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+++ 328 Support Services GmbH opens for business +++ More orders for A320 +++ US Marines' new heavy lifter starts development +++ Lufthansa passenger record in 2005 +++ BA Connect to fight low-cost rivals +++ News in brief +++
328 Support Services GmbH opens for business
Neue Firma stellt 328-Service sicher
328 Support Services, the newly established wholly owned German subsidiary of Corporate Jet Services, confirmed on 11 January 2006, the appointment of Wolfgang Walter as Managing Director with immediate effect. Wolfgang reports to Mike Farge, Corporate Jet Services CEO. Wolfgang has led AvCraft Aerospace GmbH (which purchased the Dornier 328 programme from Fairchild Dornier) for the past three years, following a long career with Dornier. He will now continue to lead a 100-strong team at Oberpfaffenhofen. Each of these employees has been offered new contracts with the new company, which was released from Administration by law firm PLUTA at the end of 2005.
Wolfgang Walter will be overseeing the engineering, design, product support activities, including supply of all spare parts for the worldwide fleet of Dornier 328 jet and turboprop aircraft. He will also spearhead the development of a new Dornier 328 maintenance organisation which will complement Jet Engineering Technical Support at Southampton Airport, UK. Meanwhile, work is continuing on completing the final two Dornier 328 jet aircraft on the production line. Thereafter, future business will concentrate on modifications and design work, together with a concentrated campaign to start returning stored Dornier 328 aircraft to service. (Some 80 Dornier 328 aircraft are currently parked in Europe and the US). 328 Support Services will have a skilled workforce of engineers to do this. New appointments on the marketing side will be announced shortly. 328 Support Services will be focusing heavily on close liaison with Dornier customers around the world. Early in December last year JETS hosted a European 328 Operators Summit at Southampton Airport. A second event for operators worldwide will be organised in the next few months in Oberpfaffenhofen. 328 Support Services is wholly owned by Corporate Jet Services Ltd, the parent company of executive jet services company Club328, JETS and regional scheduled airline EuroManx, the latter based on the Isle of Man.
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More orders for A320
Neue A320-Verkäufe
The new Mexican start-up airline Volaris, with headquarters in Toluca, Mexico City, has signed a contract with Airbus for the acquisition of 16 firm A319s with options for 40 additional A320 Family aircraft. Volaris' A319s will carry 144 passengers in a comfortable single class configuration and will be equipped with IAE engines. The new A319s will be put into service on Volaris' domestic network, covering routes from its base at Toluca airport (Mexico City's secondary airport) to destinations such as Monterrey or Tijuana. Volaris will start its operations in March 2006 with four leased A319s. Volaris is an equal partnership between, Inbursa (a Mexican bank), Protego-Discovery (a Mexican investment fund), Taca (a leading Latin-American airline) and Televisa (a Latin- American broadcasting corporation). To date, 235 A320 Family aircraft have been ordered by eight customers in Latin America.
Rome based Air One, the second largest airline in Italy, has signed a contract with Airbus for the purchase of 30 A320s, with 60 more on option, becoming a new Airbus customer. Air One's newly ordered A320s, powered by CFM International CFM56-5B6/P engines, and offering a comfortable two-class cabin layout for up to 159 passengers, will gradually replace the airline's current fleet of Boeing 737s. Air One, which is already serving 23 destinations will, with the A320 also launch new routes in Europe. Carlo Toto, the President of Air One, said: "After a lengthy and very detailed evaluation of competing aircraft, we are fully convinced to have chosen the most efficient and comfortable aircraft available. We firmly believe that the A320's wide and spacious cabin will allow Air One to offer even more comfort for its passengers. The new aircraft will allow a valuable cost reduction and increase in productivity thanks to increased efficiency."
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US Marines' new heavy lifter starts development
Sikorsky CH-53K soll 2015 verfügbar sein
A new heavy lift helicopter is now officially in the pipeline for the Marine Corps following a decision by the Honorable. Kenneth R. Krieg, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to authorize the Heavy Lift Replacement (HLR/CH-53K) program here to begin a $4.4billion development program for the aircraft. A "Cost Plus Award Fee" contract for the System Development and Demonstration phase, estimated to be approximately $2.9 billion, is expected to be signed with Sikorsky in March 2006. An Initial System Development and Demonstration contract (worth $8.8 million) to Sikorsky was signed January 3. A follow-on ISDD contract is expected in several weeks. An exact figure for that contract is not yet known.
The ISDD contracts cover continuing risk reduction efforts and sub-system selection (including cockpit, engines, fuselage, etc), while the SDD contract covers most aspects of research, design, test and evaluation efforts performed by Sikorsky for the new helicopter. Fleet Marines should start receiving the first of 156 new marinized heavy lifters, to be called the CH-53K, in 2015.
Which is none too soon for the program manager, Col. Paul Croisetiere. Or the Marine Corps, which has been relying heavily on the aging CH-53E Super Stallion in the increasingly relevant heavy lift mission. “Since the first Gulf War, Marine Corps vertical heavy lift has been getting further and further away from the original requirement it was developed to meet, a behind the lines logistics support aircraft,” Croisetiere explained. “From the Scott O'Grady rescue mission in the Balkans to delivering critically needed combat support in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa, we're wearing out the aircraft because it has been in incredibly high demand since the mid 90s. The CH-53E has proven to be extraordinarily relevant to the execution of our national security strategy, Navy and Marine Corps warfighting concepts and the associated need for capable heavy lift.”
The first CH-53K, a flight test aircraft, is scheduled to make its first flight in FY11. Initial operating capability, or IOC, is scheduled in FY15 and is defined as a detachment of four aircraft, with combat ready crews, logistically prepared to deploy.
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Lufthansa passenger record in 2005
Rekord-Passagierzahl für LH
With an annual total of 51.3 million passengers, 653,980 operated flights and a passenger load factor of 75.0 per cent, the Lufthansa Group achieved three new records in 2005. Targeted capacity expansion and successful sales management delivered growth and boosted passenger load factor in all traffic regions. From January to December 2005, 51.3 million passengers, or 0.7 per cent more than in the previous year, chose to fly Lufthansa. Capacity was increased by a moderate 2.5 per cent. However, as sales rose by 4.0 per cent, the passenger load factor edged up one percentage point to an impressive 75.0 per cent. Last year Lufthansa Cargo transported 1.7 million tonnes of freight and mail, one per cent less than in 2004. Available capacity increased by 1.3 per cent due to additional belly space on the Group's passenger aircraft, causing the cargo load factor to decline by 2.0 per cent. As a result, the overall load factor for the Group (passenger and cargo business) dropped slightly to 70.7 per cent.
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BA Connect to fight low-cost rivals
British Airways mit neuem Angebot
British Airways' regional subsidiary, British Airways CitiExpress, is to embark on a major drive to improve profitability and compete more aggressively in the UK regions. The regional airline, to be renamed BA Connect, will bring significant benefits to regional air travellers by offering more choice and even lower fares with prices slashed by more than 40 per cent. BA Connect will offer:
a single class cabin on all aircraft; high-quality, buy on board, hot and cold catering; year-round, changeable, one-way fares from as little as £25, including taxes, fees and charges; a new offering for business and frequent flyers called 'BA Connect Plus'.
The major shake up will see restricted and non-changeable tickets disappear. All tickets will be changeable, no matter how little they cost. British Airways' Club Europe brand will no longer feature on the regional services to Continental Europe. There will be two ticket types: 'BA Connect'; a non-restricted and changeable ticket. Two million seats will be available, year- round, at the lowest prices. Travellers will also accumulate BA Miles on every fare 'BA Connect Plus' – a non-restricted and changeable ticket with airport lounge access and instant seat selection at the time of booking included in the price. Prices will start from £110 one-way, including taxes, fees and charges. This fare level also allows travellers to earn Executive Club frequent flyer points and BA Miles. All customers will be eligible for membership of British Airways' Executive Club, as well as having access to on-line check-in, on-line boarding pass printing, self-service check-in and a valet bag service.
BA Connect will take to the air on March 26, 2006 and bookings will be made through the airline's ba.com website from February 1 as well as through travel agents and the airline's telephone reservations centres. Prior to the official relaunch it is business as usual for customers who may continue to make reservations for British Airways CitiExpress services through the normal booking channels. Flights at London City airport, and also those of British Airways mainline at Heathrow and Gatwick, will continue to offer complimentary catering on shorthaul services and a separate Club Europe cabin on the European network.
David Evans, managing director British Airways CitiExpress, said: “The restructuring of the regional business will set us apart in this fiercely competitive market. We have an innovative service promise for business and short-break leisure air travellers, offering year-round, one-way prices that match the no-frills airlines and the added service promise and resources of an airline of British Airways' size and stature. The move is a direct response to changing customer needs and the challenges that have emerged in the marketplace since the creation of British Airways CitiExpress. We know air travellers value British Airways' distinctive brand and the wide range of benefits associated with a full service airline at competitive prices.”
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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN
QinetiQ's Air Traffic Management (ATM) team, in collaboration with Boeing Research and Technology Europe (BR&TE), has won a study contract worth 170,000 Euros (£115,000) from the EUROCONTROL Agency in Brussels. QinetiQ and BR&TE will review existing and planned aircraft arrival management tools for air traffic controllers in order to develop enhanced concepts for increasing capacity at European airports. QinetiQ will lead a team of experts which will provide advice on aircraft performance and flight management systems. The study forms a key step in EUROCONTROL's TMA2010 cross domain activity, an initiative set up to ensure increased capacity at airports to meet the predicted doubling of traffic demand over the next decade. QinetiQ bid and project manager Andy Taylor, a senior operational consultant in the ATM Group, said: "Winning this important study shows that QinetiQ and BR&TE are at the heart of European ATM, and can provide unique solutions to ATM challenges by combining their complementary skills."
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An aircraft program managed by Aeronautical Systems Center's Global Hawk Systems Group includes the first unmanned aerial system to achieve Communication, Navigation, Surveillance/Air Traffic Management compliance. The RQ4-A Global Hawk achieved CNS/ATM compliance of several systems after being verified by the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base, Mass. So far, the CNS/ATM approval process has taken about a year and a half to complete. “It was a challenge since no other UAS has done this,” said Bryan Miessler, Global Hawk lead for CNS/ATM approval. “The requirements are currently written for manned aircraft, which sometimes made them interesting to interpret for an unmanned system.” The current CNS/ATM performance assessment focused on five key areas: Required Navigation Performance; Reduced Vertical Separation Minima; Basic Area Navigation; Mode-S Identification Friend or Foe; 8.33 Kilohertz channel spacing. To date, the Global Hawk has achieved compliance of the RNP-10, RVSM and BRNAV functionalities and will reach Mode-S and 8.33 kHz channel spacing compliance upon successful completion of flight testing, likely in early 2006.
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The Eurofighter Typhoon programme enters 2006 on the back of a series of reported successes towards the end of last year and the good news is set to continue through the New Year according to CEO Aloysius Rauen. "As we enter 2006 we now have the aircraft in full operational service with the Surveillance of Aerial Spazio (SSSA), the organization responsible for monitoring and defending Italian air space. Two single-seat Eurofighter aircraft are now held in constant operational readiness to "scramble" should the order come. The aircraft, based at Grosseto in Northern Italy went operational on 16th December 2005. Also in December the Eurofighter team achieved the four nation type acceptance for the next functionality block of Eurofighter Typhoon known as Block 2B. Three aircraft with this enhanced standard were delivered to the customer in December bringing the production aircraft deliveries by the end of 2005 to 76 in total. We head into 2006 having achieved more than 10,000 flying hours so far by customer and industry aircraft.”
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The M-346 advanced jet trainer of Aermacchi performed its first flight with the Fly-by-Wire flight control system in full authority configuration. The flight allowed to verify the accuracy of the control laws architecture, entirely developed by Aermacchi, and to evaluate the flight qualities of the aircraft in its baseline configuration. The full authority flight control system improves the aircraft handling qualities and enhances its manoeuvring performance in terms of energy and aerodynamics to the level of the most advanced front-line fighters. Performed with the second prototype of the M346 piloted by Olinto Cecconello, Chief Experimental Pilot of Aermacchi, this flight gave start to an intensive test campaign aiming at achieving the initial operative qualification of the M346, expected by the end of the year 2006. Massimo Lucchesini, General Manager of Aermacchi, said: “The flight was performed as expected and the flight qualities of the aircraft proved to be excellent. This is an important milestone in the M-346 programme as far as manoeuvring and flight performances are concerned and it is the result of a joint technological and organisational efforts, involving other Finmeccanica companies.”
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An industry team led by Boeing has demonstrated a new technology that dramatically increases data transfer speeds in tactical aircraft, making them more effective in meeting the demands of the network-centric operational environment of the future. The new data "bus" technology, which uses existing aircraft wiring, has proven it can transfer electronic data at least 40 times faster than current data bus technology. These advantages will allow aircraft systems to be upgraded for future combat environments much more quickly and affordably than with other high data rate options. The new technology is a high performance version of the current military standard data bus known as MIL-STD-1553. It's called HyPer-1553 and is similar to Digital Subscriber Line technology that's used to expand the data-carrying capability of ordinary telephone lines. "HyPer-1553, developed by Data Device Corp., is particularly well-suited for applications in which it is difficult or impossible to add or replace wiring," said Steve Wilson, Boeing Phantom Works lead engineer for the project. "And because it operates in parallel with existing MIL-STD-1553 data buses, upgrades can be done incrementally, which further expands the options for upgrading the war-fighting capabilities of current and future aircraft."
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The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF) has placed a firm order for four additional EC635 light twin-engined helicopters. This new order will further increase the existing fleet of EC635 already in operational service with the RJAF. Two of these helicopters will be delivered at the end of 2006, the other two early 2007. Further fleet increases are considered possible. By mid-2004, Eurocopter completed deliveries of the initial fleet of EC635 Helicopters to the RJAF. To date, the EC635s have performed to the complete satisfaction of the RJAF, which also operates a significant fleet of Super Pumas and Ecureuil by Eurocopter.Due to the reliability and high availability of the EC635, the RJAF was able to increase its number of flight hours by 75 percent since introducing the EC635 in 2003. The aircraft require low maintenance and have low operating cost, thereby delivering optimum value and mission readiness to the customer. These facts combined have led to the follow-on order.
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Boeing and Tokyo-based Japan Airlines International Co., Ltd. (JAL) today announced that JAL is increasing the number of 747-400 Boeing Converted Freighters it has on order to eight, with an additional four options. JAL first ordered the 747-400 BCF in October 2004, signing up for three firm modifications and four options. With today's announcement, the four options became firm orders and JAL also added one more firm order and four more options. The value of the order agreement will not be released. The first JAL 747-400 BCF entered modification at Taikoo (Xiamen) Aircraft Engineering Co. (TAECO) in Xiamen, China, in December 2005. It will be delivered back to the airline in May. This agreement brings the total number of 747-400 BCF orders to 37 with 29 options since the program's launch in January 2004.
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From 3rd February Air Berlin will fly from London-Stansted to Helsinki daily except Saturdays, with a connection in Dusseldorf. Flights depart Stansted at 07.30 hrs and land in the Finnish capital at 14.45 hrs. The return flight departs at 15.55 hrs and arrives in Stansted at 19.50 hrs.
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The U.S. Air Force's Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle has made its first flight carrying a new sensor that can detect and identify radar and other types of electronic devices from an altitude of 60,000 feet. Global Hawk and the new sensor, known as the High Band System Production Configuration Unit (HBS PCU), are designed and produced by Northrop Grumman. The HBS PCU is a key subsystem of the Airborne Signals Intelligence Payload (ASIP) sensor which is being developed and is expected to be operationally fielded in 2008. This system will dramatically increase the signals-collection capabilities of the U.S. armed forces. It will be integrated with the Air Force's Distributed Common Ground Stations, which are used to analyze electronic intelligence gathered by various airborne systems.
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Lufthansa will be one of the first commercial air carriers worldwide to benefit from the latest air data inertial reference units from Northrop Grumman. Inertial reference units provide aircrews with essential aircraft operational data such as aircraft position, velocities, attitude, altitude, air speed and many other parameters. Northrop Grumman's Navigation Systems Division has been selected by Lufthansa to provide its new LTN-101E inertial reference units for 10 Airbus A380 aircraft. Lufthansa will operate the first four aircraft in the summer flight plan period 2008.
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Air Methods announced that it has been chosen by AgustaWestland to develop the multimission aeromedical interior for the US101 helicopter. Team US101, comprised of Lockheed Martin (prime contractor and systems integration), AgustaWestland (aircraft design) and Bell Helicopter (aircraft production), with General Electric supplying each helicopter with three CT7-8 engines, is offering the U.S. Air Force the US101 helicopter to meet its Combat Search and Rescue Replacement (CSAR-X) program needs. Lockheed Martin Systems Integration-Owego leads Team US101 and is responsible for overall program management and final aircraft delivery to the Air Force. CSAR-X is a U.S. Air Force initiative to procure more capable and survivable aircraft able to recover isolated personnel from hostile or denied territory. The three-engine US101 is the leading contender in the CSAR-X competition, with a large, flexible cabin and proven combat search and rescue performance. The Air Force intends to purchase 141 CSAR-X aircraft to replace its aging fleet of 102 HH-60G helicopters. Contract award is anticipated to be in the second quarter of 2006.
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NASA's Constellation Program is making progress toward selecting a prime contractor to design, develop and build the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), America's first new human spacecraft in 30 years. The agency has issued Phase II of a Request for Proposals. It is a "Call for Improvements" that incorporates the results of additional analysis and study. Phase II adds detailed design, development and production requirements. Phase II proposals will be evaluated and used to select a single CEV contractor later this year. The CEV is a key element of the Constellation Program, which will help NASA realize the Vision for Space Exploration. The CEV will transport up to six crew members to and from the International Space Station and up to four to and from the moon. It will also support future Mars missions. For the first time, the Phase II Request for Proposals specifies a configuration for the spacecraft: an improved, blunt-body crew capsule shape. Requirements are based on future exploration mission needs and the desire to fly the first CEV mission as close as possible to 2010, when the space shuttle will be retired. Phase I resulted in contract awards in July 2005 for CEV systems requirements definition to teams led by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. Phase II proposals are due March 20, 2006.
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A team comprised of three leading U.S. aerospace and defense contractors has demonstrated an innovative technological use of active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars for high-bandwidth communications. The successful demonstration is a result of internal research and development efforts over the past two years by Northrop Grumman, L-3 Communications and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. In September, at Northrop Grumman's Electronic Systems sector facility in Baltimore, the team used an advanced AN/APG-77 radar aperture being produced for the F-22 aircraft and a common data link (CDL) modem emulator to transmit and receive high-data-rate communications signals over the air. Line-of-sight communications at long distances for both air-to-air and air-to-ground applications were proven with test data. This technology breakthrough will enable both communication and imagery data transmission through Northrop Grumman's advanced AESA radars and L-3 Communication's 274 megabits-per-second CDL modems. The engineering team was also able to successfully demonstrate communications at two and four times the basic modem rate of 274 megabits per second.
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The European Space Agency and the Australian National University have successfully tested a new design of spacecraft ion engine that dramatically improves performance over present thrusters and marks a major step forward in space propulsion capability. Ion engines are a form of electric propulsion and work by accelerating a beam of positively charged particles (or ions) away from the spacecraft using an electric field. ESA is currently using electric propulsion on its Moon mission, SMART-1. The new engine is over ten times more fuel efficient than the one used on SMART-1. “Using a similar amount of propellant as SMART-1, with the right power supply, a future spacecraft using our new engine design wouldn't just reach the Moon, it would be able to leave the Solar System entirely,” says Dr Roger Walker of ESA's Advanced Concepts Team, Research Fellow in Advanced Propulsion and Technical Manager of the project. The new experimental engine, called the Dual-Stage 4-Grid (DS4G) ion thruster, was designed and built under a contract with ESA in the extremely short time of four months by a dedicated team at the Australian National University. “The success of the DS4G prototype shows what can be achieved with the passion and drive of a capable and committed team. It was an incredible experience to work with ESA to transform such an elegant idea into a record-breaking reality”, says Dr. Orson Sutherland, the engine's designer and leader of the development team at the ANU's Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion group." During November 2005, the DS4G engine was tested for the first time in ESA's Electric Propulsion Laboratory at ESTEC in the Netherlands, with support from Dr Sutherland and ESA test engineers. The DS4G ion engine utilises a different concept first proposed in 2001 by David Fearn, a pioneer of ion propulsion in the UK, which solves this limitation by performing a two-stage process to decouple the extraction and acceleration of ions using four grids. In the first stage, the first two grids are closely spaced and both are operated at very high voltage and a low voltage difference between the two (3 kV) enables the ions to be safely extracted from the chamber without hitting the grids. Then, in the second stage, two more grids are positioned at a greater distance 'downstream' and operated at low voltages. The high voltage difference between the two pairs of grids powerfully accelerates the extracted ions. The test model achieved voltage differences as high as 30kV and produced an ion exhaust plume that travelled at 210,000 m/s, over four times faster than state-of-the-art ion engine designs achieve. This makes it four times more fuel efficient, and also enables an engine design which is many times more compact than present thrusters, allowing the design to be scaled up in size to operate at high power and thrust. Due to the very high acceleration, the ion exhaust plume was very narrow, diverging by only 3 degrees, which is five times narrower than present systems. This reduces the fuel needed to correct the orientation of spacecraft from small uncertainties in the thrust direction.
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Fraport AG (FRA) completed 2005 with a new record figure for passenger traffic. A total of 52,219,412 passengers used Frankfurt Airport (FRA), an increase of 2.2 per cent on the 2004 record year. Airfreight also grew robustly at the FRA international aviation hub, jumping 8.1 per cent to 1,892,100 metric tons - another new peak figure. Aircraft movements at FRA climbed 2.7 per cent last year to a total of 490,147 takeoffs and landings. Maximum takeoff weights (MTOWs) - which are important for calculating landing fees - even grew by 3.4 per cent and achieved a new annual peak figure of 28,160,324 metric tons. As expected, airmail declined in 2005 to 99,437 metric tons. This 15.6 per cent drop in tonnage resulted from the phased closing of FRA's overnight domestic-airmail hub. The best December traffic results in FRA's history also contributed to the overall success of 2005. Frankfurt Airport served 3,682,908 passengers during the Christmas month of December. Compared to the already strong December 2004, this represented a further increase of 1.5 per cent, whereby the December growth was generated by international traffic. In particular, European traffic was in the forefront, with Eastern Europe alone climbing by 10 per cent. In intercontinental traffic, the Middle East region stood out once again as a dynamic growth market, recording double-digit growth for nearly all destinations in this region. For the first time in two years, FRA registered a slight decline in aircraft movements (down 1.1 per cent to 37,433 takeoffs and landings ) as well as in MTOWs (down 1.4 per cent to 2,164,912 metric tons) due to a thinning out of the flight schedule after Christmas. However, weather-related cancellations were within the normal seasonal range. Like the passenger category, airfreight also achieved a new December peak figure of 170,269 metric tons - representing an increase of 8.6 per cent. FRA's jump in airfreight tonnage was driven by the 20 per cent increase in intercontinental traffic to and from Asia. Strong North Atlantic business resulted in a two per cent increase again. The Fraport Group's other airports in Germany also enjoyed a successful year in 2005. Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN) served 3,075,561 passengers, an increase of 11.9 per cent. During the same period, Hanover Airport (HAJ) registered 5,637,382 passengers and 7.4 per cent growth. Saarbrucken Airport's (SCN) traffic grew 5.7 per cent to 486,230 passengers. While annual figures for Lima Airport (LIM) in Peru climbed 11.6 per cent to 5,662,288 passengers last year, Antalya Airport (AYT) in Turkey registered 5,058,012 passengers at Fraport's Terminal 1, a decline of 59.2 per cent. AYT has been impacted since the beginning of last spring by the opening of a second competing passenger terminal. The Fraport Group's six airports welcomed a total of 72,138,885 passengers in 2005. Due to the traffic development in Antalya, this resulted in a drop of 6.4 per cent compared to 2004. In 2006, a new arrangement for sharing passenger traffic is planned at Antalya Airport. This should result again in greater utilisation of Fraport's terminal there. All airports in the Group reported unabated growth in cargo tonnage in 2005, reaching 2,385,560 metric tons, a jump of 7.6 per cent.
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Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and Boeing announced a major commercial contract award for three satellites and associated ground systems. Financial details of the award were not disclosed however this is the largest commercial satellite order booked by Boeing since 1997, when it received an order for two large satellites for regional mobile communications from an international customer. Under this contract, three Boeing built geo-mobile satellites will enable the world's first commercial mobile satellite service using both space and terrestrial elements. The network, based on MSV's patented Ancillary Terrestrial Component (ATC) technology, combines the best of satellite and cellular technology. It will deliver reliable, advanced and widespread voice and data coverage throughout North and South America. The satellites will use MSV's ATC technology to deliver service to wireless devices that are virtually identical to cell phone handsets in terms of aesthetics, cost, and functionality. Boeing will also develop ground-based systems that will provide advanced beam forming flexibility and interference cancellation unprecedented in commercial satellite systems. These technological advances will allow MSV optimal deployment of its ATC technology and spectrum utilization.
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With 13.5 million passengers in 2005, Air Berlin has assured its position as the second biggest German airline after Lufthansa. In comparison to 2004, this represents an increase of 12.45%. Flight sales increased in 2005 by 17.1% reaching EUR1.23 billion. "Despite high oil prices, we not only achieved our growth targets, but also provided a positive result for our shareholders", explained managing director and shareholder Joachim Hunold last Tuesday in Berlin. Traditionally, the company does not provide any further details on income. With a 58% share of revenues, single seat sales are still a growth motor for the company. This segment grew by 24.63% last year, however, the tour operator business also grew by 10.3%. Since Air Berlin is among the three leading Low Fare Carriers in Europe and sees big growth opportunities outside of Germany, it positions itself more and more as a European airline. Air Berlin flies not only from Germany to 48 destinations in Europe and North Africa, but they are also continuously building connections outside of Germany, such as for example from Amsterdam and London to Mallorca or also within Spain from Palma de Mallorca to 17 destinations on land and the Balearic islands. At Europe's most important holiday airport, Palma de Mallorca, the gap between market leader Air Berlin and its competitors continues to grow The number of passengers increased by 22.7% from 3.7 million to 4.53 million. New to the flight itinerary are the inter-UK connections from London-Stansted to Glasgow and Manchester. City connections gain more and more importance at Air Berlin with ten German airports linking European metropolises such as London, Paris, Vienna, Zurich, Milan, Rome, Barcelona and Budapest. From spring 2006 Air Berlin will fly from Düsseldorf to Paris and Helsinki as well.
The Berlin company flies from 17 German airports in total. Extraordinary high growth rates were achieved last year in Hanover (+36.3%), Hamburg (+29.9%), and Düsseldorf (+18.3%). "We would have grown much stronger in Düsseldorf if the number of flight movements weren't limited by local regulations." Said Hunold. Among destination airports, Vienna showed a 21.7% growth rate, second after Palma de Mallorca. To and From Berlin (Tegel and Schoenefeld) first in 2005, more than 2 million passengers were transported. Air Berlin currently has 52 aircraft. In the coming year, nine new Airbus A320 aircraft are expected. A further 49 models of this type are due for delivery by 2011. The number of employees increased from 2.300 to 2.774.
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The flight test programme for the U.K. Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) programme is progressing well in the U.S. and the U.K. As of December, 2005, a/c #1 (based in Greenville, Texas) was well into its series of check flights while in the U.K. a/c #2 had completed its first phase of flight testing. According to the test team, the DMR in a/c #1 was producing good quality imagery on only its second operational check flight. Successful system connectivity was demonstrated on the first attempt with virtual end-to-end data flow demonstrated from the aircraft to the ground station in near real-time. Hand in hand with the radar and system testing regime, software release-vetting continues with additional image-manipulation features enabled such as pan and zoom controls.
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ORBIMAGE Holdings Inc. has finalized the acquisition of substantially all of Denver-based Space Imaging's assets. The combined company will now do business under the brand name GeoEye. GeoEye is the world's largest commercial satellite imagery company with a pro forma combined revenue for 2005 of approximately $160 million. The purchase price was approximately $58.5 million less amounts which were paid by Space Imaging on its existing debt as well as certain other adjustments. With the combined resources of ORBIMAGE and Space Imaging, GeoEye brings to the market a talented pool of skilled employees with broad subject-matter expertise, national and international resellers, more than a dozen regional affiliates around the globe, the world's largest commercial archive of map-accurate satellite imagery, and value-added geospatial imagery processing capabilities that are unmatched in the satellite imagery industry. The company will immediately begin implementing the planned integration of the two companies including operations, IT, administration, sales and marketing, and customer service to ensure a smooth transition for customers, partners and investors. “As we integrate our various operations, we will keep a laser-like focus on the customer. Our combined workforce is 100 percent committed to maximizing company performance and efficiency throughout the integration process,” said O'Connell.
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AgustaWestland has launched its Helicopter Electro Actuation Technology (HEAT) programme for the EH101 Merlin HM Mk.1 helicopter. The launch follows the award of the Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) programme contract announced by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) on 12 January 2006 and the successful results of trials and testing AgustaWestland and its industrial partners have recently carried out to demonstrate the technology. The AgustaWestland HEAT programme is being funded through an innovative contracting strategy which builds on the partnered principles being developed between AgustaWestland and the UK MoD, which were outlined in the recently released Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) Defence White Paper. Funding of the research and development phase was jointly funded by the UK MoD and industry. AgustaWestland's HEAT introduces a state of the art, third generation fly by wire system that utilises electrical actuators in place of the existing hydraulic units, to provide the control inputs to the helicopter's rotor systems. This technology reduces pilot workload, cost of ownership, maintenance and weight while giving improved survivability, safety, aircraft handling and agility.
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AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, is pleased to announce it has been awarded a major contact by the UK Ministry of Defence for the upgrade of 30 EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 helicopters under the Merlin Capability Sustainment Plus (MCSP) programme with an option for a further eight. Working in partnership with the MCSP Prime Contractor Lockheed Martin, the contract, worth approximately £400 million (Euro 584 million) to AgustaWestland, will ensure that the Royal Navy's EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 retains its position as the world's most capable maritime patrol helicopter. The focus of the programme is to enable cost-effective management of future obsolescence of the current aircraft's equipment and systems, and to introduce an Open Systems Architecture (OSA) into the helicopter. The OSA design also enables easy and rapid adaption to future changing requirements, thereby allowing the EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 capability to be sustained until its planned out of service date in the 2030s. This spend-to-save approach is expected to save over £500 million in through life support costs for the Royal Navy's EH101 Merlin HM Mk1 fleet.
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The New Year opens with new advantages for the customer: as of 23rd January, Lufthansa passengers will be able to receive four live television channels on board directly on their laptops. Depending on the region of the world, BBC World, CNBC, euro news or MSNBC can be picked up via satellite. This is being made possible by Lufthansa FlyNet with its high-speed Internet provided by its partner and service-provider Connexion by Boeing. The trend-setting service had its world premiere almost exactly three years ago, as a trial on Lufthansa's Frankfurt - Washington route. Lufthansa FlyNet has been an integral part of the long-distance service since 17th May 2004, when the Munich - Los Angeles route was the first to herald in the new technological age. Currently, 50 long-haul aircraft are already equipped. Lufthansa thus has the world's largest Internet fleet at its disposal. By the end of next year, the entire long-range fleet with more than 80 aircraft is planned to be equipped with Lufthansa FlyNet. As of 31st January, Connexion by Boeing will also be introducing a new pricing system, with more advantages for the customer. They will then have a choice of time packages of between one and 24 hours. Unlimited high-speed Internet access above the clouds will cost only between 9.95 U.S. dollars (an hour) and 26.95 dollars (24 hours). A new feature is that the new 24-hour rate is valid on unlimited connecting flights.
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In a move designed to better align the agency's aeronautics research, Lisa Porter, NASA's associate administrator of the Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, announced a comprehensive restructuring of research programs. "NASA is returning to long-term investment in cutting-edge fundamental research in traditional aeronautics disciplines," Porter said. "We are investing in research for the long-term in areas that are appropriate to NASA's unique capabilities and meeting our charter of addressing national needs and benefiting the public good." Porter stated four key objectives guide this new focus: Re-establish our commitment to mastering the science of subsonic (rotary and fixed wing), supersonic, and hypersonic flight; protect and maintain NASA's key aeronautics research & test facilities as national assets; focus research in areas that are appropriate to NASA's unique capabilities; directly address the needs of the next generation air transportation system in partnership with the Joint Planning and Development Office. The new programs include fundamental aeronautics, airspace systems, aviation safety, and the aeronautics test program. The goal of the fundamental aeronautics program is the development of system-level, multi-disciplinary capabilities for both civilian and military applications. This program provides long-term investment in research to support and sustain expert competency in critical core areas of aeronautics technology.
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Delta issued the following statement in regard to the withdrawal of the application for antitrust immunity by six members of the SkyTeam alliance: “Delta and its SkyTeam partners Northwest, KLM, Air France, Alitalia and CSA Czech have notified the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) of their decision to withdraw an application for antitrust immunity (ATI) involving their trans-Atlantic operations. The decision to withdraw the application was made based on the precedent that DOT typically does not alter its initial rulings. Although the application has been withdrawn, Delta is still committed to ATI and the customer benefits it provides for fair and constructive competition between international alliances. Delta feels that DOT's decision not to approve ATI represents a major retreat from the open market and pro-competitive policies the U.S. Government has pursued since 1993. ATI would benefit the traveling public by allowing Delta and its SkyTeam partners to offer international customers more transatlantic service, shorter travel times, more departure times and better opportunities to find discounted fares by choosing alternative routes to a destination. Delta will continue working with its SkyTeam partners in building on the existing customer service offerings within the bounds of the current immunity. The six members of the alliance will renew this application for expanded transatlantic immunity at the appropriate time.”
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Boeing began final assembly of the 5,000 th 737 in the Boeing manufacturing facility in Renton, Wash. The airplane, a 737-700 destined for Southwest Airlines, will be delivered next month. The wings and landing gear shown here are being joined to the 737-700 fuselage. Last-stage assembly and interiors installation will begin once the airplane joins the moving assembly line. In December 2005, sales for the 737 surpassed 6,000. To date, 231 customers have ordered 6,099 of the single-aisle passenger jet, which Boeing has manufactured since 1967.
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Northrop Grumman received the first MQ-8B Fire Scout unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) airframe from its teammate, Schweizer Aircraft Corp., on Jan. 3 at Northrop Grumman's new Unmanned Systems Center in Moss Point, Miss., signaling the start of aircraft production. This airframe is the first of 12 Fire Scout vertical take-off and landing UAVs that will be assembled at the Moss Point facility, which is co-located with the Trent Lott International Airport. The U.S. Navy will receive four Fire Scout UAVs and eight will be delivered to the U.S. Army.
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The GIOVE-A satellite is in good health and started transmitting the first Galileo signals from medium earth orbit on 12 January. GIOVE-A was placed in orbit (altitude 23,260 km) by a Soyuz-Fregat rocket operated by Starsem on 28 December last from the Baikonur cosmodrome. The prime contractor, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, then successfully deployed the 7-metre solar array panels, commissioned the satellite platform and prepared the payload for tests from its Mission Control Centre. These activities on GIOVE-A drew on the joint efforts of ground stations deployed at RAL (UK), Bangalore (India) and Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) for uploading of the onboard computer software, deployment of the two solar panels and placing of the satellite in sun-acquisition mode. All the platform systems underwent functional checks and the satellite was then put in its nominal Earth-pointing attitude and orbit control mode. This platform commissioning phase was successfully completed by 9 January.
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In a first-ever technical tie-up, ESA and the German Aerospace Centre have agreed to share network facilities, initially by using a German ground station to track ESA's SMART-1 mission. As part of a larger Framework Agreement, the tie-up will boost interagency cooperation and foster additional cost-saving activities in the future. In November 2005, ESA and DLR, the German Aerospace Centre, successfully initiated an innovative and deep-reaching technical interconnection in which, for the first time, the two agencies will share network facilities, including ground tracking stations, communication networks and flight management data. The cooperation is part of a cross-services Framework Agreement aimed at enabling the two to share infrastructure, resources and expertise. Specifically, this will provide reciprocal telemetry, tracking and telecommand services to respective spacecraft using each agency's network of ground tracking stations. The Framework Agreement was concluded in July 2005. In the first implementation of the agreement, DLR's Weilheim ground station, controlled via the German Space Operations Centre (GSOC) in Oberpfaffenhofen, will start this month to provide routine tracking services to ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, now orbiting the Moon. Both GSOC and the Weilheim station are located near Munich, Germany.
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Boeing has signed a lease with MROTC Development Partners to construct three hangars that will be used to upgrade the U.S. Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft fleet. MROTC Development Partners is a joint venture between Trammell Crow Company and Battelle Memorial Institute. Located at the Oklahoma Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul Technology Center (MROTC) across from Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City - home to the AWACS fleet - the hangars represent the first phase of development in the MROTC. It is planned as a major military and commercial aircraft facility with 17 hangars and more than one million square feet of related industrial space and education and training facilities. Situated on approximately 370 acres, the MROTC will be connected to Tinker AFB by a towway just south of the Twaddle Armed Forces Reserve Center. The towway and first hangar are scheduled for completion by November of this year with the two other hangars to be completed by August 2008.
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SWISS achieved an annual seat load factor for 2005 of 78.1%, a substantial 3.2-percentage-point improvement on the 74.9% recorded for the previous year. The increase was due to higher annual seat load factors on both intercontinental services (up 2.7 percentage points to 84.0%) and European routes (up 5.1 percentage points to 65.9%). Total passenger volume for 2005 stood at around 9.6 million, a 4.1% increase on the previous year. Systemwide seat load factor for December 2005 amounted to 74.9%, a 1.4-percentage-point improvement on the prior-year period. The modifications to the route network, the schedule enhancements effected and the changes made to the aircraft fleet structure all had a positive impact on SWISS's seat load factors for 2005. The company's flights posted an average seat load factor of 78.1% for the year, a 3.2-percentage-point improvement on the prior-year result. Around 9.6 million passengers travelled with SWISS in 2005, a 4.1% increase on the previous year. While the company offered 4.7% less capacity year-on-year in available seat kilometre (ASK) terms, total traffic volume in revenue passenger kilometre (RPK) terms declined by only 0.6% over the same period. Annual seat load factor improved accordingly. Seat load factor for December 2005 amounted to 74.9%, up 1.4 percentage points on the same month in 2004. SWISS's 2005 annual seat load factor on intercontinental services totalled 84.0%, 2.7 percentage points up on the previous year. While ASK capacity was down 6.8% from its prior-year-level, total RPK traffic volume declined by 3.6% – far less than the ASK reduction.
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L-3 Communications announced that its Vertex Aerospace (L-3 Vertex) subsidiary has been awarded a 10-year, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) subcontract to provide Contractor Operated and Maintained Base Supply (COMBS) service for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) T-6A aircraft program. The subcontract was awarded by Raytheon Aircraft Company for a total projected value of $1 billion through 2015. "This affirms the great relationship between L-3 Vertex, Raytheon Aircraft and the U.S. Air Force and Navy," said Dan Grafton, president of L-3 Vertex. "We are extremely proud to provide comprehensive supply support, a vital link in the T-6A primary training solution for U.S. Armed Services aviation," he concluded. The JPATS program calls for a total of nearly 800 aircraft to be delivered through 2015, of which 283 are already in service. L-3 Vertex T-6A COMBS provides complete material inventory management and control, including the procurement, transport, storage and issue of all aircraft parts, support equipment and engines.
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Following exchanges that lasted for six months, negotiations on the Republic of Korea's participation in Europe's satellite radionavigation programme reached approval today. The agreement which paves the way for the country's active participation in the programme was initialled in Brussels by Heinz Hilbrecht, Director, representing the European Commission, and by Counsellor Choi Jong Hyun, representing the Republic of Korea. Welcoming the outcome of the negotiations, Vice-President Jacques Barrot in charge of transport declared: “After the successful launch of the first GALILEO GIOVE-A satellite, this new agreement underlines, once again, the ever growing worldwide interest for the programme”. The agreement initialled today provides for co-operative activities in the areas of scientific research and training, industrial cooperation, trade and market development, standards, certification and regulatory measures, regional and local augmentations, etc.
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SBAC is to launch a new initiative to help UK aerospace companies at all levels of the supply chain maintain global competitiveness. SBAC will develop and lead a programme of activities to help companies prosper in a world where off-shoring is considered a major threat, and the budgets of airlines and governments are increasingly constrained. The programme will be supported by external consultants and will be carried out in collaboration with BAE Systems. Chris Geoghegan, SBAC President and BAE Systems COO said, “The future competitiveness of the aerospace industry relies on strong and efficient supply chains. SBAC's work on supply chain relationships and operational productivity improvement demonstrates there is a real opportunity to make progress. This work will provide the basis for a targeted programme of co-operative initiatives to maximise the opportunities for UK aerospace.” The basis for the work will be a quantitative analysis of UK supply chain performance, looking at trends in productivity and profitability at industry level, by each tier. The assessment will draw on external support with data primarily from SBAC's existing research, as well as the surveys carried out by SBAC's Supply Chain Relationships In Action (SCRIA) Steering Group with SMEs and prime contractors.
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The Auxiliary Power Unit/Ground Power Unit market remains robust. According to a recent analysis by Forecast International, some 23,157 APU/GPU machines worth a total of $4.6 billion will be produced in the 10-year timeframe 2005-2014. This projection represents an annual production of 2,100-2,400 units over the next 10 years. The analysis, “The Market for APU/GPU Gas Turbines,” reports that sales of APUs for commercial aircraft will remain flat through 2012, and then dip slightly in 2013 and 2014 as the production life-cycles of several aircraft programs come to an end. Not surprisingly, market segment leader Honeywell Aerospace is well positioned in commercial and business aviation, with a commanding presence in all major commercial aircraft markets, including 100-200-seat narrow-body transports, 50 90-seat regional jets, and business jets. The company is expected to remain the industry's most prolific small gas turbine producer and by far the greatest generator of revenue. It is forecast to produce 14,305 APUs during the forecast timeframe, valued at $3.05 billion (in unit value and excluding product support and related revenues).
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The UK Ministry of Defence's (MoD) Tornado F3 Sustainment Programme (FSP), primed by BAE Systems, has achieved a significant milestone with the UK's first firing of the latest (C-5) variant of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) AIM-120. The firing took place at the Naval Air Warfare Center range in Point Mugu, California in December using a Tornado aircraft of the RAF's Fast Jet Weapons Operation Evaluation Unit (FJWOEU). The missile was released from the supersonic fighter, piloted by Simon Hargreaves, the former BAE Systems deputy chief test pilot, with navigator Flight Lieutenant Owen Harcombe from the FJWOEU, and successfully engaged a subsonic target. A second firing was completed the following day using a wholly RAF crew, Squadron Leaders David (Dick) Withington and Mark (Mario) Puzey. The AIM-120C-5 has a longer new motor and revised software, significantly enhancing its capability. The decision to integrate the missile onto Tornado enhances the F3's capability, and allows it to use Typhoon AMRAAM stocks.
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It was confirmed that GKN Aerospace is to produce the composite skins, covers and doors for Northrop Grumman's X-47B Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) aircraft. Should the X-47B enter full production, the total value of the contract would exceed $500M. The graphite composite skins, which will cover nearly 90% of the unmanned vehicles' surface, will be manufactured at GKN Aerospace's St. Louis, Missouri facility alongside the actuated doors for the vehicle, including the weapon's bay, nose and main landing gear doors.
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The Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center recently completed the F-22A Raptor Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation and has rated the Air Force's newest fighter as mission capable in the air-to-ground role. This “Mission Capable” rating is part of AFOTEC's newly developed system now being applied to programs under test at AFOTEC. The new rating methodology starts with traditional effectiveness and suitability measures as a foundation for determining potential operational impacts on mission accomplishment in the expected operational environment. This new methodology was developed by AFOTEC in an effort to provide warfighters and senior Air Force leaders with capability-based evaluations that are accurate, balanced, and more operationally focused. The capabilities evaluated during the operational test included the areas of deployability, sortie generation, and Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) employment. The test also evaluated deferred Initial Operational Test and Evaluation items that were corrected and informed Air Combat Command's Initial Operational Capability declaration.
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This past week, Expedition 12 Commander Bill McArthur and Flight Engineer Valery Tokarev completed an important upgrade to the station's spacewalk preparation systems, and installed the Recharge Oxygen Orifice Bypass Assembly. The assembly will conserve station oxygen during spacewalk preparations when the space shuttle is docked to the complex. It allows the crew to breathe oxygen from the shuttle rather than use oxygen from station tanks, as they prepare for the spacewalk. The crew must breathe pure oxygen for an extended period before beginning a spacewalk to prevent decompression sickness. The new system will be used during the next shuttle mission. McArthur wore customized Lycra cycling tights for a session of the Foot/Ground Reaction Forces during Spaceflight (FOOT) experiment. FOOT investigates the differences between use of the body's lower extremities on Earth and in space. McArthur wore the instrumented garb to measure joint angles, muscle activity, and forces on his feet during daily activities.
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