FLUG REVUE update: Week ending August 10, 2003

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UPDATE
Week ending 10 August, 2003

+++ Eurofighter enters service +++ Germania to fly to Moscow +++ Eurocopter opens new US facility +++ Earth Observation Summit results +++ Austrian is Eastern Europe specialist +++ STN Atlas restructured +++ RQ-4A series aircraft complete +++ News in brief +++

Eurofighter enters service
Erster Eurofighter im Dienst

On August 4, Eurofighter GmbH announced the delivery of the first Series Production Aircraft (SPA) to the German Air Force. Following Four Nation Type Acceptance of the Eurofighter Typhoon on 30 June, 2003, the partner Air Forces in Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom have been working with industry partners to provide individual national clearances that will allow the aircraft to begin their service life. Germany is the first partner country to formally accept delivery of Eurofighter for service use. Initially the aircraft, designated Eurofighter GT003, will be used for Service Pilot Instructor Training based at Manching in Southern Germany. Later in the year German Air Force Eurofighter aircraft will be delivered to Laage in Northern Germany were the process of integration to the operational fleet will commence. Based on a four nation Government Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 1998 that covers a production run of 620, Germany will receive 180 Eurofighter that will begin to replace existing MiG-29, F-4 Phantom and Tornado aircraft.
Meanwhile the Spanish Air Force (SpAF) has agreed the acceptance of the aircraft ST001. Major Ignacio Lombo Moruno, Eurofighter test pilot for the Spanish Air Force Tests Centre (CLAEX) has carried out the acceptance flight, whose objective was to verify once again parameters and systems of the production aircraft. After the flight an official document was presented to the authorities for approval and signature, expected within the next days. With this act the aircraft handover to the Spanish Air Force will be finalised. From now on the first series production aircraft will be fully operative and will be used to train SpAF instructors and mechanics. By the end of 2003 the Spanish Air Force will receive four Eurofighter.

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Germania to fly to Moscow
Billigflüge nach Moskau

Germania, a low-cost German airline, will start making regular flights to Moscow as of August 26, a spokesman for the airline in Russia reported. There will be five flights a day from Monday to Friday, from Munich and Berlin to Moscow. The flights will be made on Foker-100 planes and tickets will cost 111 euros. The flights will see profits with 44% load factors, but the airline hopes to get this figure to 70%-72% by the end of the year, the spokesman said. Potential customers are businessmen and tourists. The company says 30%-40% will probably be transit customers on their way to other cities in Russia. Germania, like all other low-cost airlines, does not offer a free inflight meal. Tickets can not be booked in advance and when purchased cannot be refunded. All Germania planes have only economy class onboard.

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Eurocopter opens new US facility
Neues Werk in USA

EADS North America extended its operations into Mississippi, with the groundbreaking of a new American Eurocopter site in Columbus. American Eurocopter is making an $11 million investment into this new facility, with an initial workforce of one hundred. The American Eurocopter facility is located at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, an area rich in aviation heritage, and near regional universities that have strong engineering and high technology programs. The groundbreaking event was attended by EADS corporate executives, business leaders, and national and local government officials, including U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Trent Lott U.S. Representatives Roger Wicker, and Chip Pickering and Executive Director Nick Ardillo, of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport.
In remarks at the groundbreaking ceremony, U.S. Senator Thad Cochran stated: “This new facility is a major step in our efforts to make Mississippi the cornerstone of innovation in aerospace and homeland security.” U.S. Senator Trent Lott remarked: “We welcome EADS North America and American Eurocopter as citizens to Mississippi. The decision to locate their first U.S. helicopter manufacturing facility in Mississippi will bring high-tech jobs to our Golden Triangle Region and build on our state's rich aviation heritage.”
The new plant will be operated by American Eurocopter LLC, a subsidiary of Eurocopter, the world's leading producer of rotary winged aircraft. This plant will perform the final assembly and flight-testing for its best-selling A-Star series. American Eurocopter sells approximately 40 A-Stars per year in the U.S., and there are currently about 500 A-Stars in service in the country today. The customization for the EC120, EC130, EC135, EC145 and EC155 also will be performed in Mississippi, as well as the manufacturing of components and subassemblies for the AS350 family of aircraft.

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Earth Observation Summit results
Erdbeobachtung wird intensiviert

High-level delegates from 30 countries and 22 international organisations agreed at the Earth Observation Summit, held in Washington, to improve cooperation on Earth observation and to remove barriers to the exchange of information between countries and organisations. ESA already carries out its Earth observation programmes in cooperation with other agencies or countries through mechanisms such as CEOS, the Committee of Earth Observation Satellites and IGOS-P, the Integrated Global Observing Strategy Partnership. Another good example of the way cooperation between space agencies can lead to increased utilisation of EO data is the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. This provides data, at short notice, to civil protection agencies to help them deal with emergencies.
The declaration issued at the end of the meeting emphasised the need for timely long-term information as the basis for sound decision making; the need to coordinate strategies and systems; to assist developing countries to use and contribute to Earth observation data; and, to foster the exchange and integration of information obtained from the ground, as well as from planes and satellites. The Earth Observation Summit also agreed to prepare a 10-year Implementation Plan to build on existing systems and initiatives. ESA's delegation to the Summit was led by its Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain.

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Austrian is Eastern Europe specialist
Neue Marktstrategie von Austrian

With the first half-year of 2003 characterised by negative trends such as war in Iraq, the outbreak of SARS and continuing weakness in the global economy, the Austrian Airlines Group generated Earnings Before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) of EUR –23.3m. Profit before tax (EGT) for the half-year was EUR –28.6m, compared to EUR 4.3m for the comparison period the previous year. Based on the developments in the first half-year, the full year result is forecast to break-even at EBIT level or to be slightly positive respectively. Due to the negative effects outlined above, the passenger volume of the Austrian Airlines Group fell by 5.8 % in the first six months of the year to 3,847,698 million passengers carried.
Mr. Vagn Soerensen, Chief Executive Officer of the Austrian Airlines Group, made the following statement upon the release of the balance sheet results for the half-year: “By introducing two cost-savings programmes at the beginning of this year, making extensive cuts in production and launching a number of offensive marketing campaigns, we have succeeded in offsetting the negative trend to an extent. Now, having come through a difficult six months, we intend to go on the offensive. We will use the eastward expansion of the European Union to boost our core business and make active use of the market for East-West/West-East transfer. We have set ourselves the objective of increasing our market leadership in this region by a further 50 % over the next five years. In addition to this, we will be bringing a range of innovative new products onto the market in the autumn, integrated into a new market presence.”

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STN Atlas restructured
Neue Aufteilung bei STN Atlas

AE Systems and Rheinmetall DeTec have agreed to restructure STN Atlas, in which they hold 49% and 51% respectively, by splitting this joint venture into two wholly-owned companies, ATLAS Elektronik GmbH (ATLAS) and Rheinmetall Defence Electronics GmbH (RDE). STN Atlas principally comprises naval systems, land systems, air systems and production activities. ATLAS, a wholly-owned BAE Systems subsidiary, will acquire the naval systems business based in Bremen and Hamburg, together with the production activities. RDE, which will become a wholly-owned Rheinmetall subsidiary, will own the land and air businesses based in Bremen. The jointly owned STN Atlas company generated profit before interest of EUR 35m on sales of EUR 573m in 2002. The business activities that on completion will be owned by ATLAS had pro forma profit before interest of EUR 22m on sales of EUR 250m in 2002. Regulatory approvals for this transaction have been obtained and completion is expected to take place before the end of August. Shortly after completion, STN Atlas GmbH will change its name to Rheinmetall Defence Electronics GmbH.

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RQ-4A series aircraft complete
Erste Serienmaschine des Global Hawk fertig

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Integrated Systems sector today marked the completion of the first production air vehicle of the U.S. Air Force's combat-proven RQ-4A Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance system. In a ceremony at the company's Antelope Valley Manufacturing Center in Palmdale, dignitaries rolled back a curtain to reveal the Global Hawk air vehicle in its new operational gray-and-white paint scheme. The vehicle will complete a final series of systems tests in preparation for its first flight later this month. Global Hawk is a high-altitude, long-endurance system that provides near real-time intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance information to battlefield commanders day or night and in all weather conditions. Northrop Grumman is the Air Force's Global Hawk prime contractor.
Lessons learned from the Global Hawk deployment will be instrumental in understanding how best to integrate unmanned systems with air-land-sea and space forces to create a transformed war fighting capability, added Seymour. The vehicle unveiled is the eighth Global Hawk air vehicle to be built. Northrop Grumman produced the first seven under the advanced concept technology demonstration (ACTD) phase of the program. Following a final series of systems tests and a flight test program at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., the vehicle will be delivered to the Air Force's 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale AFB near Sacramento, Calif.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

SWISS and Swissport have agreed on a new and forward-looking model for their future collaboration. The agreement, which follows intensive negotiations between the two partners, will see a redefinition of the ground products and services provided at the airports served by SWISS. It also envisages Swissport taking over all SWISS's ground services activities, enabling each partner to focus on its core business and save costs. SWISS and Swissport concluded a landmark Memorandum of Understanding on Wednesday, August 6, following bilateral discussions. The forward-looking agreement will enable the partners to place their collaboration on a promising new footing by the end of 2006.
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SWISS and the GATA, KV Schweiz, Push and VDO ground staff unions have agreed to make a contribution to the airline's economy measures. The essential part of this contribution comes through flexibility as regards individual working hours, as well as reductions in other personnel costs. There was no agreement on a general reduction in salaries.The package incorporates a working model, covering flexible arrangements between 42 and 37 hours. The ground staff unions are supporting the contribution by agreeing to changes in respect of airline employee tickets and to a price adaptation of the currently subsidised personnel catering charges. Potential legal disputes in connection with the mass dismissals have been settled.
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Northrop Grumman Corporation and the U.S. Navy have completed the initial phase of at-sea testing that will lead to the first shipboard landing of the Navy's RQ-8A Fire Scout vertical takeoff and landing tactical unmanned air vehicle (UAV) system later this year. The tests will demonstrate that Fire Scout can safely conduct autonomous operations at sea. Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector and the Navy are conducting the tests with the USS Denver (LPD 9) based in San Diego. The testing consists of three phases: The first phase confirmed the basic suitability of the Fire Scout system for the shipboard environment. A Fire Scout air vehicle and its ground control station (GCS) were loaded aboard the Denver in San Diego harbor, then the ship steamed north to a test range off the coast of Naval Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, Calif. There, the Northrop Grumman/Navy team conducted a series of operations involving the Fire Scout on board the Denver and another Fire Scout system on shore.
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Thai Airways International is marking the start of a new era in its long-standing relationship with Airbus with an order for three A340-500s and five A340-600s. The airline first placed an order for the original A300 in 1977 and currently operates a fleet of 21 A300-600s and 12 A330s. Delivery of the newly-ordered aircraft are scheduled to begin in 2005. “This order from Thai again endorses the popularity of the A340 Family, which, with unbeatable operating costs and an outstanding operational capability, enables carriers to open up new very long distance routes or serve point to point destinations in the most efficient way.” said Noël Forgeard, Airbus President and Chief Executive Officer.
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'America's Flagship', USS Constellation (CV 64) was decommissioned Aug. 6 after 41 years, nine months and 11 days of naval service in a ceremony at Naval Air Station North Island. Former President Ronald Reagan presented a Presidential Flag to the ship in 1981, and tagged Constellation with the nickname 'America's Flagship.' Coincidentally, the newly commissioned USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) will replace Constellation when it arrives in San Diego next summer. Lt.j.g. Jenny Krug, combat systems division officer, has been on the crew of a precommissioning unit (PCU), but never part of a decommissioning crew.
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The Marine Corps' newest utility helicopter, the UH-1Y Huey, attained a rare and important helicopter milestone July 17 - 20,000 hours of fatigue testing. Representing twice the required 10,000-hour fatigue life of the SuperCobra and Huey, the test took place at the Bell Helicopter test facility at Fort Worth, Texas. The AH-1Z SuperCobra completed its 20,000-hour test in November.
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On August 4, V-22 A/C #21 made an unscheduled landing during a routine flight over the test range at the Marine Corps Base at Quantico, Va. A backup system was automatically activated and the aircraft completed a routine landing at the airfield at Quantico. The V-22 performed as designed with regard to pilot warning indications and the backup system action. A preliminary check revealed that a clamp holding a hydraulic line filter was not installed as required with the resultant vibrations causing the connection to loosen with loss of fluid to the number two hydraulics system. The faulty part was replaced and the clamp re-installed and the aircraft then completed a normal flight back to its home base at NAS Patuxent River, Md. This is not a design issue and the missing clamp appears to be a maintenance or manufacturing issue that is under review.
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Tex-Air Helicopters, Inc., a subsidiary of Seacor Smit, Inc., has finalized an agreement with Agusta Aerospace Corporation, an Agusta Westland Company, for ten Agusta A119 Koala helicopters. The first three Koalas will be delivered fourth quarter of this year and first quarter of 2004. Tex-Air, a major provider of helicopter services in the Gulf of Mexico, was founded by Ed Behne in 1988 and presently operates thirty-eight helicopters. Tex-Air has one of the youngest fleets of helicopters in the Gulf and is in an expansion mode after being acquired last year by Seacor Smit, Inc., an international provider of marine transportation services to the offshore oil and gas industry. Tex-Air has been very successful operating five and six-place single turbine helicopters and now has a requirement for larger single turbine capabilities. After an extensive evaluation, Tex-Air chose the Agusta A119 Koala. “The Koala is the most versatile, productive and efficient single turbine helicopter manufactured today, says Ed Behne. “It is faster than its competitors and has the largest cabin and luggage capability of any helicopter in its class. We have been very impressed by the performance and capabilities of the Koala. More importantly, our customers have been impressed.”
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"The Air Force has finally made a decision to make YAK-130s operational," said Russian Vice-Premier Boris Aleshin. This country is more interested in the development of YAK-130 combat trainers and trainer aeroplanes than of similar MiG-ATs (Russia-France), added Aleshin. According to him, the issue of adopting YAK-130s by the Air Force was prominent on the agenda of the cabinet's Monday meeting devoted to the development of aircraft-building. The YAK-130's export outlook was yet another issue under consideration, continued Aleshin. "A plane can be exported only provided the manufacturing country has introduced it into the inventory. We have no problems with the technology, engines and on-board equipment--we are only in pains with the schedule of phasing the aircraft into service," emphasised the vice-premier.
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Boeing will build and deliver a fourth Boeing 702 satellite for XM Satellite Radio, Inc., the Washington, D.C.-based provider of the nation's leading satellite radio service. The satellite, designated XM-4, will be delivered in late 2005 for future launch to XM's orbital slot at 115 degrees west longitude in support of XM's on-going service requirements. “This order demonstrates a valued customer's continued confidence in the Boeing 702 product line,” said Dave Ryan, vice president and general manager of Boeing Satellite Systems. “XM initiated commercial service with two Boeing 702 satellites plus a ground spare in 2001, and we are grateful for this new opportunity to support their continued success. This award also makes clear that Boeing is fully committed to providing reliable technology and superior long-term service to its customers in the commercial and government marketplaces.”
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The first student naval flight officer training flight in the T-6A Texan II was commemorated Aug. 5 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. Navy initial operating capability (IOC) began two months ahead of schedule on June 30 at Training Air Wing 6 in NAS Pensacola. A class of four Navy, one Marine and one Air Force students began academic training in Training Squadron 10.
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Lockheed Martin has surpassed a significant milestone with the delivery of the 100th C-130J Super Hercules airlifter. Aircraft number 5530, pictured here as it flies over Niagara Falls on a recent test flight, is the 16th of 22 to be delivered to the Italian Air Force. The aircraft will be operated by the 46th Air Brigade based in Pisa, Italy.
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The final crew of the Space Shuttle Columbia was memorialized in the cosmos as seven asteroids orbiting the sun between Mars and Jupiter were named in their honor. The Space Shuttle Columbia crew, Commander Rick Husband; pilot William McCool; Mission Specialists Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, Laurel Clark; and Israeli payload specialist Ilan Ramon, will have celestial memorials, easily found from Earth. The names, proposed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif., were recently approved by the International Astronomical Union. The official clearinghouse of asteroid data, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Minor Planet Center, released the dedication.
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"Privatization of Hong Kong Airport must benefit the general public, travellers, airlines, and shippers not just the operators of the airport and the Government," challenged Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). His comments followed the Hong Kong Government's announcement to seek financial advisors to privatize the Hong Kong Airport Authority. "We are encouraged that the Government has announced that it will work with all stake holders in the privatization process. This is essential and a good start. We all know that a healthy air transport industry is at the core of Hong Kong's future. It goes well beyond the 45,000 airport jobs. Privatization is far too important to be viewed as a quick fix to the Government's current budgetary difficulties. Long-term vision is needed," said Bisignani. From the outset, strong and independent economic regulation must be established as part of the privatization process to ensure: just and reasonable charges, timely and cost-effective infrastructure development, acceptable service standards
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Air Force General Robert H. Foglesong has been nominated for reappointment to the rank of general with assignment as commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe; commander, Allied Air Forces North, NATO; and Air Force component commander, U.S. European Command, Ramstein Air Base, Germany. Foglesong is currently serving as vice chief of staff, U.S. Air Force. Air Force General Gregory S. Martin, the current serving commander, has been nominated for reappointment to the grade of general with assignment as commander, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
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The NAVAIR E-2 program announced the official commencement of the Systems Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the Advanced Hawkeye (AHE) program with a contract award to the Northrop Grumman Corporation. The contract is valued at approximately $1.9 billion and includes SDD efforts to begin in fiscal year 2003 and conclude in fiscal year 2013. The Defense Acquisition Board granted approval for the program to enter this phase on June 6. The AHE's radar modernization is a key element in the development of the U.S. Navy's newest iteration of the E-2 aircraft. The linchpin of a transformational capability, the Advanced Hawkeye will enable the Navy to continue to play a sizeable and important role in U.S. military strategy. With its new radar, the E-2, long billed as the “eyes of the fleet,” will provide the most technologically advanced command and control capability in the world, with the ability to collect data and supply information to naval and joint forces well ahead of engagement. The first developmental AHE aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2007, followed by Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in fiscal year 2011.
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Sea Launch, the world's most reliable launch service provider for heavy commercial communication satellites, today successfully launched the EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 satellite to orbit for EchoStar Communications Corporation and Loral Skynet. A Zenit-3SL launch vehicle lifted off at 8:31 pm PDT (3:31 GMT) from the Odyssey Launch Platform positioned at 154 degrees West Longitude, on the Equator. All systems performed nominally throughout the flight. The Block DM-SL upper stage inserted the 4,737 kg (10,443 lb) EchoStar IX/Telstar 13 satellite into a high perigee geosynchronous transfer orbit. As planned, the spacecraft's first signal was acquired at 9:46 pm PDT (4:46 GMT), shortly after spacecraft separation, by a ground station in Western Australia. The spacecraft will be located in geostationary orbit at 121 degrees West Longitude.
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Frontier Airlines announced it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with Airbus for the acquisition by Frontier of 15 additional Airbus A319 aircraft with purchase rights for up to an additional 23 A319 aircraft. Completion of the transactions outlined in the LOI are subject to successful negotiations of an amendment to Frontier's existing purchase agreement with Airbus and the satisfaction of certain other conditions. In addition to the Airbus A319 aircraft ordered under the LOI, Frontier announced that it intends to lease as many as 14 additional A319s over the next five years. At this time no final lease terms have been reached for the 14 additional leased aircraft.
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South Korea is about to take the first step toward having its first rocket launch site, an important step in its effort to become a leading country in the global aerospace industry, the Yonhap News Agency reported. The government-initiated construction will start Friday (Aug. 8) on reclaimed land of 4.95 million square meters in Goheung County, South Jeolla Province, the Ministry of Science and Technology said on Thursday. The project, scheduled for completion by late 2005, is estimated to cost 150 billion won ($126.45 million). According to the ministry, South Korea would become the 13th country to have a launch site. The Goheung Space Center, to be run by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, will be equipped with various high-tech facilities including a rocket launch site, control tower, rocket assembly line, rocket testing equipment and a space simulator, the ministry explained. As its first goal, the center will seek to launch the first domestic satellite-bearing rocket, named KSLV-1 (Korean Space Launch Vehicle) and a domestically-produced, 100 kilogram satellite.
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Using automotive technology and a little bit of “magic,” researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory's propulsion directorate demonstrated their latest experiment at the Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture air show. For years, propulsion researchers around the world have searched for a better, more efficient way to increase speed and improve the performance of aircraft. Propulsion scientists from the lab at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, have developed the pulsed-detonation engine, made up mostly of off-the-shelf automotive parts. According to Dr. Fred Shauer, the engine's creator, the system creates propulsion by using a series of controlled explosions of fuel and air in detonation tubes that look like long exhaust pipes. The “magic” is the process Shauer's team has developed to burn the fuel and air in a way that increases the intensity of the explosions, providing increased thrust that could power future aircraft to speeds of up to Mach 4. The system uses any type of general-aircraft fuel and even can be powered by regular unleaded gas used in cars, he said. To develop the propulsion system, there was a need for an engine to power the experiment.
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Orbital Sciences Corporation announced that it has been awarded the initial phase of a $25 million satellite manufacturing contract from a university team led by Hampton University (HU) in Hampton, Virginia, with the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) in Boulder, Colorado managing the satellite development for HU. Dr. James M. Russell III of HU is the Principal Investigator of the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) program, with oversight conducted by the Small Explorers Office of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.
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SpaceDev successfully completed its full duration hybrid rocket motor test for SpaceShipOne, the final test under the current phase of SpaceDev's contract with Scaled Composites in Mojave, CA. SpaceDev is competing to be the provider of rocket motors for SpaceShipOne. SpaceDev has developed small and large hybrid rocket motors under contracts with government agencies and private companies. Hybrid rocket motors are non-explosive and inexpensive, using a solid hydrocarbon fuel, and a liquid oxidizer to make the fuel burn. SpaceDev uses rubber or plastic for fuel, and nitrous oxide for the oxidizer. Under a separate contract, SpaceDev is designing a cluster of three microsatellites to fly in formation and communicate over a wireless LAN in space. SpaceDev was recently awarded a Department of Defense (DoD) contract to begin designing a small, inexpensive, hybrid-based launch vehicle for microsatellites. Under another DoD contract, SpaceDev is building a hybrid- based small and agile orbital transfer and maneuvering vehicle for moving small payloads from one orbit to another.
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The first 767-200ER to be modified into a 767 Tanker Transport for the Italian Air Force was celebrated at the Boeing Wichita Development and Modification Center in Kansas. “This 767 will be configured to a full Tanker Transport configuration over the next year and a half,” said Bob Gower, vice president of Tanker Programs for Boeing. “This will set the way for many other 767 Tankers to come through this facility.” Modifications being performed include installation of the advanced Remote Aerial Refueling Operator Station, aerial refueling boom, wing pods and centerline hose-and-drogue refueling systems, refueling receptacle freighter/passenger interior and cargo door. Some additional military, navigation and communications equipment will also be installed.
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Boeing officials filed court documents in the U.S. District Court in Orlando, Fla., to dismiss nine counts in a civil suit brought against the company by Lockheed Martin. Calling the suit an “effort to damage Boeing's reputation through…opportunistic litigation,” the filing moves to dismiss all racketeering and antitrust allegations. According to George Muellner, Air Force Systems senior vice president and general manager for Boeing, “Lockheed Martin is trying to stretch alleged facts into violations of laws that do not fit this case. “We have said that Boeing acknowledges the improper conduct of a few of its employees in this matter,” Muellner continued. “And, although we disagree with some of the specific Air Force findings, we are working with the Air Force to determine the best way forward. “While the company defends itself in court against the egregious claims by Lockheed Martin, we will continue to deliver on commitments to our customers and meet the Air Force's requirements for lifting the suspension as soon as possible,” Muellner concluded.
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In an effort to increase the B-2 Spirit's operational capability, a test force here conducted an airborne release of 80 Joint Direct Attack Munitions separation test vehicles. The separation test vehicles are inert weapons used to collect data. The Aug. 6 test was one of more than nine sorties flown as a build-up toward equipping the aircraft to carry and release up to 80 JDAMs on a single missions, according to Mark Burke, 419th Flight Test Squadron project manager. The purpose of the build-up approach is to reduce the risk of aircraft collision with the weapons, explained Burke. "The overall objective of this program is to integrate the Smart Bomb Release Assembly and JDAM-82 into the B-2," said Burke. "This improved capability will allow the B-2 to carry 80 JDAMs."
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