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UPDATE 
Week ending December 7, 1997
+++ Ariane 4 launches JCSAT-5 +++ Lufthansa orders A340-600s and more 747s +++ Baden-Airport to double traffic in 1998 +++ A330-200 flies with PW4000 enignes +++ Deutsche BA orders sich Boeing 737-300s +++ Italy orders C-130J Hercules +++ MiG-29SMT makes maiden flight +++ News in Brief +++

Ariane 4 launches JCSAT-5
Japanischer Satellit mit Ariane gestartet

During the night of December 2 to 3, Arianespace successfully launched the telecommunications satellite JCSAT-5 for Japanese company Japan Satellite Systems Inc., and the scientific satellite Equator-S, built by the Max Planck Institute of Germany. Flight 103 was carried out by an Ariane 44P, the version of the European launcher with four strap-on solid-propellant boosters. Flight 103 is the 11th Ariane launch this year (ten Ariane 4 and one Ariane 5). Liftoff from the Europe Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana took place at: 7:52:32s pm local time in Kourou.
JCSAT-5 was designed and built for the Japanese company Japan Satellite Systems Inc. (JSAT) by the US firm Hughes Space & Communications in El Segundo, California. Weighing 2,982 kg (6,560 lb) at launch, it is equipped with 32 Ku-band transponders. Positioned at 150 degrees East, over New Guinea, it will route telecommunications services for JSAT to Japan, the Asia-Pacific region and the Hawaii archipelago. The Equator-S satellite was built by the Max Planck Institute in Garching, Germany. Weighing 230 kg (506 lb) at launch, it will measure the impact and effects of solar wind on terrestrial electromagnetic fields. Positioned in a 500 - 63,700 km elliptical orbit, Equator-S completes the ISTP (International Solar Terrestrial Physics) programme.

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Lufthansa orders A340-600s and more 747s
A340-600 Auftrag von Lufthansa

The German airline Lufthansa has announced that it will buy 10 Airbus wide-bodied passenger aircraft and five Boeing Junbo Jets. The new purchase, worth over 3.6 billion German marks (2 billion U.S. dollars), was approved by the company's supervisory board in Frankfurt. On the purchase list are the new 330-seater Airbus A 340-600 models, which are due to enter service in the year 2003, as well as the 400-seater Boeing 747-400, which will be delivered by the U.S. company during the period from 2000 to 2002. Lufthansa chairman Juergen Weber said the move would enable the company to maintain one of the world's most modern fleets after the year 2000.
Airbus has now around 100 commitments for its planned A340-500/600 models,the marketing of which began in June. A formal launch has been delayed, though, not least because British Aerospace has found it difficult to convince its Government to come up wiht 120 million pounds of aid. BAe argues that the government woulc earn a healthy return on its investment throug repayments on sales.

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Baden-Airport to double traffic in 1998
Gute Verkehrsentwicklung beim Baden-Airport

Baden-Airport, previously known as the Canadian Air Forces base Söllingen, will finish its firt full year of operations under private ownership with around 13000 movements, managing director Dr. Morlock has reported. 30 per cent of take-off and landings are attributed to business-aviation, he said. For next year movements should nearly double, he predicted, and passenger numbers will boom as charter companies like TUI and Neckermann will offer flights to ten holiday destinations. Also, talks are under way with Swiss carrier Crossair to establish a regional feeder connection to Basle-Mulhouse.
After investing 26 million DM this year, Baden-Airport now has a large aproon and a passenger terminal able to cope with around 400 passengers at once. An ILS CATI approach to runway 21 is possible since May. Further improvements are planned as the potential of 119000 charter and scheduled passengers a year is realised in the next decade. This will come from the Rhine valley region with towns like Karlsruhe, Straßbourg and Baden-Baden in the vicinity. Also, due to airfield closures at Baden-Baden and Karlsruhe, the Baden-Airport will attract General Aviation aircraft and the associated maintenance and service businesses, it is expected.
Baden-Airport is just one part of the Baden-Airpark concept. A private investment group with a capital of 40 million DM plans to use the large area of the former NATO air base to establish a logistics center and an industrial park for high-tech companies as well as service areas like hotel and shops and even a golf course. These activities will actually bring in more money than the airport itself, which will operate at a loss for another four to five years.

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A330-200 flies with PW4000 enignes
Erster Flug der A330-200 mit Pratt-Triebwerken

On December 4, the A330-200 made its first flight with Pratt & Whitney engines. The six-hour-and-35-minute flight went smoothly with the PW4168 engines performing well throughout. The Pratt & Whitney-powered A330 will now conduct a flight test program leading to certification for airline service in June 1998.
The PW4168 continues to hold market share leadership on the Airbus Industrie A330 aircraft against General Electric and Rolls-Royce after three years of service to airlines around the world. Pratt & Whitney developed the 4168-version specifically for the A330. Rated at between 64,000 and 68,000 pounds of thrust, the engine built on the 94-inch fan PW4000 which was first introduced in 1987 with thrust up to 60,000 pounds. Pratt & Whitney designed significant thrust growth capability into the 100-inch fan engine with the largest fan diameter, largest engine core size and lowest turbine operating temperatures of any engine offered on the A330, according to the manufacturer.

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Deutsche BA orders sich Boeing 737-300s
Neue 737-300 für die Deutsche BA

On December 2, Deutsche BA has ordered six additional Boeing 737-300s. Scheduled for delivery the first quarter of 1998 through 1999, the new airplanes will be used mainly on German domestic routes. Earlier this year, the airline announced an order for seven 737-300s. Deutsche BA is affiliated with British Airlines, which owns 49 percent of the airline. Deutsche BA operates as part of BA's global network.

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Italy orders C-130J Hercules
Lockheed Martin verkauft Hercules an Italien

Lockheed Martin has finally clinched the sale of 18 C-130J Hercules airlifers to the Italian Air Force. At the same time, the U.S. Department of Defense signing for 14.further aircraft. With their order, the Italian Air Force becomes the fourth nation to buy the advanced tactical airlifter, joining the U.S., the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force. Terms of the contracts were not disclosed. Lockheed Martin said it will begin deliveries to the Italian Air Force in 1999.
The company said seven of the new U.S. C-130J aircraft will be outfitted as WC-130J weather reconnaissance aircraft, commonly known as hurricane hunters. Three aircraft are designated for the U.S. Marine Corps and will become KC-130J tanker aircraft used both for aerial refueling of helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, and for rapid ground refueling.To date, 73 C-130Js have been ordered from Lockheed Martin.

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MiG-29SMT makes maiden flight
Erstflug der MiG-29SMT

A new model of the MIG-29 fighter, made its maiden flight on Saturday, November 29 at Zhukovsky, outside Moscow. The jet was flown by test-pilot Marat Alykov. The MIG-29SMT was demonstrated for the first time to the Russian president at the International Aerospace Show last August and was highly praised. As it was promised to the president by the management of the MAPO company, the new aircraft took off from the airfield before the end of the year, and its flying tests started, chief designer of the plane Valeri Novikov said.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

On December 2, Arianespace has ordered an additional 20 Ariane 4 launchers from the European space industry, to enhance its launch services and ensure service continuity in the booming satellite launch market. Worth an estimated 12 billion francs (about $2 billion at current exchange rates), this order will enable Arianespace to satisfy launch demand during the period 2000-2002, based on the concurrent operation of the Ariane 4 and Ariane 5 launch systems. To date, European industry has booked orders for a total of 160 launch vehicles in this family.
+++
GKN Westland Helicopters has recently opened a multi-million pound Customer Training Centre, which will provide state-of-the-art training for helicopter aircrews, ground crews and engineering and maintenance staff form allover the world. Many of the facilities are geared towards the introduction into service of the advanced EH101 helicopter and the new WAH-64 Apache Longbow attack helicopter. Westland anticipates that 500 students will attend the Training Centre during 1998, the majority of them Royal Navy personnel.
+++
The fourth relief contingent of the German army SFOR troops has recently begun to relocote to Bosnia-Herzegowina. It includes soldiers from the Heeresfliegerregiment 15 (Rheine) and of the drone batterie of artillery regiment 14 (Eggesin).
+++
On December 4, Delta Air Lines announced its selection of Flight Dynamics as its preferred supplier to equip its newly ordered fleet of new generation Boeing 737 aircraft with Head-Up Display Systems (HUDs). Delta plans to commence negotiations toward a definitive agreement for the purchase of these systems. In making the announcement, Harry C. Alger, Delta's executive vice president - operations, linked the purchase of the systems to the airline's long-standing commitment to safety and operation-enhancing initiatives. "Integration of this technology will allow Delta's pilots to establish new levels of operational reliability and excellence among the world's largest commercial airlines," noted Alger.
+++
On November 28, Frederick Engstrom, ESA Director of Launchers, Michel Courtois, Deputy Director-General of CNES and Mr Jean-Marie Luton, Chairman of Arianespace signed the document formally handing over Ariane launch complex ELA-3 from ESA to Arianespace. Representing an investment of some 800 million ECU, ELA-3 is by far the largest installation built by ESA under the Ariane 5 development programme. CNES was responsible for its design, construction and operation during cryogenic main stage testing and the first two qualification facilities.
+++
The space shuttle Columbia returned to Earth on Friday morning, December 5, winding up a 16-day mission during which Japanese crew member Takao Doi became the first Japanese to perform a spacewalk. Columbia reentered Earth's atmosphere and glided gracefully to a powerless landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:21 a.m. Central Standard Time The crew returned to Earth with a wealth of discoveries adding to the storehouse of scientific and technological knowledge gleaned from a suite of state-of-the-art science experiments.
+++
A formal Agreement between the European Space Agency and the Russian Space Agency confirms that a Russian Proton launcher will lift ESA's Integral satellite into space in 2001. In return, Russian astronomers will have about a quarter of the observing time on Integral, as it examines gamma-ray sources in the Universe. The Agreement also assures a place for Russian astronomers in Integral's science team supervising the instrumental and astronomical aspects of the mission. The Agreement is the culmination of five years of study and negotiation that began when scientists and engineers were first defining Integral, even before its selection in 1993 as a medium-size mission to be included in ESA's science programme.
+++
Aerolitoral, a regional airline subsidiary of Grupo Cintra, announced it has invested 50 million dollars in the acquisition to six new Saab 340B airplanes. Service with the first of these new 33-seat aircraft began on December 1, and the other five planes will be delivered one a month through May 1998. The new SAAB's will increase Aerolitoral's fleet to 33 aircraft and permit longer routes.
+++
Malaysia Airlines, the national airline of Malaysia, on December 3 announced it has purchased a Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) -- making it the first BBJ customer in Asia. The order from Malaysia Airlines is one of 29 total announced orders for the BBJ since its launch in July 1996 as the product of a joint venture between The Boeing Company and General Electric Co. (GE). This year alone, Boeing Business Jets has booked 26 orders.
+++
The ASTRA 1G satellite of Luxembourg-based Societe Europeenne des Satellites (SES) was successfully launched with a Russian Proton 1-D-e rocket from the Cosmodrome of Baikonur (Kazakhstan) in the early morning hours of December 3rd, 1997 (04.10 am Baikonur time; 00.10 am CET). ASTRA 1G is the seventh SES satellite to be co-located at the orbital position of 19.2 deg East.The spacecraft was built by Hughes Space and Communications of El Segundo (California). ASTRA 1G is an HS601 HP type spacecraft (HP = High Power), carrying up' to 32 active transponders (for the first five years, 28 thereafter) with a TWTA (Travelling Wave Tube) output power of 98 Watts.
+++
Latest indications in the long-running search for a successor of Airbus chief executive Jean Pierson point to Matra boss Noel Forgeard. His name was apparently put forward by the French at a recent supervisory board meeting. Piersons contract expires next April.
+++
Dornier Luftfahrt, now part of the Fairchild group, will deliver Airbus parts worth 500 million DM over the next five years to Daimler-Benz Aerospace Airbus at Hamburg. The deal includes rear fuselages, flaps and parts of cabin floors. It will certainly help sustain the company, which builds the 328 regional turboprop and plans to fly the 328JET next January.
+++
Bayerische Landesbank has increased its stake in charter Airline Aero Lloyd from 51 to 68 million DM, pushing to 51 per cent.
+++
Swiss regional airline Crossair has ordered six new Saab 2000 high speed turboprop regional airliners, adding to the 25 already in service. Delivery will be in 1998 and 1999. The announcement on December 5 says that this contract will not have any effect on Saabs long term intention to cease airliner production. Crossair also has placed an order for four AI(R) RJ100 reginal jets. The first two will be handed over next year and the remaing two in 1999. Counting DAT also, the Swissair group is now the largest RJ operator.
+++
On 1. December 1997, the Principality of Monaco became the 27th Member State of Eurocontrol. As a member state of the ECAC and the ICAO, MOnaco participates in all the work currently under way to facilityte civil aviation operatiions in Europe.
+++
The city of Hannover and the Lower Saxony state have decided to offer for sale 15 per cent each of their 50 per cent holdings in the Hannover airport. The privatisation will be handled by investment bank UBS
+++

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

*November 30, 1997 *November 23, 1997 *November 16, 1997 *November 9, 1997 *November 2, 1997

*October 26, 1997 *October 19, 1997 *October 12, 1997 *October 5, 1997

*January to September 1997 *September to December 1996

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Last updated December 5, 1997
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