 per cent in value.
With cumulative deliveries at year-end totalling 3,127 aircraft, Airbus' order backlog of 1,505 stands well ahead of the competition's for the third consecutive year and corresponds to 57 per cent of all large commercial aircraft on order which are yet to be delivered up 2.6 percentage points from 2001. This solid backlog represents over five years of production at current rates.
Airbus President and Chief Executive Noël Forgeard, presenting Airbus' 2002 results in Paris, stressed that prudence and reactivity would continue to be key in the coming year. “On the one hand we will no doubt face many challenges, but on the other hand we look to the future with confidence, gained from the proven value of our products, the winning spirit of our people and our ability to have overcome hurdles in 2002,” he said. "2003 promises to be an important turning point in Airbus' development."

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CH-53GS crash in Kabul due to maintenance error
Wartungsfehler an CH-53GS

On 15 January, the German military air accident investigation branch presented ist first findings concerning the crash of a Sikorsky CH-53GS in Kaboul on 21 December 2002. It seems that the root cause of the accident, which killed the seven crewmembers, is a faulty montage of elements of the drive system. All CH-53GS are now checked to see if there are other occurences, before they can be cleared to fly again.

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Shuttle on Spacehab research flight
Wissenschaftsflug des Shuttle gestartet

On January 16, Columbia's crewmembers unstowed equipment and began activation of the Spacehab Research Double Module in the shuttle's cargo bay, setting the stage for 24-hour-a-day science during the shuttle's 16-day research mission. Columbia lifted off at 9:39 a.m. CST from the Kennedy Space Center in near-perfect weather after a flawless countdown. The crew opened the spacecraft's payload bay doors about 11:35 a.m. and then were given the go-ahead for on-orbit operations.
The seven-member crew is divided into two teams, each working 12 hours per day during most of the flight. Members of the blue team, Pilot Willie McCool and Mission Specialists Dave Brown and Mike Anderson, began a six-hour sleep period at 2:47 p.m. CST and will be awakened at 8:49 p.m. Red team members, Commander Rick Husband, Mission Specialists Kalpana Chawla and Laurel Clark, and Israeli Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, begin a 7-hour sleep period at 9:39 p.m.
Spacehab is a pressurized research module 20 feet long, 14 feet wide and 11 feet high. It houses equipment for 59 experiments, three of them mounted on its roof. Its activation marks the beginning of the major science activities of Columbia's mission. All systems aboard Columbia continue to function flawlessly. The shuttle is at an altitude of about 178 statute miles, in an orbit inclined 39 degrees to the equator. Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 6 crewmembers, Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, received a live video uplink of the launch through the ISS Flight Control Room in the Mission Control Center at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Among the payload of the Shuttle is the aquatic eco-system CEBAS. The scientific payload was developed and built at OHB-System in Bremen for the Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt DLR. In addition to water plants and snails, the aquarium holds 16 swordtails and 50 small yellow-belly cichlids. The purpose of this aquarium is to examine the influence of gravity/weightlessness on an ecological system, the development of the sense of balance and the inner ear as well as bone structure and immunology. In addition to OHB-System, the universities of Stuttgart-Hohenheim, Bochum and Düsseldorf are responsible for the scientific research. At OHB-System's initiative, school students from two schools in Bremen (Ökumenisches Gymnasium) and Lower Saxony (KGS Leeste) as well as two schools in the United States (Cocoa and Rockledge, Florida) will each be conducting one ground reference examination.

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Ireland buys PC-9Ms
Pilatus PC-9M für Irland

Pilatus Aircraft Ltd has been awarded a contract by the Minister for Defence of the Republic of Ireland for the supply of 8 PC-9 M Advanced Turbo Trainer aircraft, Ground Based Training Systems and a complete Integrated Logistic Support package, having an approximate sales value of CHF 70 Million. The total system is scheduled to be delivered and operational by mid 2004. After an extensive evaluation and against strong competition the Pilatus training system was once again the System of choice. Competitors were the T-6A from Raytheon, USA and the Super Tucano from Embraer, Brazil. More than 240 Pilatus PC-9 Trainers are currently in service with 13 forces worldwide. The PC-9 has been continuously improved and upgraded to address increasing market demand for high technology (glass cockpit equipped) aircraft.

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Galileo: EU Commission proceeds
De Palacio will Fortschritte bei Galileo

The future of a program such as Galileo, the strategic importance of which has been stressed on many occasions by the European Council, must not be delayed by the problems now being encountered by the European Space Agency. As stressed by Loyola de Palacio, Commission Vice-President: "Fortunately, since the decision taken in March by the EU Council, the Commission has endeavored to do its utmost to ensure the rapid start-up of activities, which will enable us to meet the deadlines, in particular concerning the commercial launching of Galileo services in 2008".
The European Commission deplores the breakdown of the negotiations within the Council of the European Space Agency, as a result of a difference of opinion between certain countries concerning the industrial return to be derived from the program. It hopes the ESA will be able, within the next few months, to release its financial contribution, i.e. Euros 550 million over five years. The disturbing delays in decision making within the European Space Agency have not, however, affected the program too much. Since the decision taken in March by the EU Council, the Commission has endeavored to do its utmost to ensure the rapid start-up of activities on the basis of the Community funding (Euros 550 million). The schedule must be maintained in order to provide Galileo positioning services by 2008 in order to effectively penetrate the satellite navigation market in Europe and in the rest of the world.
To this end, the Commission has in particular: Prepared the setting-up of the Joint Undertaking which will be responsible for overseeing Galileo during the development phase (until 2005). It has convened the first meeting of the Joint Undertaking's Supervisory Board (25 November 2002), as a result of which the first payments to the Community budget for the years 2001 and 2002 were committed, totaling Euro 240 million out of the Euro 550 million earmarked for Galileo under the budget for the trans-European networks. Established the concession arrangements which will result in the launching this year of a call for a concession-holder to be selected in 2004 to carry out the program during the system deployment and commercial operation phases. Set up a Security Board and prepared a proposal aimed at setting up the future Security Authority which will manage the system and will be the interlocutor as regards third countries, and in particular the USA. Made progress with the conclusion of international agreements aimed at ensuring the interoperability of Galileo with the American GPS and Russian GLONAS systems and scientific, technological and industrial cooperation with many third countries, including China, Canada and Australia. Lastly, the Commission communication of 25 September 2002 on Galileo indicated the progress made with the program and enabled the Transport Council to endorse the definition of the five services which the system will provide (open service, commercial service, safety-of-life service, public regulatory service and search-and-rescue service) to be included in the calls for tenders to be launched by the Joint Undertaking and the European Space Agency.

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Management change at dba
Wyatt löst Hunt ab

One year ago Adrian Hunt has led dba (Deutsche BA) in a new direction by launching dba as Germany's first low frill low cost airline, now the 57 year old is stepping back from its position as Chief Executive Officer and leaving the British Airways Group. “Since the re-launch of dba's new strategy in April last year we have made very good progress. Now I feel, I can hand over the business to my successor and be able to concentrate on my private life after being 35 years in the British Airways Group”, says Adrian Hunt.
Hunt will be succeeded by Martin Wyatt with effect from 27th of January 2003. The 49 year old has spent 31 years with British Airways in a variety of roles and formely has been as General Manager Gatwick & UK regions responsible for several airports, such as London/Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow. Roger Maynard, chairman of dba paying tribute to Adrian Hunt: “He has made an enormous contribution to the airline and has been instrumental in shaping and restructuring what is now Germany's second biggest domestic airline. It is his commitment and dedication which has earned dba the enviable reputation of having one of the world's best airline operational performances.“ Martin Wyatt will lead dba now through the final stages of the restructuring programme and work closely with easyJet as it considers exercising its option to buy dba in the coming months

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

In business year 2002, Swiss International Air Lines carried a total of 11.6 Million passengers on its scheduled flights. This was well above the 9.8 million passengers foreseen in the Business Plan. The SWISS fleet seat-load factor was 71.0%. In intercontinental traffic the seat-load factor attained was 80.3%, whilst, on the European routes, the seat-load factor was 56.9%. There were pleasing traffic developments in southern Europe, West Africa, North America and Asia. In the fourth quarter, 2.92 million passengers were carried. Compared with the third quarter, this represented a drop of 16.3%. In Europe,in particular, fewer passengers were carried. On the intercontinental routes, there was a lesser drop of 10.4%. The reduced demand is traditional during the Winter season, amplified on this occasion by the current unfavourable economic situation and geopolitical uncertainties, all of which served to dampen the desire to travel by the clientele. Following a reduction in the offer, the seat-load factor in the fourth quarter was 70.7%, 7.9 percentage points below the highest level of the third quarter. In Europe, 9.3 million passengers were carried during the year under review. Very good results were obtained in the southern European region, particularly Greece. Flights to the Iberian peninsula were also well filled. Business in Scandinavia and Germany, on the other hand, was below average. This was due to the stagnating economic development in these countries, but also indicating a loss of market share. The improvement of business to destinations in these countries remains, as before, a major priority. With the start of the Summer timetable, the SWISS route network to intercontinental destinations was expanded. In the period between April and December, 2.3 million more passengers flew overseas.
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China plans to launch its first manned space mission in October in the quest to become only the third country to send a human into orbit, an official at the country's space program has revealed. "There are plans to launch Shenzhou V in October this year," said a research official at China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp., which develops the rocket carriers and the spacecraft. The China Daily on Thursday said 14 former fighter pilots, each with more than 1,000 hours flying experience, had been in training as astronauts "for years". Two were sent to Russia's cosmonaut school and all spent a week in April training in the recently returned unmanned Shenzhou IV capsule.
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Boeing has confirmed Virgin Blue's decision to purchase up to 50 additional new Boeing 737 airplanes. The agreement includes a firm order for 10 737-800s and options for 40 more 737s, with an estimated list value of US$3 billion. The decision follows extensive evaluation of the 737 and its closest competitor, the Airbus A320. The new 737s will meet Virgin Blue's fleet expansion plans for the next 10 years, with deliveries scheduled to begin in August 2003. The airplanes were recently accounted for in Boeing's published order totals, attributed to an unidentified customer.
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The first fully-overhauled fuselage centre section for the British Tornado ADV air defence interceptor was handed over on schedule to the Royal Air Force in Augsburg. In 2000, the EADS Military Aircraft Business Unit received a contract from the Royal Air Force to overhaul and extend the service life of 24 fuselage centre sections in total (plus eight options) by 2007. Thanks to its experience in development and production of the Tornado fuselage centre section, the Business Unit was able to overcome the tough competition successfully. This major component represents also the 1.000th unit handled by the Augsburg plant within the overall Tornado programme. Through this modernisation programme, the fuselage centre section will be overhauled using just under 500 newly produced and repaired parts. The wing boxes, amongst other components, will be newly manufactured, taking into account the high strain on the connection point of the variable-geometry wings. These wing boxes consist of milled titanium parts which will be joined together using electron beam welding. The Augsburg plant of the Military Aircraft Business Unit has gained extensive experience in this area through Tornado series production and also possesses one of the largest technical facilities in Europe.
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At the beginning of December 2002, an early important success was recorded within the framework of the troop trial for TRIGAT LR the main armament of the Tiger helicopter on the Ile du Levant in France. The missile was successfully released from the Panther test helicopter and guided to the target. The seeker head and warhead operated perfectly. The shot was fired by a French gunner in forward flight at a target situated at 2,300 metres distance. The T 72 was equipped with reactive armour and thermal plates to represent a realistic target signature. "This trial confirms the achievements of the TRIGAT LR programme in 2002: the successfully completed qualification tests for the firing post electronics and the TRIGAT LR ammunition. We are very pleased about this. I want to thank all the members of the team which supported the troop trial for their total commitment," said Dr. Axel Widera, Vice President Programmes at EADS/LFK.
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The Bölkow C-105 helicopters of 299 Squadron of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, stationed at Gilze-Rijen Air Base, are being sold off and the squadron disbanded. Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, Lieutenant General Dick Berlijn and Squadron commander Major Willem van der Borg, will preside at the disbanding ceremonies at Gilze-Rijen on 13 January. The disbanding of the squadron and the disposal of the helicopters comes as the result of the cutbacks announced in the Strategic Accord negotiated by the government coalition parties last summer.
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Austrian Airlines Group has put back the delivery of the fourth Boeing 777 aircraft, which was originally ordered in 1996, to 2005 in agreement with the Boeing Company. Following recently concluded negotiations the order for the Boeing 777 long-range jet is to be converted to orders for three modern Boeing 737-800 medium-range aircraft. Under the deal, which still requires the formal consent of the Supervisory Board of Austrian Airlines AG, the three Boeing 737-800 will be delivered to Lauda Air in April 2005, April 2006 and June 2006. Vagn Soerensen, Chief Executive Officer of the Austrian Airlines Group, made the following statement about the newly concluded contract: “By taking this step, we have begun to design the future shape of the Group in complete accordance with our policy of operating area specialisation. By converting the deal and providing new access to the most modern and economical medium-range aircraft that Boeing currently produces, we have fundamentally strengthened our holiday flights sector operated by Lauda Air.”
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On January 12, a Boeing Delta II rocket successfully launched the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) and the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer Satellite (CHIPSat) today in a dual primary payload mission for NASA. The Delta II lifted off at 4:45 p.m. PST from Space Launch Complex 2W, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., delivering both satellites to circular polar orbits. ICESat was deployed first at one-hour and four minutes into flight, followed by CHIPSat, which was deployed 19 minutes and 20 seconds later. A Delta II 7320-10 launch vehicle with a Reduced Height Dual Payload Attach Fitting (RH-DPAF) was used for the mission. The RH-DPAF enables two satellites of different sizes to be launched aboard the same rocket.
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Bombardier Aerospace announced that Qantas Airways of Australia has placed a firm order for three new 50-seat Q300 Series turboprop airliners and has also purchased a 36-seat Dash 8 Q200 aircraft previously leased from Bombardier. Deliveries of the new Bombardier Q300 aircraft are scheduled for the second quarter of 2003. Qantas will place the aircraft with its QantasLink regional network, which includes the Dash 8 operations of Eastern Australia Airlines and Sunstate Airlines. With this order, the QantasLink Bombardier Aerospace fleet will consist of 32 aircraft, of which 12 are Q Series.
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Rockwell Collins, a leader in advanced display technology, has delivered the first Engineering, Manufacturing and Development (EMD) Aircraft Retained Unit (ARU) Helmet Integrated Display Sighting System (HIDSS) to the Boeing/Sikorsky team for the RAH-66 Comanche aircraft to enhance the pilot's situational awareness. Kaiser Electronics, a Rockwell Collins business, designed and developed the HIDSS for the Comanche program. The HIDSS provides the pilot with accurate weapon and flight symbology to enable head-up, eyes-out operation in 24-hour, all-weather conditions and employs solid-state, lightweight active matrix liquid crystal display technology.
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NASA has successfully tested an alternative rocket fuel that may increase operational safety and reduce costs over current solid fuels. The new paraffin-based fuel could someday be used in space shuttle booster rockets. Two years of collaboration between Stanford University, Palo Alto, Calif., and NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley have led to the development of a non-toxic, easily handled fuel made from a substance similar to that used in common candles. The by-products of combustion of the new fuel are carbon dioxide and water, unlike conventional rocket fuel that produces aluminum oxide and acidic gasses, such as hydrogen chloride. Scientists are testing the new fuel at the Hybrid Combustion Facility that NASA Ames built specifically for the experiments. The first successful test in the continuing series took place on Sept. 24, 2001. The heavy-duty test chamber can accommodate pressures up to 60 atmospheres.
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Enstrom Helicopter Corporation wrapped up 2002 on a positive note, delivering nine helicopters -- six of them in the third and fourth quarters. Enstrom was a company on the move in 2002. Steve Daniels was named president in June and in short order established a worldwide network of 25 dealers. He also made management changes and began refurbishing the company's Menominee, Mich., manufacturing facilities. Other changes included establishment of an office in Taiwan for Pacific Rim marketing as well as an aggressive advertising and branding campaign designed to raise awareness of Enstrom with customers and the rotorcraft industry-at-large.
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MTU Aero Engines has delivered to the German services its first optimized high-pressure compressor for the Tornado's RB199 engine. This compressor provides 12% more airflow than the original version. The RB199 operators had in 1997 opted for the uprated version MTU had proposed to cope with the marked shift in Tornado mission requirements since the aircraft first went into service. The uprated compressor extends the life of the engine and moreover reduces life cycle costs, failure incidence and wear factors. The optimization aimed at reducing the six-stage compressor's speed without hurting the engine's thrust and handling. To do so, MTU's engineers adjusted the blade geometry and stagger angle, among other measures. "Advanced design techniques helped us optimize the airfoil," Reiner Pontow said, MTU's RB199 chief engineer. "That did much to improve the vibration behavior and useful life of the engine." The ground testing on the new compressor was conducted at MTU and at Stuttgart Technical University's altitude test facility, while flight testing was done by the Bundeswehr Technical Center 61 at Manching. The new compressors are fitted during regular repair events, so that no extra costs occur. Volkmar Karafiol, MTU's RB199/MTR390 program manager, thought it was not too early to tell that "fitting the new compressor truly pays dividends, especially when you consider the Tornado will be around for another twenty years." Overall, the compressor retrofit saves the customer double- if not triple-digit million euro amounts.
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The Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power unit of The Boeing Company has been selected to provide the liquid propulsion system for Lockheed Martin's Pad Abort Demonstration (PAD) for NASA's Orbital Space Plane program. Boeing Rocketdyne's 200,000-pound-thrust propulsion system will be used to launch the PAD vehicle and demonstrate key escape and recovery systems applicable to future manned Orbital Space Plane (OSP) needs. NASA recently awarded Lockheed Martin a contract of up to $53 million, including options, for the work as part of the space agency's OSP project that is part of the Space Launch Initiative Cycle 2 TA-10 program.
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EADS, the global aerospace and defence company, and Goodrich Corporation, a leading global supplier of aerospace systems, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the sourcing area. This agreement is part of EADS' global sourcing strategy that has been launched across the company. This MoU paves the way for enhanced performances in the relationship between Goodrich as a supplier and EADS as a customer, to better meet end-market requirements. The resulting improvements are cornerstones for the implementation of a “Competitive Partnership” between EADS and Goodrich in the sourcing area. The EADS Sourcing Strategy aims to build a long-term relationship with suppliers that are willing to develop sustained, excellent performance measurement goals to better meet the markets needs. Tuned to the particular end markets needs, the MoU applies to every EADS business unit. The MoU facilitates the implementation of a deepened, more formalized relationship between EADS and its best suppliers, called “Competitive Partners”.
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Embraer announced that the Supervisory Board of LOT Polish Airlines has confirmed its decision to acquire 10 Embraer170 with options for additional 11 aircraft, that can be converted into the Embraer190 and 195 models. Deliveries are expected to begin in early 2004. Final contract negotiations are expected to take place in the coming weeks. “The selection of the Embraer170 by such a prestigious and renowned airline as LOT has a very special meaning to Embraer,” said Maurício Botelho, President and CEO of Embraer, who added: “LOT's decision for the Embraer170 confirms that whenever the combination of comfort, performance and economics, uniquely offered by Embraer's new family of commercial jets is duly factored in, there will be no doubt on what the best choice really is.” LOT already flies 14 Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft, being delivered since 1999. The new Embraer170 fleet will help LOT expand its impressive regional network at its Warsaw hub by providing more seat capacity and aircraft range to access new markets.
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The Australian subsidiary of Eurocopter was renamed Australian Aerospace on the 1st of January 2003 due to the merger of Eurocopter International Pacific Limited & Australian Aerospace Pty Ltd Australian Aerospace is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eurocopter, which in turn is wholly owned by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), the largest aerospace and defence company in Europe. The activities of Australian Aerospace include maintenance of the RAAF Caribou and P-3C fleet, full project management , assembly and test of the ARH Tiger, sales and support of Eurocopter civil helicopters and Socata fixed wing aircraft and assembly and test of the EC120B Helicopter for the Southern Hemisphere. At present, Australian Aerospace has 230 staff and a turnover of AUD64M with facilities in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland. Within the next 3 years, Australian Aerospace will increase its staff to approx. 350 people and generate a turnover of AUD400M per year.
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Final assembly of the first of 12 EH101 helicopters, destined for the Portuguese Air Force, is now underway in Italy. Build commenced at AgustaWestland's Vergiate facility in January 2003. The first roof, manufactured by GKN Aerospace Services, is depicted in its final fit prior to delivery for the first Portuguese aircraft, SAR01. The Portuguese Government formally awarded AgustaWestland a contract in 2002 to procure 12 EH101s for Search and Rescue, Combat SAR role and fishery protection.
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After eight years, Bengt Halse intends to take the opportunity, at the age of 60, to step down from the post of chief executive and president of Saab. He will be replaced by Åke Svensson, currently Head of business area Saab Aerospace in Linköping. The changeover takes place on 14th July this year, following presentation of the company's interim report for the second quarter. Åke Svensson has been head of Saab Aerospace since March 2000. He has an MSc degree in Electrical Engineering from Linköping in 1976. After graduation he started work at Saab Dynamics. In 1998 he took over as head of Future Products and Technology - one of three business units in the current Saab Aerospace. After the acquisition of Celsius in March 2000 Åke Svensson became head of the entire business area Saab Aerospace with responsibility for the development and production of the Gripen Fighter Aircraft. He has long been part of the Saab group management and is also Chairman of the IG JAS Board and Member of the Board of Gripen International. Åke Svensson was born in 1952.
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Embraer announced fourth quarter 2002 and full year 2002 jet deliveries and backlog for its Airline, Corporate Jet & Governmental Transportation markets. In 2002, Embraer delivered 131 aircraft, compared with the 132 deliveries expected for 2002. The postponement of the delivery of three corporate jets and the anticipation of the delivery of two regional jets impacted these figures. Embraer maintains its expectation to deliver 148 aircraft in 2003 and 155 aircraft in 2004. Deliveries of the Embraer 170 are scheduled to begin in 2003 and deliveries of Embraer 175 are scheduled to begin in 2004, therefore in both years, Embraer expects a product mix improvement. Embraer expects to deliver approximately 40% of 2003 total deliveries in the first half of 2003 and the remaining 60% in the second half of 2003, due to deliveries of the Embraer 170 that will begin in the second half of the year. Embraer's firm order backlog as of December 31, 2002 was US$ 9,0 billion. As of the same date, total backlog, including options, reached US$ 22,2 billion. The total backlog amount includes 2 ERJ 145s that were delivered to PB Air during the fourth quarter and Alitalia's Embraer 170 order, deliveries of which are expected to begin in 2003.
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Turbomeca of France, as a representative of a group of eight leading European aerospace propulsion companies, signed a contract for a Propulsion Feasibility Study with Aermacchi of Italy acting for a consortium of five leading European aerospace companies: Aermacchi, Dassault, EADS-Dasa, EADS-Casa, and SAAB. In addition to Turbomeca, the propulsion team includes FiatAvio of Italy, ITP of Spain, MTU Aero Engines and Rolls-Royce Deutschland of Germany, Snecma Moteurs of France, Techspace Aero of Belgium and Volvo Aero Corporation of Sweden. The objective of the Propulsion Feasibility Study is to recommend two new engine concepts to power a new trainer aircraft as part of the EuroTraining Feasibility Study. Eight companies from six countries are contributing their experience and skills to this study. The team will develop a technical and cost-based specification for each of two engine candidates, one with 6,000lbs. and the other with 8,000lbs. of thrust.
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Air Combat Command entered a new era Jan. 14 as America's newest fighter-attack aircraft touched down at Nellis AFB. Raptor 00-012, the first F/A-22 to be delivered directly to the command, was flown from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Nellis by Lt. Col. David Rose, chief of Nellis' F/A-22 integration office and ACC's first F/A-22 pilot. The command formally entered the F/A-22 operations realm Jan. 4 when maintainers from the 57th Wing's 57th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron and operators from the 53rd Wing's 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron here completed the command's first F/A-22 sortie at Edwards. Rose flew his first F/A-22 sortie in Raptor 00-012 and was launched out for the mission by Tech. Sgt. Greg Auzenne, the dedicated crew chief for the aircraft.
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Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Swiss Defence Procurement Agency to provide 24 Portable Search and Target Acquisition Radars (PSTAR). They will be used for short-range air defense throughout Switzerland. Typically, PSTAR interfaces with a weapons system such as a Stinger anti-aircraft missile. "Currently, our Stinger fire unit is coordinated by human observers who are dependent on daylight and high visibility," said Kurt Kohler, the Defence Procurement Agency program manager. "PSTAR meets our requirements for working well under any visibility and it will replace our human observers to keep Stinger alerted 24 hours a day." The PSTARs, which will be delivered from July 2004 to December 2004, are the first of a next generation radar system called PSTAR-Extended Range (PSTAR-ER). "Its range is expanded from 20 km to more than 30 km while still fitting into the same small package," said Paul Garvey, Lockheed Martin program manager, "plus our customer will have enhanced display, and command and control capability."
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SpaceDev announced that the Cosmic Hot Interstellar Plasma Spectrometer (CHIPS) microsatellite is performing well in orbit. The satellite was launched at 4:45 p.m. PST on January 12 from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The first contact with the satellite was made on its first pass over the University of California at Berkeley (UCB) ground station at 6:20 p.m. PST, approximately 95 minutes after its launch. At the time of this release, the newly developed SpaceDev avionics, software, and power systems all appear to be operating nominally. The flight computer and software have correctly handled commands and performed File Transfer Protocols (FTP) containing satellite status and health data using our TCP/IP communications and secure link over the Internet. "Successful FTP transfers have been performed," said Simon Dawson, mission operations manager for SpaceDev. "And all operational uplink and downlink data rates have been tested and verified." The satellite is being operated from the Mission Control Center (MCC) located at SpaceDev's corporate headquarters in Poway, CA along with its network of ground stations at UCB, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, and Adelaide, Australia.
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An E-6B Mercury that has been modified with a new cockpit and an advanced communications package arrived at Naval Air Station Patuxent River Jan. 8 where joint testing by VX-20 and Boeing E-6 test teams will continue. The E-6 is a communications relay and strategic airborne command post aircraft. Capt. William G. Okoniewski manages NAVAIR's E-6 Program Office (PMA-271). The E-6 provides airborne command, control, and communications between the president, secretary of defense, and U.S. strategic and non-strategic forces. The mission system and cockpit display upgrades will improve mission avionics, provide additional data processing capabilities, and increase reliability and maintainability for the Mercury.
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