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UPDATE 
Week ending June 3, 2001
+++ X-43 destroyed early in flight test +++ Air France launches GP7200 on Airbus A380 +++ LTU becomes new A330-200 operator +++ JAS 39 Gripen sole offer to Czech +++ IATA AGM resolutions +++ News in brief +++

X-43 destroyed early in flight test
Hyperschall-Flugversuch schlägt fehl

A NASA X-43A hypersonic unpiloted research aircraft was destroyed on June 2 while on a flight originating from the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Following pre-launch countdown and separation from the B-52, a malfunction occurred five seconds in to the boost phase that caused the Hyper-X stack (Hyper-X vehicle and booster) to depart from controlled flight. The debris impacted within the pre-cleared range impact area in the Pacific Ocean. The mishap occurred at 1:45 p.m. PDT. There was no damage to property on the ground, and there were no injuries and no damage to the carrier aircraft. A team of qualified personnel is being formed to investigate the cause of the mishap.This mission was the first of three flights to demonstrate an airframe-integrated, "air-breathing" propulsion system design called a scramjet, which so far has only been tested in ground facilities, such as wind tunnels.
The X-43A is a 12-foot-long, unpiloted research vehicle. The booster accelerates the X-43A until it separates at a predetermined altitude and velocity to fly a pre-programmed trajectory. Two more research flights are planned--one flight at Mach 7 and one at Mach 10. Following the separation, the X-43A will conduct aerodynamic and propulsion experiments until it impacts into the Pacific Ocean. NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va., has overall management of the program and leads the technology effort.

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Air France launches GP7200 on Airbus A380
Erste Bestellung für GE/Pratt-Triebwerk

Air France has launched the advanced GP7200 engine on the new Airbus A380-800 with an order for engines to power 10 firm aircraft scheduled to begin delivery in fourth quarter 2006. The value of the order, including option and spare engines, is nearly $900 million. "We are extremely pleased with this order,'' said Lloyd Thompson, president of the GE-P&W Engine Alliance. "We've been developing this engine since 1996, and we have all of the elements of a truly great powerplant. The GP7200 will provide Air France with industry-leading fuel efficiency and reliability and the best overall cost of ownership on the A380.''
The GP7200 core, which is a scaled version of that being developed for the GE90-115B, recently completed its second full-scale test, meeting all performance requirements and exceeding projected operability characteristics. Another build is planned for testing in 2002. Successful testing of a 42 percent scaled GP7200 swept wide chord fan was recently completed at Pratt & Whitney facilities in Longueuil, Quebec. The tests validated performance improvements of the 3-D aerodynamic design. The next phase of development will start in early 2003 when the Engine Alliance begins detailed design work, leading to the first full engine test in early 2004. The GP7200 is scheduled for joint U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Joint Airworthiness Authorities certification in mid-2005. First flight of the GP7200-powered A380 is scheduled for early 2006, with aircraft certification and entry into service planned for the end of that year.

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LTU becomes new A330-200 operator
A330-200 bei LTU im Dienst

The German airline LTU took delivery of its first A330-200 on 18th May 2001, and began operating the aircraft on May 28. This represents another step in the carrier's fleet modernisation programme, destined to result in an all-Airbus fleet by the end of 2003. In total, LTU will operate seven A330-200s equipped with PW4168A engines from Pratt & Whitney, alongside six A320s and two A321s. LTU will use the A330-200s on its long-range network to the US, Africa, Asia and the Caribbean islands while also re-establishing services to Los Angeles and Toronto from Düsseldorf.

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JAS 39 Gripen sole offer to Czech
Nur ein Kampfflugzeug-Angebot für Tschechien

By the deadline of May 31, the Czech Defence Ministry said in a statement that BAE System and Saab offered the JAS 39 Gripen, and no other bids for the roughly $2.5 billion deal for new fighters had arrived. Other competitors, like Eurofighter, Dassault, and Lockheed Martin as well as Boeing had complained of lack of transparency, non-standard procedures and heavy political and commercial lobbying, which made any win unattractive. The BAE-Saab consortium has long been considered the favourite in the tender and if the Czech Republic accepts its offer, the country will become the first post-Communist NATO member to buy western-made fighters. The government has pushed ahead with the plan to replace an ageing fleet of Russian-made MiG-21s, despite NATO pleas to focus on the reform of land forces. The cabinet, however, has admitted it may end up not choosing any supplier due to budget constraints. The Czech cabinet has resisted calls from opposition politicians to scrap the competition, saying the tender will continue as previously planned. The government plans to review the offer by the end of September.

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IATA AGM resolutions
Beschlüsse der IATA

On the final day of the 57th Annual General Meeting and World Aviation Summit in Madrid, 29 May, IATA Members addressed four critical issues impacting on the industry's future. They passed resolutions to make the industry even safer, to minimise its environmental impact, to make providers of aviation infrastructure services accountable to their
customers and to reduce the cost of financing future aircraft assets.
Specifically: Operational Quality Standards for IATA Members were extended in their scope and the new Safety Audit Programme was endorsed as a means to harmonise existing audit standards, auditor qualification and their international recognition.
New noise stringency standards for the manufacture of new aircraft were welcomed and delegates urged national, regional and local authorities to ensure that effective land use planning and management measures are in place around airports. ICAO's recommendation for a ' balanced approach ' to noise was endorsed.
A call was made for service level agreements to be established, to ensure that infrastructure providers deliver agreed levels of service, to airlines and the travelling public. Governments and infrastructure providers were called on to ensure that capacity meets market demands in the future.
Governments were urged to support the adoption of a proposed Convention and Protocol on advanced asset - based financing and leasing, which would reduce the cost of credit by substantial sums. Such adoption would take place at the Diplomatic Conference in Capetown, October 2001.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

NASA Managers announced that Space Shuttle Atlantis and its five-member crew will not launch before early July to begin STS-104. The extra time will allow the International Space Station Program time to evaluate a problem with the station's new robotic arm, Canadarm2. The station arm will be used to lift STS-104's primary cargo, the Joint Airlock, out of Atlantis's payload bay and attach it to the station. Managers will meet in mid-June to evaluate a new launch date for STS-104. Meanwhile, Atlantis transferred from the Orbiter Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building, or VAB. It will be attached to the External Tank in the VAB's High Bay 1. Atlantis will remain there until a new rollout date is selected.
+++
On May 31, Boeing delivered Continental Airlines' first Next-Generation 737-900 airplane, making it the second airline this month to receive the newest model of the 737 family. With this delivery, Continental becomes the first domestic customer to operate three of the four Next-Generation 737 models: the 737-700, 737-800 and the 737-900. The airline has 15 737-900s on order. Boeing will deliver 10 of the new airplanes this year and another five in 2002.
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Pilots from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School are currently testing the L 159 ALCA manufactured by Aero Vodochody. The pilots, who have undergone ground instruction, are performing test flights on the two-seat prototype of the L 159 with an Aero Vodochody test pilot. The group is led by Commander John Parker, who has logged approximately 2,700 flight hours in more than 60 types of aircraft throughout his military career. Another member of the team, Lieutenant Michael Neuser, is testing the L 159 for his studies at the school and plans to base his final paper on his experiences flying the L 159 ALCA. Besides American test pilots, the team also includes Captain Mikko Korteoja of the Air Force of Finland. The tests are designed to evaluate the aircraft's performance during both routine flights and various aerobatic maneuvers.
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Chinese officials have agreed to return the damaged Navy EP-3 plane they've held on Hainan Island since April 1 -- in pieces. The Navy surveillance plane collided in mid-air with a Chinese fighter April 1 (March 31 in the United States) and made an emergency landing on Hainan shortly after. U.S. officials had sought to repair the plane on Hainan and fly it home, but the Chinese rejected the idea. Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. Craig Quigley told reporters May 29 that disassembling the plane would be more costly and time-consuming than repairing it and flying it out. As a compromise, the United States will partially disassemble the plane and bring it home in a Russian AN-124 cargo plane. Quigley said an AN-124 would be leased from an unspecified country because none are in the U.S. inventory. "At the end of the day, we're glad to get the airplane back in a condition that it can be repaired and used again," Quigley said in a Pentagon briefing. The large size of the AN-124 allows the EP-3 to remain intact enough that it can be repaired after it is back in the United States. The admiral said disassembly and reassembly of the $80 million EP-3 would be "complex," but preferable to transporting it in a smaller plane. That, he said, would probably damage the EP-3 beyond repair.
+++
Stork/Fokker has been selected by Airbus Industrie to supply fuselage sections for the A380, the new-generation aircraft with a capacity of 555 passengers. 'This is a very important breakthrough of an innovative material in aerospace and an impulse for Dutch aerospace industry', says Stork CEO Aad Veenman. The sections concerned are for the upper part of the fuselage. They will be constructed from the new lightweight material 'Glare' (glass fibre reinforced), an aluminium/fibre laminate that was developed in co-operation with the Delft University of Technology and the Netherlands National Aerospace Laboratory. The package will create revenues for Stork of approximately EUR 30 million a year during an expected period of decades, starting in 2005. As well as for the supply of the fuselage sections, the Stork Aerospace group already has an agreement in principle with Airbus for participation in the A380 programme, under which Stork Aerospace could be responsible for 2.5% of the total development and production of the A380. The majority of this task relates to the company's own participation, which is expected to include the supply of structural wing sections as well as electrical (sub) systems.
+++
South Korean science and technology vice minister Yu Hee-yol and Yuri N. Koptev, director general of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency (RASA) agreed Wednesday (May 30) to promote the conclusion of a bilateral convention on technical cooperation in the area of exploration and peaceful use of outer space. The agreement was reached during a meeting between Yu and Koptev to discuss technical cooperation in outer space at RASA in Moscow. Yu was leading a delegation consisting of director Choi Dong-hwan of the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, and officials from his ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
+++
Following on from previous successful trials on DERA's VAAC (Vectored thrust Aircraft Advanced flight Control) Harrier, scientists and engineers have succeeded in demonstrating the world's first automatic STOVL (Short Take Off Vertical Landing) recovery. As part of a research programme into technologies required for Deep Strike platforms, such as the Future Carrier Based Aircraft (FCBA) or Future Offensive Air Capability (FOAC), the team demonstrated the VAAC Harrier's capability to automatically fly to a moving recovery point. The target was a 'simulated ship' in the form of a trials vehicle travelling at ship speeds along the runway at DERA's Boscombe Down site. The VAAC Harrier was flown out to a range of some 30 miles, where DERA Fast-Jet Test Squadron (FJTS) test pilots commanded the guidance system to generate a recovery trajectory back to the predicted ship rendezvous location. The pilots then monitored the automated recovery, which included trajectory elements defined to meet local airspace restrictions, through the descent and deceleration to end with a steady controlled hover alongside the simulated ship.
+++
Alenia Aerospazio has delivered the first ATR 42 Maritime Patrol aircraft, known as the "Manta 10-01", to the Port Authority's Coastguard. The aircraft is fully fitted out in operational configuration for maritime search and patrol. The delivery was made at the offices of the 3rd Coastguard Airborne Division in Pescara upon conclusion of a series of operational tests. The aircraft delivered today is the first of two ATR 42 MP ordered by the Coastguard. The second aircraft will be delivered in 2003 and this will considerably increase the operational capabilities of the Port Authority's airborne division. The ATR42 MP is an extremely innovative aircraft developed from the ATR42-400 regional transport aircraft and it is able to carry out a wide range of missions. The "Manta 10-01" will be mainly used by the 3rd Coastguard Airborne Division in Pescara for Search and Rescue operations, maritime patrolling, search and identification of surface ships, marine pollution surveys, protection of marine environment and, in general, for the control of activities at sea and along the coast. Thanks to its modular design, the ATR 42 MP may carry out other duties in the event of an emergency, such as humanitarian and transport missions, thus providing a wide range of operational capabilities. The ATR42 MP obtained civil aircraft certification in October 1999 and military aircraft certification in February 2000.
+++
On May 31, Northrop Grumman Corporation announced that it has completed the acquisition of all shares of Litton Industries Inc. common stock not previously purchased in its tender offer for Litton that expired on April 2, 2001. As a result of the statutory merger completed Wednesday, Northrop Grumman now owns 100 percent of Litton's common stock. Litton shareholders as of the time of the merger will receive $80 in cash for each common share.
+++
Roger W. Hawksworth has been appointed Secretary General of AECMA, the European Association of Aerospace Industries in Brussels, with effect from 1 June. Roger W. Hawksworth joins from his current position as Chief of Staff, BAE SYSTEMS PLC in London. He had previously been Managing Director of BAE SYSTEMS Guided Weapons Division and Deputy Chief Executive of Matra BAE Dynamics. He acted for BAE SYSTEMS in the recently signed deal to form MBDA and a restructured AMS. Prior to joining BAE SYSTEMS he held senior positions in the oil and utilities industries. Hawksworth succeeds Dr Peter Fichtmüller, who, since his appointment in 1995, has overseen the restructuring of the association following its move from Paris to Brussels. Fichtmüller will focus on non-executive directorships in industry and continue to be affiliated with AECMA as Chairman of the Policy Commission.
+++
IATA presented its 2001 Eagle Awards to NAV CANADA and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore at the World Air Transport Summit/IATA Annual General Meeting in Madrid, Spain on 28 May. Eagle Awards are given annually to airports and air navigation services that give 'value for money' to the airlines and that are diligent in improving productivity and efficiency, or in finding new sources of revenue to reduce their dependence on charges levied on the airlines. NAV CANADA, a non-share-capital, not-for-profit corporation, providing air navigation services in Canada, was cited as a unique example of a successful conversion of a government bureaucracy into an efficient corporate operation. Reductions in rates and charges reflected their productivity improvements. They were also honoured for their use of technology and innovative procedures to help airlines save fuel and emissions at major airports across Canada. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, operator of Singapore Changi Airport, was recognised for their combination of low charges to the airlines, including a 10% reduction in aeronautical charges for 1999 and 2000, as well as their continuous efforts to keep runway and terminal capacity well ahead of demand. Through application of non-aeronautical income for setting charges, they are able to operate with only a quarter of their revenues from landing and related charges to the airlines.
+++
May 30 marked the 40th anniversary of Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp.'s (P&WC) PT6 engine's maiden flight. The PT6, Canada's first small turbine engine, took to the sky on May 30, 1961, mounted on a Beech 18 aircraft, at de Havilland's Downsview facility. De Havilland test pilot Robert H. Fowler and P&WC's John MacNeil made the initial familiarization flight. "We are delighted to recognize this special milestone," said Gilles Ouimet, President and Chief Executive Officer of P&WC. "The PT6 turboprop family is one of our great success stories and it has established an enviable record for reliability and durability since it was first introduced to the market. "The PT6 has been the foundation on which we have evolved into a world leader in a wide range of power ratings to meet the diverse needs of the marketplace." The program was launched in 1958 and remains one of P&WC's most successful with over 100 applications to date. The PT6 turboprop & turboshaft family is the world's most popular engine in its class, with over 36,000 engines delivered. Operating in over 160 countries world-wide in corporate, utility, agricultural, helicopter, training and airline applications, the PT6 family offers power ranges from 580 shp to 2000 shp.
+++
Thomas Pickering, Boeing senior vice president for international relations, told the Vedomosti daily newspaper that the projects had the potential to bring big financial returns to both Russia and Boeing. "Both projects are being evaluated for their technical and economic feasibility and a business plan is being worked out," Pickering was quoted as saying. "Our main task now in the preparatory stages is to fully study the needs of potential clients so that our product will be suitably competitive on a market that has great potential." Plans to jointly develop the new planes are part of a major cooperation agreement that was signed in April by Boeing CEO Philip Condit and Yuri Koptev, the head of Russia's joint aviation and space agency Rosaviakosmos.
+++
"The cabinet has approved the signing of a procurement contract to acquire eight Airbus A400M transport planes, seven of them for Belgium and one for the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg," a Belgian government statement issued late on June 1 said. "This new strategic transport capacity may be used in military operations or to manage crises and humanitarian activities," it said. The planes will cost around 48.2 billion Belgian francs.
+++
The Russian Space Forces were officially reborn on June 1 as an independent section of the military -- part of President Vladimir Putin's plan to streamline and modernize the nation's armed forces. The Space Forces were established as a separate branch in 1982, but incorporated into the Strategic Rocket Forces in 1997. They regained independence under a military reform plan drafted by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov. Col. Gen. Anatoly Perminov, appointed to lead the Space Forces, said they became fully operational in their new status Friday, the ITAR-Tass news agency reported.
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The 1,659th successful flight of a Soyuz launch vehicle took place on Tuesday, May 29, 2001 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The launcher lifted off on schedule at 09:55 p.m. Plesetsk local time (07:55 p.m. in Paris) and the governmental spacecraft was placed on the target orbit. This was the fifth Soyuz mission in 2001 and the 63rd successful launch in a row associated with the Soyuz family of launchers. 9 of these 63 successes were human flights. Soyuz sustained launch rate confirms its position as one of the world's primary launch vehicles. The rate also demonstrates Samara Space Center's continuous production capacity, as well as the operational capability of launch teams at Baikonur under the authority of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency.
+++
Catherine Stalker, currently CEO of Balair/CTA Leisure AG, is to relinquish her duties at the end of June 2001 as part of a broader reorganisation of the Swissair Group's charter air operations. Overall management of Balair will be entrusted to Beat Schär, CEO of Swissair, until the Group's charter activities are given a more permanent revised structure in 2002. Efforts are currently under way to this end in a three-way collaboration between Swissair, Crossair and the Hotelplan travel agency. Catherine Stalker will assume new duties within the Swissair Group.
+++
The new stricter noise maxima imposed by the Swiss Federal Council will severely restrict development in local municipalities and entail substantial and currently-incalculable compensation payments by users (i.e. airlines) while offering little hope of a reduction in noise levels for the residents concerned. The new maxima stipulated by the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications also pay no regard to the concerns voiced by scientists and industry during the earlier consultation phase. The maxima - probably the strictest in Europe - do not acknowledge the progressive fleet equipment policies pursued by Swissair and Crossair, but penalise them instead. The true impact of the new noise maxima in economic and area-planning terms is impossible to predict at present, the Swissair Group feels, in view of the current uncertainties over future Zurich Airport traffic trends. Swiss environment law states that noise maxima may be exceeded if the producers of such noise are of overwhelming public interest (such as airports and rail lines); but such exceedances often result in substantial commitments in compensation terms. These costs are to be passed on to the airlines concerned. In the case of Zurich, the new maxima will result in substantial noise-related fees which are simply unknown at other airports. The CHF 7.- per ticket currently being quoted by the Federal Office for the Environment, Forests and the Landscape is unrealistic: customers, especially those departing from Switzerland, are likely to be asked to pay far higher noise-related fees. Swissair and Crossair, Switzerland's main airlines, have proved over the past few years that they are prepared to make their contribution to reducing the levels of noise to which local airport residents are subjected. Most of the new aircraft acquired by the carriers are only half as loud as the types they replace, putting both airlines among the world's leaders in terms of their fleets' environmental credentials.
+++
Deutsche Lufthansa AG has signed an agreement with Penauille Polyservices S.A. regarding the sale of Lufthansa's ground handling subsidiary GlobeGround GmbH. According to the agreement, Penauille Polyservices will initially acquire 51% of the shares in GlobeGround. The remaining shares will be transferred to Penauille Polyservices on 30 June 2002. The transaction values GlobeGround at Euro 370 million on a cash and debt free basis and is subject to approval of the Lufthansa Supervisory Board and the respective cartel offices. By combining GlobeGround with Penauille Polyservices' ground handling business Servisair, the transaction creates the world's leading ground handling provider, operating at 199 airports in 39 countries on 4 continents and employing a workforce of more than 30,000 people. With GlobeGround and Servisair the transaction brings together two global brands that are known for premium quality services to their international airline clientele.
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Raytheon has announced several executive appointments affecting Raytheon Aircraft Company, Aircraft Integration Systems, international business development, and Raytheon Six Sigma. The appointments are effective immediately. Hansel E. Tookes, 53, has been named president of Raytheon International Inc. In this role, Tookes will be responsible for efforts to expand Raytheon's business outside of the United States. Previously, Tookes was chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon Aircraft. James E. Schuster, 48, has been named chairman and chief executive officer of Raytheon Aircraft Company, replacing Tookes. Schuster had served as president of Raytheon's Aircraft Integration Systems business since joining the company in September 1999. Robert W. Drewes, 59, has been named president of the company's Aircraft Integration Systems business, replacing Schuster. Prior to this appointment, Drewes was vice president of productivity and champion for Raytheon Six Sigma.
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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:

*May 27, 2001 *May 20, 2001 *May 13, 2001 *May 6, 2001

*April 29, 2001 *April 22, 2001 *April 15, 2001 *April 8, 2001 *April 1, 2001

*January - March 2001

*January to December 2000 *January to December 1999 *January to December 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

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