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UPDATE 
Week ending October 26, 1997
+++ Eurofighter completes 500 flights +++ NH90 production offers submitted by NH Industries +++ Boeing expansion woes cause loss +++ Star Alliance adds Varig +++ Kayser-Thredereports successful MIRKA mission +++ E-3 AWACS kits arrive at Manching +++ Lockheed Martin to build Genesis spacecraft +++ Launch for Lunar Prospector rescheduled for January +++ News in Brief +++

Eurofighter completes 500 flights
500. Testflug des EF2000

On October 21, prototype DA5 completed the 500th test flight of a Eurofighter. Dasa test pilot Chris Worning was in the cockpit for the sortie from Manching in Germany. In over an hour, he mainly completed routine tests of the ECR90 radar. After the flight, Dasa once more reiterated the good maturity of the aircraft, which fully justifies a production go-ahead. Until now, over 20 pilots have flown the seven prototypes, which have reached Mach 1.8 and a height of 12 kilometres. Also, fatigue testing was progressing smoothly, it was said. Against these facts, "all criticism is theoretical and based on outdated information", Dasa's EF2000 programme manager Erwin Obermeier claimed. "It seems that we have a product that cuases some headaches for our competitors", he continued, deploring that rival companies are trying to discredit the aircraft in current international competitions.

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NH90 production offers submitted by NH Industries
NH Industries legt Angebote für NH90-Serie vor

The four-national NH Industries company has recently submitted two commercial proposals to its customer NAHEMA (NATO Helicopter Management Agency) for the next phases of the NH90 programme. It covers production investment and the first production batch for the TTH and NFH versions. This offer will provide the four nations (France, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands) with the basis for the preparation and the endorsement of the new MoU, prior to the contract signature with industry.
Meanwhile, the flight test programme with the PT2 prototype is proceeding satisfactorily, while the PT1 is currently fitted with GE700-T6E engines at Agusta. Final assembly of PT3 is under way as well as manufacturing activities for PT4 and PT5. On a corporate note, Philippe Stuckelberge will replace Jean-Pierre Barthélemy as general manager of NH Industries.

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Boeing expansion woes cause loss
Verluste bei Boeing

Sales of $11.4 billion and a net loss of $696 million for the third quarter of 1997 were reported by Phil Condit, Boeing chairman and chief executive officer. Third quarter earnings were reduced by approximately $1.6 billion pretax, or $1.0 billion after tax, representing the financial impact of the unplanned and abnormal production inefficiencies and late-delivery costs associated with the accelerated production increases on the 7-series commercial aircraft programs, the company sais.
Earnings will continue to be negatively impacted by these production inefficiencies in 1998, which is the expected production recovery period. The results reflect the combined operations and conforming accounting adjustments resulting from the merger with McDonnell Douglas Corporation, which was completed on Aug. 1, 1997. Comparable figures for the same period of 1996 were sales of $9.0 billion and net earnings of $466 million.
In addition to the commercial aircraft production problems, earnings for the quarter were lower than the same period last year due to program losses at the Douglas Products Division; higher research and development expense; higher joint venture development expense in the Information, Space & Defense Systems (ISDS) business units; and a higher effective income tax rate.

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Star Alliance adds Varig
Varig jetzt offiziell Mitglied der Star Alliance

VARIG Brazilian Airlines has become a full member of the Star Alliance family on October 23. With flights to every major destination in South America, VARIG opens up an entire continent to Star Alliance.Beginning October 26, VARIG frequent flyers will be able to accumulate and redeem mileage points whenever they fly on any scheduled flight operated by any Star Alliance airline. Likewise, members of any Star Alliance frequent flyer program will be able to accumulate and redeem mileage points on all scheduled flights operated by VARIG. Mileage points accumulated on Star Alliance flights qualify toward elite-level status in the frequent flyer program of a traveler's choice.
Fernando Pinto, President and Chief Executive Officer of VARIG, said: "VARIG customers will enjoy enormous benefits now that we have joined Star Alliance. I have been very impressed with the progress that the Star Alliance airlines have made so far in building this network. I have witnessed these five airlines working closely together to put customers first. On behalf of everyone at VARIG, I am pleased to add our name to the list of quality airlines that make up the Star Alliance network."
With the addition of VARIG, the six Star Alliance airlines now employ more than 230,000 people and serve 642 destinations around the world. Total revenue for the six Star Alliance airlines in 1996 was $45.7 billion. The Star Alliance airlines transport 184 million passengers annually, with 6692 daily departures on 1446 aircraft.

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Kayser-Thredereports successful MIRKA mission
Kayser-Threde meldet erfolgreiche MIRKA-Mission

The German reentry capsule MIRKA and the Russian science satellite Foton-11 landed successfully on October 23rd in Northern Kazachstan. During the two-week mission multiple experiments were conducted and apparently successful. The most remarkable experiment is MIRKA - the first German re-entry capsule. The successful landing was the "first" in Western Europe. For the participating companies MIRKA has build a solid basis for the development and configuration of rescue capsules for the International Space Station as well as for the participation for future reusable launcher rockets as successor to Ariane, Kayser-Threde said.
The MIRKA project will be continued and supported within a program for re-enty technology by the BMBF (Federal Ministry for education, science, research and technology) and the Bavarian Economic Ministry. It is expected that this program, in which Kayser-Threde plays an important role, is involved to a considerable extent will gain a high economic potential.
The FOTON-11 satellite was launched into a low earth orbit with a Soyuz rocket on October 9th, 1997 from the Russian cosmodrome Plesetsk. The re-entry capsule MIRKA as well as the biological experiment platform BIOPAN flew piggyback on FOTON.BIOPAN which was closed during launch and landing opened a day after launch for the performance of biological experiments in space. Several materials science experiments were performed in special developed furnace facilities accommodated in the FOTON capsule. The outer attached MIRKA capsule will remain passive for two weeks.
Simultaneously with the command for deboost of FOTON, MIRKA was activated and separated afterwards. After separation MIRKA flew fully autonomously and performed its experiments during re-entry. At an altitude of about 7 km the parachute system was activated. Both flight units landed in northern Kazakhstan. FOTON at 10:52 CET and MIRKA three minutes later. FOTON landed only 11 km and MIRKA 6 km away from the calculated target point.
BIOPAN, developed by Kayser-Threde under contract to ESA was now flown in the FOTON-11 mission for the third time. The first flight took place in 1992. The "pan" with about 40 cm in diameter and 20 cm in height was particularly developed for biological space experiments.
The re-entry capsule MIRKA, developed by Kayser-Threde GmbH, Munich and DASA Jena-Optronik GmbH, Jena under contract to the former German Space Agency DARA, has a spherical shape with a diameter of about 1m and a total mass of 154 kg. By using a new, self-supporting heat-shield structure, MIRKA is a dedicated research capsule solely for performance of re-entry experiments:
  • HEATIN (Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme der Universität Stuttgart):Measurement of temperature and pressure distribution as well as heat flow into the heat-shield during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.
  • RAFLEX (HTG - Hyperschall Technologie, Göttingen): Measurement of the aerodynamic and aerostatic pressure in the stagnation point and other selected portions of the capsule's surface.
  • PYREX (Institut für Raumfahrtsysteme der Universität Stuttgart): Pyrometric temperature measurements inside the heat-shield
  • HITZESCHILD (Dasa-Dornier Satellitensysteme, Friedrichshafen): The self-supporting outer structure acts as a heat-shield, too. It is based on a carbon fiber-inner structure with Apollo-type ablation material and is coated by a C/SIC-layer. This design achieves a weight saving of almost 40 per cent compared to typical heat-shield constructions.
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E-3 AWACS kits arrive at Manching
Dasa erhält E-3-Kits von Boeing

On October 22, Boeing has delivered the first AWACS radar system improvement kit to Dasas Manching factory. Installation of the kits, which consist of a new radar computer, a radar control maintenance panel and electrical an mechanical hardware, will begin in November.The delivery is the latest step in a multinational AWACS upgrade programme. Beoing and ist subcontractors are on contract to build 18 kits for NATO, four for the USAF and eight for the United Kingdom.
The Radar System Inprovement Programme will increase teh sensitivity of teh pulse Doppler radar so the aircraft can detect and track smaller stealthy targets over a longer range. It will also improve teh radar's electronic counter-countermeasures capability - making it harder to jam the system - and will upgrade the radar's existing computer with a new high-reliability multi-processor, as well as rewrite the software to make it easier to maintain and enhace in the future.

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Lockheed Martin to build Genesis spacecraft
Lockheed Martin baut Genesis-Raumsonde

Lockheed Martin Astronautics announced that the company has been chosen by NASA to be the industry partner on a team to develop the Gensis spacecraft to return solar wind samples to Earth for detailed analysis. Lockheed Martin Astronautics will build the spacecraft including the sample return capsule and will integrate the flight system at its facilities near Denver, Colorado. The total cost to NASA for the Genesis mission is $216 million, of which $76 million will be contracted to Astronautics.
Genesis will be launched on its journey in January 2001, followed by the return to Earth in August 2003 of a capsule carrying samples of the solar wind. The mission is part of NASA's Discovery Program, designed to foster the development of frequent, low-cost, highly-focused solar system exploration missions. Genesis was among 34 proposals originally submitted to NASA in December 1996, in the fifth Discovery program selection. Genesis, under the name Seuss-Urey, was a finalist in the fourth round of Discovery Program selections.

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Launch for Lunar Prospector rescheduled for January
Start von Lunar Prospector auf Januar verschoben

NASA officials announced the launch of the Lunar Prospector mission to explore the Moon has been rescheduled for January 5th, 1998. The schedule adjustment is necessary to allow adequate time to complete the rigorous testing, review and preparation of the new Lockheed Martin Athena II launch vehicle (formerly known as the LMLV-2), NASA said. The previous launch date was November 23rd, 1997.
Lunar Prospector will orbit above the Moon's surface at an altitude of approximately 63 miles during a one-year mission. Its five science instruments will provide detailed data on the composition and structure of the entire lunar landscape, of which more than 75 percent remains virtually unexplored. A key mission objective is to provide direct evidence of the presence or absence of ice in the shaded lunar polar regions.
Lunar Prospector is the third flight in NASA's Discovery Program series of "faster, better, cheaper" space science missions. The entire mission, including the spacecraft, launch vehicle, science instruments, and data operations and delivery, will be conducted at a total cost to NASA of $62.8 million.
The Lunar Prospector mission is being managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, via a prime contract with Lockheed Martin. The Athena II launch vehicle is being provided by Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colorado, as part of the prime contract.
The launch is scheduled to take place at 8:32 p.m., EST on January 5th, 1998, from the new Spaceport Florida Authority Launch Complex 46 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. A second, back-up launch window is available approximately 24 hours later on January 6th.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Aérospatiale has recently tested a 1:15 model of the latest FLA configuration in a windtunnel at CEAT in Toulouse. Main focus of the work was the low-speed handling at angles of atteck form -7 to close to 20 degrees. To accurately simulate the slipstreams, propellers were running at 1200 rpm. The props were driven by small 25 kW electrical motors. The host of data sampled during the six week campaign will now be used to further refine the design of the FLA.
+++
The Tupolev Aviation and Scientific-Technical complex celebrated its 75th anniversary on October 22. Since its foundation, the enterprise has designed and developed over 300 projects of virtually all kinds of flying machines for various purposes, including aerospace planes, propeller-sleigh, as well as unmanned aircraft.
+++
Lufthansa has stopped its flights from Berlin to London-Heathrow, leaving British Airways as the only carrier on the route between the two capitals. The company cited continuous losses since opening the service in 1992 as the reason for the decision, which was not taken lightly. Part of the blame was put on unfavourable slots at Heathrow.
+++
The Mir cosmonauts Anatoli Solovjov and Pavel Vinogradov put in an six hour spacewalk stint inside the damaged Spektr module on Monday, 20. October, to continue repair work on the damaged space station. Despite difficulties in the delicate work, they succeeded to reconnect two of three power lines within the module. Delays were encountered as they first had to put aside floating trash and relocate some of the equipment. A more thorough repair of Spektr itself may be tried in December, the Russian space centre has said.
+++
The Society of British Aerospace Companies has recently released its figures for 1996. They show a turnover of 13,06 billion Pounds as compared to 11,35 billion in 1995. 44 per cent was civil oriented and 56 per cent is defence, the SBAC said. Just under 93000 people are directly employed in the UK aerospace industry.
+++
Saab is considering whether to discontinue manufacturing of its two regional aircraft, the Saab 340 and the Saab 200, following continued considerable losses in the sector. A decision on teh long-term direction will be made in the next few months, it was announced on October 23. An alternative to manufacturing is increased cooperation with other manufacturers of commercial aircraft, the company said. 1800 of Saab's employees are in the regional aicraft operation, and they could be partly transferred to military production.
+++
The BMW Rolls-Royce BR715 engine has completed its 150 hour endurance test at Dahlewitz recently, the manufacturer has announced. This is part of the certification programme, which will run to September 1998. The BR715 is powering the MD-95 airliner, which will make its maiden flight in the second quarter of 1998.
+++

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Aerospace Award of Motor-Presse Stuttgart
Aerospace-Trophäe der Motor-Presse Stuttgart verliehen

Crews of the German Bundeswehr and Boarder Police Force received this year's Aerospace Award, presented by FLUG REVUE and aerokurier. The awards were presented by publishing director Peter-Paul Pietsch and the editors in chief of FLUG REVUE, Wolfdietrich Hoeveler, and aerokurier, Volker Thomalla, in the Brandenburg bureau in Bonn. The honored crews had played an important role in this summer's flood catastrophy in Germany's state of Brandeburg among them crews of Army CH-53s that had delivered sands bags to repair damaged dams along the Oder river. Crews of the Boarder Police had flown similiar missions with their Puma helicopters. A Luftwaffe crew was honored for outstanding mission achievement during the month long crisis. Finally a German Navy crew that had operated a special equipped Dornier 228 also received the award. This aircraft normally is used to detect oil pollution in the North Sea and the Baltic. With their sensor equipment they detected damaged dams.

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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen ist nach wie vor abrufbar:

PunktOctober 19, 1997 PunktOctober 12, 1997 PunktOctober 5, 1997

PunktSeptember 28, 1997 PunktSeptember 21, 1997 PunktSeptember 14, 1997 PunktSeptember 7, 1997

PunktAugust 24, 1997 PunktAugust 10, 1997 PunktAugust 3, 1997

PunktJuly 27, 1997 PunktJuly 13, 1997 PunktJuly 6, 1997

PunktJanuary to June 1997 PunktSeptember to December 1996

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Last updated October 24, 1997
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