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UPDATE 
Week ending October 28, 2001
+++ Crossair gets money for "Phoenix Plus" +++ 2001 Mars Odyssey arrives in orbit +++ Claudie Haigneré heads for ISS +++ US strike Al Qaeda 'in Its Entirety' +++ Bombardier introduces new Global 5000 bizjet +++ BDLI: Help required for European airlines +++ News in brief +++

Crossair gets money for "Phoenix Plus"
Rettungsplan für Schweizer Luftverkehr

The Crossair Board of Directors intends to implement an increase in capital, within the framework of the Crossair financing concept which was announced on October 22, 2001, through which new equity, amounting to CHF 2.74 billion, will flow into the company. Simultaneously, an up to date capital structure will be created, under which all shares will be split in the ratio of 1:5 and the company participation coupons in the ratio of 1:2 and converted into nominative shares. Major new shareholders will be subject to the obligation of holding the new shares for a minimum period of 12 months. It is foreseen that these shares will be liberated up to 30%, following which, they will probably be progressively fully paid up by March 2002 at the latest.
Meanwhile, during a telephone conversation today with Moritz Leuenberger, President of the Swiss Confederation, Loyola de Palacio, Vice-President in charge of transport and energy, expressed her concern at the aid granted to Swissair and Crossair which is liable seriously to distort competition. She asked him to consider bringing forward application of the bilateral agreement between the European Community and Switzerland in order to avoid any distortion of competition. She indicated that the Commission would stand by its basic positions on State aid and ask Switzerland to take measures compatible with Community legislation.
Moritz Leuenberger confirmed Switzerland's intention to remain within the legal framework governing relations between the European Union and Switzerland. A number of bilateral agreements were signed in 1999, including one on air transport. These agreements have not yet entered into force because some Member States have not yet completed the ratification procedure for the agreement on the free movement of persons (France, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland). As the agreements constitute a package, the timing relating to this one agreement is impeding the entry into force of the others.
The Swiss authorities had notified the European Commission of the measures taken to support Swissair, in particular the grant of an additional loan of one billion Swiss francs to the Swissair Group. The Group has been granted a stay of bankruptcy and the loan would keep 26 long-haul aircraft in operation at least until March 2002. The Swiss authorities also informed the Commission that they intend to contribute 600 million Swiss francs to the future recapitalization of Crossair. This would be in addition to the 400 million Swiss francs several cantons are planning to inject into the airline.

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2001 Mars Odyssey arrives in orbit
Neue Sonde umkreist den Mars

The 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, designed and built by Lockheed Martin for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), was successfully placed in orbit around Mars on October 24 at 8:26 p.m. MT. The 2001 Mars Odyssey joins the Mars Global Surveyor, already in an extended phase of its mission, to map the composition of the planet's surface, search for signs of water and learn more about the planet's climate. The spacecraft's flight and operations in space are controlled by teams at JPL in Pasadena, Calif., and Lockheed Martin Space Systems - Astronautics Operations near Denver, Colo.
Final commands were sent to the spacecraft Oct. 15, to ready it for orbit insertion. As the spacecraft approached Mars, it performed a 20-minute engine burn to slow down the spacecraft, placing it into an initial elliptical polar orbit around Mars at approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) above the planet's surface. Over the next few months, commands will be sent to the spacecraft daily to gradually tighten the spacecraft's orbit around Mars by using the atmosphere to slow it down, a technique known as aerobraking, ultimately placing it in a 400-kilometer (248 mile) circular polar orbit. The Odyssey will begin detailed mapping of the planet's surface in February 2002, sending those images back to Earth.

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Claudie Haigneré heads for ISS
Europäische Astronautin auf der Raumstation

A Soyuz launcher carrying Claudie Haigneré, the first European woman astronaut selected for an ISS mission, and her fellow crew members lifted off successfully on Sunday 21 October, at 10:59 CEST (08:59 GMT), from Baïkonur, Kazakhstan. Their assignment: the "Andromède" mission. Claudie Haigneré, a European Space Agency astronaut from France, and her fellow crewmembers Commander Victor Afanassiev and Flight Engineer Konstantin Kozeev, docked with the Space Station on Tuesday. The hatch between the craft and the Space Station will be opened about 90 minutes later. The crew members of Andromède, a mission initiated by the French Ministry of Research and led by the French Space Agency CNES, will then start work alongside the International Space Station resident crew - Station commander Frank Culbertson, Soyuz commander Vladimir Dezhurov and flight engineer Mikhail Tyurin - who have been on board since mid-August this year.

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US strike Al Qaeda 'in Its Entirety'
Weitere Luftangriffe auf Afghanistan

U.S. forces are striking Al Qaeda "in its entirety," said Rear Adm. John D. Stufflebeem, deputy director of operations for current readiness and capabilities at the Joint Staff. Stufflebeem during a Pentagon press conference said coalition forces have struck all the Al Qaeda terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. If Al Qaeda has other camps or tries to establish more, U.S. forces will strike those, he said. "To get into the details of the numbers is not nearly as important as the larger context of the campaign," he said. "We're going after Al Qaeda in its entirety. So wherever we find it ... we're going to attack it."
As an example, on Oct. 22, U.S. forces struck 11 planned target areas, Stufflebeem said. The targets included airfields, radar installations and deployed Taliban forces including armor, vehicles and buildings. U.S. aircraft also struck targets in garrison and are interdicting lines of communications. American aircraft further struck targets of opportunity in engagement zones. The strikes required 60 carrier-based and 10 land-based tactical aircraft, including AC-130s, and 10 long-range bombers. "We also flew four C-17 missions carrying humanitarian relief," Stufflebeem said. The aircraft dropped 57,000 humanitarian daily rations, bringing the total to over 750,000. In addition, U.S. forces assisted the U.S. Agency for International Development in delivering 30,000 blankets to Islamabad, Pakistan.

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Bombardier introduces new Global 5000 bizjet
Neuer kanadischer Geschäftsreisejet

On October 25, Bombardier introduced the Bombardier Global 5000, a high-speed intercontinental business jet that will set new standards in the super-large jet niche market. The Bombardier Global 5000 will fly non-stop from central North America to continental Europe at a speed of Mach 0.85 (561 mph; 903 km/h), with eight passengers plus three crew. It will also fly non-stop at Mach 0.85 (561 mph; 903 km/h) from Europe to central North America. The Bombardier Global 5000 will enter corporate service in late 2004. Bombardier Aerospace is now seeking commitments from prospective customers, heading towards a formal program launch within the next few months. The program is currently in development and first flight is anticipated in the first quarter of 2003. Type certification is expected in the first quarter of 2004.
The Global 5000 - Bombardier's 12th new aircraft in 12 years - is positioned between the top-selling wide body Challenger 604 and the ultra long-range Bombardier Global Express aircraft. It will compete in the super-large jet segment which, according to industry forecasts, will require some 750 aircraft by the year 2010.

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BDLI: Help required for European airlines
Deutsche Luftfahrtindustrie fordert Hilfe

Fair competition between European and US Airlines requires a level playing field. In lieu of US government emergency aid packages for US airlines, the European Commission and European governments must provide similar support and guarantees in a concerted effort to counter the effects of the terror attacks of September 11. The German Aerospace Industries Association (BDLI) supports such measures and calls expressly for assistance to the endangered smaller airlines in Europe as well. "The situation for German and European Airlines has changed dramatically because of the tragic events of September 11 in the U.S.A. The huge drop in passenger numbers has far reaching consequences for the civil aviation industry as a whole. The entire production chain, from airlines and airports to their suppliers in the predominantly mid-sized equipment and materials industries is at risk. The collapse of airlines in this dramatic situation would have incalculable consequences upon our aviation industry" warns BDLI President Dr. Gustav Humbert.
The consolidation of European airlines as a result of a concentration process is necessary in the long run. This can occur only within the framework of a solid process in which legal conditions in Europe are altered and the national legal constrictions upon the airlines are cut back. In the short term, there is no alternative to immediate help for all airlines, in order to prevent risks for the air-traffic system as a whole and for the aviation industry. A sudden process towards fewer European airlines as a direct result of Sep. 11 is not, politically seen, the proper way to achieve the required consolidation. The European Commission announced on October 10 that it will be approving emergency measures. In so doing, it has taken a step towards a cooperative European effort on the part of the individual governments.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

On October 25 it seemed as if Italy would renounce its participation in the A400M transport. Defence Minister Antonio Martino, who has already voiced very strong reservations this week about the nine-nation project, said times had changed and the country's air force no longer needed it. After reading about his comments on Italian news agencies, the centre-left opposition demanded that Martino address parliament on Friday to explain.
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MTU Aero Engines, a DaimlerChrysler affiliate, has delivered its first couple of German Eurofighter EJ200 engines. Having arrived right on time, the engines have recently been installed in the first production aircraft, which is scheduled to fly before the end of the year. The hand-off was celebrated in a brief ceremony held at EADS' Manching facility. Harald Jörg, MTU's EJ200 program manager, noted: "These are the first two engines out of the envisioned complement of totally 1,382 engines to be delivered by Eurojet in three tranches. MTU will contribute 391 engines toward the total number." Germany's leading engine manufacturer will each year ship 30 EJ200 engines through 2014. Jörg lauded the smooth collaboration between MTU and EADS. He handed the engines off to Günther Kiefer, who heads up Eurofighter production in the company's Military Engines division, located at Manching. That location is the final assembly facility for all 180 Eurofighters going to the Luftwaffe.
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On October 19, Jan-Erik Enestam, Minister of Defence of Finland, Mr. Eero Lavonen, National Armament Director, and Mr. Philippe Stuckelberger, General Manager of NH Industries, signed the purchase contract for 20 NH90 helicopters. After two year's competition, this follows the NSHP Committee recommendation in favour of the NH90 as the common helicopter, announced on 13 September 2001. Besides the Acquisition Contract the Finnish MOD and NHI signed the Side Agreement concerning the allocation of a NH90 final assembly line to Finland, as well as the Agreement on Industrial Participation giving Finnish defence industry the opportunity to participate in the manufacturing of parts and the assembly of purchased equipment. The 20 Finnish NH90 helicopters are in the Tactical Troop Transport configuration, derived from NAHEMA TTH version, and will be operated by the Finnish Defence Forces (Army Aviation) in the tactical transport and SAR roles. All the Finnish NH90 are equipped with the Rolls-Royce Turbomeca RRTM322-01/9 engine.
+++
Embraer acknowledged with satisfaction the news about Brazil obtaining victory within the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the dispute with Canada on export credits for exporting commercial aircraft. Brazil's objective was to prove that several Bombardier financing operations for selling aircraft, specially to Air Wisconsin early this year, were illegal by not being in conformity with Canadian obligations towards WTO's Agreement on Subsides and Countervailing Measures. "By declaring Canadian financial operations illegal, WTO confirms what we have always said. It becomes crystal clear now, from the results of the two panels recently decided by WTO on the dispute between Brazil and Canada, that Brazil's PROEX program is under full conformity with WTO rules and that Canada has been acting illegally", said Embraer president and CEO Maurício Botelho. "It is necessary for the market to become aware that the truth is exactly the opposite of what the Canadians have been trying to impose, and WTO just gave us the evidence. And, very concerning, is to see a high-ranked Canadian official, in considering this defeat, challenging international law by announcing the continuing of these illegal subsides. This is the Canadian 'realpolitik'", added Maurício Botelho.
+++
A British Airways Concorde has completed its first return flight from London Heathrow to New York since the British and French fleets were grounded after the accident in Paris last year. British Airways said the flight was an operational assessment flight following the completion of modifications on their third aircraft. All 3 modified aircraft have now taken part in verification tests both with Engineers and BA staff onboard. The flight took place in G-BOAF, which was the first aircraft to have its Certificate of airworthiness re-instated. The other 2 aircraft which have had their CofA returned were available as back up aircraft but were not required. BA9093 which was carrying 92 BA engineers who have worked on getting the aircraft airborne again along with a cockpit flight crew of 4 and 6 staff in the cabin, left Heathrow on Monday morning at 11:11am and arrived at John F Kennedy International Airport at 9:36am EST (14:36 British time). The return leg of the flight, BA9094, took off from New York at 12:42 EST and arrived back in the UK at 20:58 UK on Heathrow's South Runway 27R. The flight time for the return leg at 3hrs 16 mins was quicker than the average flight time of 3hrs 45mins.
+++
The Department of Defense has completed its review of the proposals by General Dynamics Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp. to acquire Newport News Shipbuilding Inc. The DoD concluded that the proposal by General Dynamics would eliminate competition for nuclear submarines, resulting in a monopoly. Additionally, the acquisition would harm competition for surface combatants and for the development of emerging technologies for both nuclear submarines and surface ships. The department determined that the benefits and savings offered by each transaction were comparable. The Northrop Grumman transaction has the additional benefit of preserving competition. DoD's views have been communicated to the Department of Justice.
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Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control has completed its first contractual delivery of engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) hardware for the Army's RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance helicopter. Lockheed Martin shipped its Night Vision Pilotage System (NVPS) and support structure to Comanche's mission equipment package integrator, Boeing in Philadelphia, which will supply Comanche to the Army with its partner, Sikorsky Aircraft. This event, in early October, marked the first delivery of a flightworthy sensor for the Comanche helicopter.
+++
The first production version of the 86-seat Bombardier CRJ900 twinjet airliner made its inaugural flight on October 20 from Montreal's Mirabel International Airport. Bombardier test pilots Chuck Ellis and Jacques Thibodeau and flight engineer Ray Tamburro took the airplane to an altitude of 17,000 feet (5,182 m) and a maximum airspeed of 250 knots (463 km/h) during the flight, which took off at 11:51 EST and lasted two hours and three minutes. "The flight was flawless and the Bombardier CRJ900 handled exactly as predicted,"said Mr. Ellis. "Airline pilots are going to love flying this airplane."
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On Wednesday 17th October, Christopher Foyle of Air Foyle and Michael Hayles of HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, formally signed the legal documentation to create the joint venture between their two companies. This new corporate entity, referred to as Air Foyle HeayLift Limited, sees the union of two major heavyweight and outsized cargo specialists to market and promote on a worldwide basis, commercial charter flights operated by the Ukrainian carrier, Antonov Airlines. Antonov's current fleet includes eight AN-124-100 freighters and a 250 tonne payload AN-225 aircraft, which is scheduled to be fully certified for worldwide commercial charters by end November. Other aircraft types that also form part of the new JV marketing operation comprise AN-12s, AN-26, AN-32 and AN-22 freighters as well as HeavyLift's own fleet of two IL-76s, two Belfasts and an additional AN-12F. HC Airlines will continue to market separately its three Airbus A300B4-200Fs.
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On 23 October, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Ireland of Javelin anti-tank missiles and associated equipment and services. The Government of Ireland has requested a possible sale of 60 Javelin command launch units, 100 Javelin missile rounds, simulators, support equipment, spare and repair parts, publications and technical data, personnel training and equipment, U.S. Government and contractor engineering and logistics personnel services, a Quality Assurance Team, and other related elements of logistics support. The estimated cost is $26 million.
+++
The European Commission continues to act swiftly to counteract the impact of the terrorist attacks in the United States on air transport. It today authorized emergency aid granted by the United Kingdom to airlines left without adequate insurance against the risks of terrorism and acts of war following the attacks of 11 September. Without this aid, which is granted for a period of one month, planes would have been grounded from 24 September onwards. The Commission is currently examining the compatibility of similar emergency aid schemes notified by the other Member States and plans to adopt new decisions in the coming days. The decision of the Commission ties in fully with its communication of 10 October on "The repercussions of the terrorist attacks in the United States on the air transport industry". The Commission had announced in this communication that some types of aid, including aid for insurance "intended to compensate for damage caused by natural calamities or other extra-ordinary events"(1) could be granted by way of exception to the air transport industry. The British scheme meets all the criteria set by the Commission for authorization of emergency aid.
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The road to space for the next generation of Earth observation satellites starts in the shade of Spain's Sierra Nevada mountains. Scientists from across Europe are due to gather in the medieval town of Granada at the end of this month to judge which three out of five Earth Explorer missions ESA should take to the next assessment stage. Leading experts in their fields will be involved in this two-day peer-review process, which takes place under the umbrella of ESA's Living Planet program. "The idea behind ESA's Living Planet is to model the Earth as an integrated system," explained Einar-Arne Herland, Head of the Agency's Earth Sciences Division. "The interactions between the atmosphere, the oceans and the land have to be studied, enabling us to understand the Earth as a system."
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Owing to present economic conditions and the sustained drop in demand, Lufthansa is scratching more of its flight schedules from the 2001/2002 winter timetable. The airline is thereby reducing its capacity by a total of 43 aircraft. In order to achieve a lasting improvement in the steep decline in utilisation of its intercontinental flights, Lufthansa is further consolidating its long-haul capacity especially. The daily flights to New York from Dusseldorf and Munich are being dropped from the timetable. In Munich, Lufthansa is also for the time being discontinuing connections to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sao Paulo. Continuation of flights to Singapore is currently being studied. In contrast, Lufthansa intends to resume connections ex Munich to Johannesburg and Shanghai. Chicago and Hong Kong will continue to be served from Munich so that the Bavarian metropolis will be linked direct with three continents. Alongside frequency cuts in German domestic and European traffic ex Frankfurt, Lufthansa is ceasing its flights from there to Sana in the winter timetable. Besides services from the airline's two major hubs, the capacity cuts also encompass the Cologne-Birmingham and Berlin-London/City routes. "Lufthansa is adhering to its strategy of expansion at its two international hubs in Frankfurt and Munich. To that end, Terminal 2 in Munich is to be "completed on schedule" despite the present situation," said Wolfgang Mayrhuber, Lufthansa Executive Board Member and President and Chief Operating Officer of the passenger airline. "These measures will enable us to match capacities to reduced demand while, simultaneously, maintaining a network of more than 800 destinations in cooperation with our Star Alliance partners."
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The Lufthansa Group's traffic figures in the first nine months of the year were essentially influenced by the effects of the terrorist attacks in the USA, global economic weakness and the pilots' strike at the airline. Passenger numbers during the term were slightly higher than last year's level in the same period. From January to September, 36 million passengers flew with the airlines in the Group, a year-on-year increase of 1.1 per cent. Of the total, 31.2 million passengers (plus 0.2 per cent) were carried by Lufthansa German Airlines and 4.6 million (plus 7.1 per cent ) by the Lufthansa CityLine regional carrier. Not all the 5.4 per cent increase in capacity was sold in a difficult marketplace. Utilisation of the passenger aircraft sank accordingly by 2.3 per cent to 72.9 per cent. The weakening world economy and the impact of the terrorist attacks depressed performance at Lufthansa Cargo. Cargo volumes fell by 7.2 per cent to 1,230,817 tonnes. The cargo load factor of 61.4 per cent at the three-quarter stage clearly remained (- 6.1 percentage points) below the prior-year level.
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The U.S. Air Force has awarded BAE Systems Integrated Defense Solutions (IDS) a contract to manufacture the BOL 515 countermeasure dispenser system, and to modify the LAU-128 Missile Launchers that house the dispensers. This $18 million production effort is initially for Air National Guard F-15 aircraft, but may incorporate options to outfit the rest of the Air Force's F-15 fleet with the BOL 515 dispenser system, bringing the potential total contract value to $90 million. The BOL 515 was developed jointly by BAE Systems, SAAB Avionics, and Chemring, PLC.
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In its sixth flight conducted today (October 22, 2001) from SHAR Center, Sriharikota, Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C3, successfully launched three satellites - Technology Experiment Satellite (TES) of ISRO, BIRD of Germany and PROBA of Belgium - into their intended orbits. This is the second time that PSLV launched three satellites simultaneously. The first time in May 1999, PSLV had launched India's IRS-P4 along with German the DLR and Korean KITSAT-3. While TES and BIRD (Bispectral and Infrared Remote Detection) satellites were placed in the 568 km sun-synchronous orbit, PROBA (Project for On Board Autonomy) was placed in an elliptical orbit with a perigee (nearest to earth) of 568 km and an apogee (farthest to the earth) of 638 km. The higher orbit for PROBA was achieved by firing the reaction control thrusters of PSLV-C3 fourth stage. PSLV-C3 lifted off from Sriharikota at 10.23 am IST with the ignition of the core first stage and four strap-on motors, the remaining two strap-on motors of the first stage were ignited 25 sec after lift-off. After going through the planned flight events including the separation of the ground-lit strap-on motors, the air lit strap-on motors and first stage separation, the ignition of the second stage, separation of the heat shield after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, third stage ignition, third stage separation, third stage ignition, third stage separation, fourth stage ignition and fourth stage cut-off, the satellites were systematically injected into the orbit as per plan.
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Air Mauritius today took delivery of its first A319 from Airbus, becoming a new operator of the type and the first customer for the A319 in the region. Air Mauritius has chosen a very comfortable layout offering 12 seats in business and 108 seats in economy class, as well as a state-of-the-art entertainment system. The Port Louis based airline benefits from the optimized cabin cross-section of the A319 with wider seats and aisles, as well as greater overhead stowage, allowing Air Mauritius to offer all the advantages of long-haul comfort on short-haul routes.
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Recent testing of Enhanced Paveway II and Enhanced Paveway III by the Royal Air Force on the Tornado GR4 has achieved outstanding results. The tests were held at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, during September. The dual-mode (laser and GPS) targeting capability of Enhanced Paveway II and Enhanced Paveway III achieved a median accuracy significantly better than 3 meters of five to eight feet during testing. The addition of GPS-guidance offers considerable operational flexibility enabling engagements against targets in all weather, yet retains the greater precision offered by laser designation when weather permits.
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The Patriot Air and Missile Defense PAC-3 system achieved a major system success Oct. 19 by intercepting a surrogate cruise missile target and a sub-scale MQM 107 drone. These flight tests, conducted at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., were the latest successes in the testing of the PAC-3 system. "This mission validates the total Patriot weapon system's capability to counter a very sophisticated threat,'' said Walter Putis, vice president and Patriot program manager and Raytheon Air/Missile Defense business unit. The mission was the first PAC-3 flight test to utilize the newest Patriot software update (Post Deployment Build 5+ software) in the simultaneous engagement of a surrogate cruise missile target and sub-scale MQM 107 drone. After radar acquisition and target classification of both targets by the Engagement Control Station, a PAC-2 missile was launched at the MQM 107 drone while nearly simultaneously, a PAC-3 missile was fired at the inbound cruise missile target.
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Lockheed Martin's Atlas V rocket team has successfully performed the first "booster on stand" (BOS) operation with the first flight vehicle, designated AV-001. The successful BOS operation involved assembling the rocket's booster stage, Centaur upper stage and connecting segments in the new vertical integration facility (VIF). This caps a period of sustained test and validation activity associated with the vehicle and the ground infrastructure at Launch Complex 41. The Atlas V team also achieved another important milestone recently with the successful completion of the RD180 heavy lift vehicle certification program. The total test program for the RD180, the Russian-built rocket engine that powers both the Atlas III and V rockets, now includes over 27,500 seconds of test firing time, equivalent to the duration of more than 130 nominal Atlas V missions.
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The U.S. Navy recently completed developmental testing of the new Harpoon Block II missile at the Naval Air Warfare Center-Weapons Division sea range off Pt. Mugu, Calif. In this most recent and final test, the missile was launched from the USS Decatur (DDG-73), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, against a mobile ship target close to land. "The Harpoon Block II missile has successfully demonstrated its effectiveness against sea, land and littoral targets," said Jim O'Neill, Boeing general manager of Navy Missile Systems. "We can now provide our customers with a low-cost, low-risk approach to protecting waterways and littoral regions."
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On Oct 22, Bombardier Aerospace inaugurated its new final assembly facility at Montréal's Mirabel Airport in the presence of Bernard Landry, premier of Québec and Martin Cauchon, minister of National revenue and Secretary of State responsible for Canada Economic Development. Also in attendance were customers, employees, suppliers, and local and municipal officials. The inauguration was marked by the unveiling of a plaque to be permanently displayed in the entrance of the facility. In addition, the guests were invited to sign their names on the 86-seat Bombardier CRJ900 on static display for the occasion. The 300,000-square-foot (27,870-sq-m) state-of-the-art final assembly facility for the Bombardier CRJ700 and Bombardier CRJ900 regional airliners, situated in the Montréal International Trade Zone at Mirabel, began operations last August. Some 600 employees currently work in the plant. The first Bombardier CRJ700 was delivered in January 2001 and some 16 aircraft have been delivered for service in Europe and the United States. The first production Bombardier CRJ900 had its first flight on October 20, the aircraft is scheduled to enter commercial service early in 2003.
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Certified by the Canadian Department of National Defense Technical Airworthiness Authority, the T700/T6A1 is a military variant of the CT7-6, the baseline engine for EH Industries EH101 helicopters. The T700/T6A1 engine co-developed and co-produced by GE Aircraft Engines (GEAE) and Fiat Avio of Italy, was selected to power the Canadian Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopters in 1998 replacing Canada's aging fleet of S-61 Labradors. Three T700/T6A1 engines, each rated at 2145 shaft takeoff horsepower, will be utilized to power each of the 15 aircraft. The first two production aircraft are being delivered this month, with the entire fleet scheduled to be in operation by February 2003.
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NASA has selected 10 researchers to receive grants to develop advanced technologies needed to produce food, recycle water and air, and monitor spacecraft environments required for long-term human space exploration. The grants, totaling approximately $5.4 million over three years, will create a vital knowledge base in these important areas. NASA's Office of Biological and Physical Research funds multi- disciplinary research that uses the space environment to address fundamental scientific questions and helps prepare for further human exploration of space. These grants will lead to technologies that can be used in low Earth orbit, on the International Space Station and for future human exploration of the solar system. Four of the grants are for new technologies in advanced environmental monitoring of spacecraft habitats, one proposal addresses water processing technology, and the five others address plant growth in space.
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Many airlines, cargo agents & forwarders are familiar with the TACT (The Air Cargo Tariff) rates and rules manuals, as the definitive reference available in the cargo industry.TACT is now available on-line, as E-TACT. Added value is given, compared to the hard-copy product, through overnight updates on the E-TACT website. E-TACT will also keep historical rates data for reference purposes, thus reducing the need to keep bulky hard copies in valuable office space.In addition to the official gross rates, airlines submitting rates to TACT for publication will be able in the future to maintain both their airline specific gross rates and special market rates (private rates) on the E-TACT database.
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The Swissair Group is in the process of serving notice to many of its employees. Approximately 9'000 jobs will be eliminated world-wide. 4'500 of those will affect Switzerland. The financing of salaries (as of November) and severance benefits has not yet been secured for the affected employees of companies in "Nachlassstundung" administration and protection from creditors. The Swissair Group is intensively seeking solutions for the financing of these payments. Companies which are not in "Nachlassstundung" will be financing salaries during the notice period as well as severance benefits stipulated by contract out of the their current operation. The number of jobs to be eliminated in these companies in Switzerland are as follows: Gate Gourmet 300, SR Technics 800, Atraxis 460, Swissport Zürich 250, others 112. The following companies are in "Nachlassstundung" and will reduce the numberof jobs as follows: Swissair AG : Pilots 200 Flight Attendants 1000, Ground personnel 540, Swisscargo 100, Cargologic 190, Flightlease 30, SAirGroup Corporate 410. The financing of the salaries during the notice period for these employees has explicitly not been provided for within the Phoenix Plus plan.
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The terrible events of September 11th, and the US Authorities' reaction to them in closing American airspace, left their mark on the European airlines' traffic figures. Latest figures, to mid-October, give some indication of the new directions the market is taking. In the five weeks from 10th September to 14th October, North Atlantic traffic is 36.2% down on the same period last year, with the market stabilising at about one-third down. In Europe, 9.6% of traffic has been lost, but the trend is worsening. On Far Eastern routes, the accumulated loss is 14.8%, but again, with a worsening trend. The overall September outcome paints a picture which is more favourable than the emerging trends currently being experienced. Evidently, the monthly totals are an aggregate of ten days of normal operation, a period of extreme disruption which extended beyond the four days' US shut-down, and a period in which some stability returned to the market, albeit very much depressed. Passenger figures for the month were 11.9% down on September 2000. With the exception of continued growth in the Mid Atlantic market, traffic losses were registered across the network, ranging from minus 3.1% in Europe to minus 26.2% on the North Atlantic.
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The 1,664th successful flight of a Soyuz launch vehicle took place on Thursday, October 25, 2001 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The launcher lifted off on schedule at 03:34 p.m. Plesetsk local time (01:34 p.m. in Paris) and the governmental spacecraft was placed on the target orbit. This was the 10th Soyuz mission in 2001 and the 68th successful launch in a row associated with the Soyuz family of launchers. 10 of these 68 successes were human flights.
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Russia has presented two radio frequency weapons, the Ranets-E and the Rosa-E. Analysts view them as a completely new type of electronic warfare weapons, which are being developed by leading world nations now. These arms are expected to bring electronic and information warfare to an entirely new level. Ranets-E and Rosa-E represent non-flying weapon systems, which have been developed by Russian researchers since the late 1990s. State arms exporter Rosoboronexport, which was then called Rosvooruzheniye, initiated the export-oriented research on the creation of radio frequency arms, based on new physics principles and Russian know-how. The research has been based on the assumption that it is possible to disable not only pointing systems of high precision arms, but also their electric circuits by generating certain levels of electromagnetic radiation.
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Previous updates are still available:
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*October 21, 2001 *October 14, 2001 *October 7, 2001

*September 30, 2001 *September 23, 2001 *September 16, 2001 *September 2, 2001

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Last updated 26 October 2001
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