FLUG REVUE update: Week ending June 25, 2000

U
P
D
A
T
E

UPDATE

Week ending June 25, 2000

+++ A3XX receives "authorisation to offer" +++ Four airlines launch global SkyTeam alliance +++ Rolls-Royce Trent 500 flies +++ New rocket engine tested +++ Multi-year contract for Super Hornet +++ Eutelsat orders new Hot Bird +++ Water on Mars? +++ News in brief +++

A3XX receives "authorisation to offer"
Grünes Licht für A3XX-Vermarktung

On June 23, the partners in Airbus Industrie, the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS) and BAE SYSTEMS, announced the formation of an Airbus Integrated Company (AIC) and agreed to give the "Authorisation to Offer" for the A3XX very large aircraft in the marketplace. EADS will hold an 80% interest in the Airbus Integrated Company and BAE SYSTEMS 20%. Under the terms of the agreement the partners will transfer all their Airbus related design, engineering and manufacturing assets located in France, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom to the new Airbus company. Incorporated in France, the AIC will employ some 38,000 people at locations in France, Germany, Spain and the UK.
"Authorisation to Offer" (ATO) follows an extensive review of the market which, in the past few months, has clearly indicated its demand, while continued analysis by the Airbus Industrie partners has reconfirmed the business case and financial viability of the programme, which will generate additional value for its shareholders. To date, eight companies have expressed their interest to Airbus Industrie in acquiring the A3XX. They include Air France, Emirates, ILFC, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and three other companies which are undisclosed.
For the next 20 years, Airbus Industrie foresees a demand for more than 1,200 passenger aircraft in the more than 400-seat category. These 1,200 are valued at some US $ 263 billion which represents some 22 percent of the overall business volume resulting from forecast deliveries. In addition Airbus Industrie predicts a demand for some 300 freighters in the categories above 80 tonnes.
Physical assembly of the A3XX will take place in Toulouse, while interior furnishing and customisation will be done in Hamburg. In addition to the final assembly work and customisation, A3XX fuselage sections will be produced at the existing sites in France and Germany, as for the other Airbus airliner programmes. The wings will be produced in the UK, while in Spain the horizontal stabiliser and other parts will be produced. Customer delivery of the A3XX will be done from Toulouse and Hamburg. The programme directorate for the single aisle family of aircraft will be established in Hamburg to set up the Single Aisle Centre of Airbus including the headquarter function in this location. Based on market demand, a third final assembly line will be installed in Hamburg.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Four airlines launch global SkyTeam alliance
Neue Airline-Allianz gegründet

On June 22, SkyTeam was announced as , the global airline alliance partnering Aeromexico, Air France, Delta Air Lines and Korean Air. SkyTeam's passengers will be able to choose from 6,402 daily flights - including more non stop destinations between the United States and Europe than any other airline grouping. The airlines' 174.3 million annual passengers also will experience a consistent level of performance, quality and detailed attention to customer service. In a joint statement, the airlines' CEOs said, "The introduction of SkyTeam will alter the competitive landscape for airline alliances. As the first global airline alliance created entirely around our customers, we are dedicated to providing the routes and services that best meet their needs. We are already working to expand our current offerings to provide more choices, better service and improved benefits."
Currently, SkyTeam's network of strategically located hubs in Latin America, Europe, the United States and Asia offers travelers multiple departure time options on 6,402 daily flights to 451 destinations in 98 countries: Aeromexico's Benito Juarez International Airport hub in Mexico City provides SkyTeam passengers with access to Latin America's leading airport, with more than 6,000 passengers passing through its gates per hour. Air France's operations at Charles de Gaulle Airport offer access to Europe's largest hub with more than 14,000 connections in less than two hours available each week - more than Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Heathrow, Brussels or Zurich. Delta's hub at Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport offers passengers more connections than any other airport on the world, with 1,316 daily flights to 126 destinations.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Rolls-Royce Trent 500 flies
Trent 500 für A340-500/600 fliegt

On June 21, the Rolls-Royce Trent 500 aero engine, which has already won orders worth more than $5 billion, flew for the first time. The Trent 500 is the sole engine type for the new long-range versions of the Airbus Industrie A340 airliner due to enter service with Virgin Atlantic in 2002. It made its maiden flight on a specially adapted A340-300 flying test bed at Airbus Industrie headquarters in Toulouse, marking the latest stage of the engine's development programme which is on schedule. The single 56,000lb thrust Trent, installed alongside the A340-300's remaining three smaller engines, completed a successful two and a half hour flight. Test Pilot Ed Strongman said: "The engine performed really well and we achieved everything we set out to do. It was a perfect first flight. We have worked in the simulator and on ground runs but it was really pleasing to see that the Trent responded just as we predicted in flight." The flight follows over 1,500 hours of ground testing involving a total of seven Trent 500 development engines. This has included hundreds of simulated flights as well as water and ice ingestion, fan blade containment, and generating hurricane-force crosswinds to mimic extreme weather conditions. Engine certification by the airworthiness authorities in December is on schedule. To date, ten customers have ordered a total of 129 firm and option A340-500 and -600s. The A340-500 will carry 313 passengers a maximum range of 8,650 nautical miles while the higher capacity -600, with 380 passengers, has a range of 7,500 n.m.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

New rocket engine tested
Boeing/Astrium testen neues Triebwerk

A team from Boeing and Astrium GmbH (formerly DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (Dasa)) has successfully completed hot-fire testing of the RS-72 Pathfinder engine at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. The test success is the latest milestone in a jointly sponsored development program to fabricate and test a 12,500-pound (55 kN) thrust pump-fed storablepropellant prototype engine. The 14th and final test of the engine on May 3 operated at 100-percent power and it ran for 60-seconds. "We're all kind of walking on clouds here," said Jon Volkmann, Integrated Project Team leader for the RS-72 Pathfinder program. "For a brand new engine to reach full power in the time we had was a great accomplishment for everyone involved."
The RS-72 Pathfinder engine includes a powerpack (turbopump, gas generator, valves, and controls) from the Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power business of Boeing and a thrust chamber assembly provided by Astrium. It is an upgraded derivative of the flight proven Astrium Aestus engine and the Rocketdyne-developed XLR-132 engine. The combination provides increased performance, multiple restarts and a design life of 2,500-seconds. The RS-72 is a pump-fed engine using nitrogen tetroxide and monomethyl hydrazine for propellant. The engine is designed for higher performance, thrust and reliability than competing pressure fed systems using the same propellants, with application on existing, or new and evolved launch vehicles.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Multi-year contract for Super Hornet
Grossauftrag für F-18E/F

The U.S. Navy has awarded a multiyear contract to Boeing for the production of 222 Super Hornets. The $8.9 billion contract ensures continued production of the Super Hornet at Boeing facilities in St. Louis for the next five years. Under the terms of the contract, the Navy will purchase 36 aircraft in fiscal year 2000, 42 aircraft the following year, and 48 aircraft for each of the following three years. The multiyear agreement builds budgetary flexibility into the contract by allowing the Navy to increase or decrease the quantity of aircraft on order, except for the first year, by as many as six aircraft. Strike Fighter Squadron 115 (VFA-115) from Naval Air Station Lemoore, Calif., is slated to be the first fleet operational Super Hornet squadron. Currently flying F/A-18Cs, the squadron will start the transition to F/A-18Es later this fall and embark on its first deployment in June 2002 aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Boeing now has orders for 284 Super Hornets of which 22 have been delivered on time or ahead of schedule. The Navy plans to buy a minimum of 548 of the aircraft.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Eutelsat orders new Hot Bird
Hot Bird-Auftrag für Astrium

EUTELSAT has concluded a contract with Astrium for the fast delivery of a new Hot Bird satellite for 13 degrees East, home to one of the world's largest satellite television and radio broadcasting systems. The new 40-transponder Ku-band bird will be delivered to EUTELSAT in second quarter 2002. In addition to a SuperWidebeam over Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, it will be equipped with two steerable spotbeams that will be pointed outside Europe to support EUTELSAT's expansion in new geographical markets. The rapid delivery of the new satellite (called Hot Bird 7) underpins EUTELSAT's strategy to raise the level of in-orbit security it provides to client broadcasters who are running subscription-based home entertainment packages and free-to-air broadcasting services via 13 degrees East. More than 81 million homes in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East receive television delivered by the HOT BIRD satellites, either via direct-to-home reception (24 million homes) or a local cable network (58 million homes).

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Water on Mars?
NASA sieht Anzeichen für Wasser auf dem Mars

In what could turn out to be a landmark discovery in the history of Mars exploration, imaging scientists using data from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have recently observed features that suggest there may be current sources of liquid water at or near the surface of the red planet. The new images show the smallest features ever observed from martian orbit -- the size of an SUV. NASA scientists compare the features to those left by flash floods on Earth. "We see features that look like gullies formed by flowing water and the deposits of soil and rocks transported by these flows. The features appear to be so young that they might be forming today. We think we are seeing evidence of a ground water supply, similar to an aquifer," said Dr. Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera on the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft at Malin Space Science Systems (MSSS), San Diego, CA. "These are new landforms that have never been seen before on Mars."

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Bombardier Aerospace has marked a major milestone with the recent delivery of the 500th Challenger. The 500th Challenger, a model 604, rolled off the Dorval production line May 25 and is being prepared to enter service later this year. The first delivery of the original Challenger 600 occurred in December, 1980. "The production of this 500th aircraft is a landmark event for the Challenger program and for the business aircraft industry as a whole," said Rob Gillespie, president, Bombardier Aerospace, Business Aircraft. "The Challenger has changed the face of business aviation - and helped to transform Bombardier into one of the world's leading aviation companies."
+++
Lockheed Martin Space Systems has been awarded one of four study contracts by the Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) Preparatory Project (NPP). NPP is a proposed joint mission to extend key measurements in support of long term monitoring of climate trends and global biological productivity, and also to provide risk reduction for new NPOESS payloads. NPP will extend the measurement series being initiated with the MODIS instrument on EOS Terra and the AIRS, AMSU and HSB instruments that will fly on EOS Aqua. MODIS-like measurements will be continued using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS). AIRS-like measurements will be obtained from the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS). The NPOESS Integrated Program Office (IPO) will provide both of these sensors. The AMSU and HSB measurement series will be extended by the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), which will be provided by NASA. Thus, NPP will provide NASA with a continuation of global change observations that include monitoring of atmospheric and sea surface temperatures, humidity sounding, land and ocean biological productivity, and cloud and aerosol properties.
+++
The competition between Boeing and Lockheed Martin for the right to build the Joint Strike Fighter will remain a winner-take-all battle for the largest single Pentagon contract in history, a Pentagon spokesman has said. Some members of Congress had urged Defense Department officials to split production of the plane between the companies to maintain both fighter manufacturers. But Pentagon procurement chief Jacques Gansler said the Defense Department plans to award the contract entirely to one bidder. "The strategy is to be a winner-take-all program," said Gansler, undersecretary of defense for acquisitions, technology and logistics. The victor earns the right to garner $200 billion to $400 billion in contracts to build 3,000 to 6,000 of the fighters, depending on foreign demand, Pentagon officials say. The contract is to be awarded in the spring.
+++
The Defense Department awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. a $1.3 billion contract Tuesday to sell Greece about 50 F-16 fighters. Greece will buy about 50 F-16 fighter jets for a total of $2.1 billion, including support and aircraft mission equipment, between 2002 and 2004. The jets will be built at Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth aeronautics plant. Greece also has an option on 10 more F-16s. "We have firm orders now through the end of 2006," said Kathryn Hayden, a Lockheed spokeswoman.
+++
Bahrain has received the first of its new production F-16 aircraft in ceremonies at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company. The aircraft is the first of 10 F-16s purchased under the Peace Crown II program. Col. Khalifa Al-Khalifa, Defence Attache for the Embassy of Bahrain, accepted the first of the F-16s that will establish a new fighter squadron for the Bahrain Amiri Air Force (BAAF) at Sheikh Isa Air Base. The new F-16s will supplement the BAAF's existing inventory of 12 Block 40s (eight C model, four D model) that were purchased in 1987 and delivered in 1990.
+++
On June 21 the Federal Aviation Administration granted Cessna Aircraft Company the type certificate for the Model 525A Citation CJ2, marking the third Citation FAA type certificate awarded to Cessna this year. One of four new Citation models introduced at the 1998 NBAA Convention, the Citation CJ2 is the first aircraft completely developed, manufactured and certified by Cessna utilizing the integrated team concept. The integrated team concept leverages the expertise of all functional areas during the planning, development and manufacturing process. This approach has resulted in a high quality product that meets and exceeds customer expectations while easily being integrated into the manufacturing process. The CJ2 responds to increasing Cessna customer and prospect interest in a Citation with the latest technology avionics, higher cruise speeds, more cabin room, and greater range than the highly successful CitationJet. The CJ2 delivers all of these market-driven qualities while retaining simple systems for maintainability and reliability, excellent operating economics, balanced performance and impressive styling.
+++
ESA welcomed Canada's Prime Minister, Jean Chrétien, at a special ceremony held at its Paris headquarters to celebrate the continuing partnership between Europe and Canada in space applications and technology. The Prime Minister met the Director General of ESA, Antonio Rodotà, and the heads of delegations representing ESA's 14 member states. The Prime Minister's visit culminated in the renewal of Canada's association with ESA through the signing of a 10-year cooperation agreement by Antonio Rodotà and William Mac Evans, President of the Canadian Space Agency. The agreement acknowledges the long history of cooperation between Europe and Canada and the socio-economic benefits that come from joint promotion of the peaceful development of space activities and technology.
+++
The European Space Agency, ESA, and the French Space Agency, CNES, signed a charter on 20 June 2000 to promote cooperation among space system operators in deploying their systems in the event of major natural or technological disasters. The charter was signed by Mr Antonio Rodotà, ESA's Director General, and Mr Gérard Brachet, Director General of CNES. Every year, and at all latitudes, our planet is hit by natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, forest fires and tropical storms. The Earth is scarred too by human activities such as pollution by hydrocarbons, toxic and radioactive substances. When disasters strike, the charter signatories will support the organisations responsible for managing the situation and carrying out rescue operations by making available Earth observation, positioning, telecommunications and TV broadcasting space systems, ground facilities and archive image data. In particular, data from ESA's Earth observation satellites - ERS-2 and in the near future Envisat - and from the SPOT-1, 2, 4 and shortly 5* satellites operated by CNES - will provide authorities with the reliable information they need, complementing inputs from conventional ground-based and airborne systems.
+++
At its 146th meeting, on 20 June in Paris, the ESA Council took the decision to extend the term of office of the Director General, Antonio Rodotà, for a period of two years from 1 July 2001. The terms of office of Hans Kappler, Director of Industrial Matters and Technology, and Daniel Sacotte, Director of Administration, are renewed for a period of four years from 1 June 2001.
+++
Sikorskyannounced that it has teamed with Mirabel, Canada-based Bombardier Aerospace, Defence Services to offer Sikorsky's S-92 helicopter as the replacement for Sea King helicopters currently in service with the Canadian Forces. Dean Borgman, Sikorsky's President, said that this agreement between the two companies would see Bombardier being our Canadian partner, responsible for all aspects pertaining to the completion of the S-92s, which includes interior installations, installation and check-out of the mission equipment, exterior painting, and support of final acceptance and delivery. Bombardier will also handle S-92 in-service support and fleet management as determined by the ultimate requirements of the Canadian government.
+++
IATA has highlighted overall growth in the number of passengers and freight carried in 1999. During 1999, IATA member airlines carried over 1.3 billion scheduled passengers - a growth of 3.8 per cent from 1998. In addition, data contained in WATS indicates an important trend reversal from 1998 - in 1999, passenger traffic growth was higher than growth in capacity. Buoyed by the economic recovery in Asia, IATA's member airlines carried 27.7 million tonnes of cargo in 1999, up 5.9 per cent from the previous year. The Asia-Pacific's economic recovery has also augured well for that region's airline industry. Passengers carried on international services within Asia increased by 9.6 per cent in 1999, but growth in other regions has been minimal, with the North Atlantic recording growth of only 3.9 per cent (against 9.6 per cent in 1998) and international traffic between North and South America down 12.7 per cent. The airline industry remained profitable in 1999, but net profitability on international scheduled services fell more than 20 percent, mainly because average yields fell two points faster than unit costs.
+++
NASA has announced the awards for the NASA Launch Services (NLS) contracts, which will provide a broad range of launch services for NASA planetary, earth-observing and scientific payloads. NASA selected both Boeing Delta Launch Services, Inc. and Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services, Inc. for award of an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract with a minimum of one launch service to each contractor, spanning a 10-year period. NASA has the ability to order up to a total of 70 launch services under all NLS contracts bringing the total estimated value to $5 billion. Included in the 70 launch services, Boeing Delta Launch Services, Inc. was awarded three firm missions with a value of more than $168 million and five option missions with a potential value of over $248 million, with an overall value of about $417 million.
+++
Ryanair has achieved a pre-tax profit rise in 1999/2000, up 19 per cent to 90 million Euro. Passengers were up 13 per cent, and turnover 25 per cent, to 370 million Euro. Ryanair has 45 routes to 11 countries.
+++

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite