FLUG REVUE update: Week ending July 11, 2004

UPDATE
Week ending 11 July 2004

+++ European orders for Boeing 7E7 +++ ESA signs a 1 Billion Euro contract for ISS elements +++ Korea selects helicopter finalists +++ High-tech pax doors from Eurocopter +++ First missile defence site opened +++ News in brief +++

European orders for Boeing 7E7
Erste 7E7 in Europa verkauft

On July 7, Boeing confirmed that Blue Panorama of Italy and First Choice Airways of the United Kingdom have selected the 7E7 Dreamliner to replace and expand their existing airplane fleets. These two carriers are the first in Europe to choose the 7E7, the world's newest, most advanced commercial jetliner. In separate press conferences in Rome and London , the carriers announced plans to acquire a total of 10 7E7s, valued at $1.2 billion at list prices. Blue Panorama will add four 7E7s to its fleet at a value of $500 million and First Choice will receive six 7E7s. Contract negotiations are expected to conclude later this year. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2009. Both carriers have selected the 7E7-8 model, with a range of 15,700 kilometers. This is 4,000 kilometers farther than today's similar-sized airplanes, which will allow 7E7 operators to economically connect hundreds of new destinations for world travelers.
Blue Panorama and First Choice are in the process of evaluating their engine options, which include the General Electric GENX (GE Next Generation) and Rolls-Royce's Trent 1000. As these airlines join the launch team, they will be the first in Europe to benefit from the advanced economics, improved fuel efficiency and reduced noise of the 7E7. They will be the first to offer passengers a new, more comfortable flying experience, in cabins with larger windows, wider seats and wider aisles.
Blue Panorama, headquartered in Rome , started operations in 1998. This privately-owned, all-Boeing operator currently flies five 737-400s and three 767-300ERs and will take delivery of a fourth 767-300ER in December. First Choice Airways, based in the UK and previously known as Air 2000, is part of the Mainstream Holidays division of First Choice Holidays PLC, incorporating some of the largest brands in the UK travel industry. Other companies in the division include tour-operating brands such as First Choice Holidays, Unijet, 2wentys, Eclipse Direct, Falcon and JWT.

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ESA signs a 1 Billion Euro contract for ISS elements
EADS Space Transportation gets ARV order

On 13 July, ESA and EADS Space Transportation will sign a 1 billion Euro contract which allows Europe to start the initial exploitation of the International Space Station. The contract covers initial exploitation activities, in particular preparations for the operations of Columbus, ESA's laboratory onboard the International Space Station, and the production of six European multifunctional cargo space ships, called "Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV)". On behalf of the ESA Director General, Mr Jean-Jacques Dordain, the Director of Human Spaceflight, Mr Jörg Feustel-Büechl, will sign the contract for ESA, while on the industrial side Mr Josef Kind, President of EADS Space Transportation, will sign.
The procurement of the six ATVs by ESA will be done in a stepped contractual approach. It starts with the purchase of equipment for the second ATV flight model in 2004, followed by purchase of equipment for the third ATV and the integration of the second ATV after a successful Production Readiness Review in 2005 following successful qualification of first ATV, named after Jules Verne, which has been developed and produced under the existing contract for the development and production of the European elements for the International Space Station and which is due for launch on an Ariane 5 from the European spaceport in Kourou in the second half of 2005. In 2006, the purchase of equipment for the ATV flight models no. 4 to no. 7 and the assembly of ATV no. 3 to no. 7 can be effectuated upon a second successful Production Review. The ATVs are essential in the supply of the ISS with spare parts, food, air and water for its permanent crew. They carry also experiment equipment to the Station and remove waste and material that is not longer needed onboard. Furthermore, the ATVs are capable of pushing the Station to a higher orbit to compensate for the slow but constant altitude loss of the Station resulting from the drag of the residual Earth atmosphere at the altitude of 400 km at which the ISS is flying.

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Korea selects helicopter finalists
Hubschrauberwettbewerb in Südkorea

Two European consortiums and Bell from the United States were picked by the Koren Defense Ministry on July 9 as the three final contenders for Korea's 10 trillion won ($8.6 billion) "miracle" helicopter project, which would give this country a fleet of next generation craft and generate lucrative exports. The three are AugustaWestland consortium from Britain and Italy, the Franco-German Eurocopter and Bell. Boeing and Sikorsky, both from the United States, were cut from the field as the heated global competition for the Korea Multirole Helicopter project, the country's single largest arms procurement undertaking, entered its closing stages. The ministry refused to disclose any specific data of its review, or why Boeing, which has rarely failed to win military bids in Korea, was excluded.
The objective of the multi-billion dollar project is to replace the country's aging choppers with 477 new aircraft by 2012. Another several hundred helicopters will be built simultaneously for export purposes. Korea wants the foreigner manufacturer to design an aircraft that combines the concepts of cargo delivery and attack. Though this design may be economical, some experts say it is not practical for a real combat situation and they point to previous failures. The ministry exploratory team's next move is to learn if the three bidders can meet Korea's procurement standards and help Korea develop 34 core components. The selection process is to end late next month and by mid-September the ministry will chose a winner.

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High-tech pax doors from Eurocopter
Neue Karbonfasertüren aus Donauwörth

Eurocopter has stepped into a new era of passenger airplane structure design. The world's first all-composite airplane door was successfully produced in Donauwörth at the Eurocopter Deutschland plant in a so called “one-shot curing” process. By injecting resin into a special mould Eurocopter was able to manufacture a complex airplane door as one single piece, incl. all respective elements such as beams, frames and the external doors skin. This is the worldwide first door of such kind, and based on its broad experience in this technology field Eurocopter is now in the position to offer optimum light weight doors for new aircraft programmes as well as substitutes in weight critical existing programmes.
“This is a true technology breakthrough after an intensive and successful development phase”, says Bert Stegkemper, Eurocopter Senior Vice President. “It proves once more that Eurocopter is not only leading the market in airplane-door design, but that we were able to reduce the immanent complexity in this field of construction to a large extent while benefiting from an incredible weight decrease at the same time.” Future serial passenger door structures will have a reduced weight of approx 30% compared to today's aluminium constructions. The door was defined and designed within the European Research Programme FUBACOMP (for a business aircraft) since 2001, and now undergoes extensive Non Destructive Testing (NDT) as well as static and dynamic testing to conclude the proof of concept. Eurocopter produces next to helicopters at its German site in Donauwörth more than two thirds of all Airbus doors and is prime contractor in this field for the A380. It holds more than 30 active patents in the field of airplane door production

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First missile defence site opened
USA nimmt Raketenabwehr in Betrieb

The Boeing Ground Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) program team and the Missile Defense Agency dedicated the nation's first ballistic missile defense site at Fort Greely, Alaska, on July 3. The dedication marked completion of construction of the first GMD missile field. In accordance with President George Bush's direction two years ago to deploy an initial missile defense capability, the Boeing Missile Defense Systems' team is preparing to deliver this first crucial element of the country's national security strategy.
The GMD system consists of integrated ground-based interceptors, kill vehicles, a variety of sensors and an expansive battle management command and control network, which is capable of protecting the homeland from attack. Since first breaking ground at Fort Greely on June 15, 2002, the Boeing team has worked around the clock constructing the site despite challenging conditions including temperatures averaging 40 below and winds gusting up to 90 mph. Construction involved clearing 550 acres, pouring 5,400 cubic yards of concrete, constructing more than 80,000 square feet of building space and installing six interceptor silos for the initial GMD capability. In addition, 13,000 miles of fiber optic cable are dedicated to the GMD system. "The progress made on the GMD program at the Fort Greely site over the past two years has been outstanding," said Jim Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. "GMD is one of the first real system-of-systems programs and ranks among the most complex programs the country has ever undertaken. Addressing this national need has taken the best of industry and the best of Boeing."
As prime contractor for the GMD program, Boeing is responsible for the development and integration of the GMD system components, including the Ground-Based Interceptor; Ground-Based Radar Prototype; Battle Management, Command, Control and Communication systems; Early Warning Radars; and interfaces to the Defense Support Program early warning satellite system. Other GMD team members include Orbital Sciences Corp., Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman and Lockheed Martin.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

An important phase has been covered on the delivery, today, in Brasov, to the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom, of the first PUMA helicopter completely refurbished and overhauled by EUROCOPTER ROMANIA. After the investments made in 2002 and 2003 to provide EUROCOPTER ROMANIA with a modern production hall, this delivery demonstrates factually what the company is capable of offering on the worldwide, highly competitive market, referring to overhaul/repair and upgrading works for both civil and military PUMA helicopters. Starting this moment by the end of the year, other three PUMA helicopters will be delivered to the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom. Another important phase will be covered at the beginning of September on starting the upgrading works for 24 PUMA helicopters belonging to the UAE Armed Forces, in cooperation with S.C. IAR S.A. Brasov. The works are complex, looking at a complete re-motorization, the installation of a new automatic pilot and of a new avionics system. In the same time, EUROCOPTER ROMANIA develops its activities so that it may cover the civil market needs in Romania as well as in the neighboring countries.
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On July 1, Vanderbilt LifeFlight took delivery of their first of three Eurocopter EC145's at American Eurocopter facility. The new EC145's will replace the BK117's that Vanderbilt LifFlight currently operates. Lenys Biga, Administrative Director, Lifeflight Trauma Burn, said, “On behalf of the Vanderbilt Flight program, I want to thank all those at American Eurocopter, Metro Aviation and Air Methods Corporation for all their efforts in bringing the first of three new EC145's to fruition. The helicopter is an incredible machine and I am looking forward to its arrival in Nashville and integration in to our fleet”According to Jeanne Yeatman, Vanderbilt LifeFlight's Program Director, the EC145's longer range will allow LifeFlight to increase the number of communities it serves, and the helicopter will provide the medical crews with increased payload and clinical space. She said, “Based on our previous experience with the BK's the selection of the EC145 was a natural progression to enhance our capabilities. The new EC145's will improve our services and increase our ability to fly safer, longer, faster while integrating the enhanced state of the art medical configuration developed by Metro Aviation.”
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The U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin have developed a prototype system that horizontally integrates Link 16-equipped fighter aircraft with the Air Operations Center (AOC), automatically delivering near real-time mission information from pilots to air combat planners. Developed in just four months and slated for operational deployment in early 2005, the Data Link Automated Reporting System (DLARS) creates an unprecedented link between tactical fighters and the AOC, significantly enhancing the Air Force's ability to manage missions as diverse as close air support and long-range strike. "DLARS provides a critical combat capability to decision makers in the AOC. We've always known the data existed it was just a matter of getting it to the right people at the right time to make the right decisions," said Colonel Bruce Sturk, Commander of the Air Force Command and Control Battle Lab, Hurlburt Air Force Base. "The machine-to-machine data exchanges enabled through DLARS significantly enhance the kill chain process and give operators unprecedented levels of situational awareness throughout the battlespace." The Battle Lab, the centerpiece of innovative air combat technologies and concepts, led the development of DLARS.
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A Northrop Grumman Corporation-led team and the U.S. Air Force have reached a major milestone on a next-generation airborne surveillance radar program by finalizing the radar's baseline design and starting the development and demonstration phase of the program. During the week of June 14-18, engineers from Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and the Air Force's Electronic Systems Center conducted the final design review for the service's Multi-Platform Radar Technology Insertion Program (MP-RTIP) radar. MP-RTIP is a modular, active electronically scanned array radar that's being developed for deployment on the Air Force's E-10A battle management and Global Hawk unmanned aerial reconnaissance platforms. It will dramatically increase the service's ability to detect, track and identify both stationary and moving ground vehicles, and low-flying cruise missiles. The Northrop Grumman/Raytheon team is producing the MP-RTIP radar under an $888 million system development and demonstration contract awarded in April. Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector, the Air Force's MP-RTIP prime contractor, leads the team and serves as the overall system integrator. Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector and Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems are working together to develop and build the MP-RTIP hardware. Both Electronic Systems and Raytheon will also support the integration effort.
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On a humid day in June, with a temperature similar to that at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, the engine of a miniature Vega launcher was ignited at Colleferro, a small town in the middle of Italy. The reason: to test the noise level. Because of the high levels of humidity in this area, in 1912 Colleferro was selected as a suitable place to manufacture explosives. This activity ended many years ago but the 158,000 sq km site was then taken over by Avio SpA for its aerospace activities. Avio has now been joined at the site by ELV SpA, Vega's prime contractor. Colleferro is where most of the work is being done to prepare Vega for launch in 2006. Vega, ESA's new 'baby' European launcher, is the smallest launcher to be developed by ESA. Last Tuesday's test was just one of a series of eight acoustic tests being carried out by Avio, the prime contractor for the first stage P80 motor, and ELV. These tests are needed to ensure that the noise inside the launcher at liftoff remains below 142 decibels. If this level is exceeded the vibration created by the noise of the engine during liftoff could damage the launcher components and the payload. To date, five of the eight tests scheduled to find the best configuration at the launch pad have been completed. These use a 1:20 scale model of Vega and its launch pad to simulate conditions at liftoff. Once everything is ready the scaled model of the a P80 solid rocket motor is ignited for two seconds, sufficient for the 42 microphones studded around the Vega model to measure the acoustic level.
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Researchers from NASA's Glenn Research Center (GRC) at Cleveland, Ohio, arranged for a fuel inerting system to be installed aboard a NASA Boeing 747. The system, designed to reduce the chance of an explosion inside an airplane fuel tank, made its first flight tests as part of ongoing research being conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in partnership with NASA. GRC's Dr. Clarence Chang proposed that the FAA use the B747-100 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft based at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center Edwards, Calif. "I'm glad we were able to help make this happen," Chang said. "We look forward to the benefits that will be derived as a result of the flight testing," he added. The FAA had already tested the system using ground-based facilities. The next critical step in the technology development was the program of actual flight tests aboard a large aircraft, such as NASA's 747. The tests, completed in two weeks last month at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, produced data the FAA will use to help implement its recently announced policy requiring measures to reduce fuel-tank flammability in the near future.
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Italy takes on a prominent role in European satellite navigation with the opening on 13 July of a master control centre for EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), the first European satellite navigation system, at the air traffic control centre in Ciampino, near Rome, operated by ENAV, the Italian agency for air navigation services. EGNOS is the precursor to Galileo, the full global satellite navigation system under development in Europe. When completed at the end of this year, EGNOS will consist of three geostationary satellites and a network of ground stations (nearly 40 will be deployed). These stations will transmit information on the reliability and accuracy of the positioning signals sent out by the systems currently in operation, the US GPS and the Russian GLONASS. EGNOS will allow users in Europe and beyond to determine their position within 2 m, compared to about 20 m with GPS. After certification, EGNOS will be used for safety-critical applications such as flying aircraft or navigating ships through narrow channels. There will also be many mass-market applications, such as car navigation or bus and truck fleet management, and professional or specific uses, like assistance to blind pedestrians.
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Longbow International, a Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman joint venture, delivered the first two of 23 Longbow Fire Control Radar units to Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (MELCO) in support of the Japanese Defense Force. "This delivery is important because it is the first in support of a licensed production program in which Longbow International transfers technology to MELCO," said Tom Eldredge, Longbow International program manager. "This technology transfer will enable MELCO to perform final assembly and test of fire control radar line replaceable units." MELCO representatives visually inspected the assembled hardware, and the Longbow International program quality manager signed the certificate of conformance, establishing that units meet procedures and requirements for final acceptance and sell-off of the units.
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The US Federal Aviation Administrations approval of the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) programme is a valuable step in strengthening global safety standards, said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA Director General and CEO. The United States and its aviation partners around the world share a commitment to improving global aviation safety. This new audit accreditation programme is an important step toward achieving a single international set of audit standards that will make flying safer, said FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey.Many governments, including the US Department of Transportation, require their flag airlines to audit foreign code-share partners. The FAAs recognition of IOSA permits U.S. carriers to use the programmes accredited audit organisations to comply with the U.S. audit requirement rather than perform an audit themselves. IOSA is the worlds only airline safety audit program incorporating globally recognised standards and best practices, Bisignani said. IOSA is available to all airlines and will bring great benefits by confirming the thoroughness of operational structures and enhancing code-share opportunities.
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Under the authority of the Minister of Defence of The Netherlands, the transition of the European Airlift Coordination Cell (EACC) to the European Airlift Centre (EAC) has taken place at Royal Netherlands Air Force Base Eindhoven on Monday 5 July 2004. Member states of EACC/EAC are Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom, while Norway currently has the status of Associated Participant. This day also marked the change of directorship of the organization from France (Col Philippe Rutz) to Germany (Col Wolfgang Lange). The EACC was founded in 2001. It results from a 1999 Franco-German initiative, aiming at the formation of a future “European Air Transport Command”. The goal of the EACC/EAC is to improve and optimize the effectiveness and efficiency of the utilisation of European Air Transport and Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) resources. The EACC is achieving this by successfully coordinating and optimizing the use of airlift and tanker capacity for the benefit of its member Nations. In the light of the growing need of strategic mobility linked to the increasing number of deployed operations world-wide and their individual operational tempos, new initiatives have been implemented for a broader scope of authority and capability of the organisation. The resulting EAC does not only have a broader planning authority and capability, it also has responsibilities to include elements of training, conceptual developments and logistics to the benefit of the overall operational capacity of the member Nations.
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Boeing received a contract from the U.S. Marine Corps to provide two ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle "mobile deployment units" for use with the First Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) in Iraq. ScanEagle is a low-cost, long-endurance fully autonomous UAV developed and built by Boeing and The Insitu Group. Each ScanEagle mobile deployment unit will consist of several UAVs as well as the computers, communication links and ground equipment necessary to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) support for I MEF during operational missions. "ScanEagle's ISR capabilities will give the warfighter an immediate, clear picture of the battlefield," said Kim Michel, Boeing Advanced Unmanned Systems director. "Additionally, its communications relay technology will allow Marines on the ground to more easily receive and share information."
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The European Commission has decided to refer Italy to the European Court of Justice because of the Italian Government's longstanding policy of awarding contracts, directly and without competition, to the Italian company Agusta, for the supply of helicopters for civilian use by various public services. The Commission considers that such direct awards of contracts are in violation of the EU Directive on the procurement of supplies (93/36/EEC). Although the Directive does allow direct award of contracts, without the publication of a tender notice, in certain specific circumstances, none of these conditions are met in the case of these helicopter supply contracts. The open and transparent procedures for invitations to tender required by Community law on public contracts mean more competition and better guarantees against corruption, as well as a better service to taxpayers and a better use of public money. A recent study has shown that the application of the Directives has reduced by about 30% the prices paid by awarding authorities for works, supplies and services. In February 2004, the EU adopted a legislative package to clarify, modernise and simplify the Directives in order to achieve even greater savings.
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Eurofighter Simulation Systems (ESS) has awarded a contract to CAE to provide a range of engineering and on-site support services for the visual systems on the Eurofighter Aircrew Synthetic Training Aids (ASTA) program. The contract is valued at approximately C$30 million over five years. CAE will provide maintenance and support services for the visual systems on all Eurofighter full- mission simulators (FMSs) and cockpit trainer/interactive pilot stations (CT/IPTs). The CAE Medallion-S visual system is being used on all the Eurofighter training devices under the ASTA program requiring a visual solution. CAE will provide the maintenance and support services for the visual systems at training bases in Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K. “The visual system requirements for the Eurofighter program have clearly established CAE's Medallion-S image generator as the choice for high performance fast-jet training applications,” said Jean-Claude Siew, vice-president of visual systems, CAE. “We're pleased to continue our business relationship with ESS GmbH for the support of the Eurofighter training program to help ensure the mission readiness of aircrews flying the latest generation combat aircraft.”
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The board of directors of the Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH has recently elected Dr. Lutz Bertling and Guillaume Faury into the management. Lutz Bertling (41) already leads the business area Governmental Programmes of the Eurocopter Group since 2003. This comprises, among other, European acquisition programmes as for instance the attack helicopter TIGER, the tactical transport- and navy-helicopter NH90, as well as the military product improvement programmes of the German Navy and Army Bo105, CH53, SEA KING and SEA LYNX. Before changing to Eurocopter Lutz Bertling was head of the Augsburg-plant and head of the business area Aerostructure Programmes in the field of military aircraft of the DaimlerChrysler AG (today EADS) from 1999 to 2003. He replaces Frank Dorn who retires. "Frank Dorn has decicively and successfully influenced the production of helicopters with MBB during the years. Therefore, we owe him our recognition and sincere gratitude", states Friedrich Dorhofer, Chairman of the Eurocopter management.
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A fleet of spacecraft dispersed throughout the solar system gave the best picture to date of the effects of blast waves from solar storms as they propagate through the solar system. The "Halloween" solar storms in October-November 2003 were the most powerful ever measured. The storms' effects on Earth were severe enough to cause the rerouting of aircraft, affect satellite operations, and precipitate a power failure in Malmoe, Sweden. Long-distance radio communications were disrupted because of the effects on the ionosphere, and northern lights (aurora borealis) were seen as far south as Florida. No NASA satellites near Earth were severely damaged by the storms. The International Space Station astronauts curtailed some of their activities and took shelter in the Russian-supplied Service Module several times during the storm. Because this kind of event will have significant implications for radiation protection requirements for explorers who venture outside the Earth's protective magnetosphere (magnetic field), scientists have been working for years to develop the capability to predict when these massive storms will erupt.
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Lufthansa continued on its upward course in the second quarter of 2004. In the first six months of the year the Lufthansa Group airlines carried more passengers, transported a higher volume of cargo and achieved better capacity utilisation in all traffic regions than in the comparable period last year. From January to June 2004, the Group airlines flew 24.7 million passengers - 11.9 per cent more than in the first half of 2003. The 14 per cent increase in available capacity was outpaced by the growth in sales, which climbed by 16.8 per cent. As a result, capacity utilisation rose 1.7 percentage points to 73.4 per cent. The recovery in the cargo business segment also continued. In the first half of the year, Lufthansa Cargo transported about 840,000 tonnes of freight and mail, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.5 per cent. At 66.7 per cent, the cargo load factor surpassed the prior-year figure by 1.9 percentage points. From January to June 2004, the Lufthansa Group raised its overall load factor (passenger and cargo business) by 1.9 percentage points to 70.6 per cent.
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Rolls-Royce announced on 5 July that the Trent 900 engine, being developed for the A380, had successfully completed a fan-blade containment test, one of the critical safety demonstrations ahead of certification by the airworthiness authorities. During the test, which took place on schedule at the company's Hucknall, UK, facility, the engine was accelerated to full speed before a fan blade was released at the root by an explosive charge. The blade and its debris were contained successfully and the engine performed a controlled shutdown. Ian Crawford, Director Airbus Programmes for Rolls-Royce, said: “This was a key event in the development programme, and although computer simulations accurately predicted this result, it is always good to see it validated by the reality of the test. The Trent 900, which will be the first engine delivered on the A380, has a set of hollow, titanium fan blades measuring 116 inches in diameter – the largest ever designed by Rolls-Royce.
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StarAlliance partner Scandinavian Airlines is the first carrier outside the Lufthansa Group to call upon the engineering services of Lufthansa Technik AG for installation of onboard Internet. Under the terms of an order from Connexion by Boeing, a business unit of The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA), engineers in Lufthansa Technik's aircraft-overhaul and -modification division are preparing to integrate the communication system aboard seven Airbus A340-300s and four Airbus A330-300s. Like Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines will be using wireless local area network (Wireless LAN) technology, and the aircraft cabins will be equipped with several hot spots. As engineering partner for Airbus jetliners, Lufthansa Technik did the pre-installation development work for Connexion by Boeing and, as part of the project, among other things did an analysis of the aircraft at the airport in Copenhagen in order to adapt the systems and components to the specific aircraft involved. During the conversion phase, a team of from four to ten engineers will be on hand to supervise the process. In addition, Lufthansa Technik is also offering its customers the complete line of equipment needed for installing Internet connectivity aboard aircraft.
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ICTS Europe Holdings B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, has received approval from the French government's civil aviation authority to begin a one-year commercial trial of its RASCargO explosives-detection screening product for the cargo industry. As a result, DIAG-NOSE, ICTS Europe's French subsidiary, will now be able to launch a commercial air cargo screening service at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). DIAG-NOSE is also planning to deploy RASCargO at other continental European airports in late 2004 and early 2005. Based on Remote Air Sampling for Canine Olfaction (RASCO), the RASCargO product involves a two-stage process. The first stage requires security staff to take air samples from large cargo containers (eg., pallets, crates, containers). In the second stage, specially trained dogs analyze or sniff the air samples for the presence of any explosives. Advantages of RASCargO include high detection rates, fluidity of operations, ability to clear dense and oversize items, and large capacity throughput of more than 1,000 metric tons per hour. “RASCargO's distinct advantages are expected to revolutionize operations and present high value for users,” says Oren Sapir, managing director of DIAG-NOSE and business development manager of ICTS Europe. Furthermore, this will position RASCargO as one of the most efficient methods for security checking and clearing both air and sea freight.
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Swiss Federal Councilor Samuel Schmid handed over the first four F-5E Tiger combat aircraft to the Austrian air force today, Friday July 9. In total, Austria has leased 12 Tiger aircraft belonging to Switzerland to ensure the surveillance of its air space until the service introduction of its fleet of Eurofighter combat aircraft. The Austrian Defence Minister; Günther Platter, took part in the hand-over ceremony, which will take place at Graz-Thalerhof air base. Federal Councilor Samuel Schmid will be accompanied by the commander of the Air Force, Corps Commander Hans-Rudolf Fehrlin, and by defence procurement chief Alfred Markwalder. The two ministers will also discuss bilateral security issues. Austria and Switzerland signed an umbrella agreement governing the four-year lease of 12 F-5E aircraft in April 2004. In addition to the aircraft, the agreement also covers logistical aspects, maintenance and personnel training. In exchange, Austria will pay Switzerland the amount of 54 million euros. The United States authorized the transfer of the aircraft on June 14. American authorization is required as the aircraft were originally procured by Switzerland from the United States.
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The UK's Aerospace Industry saw a recovery in sales last year driven largely by increased defence spending, according to figures released today by the Society of British Aerospace Companies. The UK Aerospace Facts and Figures 2003 Report, sponsored by Accenture, also shows that Research & Development rose by 18 per cent on the previous year. R&D expenditure now reflects 12.3% of the industry's turnover, the third consecutive annual increase. By comparison, R&D only accounted for 8.2 per cent of sales in 2001. Total turnover for the sector grew by 3.4 per cent in real terms, to £17.08bn. The recovery was driven by increased domestic and global defence spending. Military export and domestic orders enjoyed a substantial rise to £8.3bn, an improvement of 12 per cent in real terms - with UK government procurement showing a substantial rise up to £3.33bn, an increase of more than 22 per cent. Civil aerospace revenue continued to fall, but the decline of 6.3 per cent was more modest than in the previous year.
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Vietnam Airlines took delivery of the first of five A321s at ceremony involving the airline's President Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hien in Hamburg. The airline has been operating A320 family aircraft since 1993, but the A321 delivered today is the first aircraft directly ordered by the airline in a contract signed in October 2002. Vietnam Airlines currently operates a leased fleet of ten A320s and three A321s. “The A321 will enable Vietnam Airlines to continue to expand its network and to address the needs of a rapidly growing Vietnamese market,” said Vietnam Airlines' President Nguyen Xuan Hien. “We are confident that, with the additional aircraft, the Airbus Single Aisle Family will continue to play an important role in our fleet, and we look forward to a robust partnership between our two companies in the future. Furthermore, we are particularly proud to have contributed to the development of economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and Europe.”
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