U 
P 
D 
A 
T 
E
Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles

UPDATE 
Week ending June 21, 1998
+++ NATO shows force over Kosovo crisis +++ Arianespace reports 1997 financial results +++ Tiger Meet exercise at Lechfeld +++ Go-ahead for a European global navigation system +++ Britain pushes defence restructuring +++ C-130J ends European sales tour +++ Australia to expand air links with Germany +++ New launch date set for Ariane flight 503 in October +++ News in brief +++

NATO shows force over Kosovo crisis
Flugzeuge der NATO bei der Übung "Determined Falcon"

In a stark warning to Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic to stop ethnic bloodshed in Kosovo, NATO conducted exercise "Determined Falcon" on June 15. More than 80 fighter and support aircraft of the alliance were involved in a sort of "show the force" parade over Kosovos borders to Albania and Macedonia. The operation started at around 7:30 am on Monday morning and lasted roughly five hours. The Fifth Allied Tactical Air Force Combined Air Operations Centre at Vicenza, Italy, was responsible for the planning.
Among the aircraft in action were eight Tornados of the Luftwaffe, which had deployed ECR versions from JaboG 32 in Lechfeld to Piazenca to bolster the recce Tornados still stationed there for routine Bosnian operations. Other participants listed by NATO were F-16s from Belgium, Denmark, Greece, the Netherlands, Norway, Turkey, Portugal and the USAF. The US Navy was operating AV-8 Harriers from the USS Wasp in the Adriatic, while the UK and France brought Jaguars into the air.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Arianespace reports 1997 financial results
Arianespace gibt Bilanz für 1997 bekannt

The annual General Meeting of Arianespace shareholders in Paris on June 16, 1998, approved the company's financial statements for 1997. Arianespace reported sales of FF 6,563 billion for 1997, compared with FF 6,286 billion in 1996. These revenues were generated from the launch of 17 satellites by 11 Ariane 4 launchers. The company posted a net income of FF 77,4 million and paid out FF 16,2 million in dividends. Furthermore, Arianespace increased its share capital from FF 270 million to FF 2,088 billion. FF 829 million came from partial capitalization of reserves and FF 989 million from an issue of new shares for cash, subsribed by all the company's shareholders in proportion to their respective stakes. The capital increase will fund the investments required to ensure the ongoing success of the European space transport industry, notably the operation of the Ariane 5 launcher and its continuous adaptation to market demand.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Tiger Meet exercise at Lechfeld
Treffen der Tiger-Staffeln beim JaboG 32

The first squadron of Jagdbombergeschwader 32 is hosting the 35th Tiger Meet at its Lechfeld base from June 15 to 24. This is the first time in nearly 15 years that the Luftwaffe has welcomed Tiger squadrons for the traditional event, which is now staged every two years. JaboG 32 has arranged a full programme of exercises and social events. To ensure maximum training benefits for the over 230 participating pilots and ground crews, most of the flying operations is integrated into the NATO Central Enterprise exercises. Among the events were:
  • Monday, 15 June: arrival of the technical crews, mostly flown in by Transall or Hercules transports
  • Tuesday, 16 June: arrival of many of the operational aircraft, first briefings for the crews, formal opening of the meet by General Jertz
  • Wednesday, 17 June: First introductory sortie to show the visiting pilots the operations area in southern Germany
  • Thursday, 18 June: Air Combat Maneuvring exercise in the morning an first COMAO (combined Air Operations) mission in the afternoon
  • Friday, 19 June: Further COMAO mission, attacking targets in eastern France
  • Weekend: Social events, including a visit to Munich. Originally, JaboG 32 had planned to hold an open day to commemorate its 40th anniversary, but this was cancelled at short notice due to a mourning service for the deaths of the recent ICE train crash.
  • Monday, 22 June: COMAO mission
  • Tuesday, 23 June: Combat SAR mission and farewell party
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Go-ahead for a European global navigation system
GNSS-System soll entwickelt werden

The European Space Agency (ESA), the European Community (EC) and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (EUROCONTROL) have taken an important step towards the development of GNSS, the global navigation satellite system for Europe. Meeting at the premises of the Council of the European Union in Luxembourg on 18 June, the Director General of ESA, Antonio Rodot(, the President-in-office of the Council of the European Union, Gavin Strang, Minister of Transport of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the Director General of EUROCONTROL, Yves Lambert, signed an agreement formalising co-operation between the three organistions in the field of satellite navigation systems and services, with the aim of establishing a satellite navigation and positioning service for Europe as a contribution to a global effort.
The development of GNSS will be carried out in two main stages. GNSS-1 will be the first-generation system, based on signals received from the existing American GPS and Russian GLONASS constellations and civil augmentation systems using space based, ground based and mobile autonomous based techniques. The European space based augmentation system is known as EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), a set of navigation payloads on-board geostationary satellites, continuously monitored by ground stations both within and outside Europe. The system, to be completed by 2002, will be developed by ESA. GNSS-2, the second-generation system, will provide services to civil users and will be under civil operation and control by 2010. A decision on how to proceed with GNSS-2 will be taken within Europe by mid-1999.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Britain pushes defence restructuring
Europäische Restrukturierung wird unterstützt

George Robertson, Defence Secretary, has reaffirmed the UK Government's commitment to the restructuring of the European defence industry as "fundamental to our security." In an address to over 300 leading industrialists, Mr Robertson stated the importance of restructuring to himself as Defence Secretary, as a customer, a British politician and a European citizen. Speaking at the Society of British Aerospace Companies annual dinner at the Savoy Hotel, Mr Robertson will said: "Do not underestimate the determination of the British Government to carry the European Defence Industrial Restructuring project through to a successful conclusion. As we make progress on the Governmental issues, so we expect industry to make progress on its side. The idea of united European defence industries is not some misty- eyed Europeanism, it is based on hard-headed industrial logic. "If we go into the next century with a multitude of competing national companies and industries attempting to find a place in a global market dominated by giant American companies then the result will be industrial suicide. That suicide of Europe's defence and aerospace industry will be slow or fast - but it will be inevitable if we maintain the dangerous fiction that national champions have a chance of seeing off the US mega-manufacturers."

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


C-130J ends European sales tour
Hercules beendet Verkauftournee in Europa

In mid June, a Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules returned to the U.S. from a month-long trip through Europe. The trip was the fourth leg of a five-month World Tour to introduce the aircraft. The World Tour has generated more than rave reviews from flyers. It also has resulted in no fewer than two dozen procurement actions - either formal requests to the company for information, price and availability, or proposals from the company to a government.
"This leg was extremely successful for the company in terms of getting people in the pilot's seat and bringing the message that the C-130J is real," said Lockheed Martin International Business Development Vice President Rick Hundley. "We demonstrated the aircraft in operational settings according to customer requests, and we showed without a doubt that this is the most advanced airlifter in the world."
Since Feb. 8, the C-130J (LAC 5454) has flown demonstrations in 31 countries on five continents. The aircraft is now in Canada for 10 days of flight demonstrations that will conclude the 1998 World Tour. The demonstration statistics from the first 31 countries are impressive:
  • 115 Demo Flights
  • 320 Guest Pilots
  • 110 Demo Flight Hours
  • 2,150 Passengers
Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite

Australia to expand air links with Germany
Bessere Luftverkehrsverbindungen zwischen Deutschland und Australien

Liberalised air service arrangements will double commercial flights between Australia and Germany to 28 a week and further growth is possible, Australia's federal Transport Minister Mark Vaile said. With Australian airlines and the tourism industry switching focus to Europe, Australia would benefit significantly from the change, he said. Mr Vaile said the changes allow each country's carriers to expand both passenger and air freight services. "The new arrangements provide for an immediate doubling of services between the countries from the current 14 Boeing 747 services per week to a total of 28 services per week with any aircraft type," Mr Vaile said in a statement. "There is provision for further staged increases which will allow up to a total of 50 weekly services by 2004" We have adopted the policy of negotiating capacity ahead of demand, a policy which has been responsive to the task at hand. We have provided our carriers with the flexibility to react quickly to industry developments." Airlines will be able to fly to five airports of their choice in each other's country (an increase of one) and any number of additional international gateway points where they code share on the international services of a carrier of the other country. Mr Vaile said the freed-up cargo arrangements would allow Australian and German airlines to operate as many services as required to service the freight market between Australia and Germany. Almost 130,000 Germans visited Australia in 1997, making Germany Australia's 11th largest source of tourists and the largest in continental Europe. Qantas carried 40 per cent of the total.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


New launch date set for Ariane flight 503 in October
Ariane-Flug 503 jetzt auf Mitte Oktober verschoben

The launch date for Ariane 5's third flight (503) has now been rescheduled for mid-October. The Eutelsat W2 satellite will not be available for the flight as a commercial payload since it caught fire during ground tests. Instead, a full-scale mock-up of the W2, to be build by German aerospace company Kayser-Threde, will fly on flight 503, which is supposed to be the final qualification flight. The second payload will be ESA's Atmospheric Reentry Demonstrator which has already been delivered to the Guiana space Centre. The move of the launch date to October is due to the time that is required to develop, test and integrate the W2 mock-up. The actual satellite will later be launched with an Ariane 4 launch vehicle.

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Lockheed Martin will build an additional 27 LANTIRN targeting pods for the US Navy's fleet of F-14 tomcat strike fighters under an contract potentially worth 58,8 million US-Dollars. LANTIRN-equipped F-14 strike fighters currently are serving aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carriers USS Stennis (CV-74) and USS independence (CV-62)
+++
The FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) has awarded the next World Air Games to Spain. They will be held in June 2001 on ten sites centered on Seville in Andalucia. Among the contests will be hot air ballooning, gliding, parachuting, aeromodelling, microlights, hang gliding, paragliding and helicopters.
+++
Philippine Airlines (PAL) has decided to retrench about 5,000 workers in the hope of saving the airline from total collapse. In a notice published in major Manila newspapers, PAL said it had to lay off 37 percent of its work force in order to survive, blaming the 11-day strike by some 620 PAL pilots for the "irreparable damage" done to the already financially troubled airline. The dismissal came in the wake of a decision by the Department of Labor and Employment upholding the management's decision to retire the 620 pilots who have struck since June 5.
+++
The FAI will move its headquarters from Paris to Lausanne in a few months time. This will bring a synergy effect due to be co-located with the numerous other international sporting federations already based in the Swiss city, as well as the International Olympic Committee. The forthcoming move forms part of the FAI's strategic plan to position itself as a modern, business-like federation.
+++
Lufthansa has introduced specific internet pages for its customers in Ethiopia. Mr. Stefan Schwarz, Representative to Ethiopia of Lufthansa Airlines said, "We want to offer our customers up-to-date information about our local service". He added, "The number of Ethiopian Internet users has grown so much that it was worth it to put our local information into the web." Useful local information such as the airlines schedule, News and special price offers are easily accessible at Lufthansa Infoflyway, (www.lufthansa.nu).
+++
Customers of the A319 Corporate Jetliner now have one more choice when it comes to the aircraft's interior options. Associated Air Center has signed with Airbus Industrie to become an 'official' interior outfitter for the A319CJ. Associated Air Center of Dallas, Texas is the third company tapped by Airbus to suit up the A319CJ, and the first American company. Just over two weeks ago, the aircraft manufacturer made similar agreements with Jet Aviation of Switzerland and Lufthansa Technik of Germany. While these three outfitters have been approved by Airbus for the A319CJ, customers remain open to select any
outfitter of their choosing.
+++
The head of the European Space Agency's (ESA) Science Programme told more than 200 astronomers gathered in Belgium that Europe could play a significant role in the development of a new space telescope. Prof. Roger Bonnet said it was important for Europe to make an informed decision in the next few years on whether to support NASA's proposed New Generation Space Telescope (NGST), a follow-on programme to the Hubble Space Telescope. NGST's observing capabilities will far extend the reach of existing ground or space-based telescopes, providing the opportunity for the first time to look back through eons of time to the very first stars and galaxies in the Universe.
+++
A Lockheed Martin Atlas IIAS rocket successfully launched the Intelsat 805 telecommunications satellite on the evening of June 18, at 6:40pm ET. The satellite will be used by telecommunications carriers and broadcasters to reach customers in Europe and the Americas. The spacecraft will be located at 55.5 degrees West above the Atlantic Ocean and carries a cargo of 28 C-band and 3 Ku-band transponders. It is scheduled to enter commercial service in mid July, as soon as in-orbit testing is completed. The craft's first customer is Brazil's Embratel. The telecommunications company has already leased several transponders on the, many of which will be primarily dedicated to carry Internet traffic.
+++
Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space says it expects to lay off between 1,000 and 1,500 employees, primarily in its operations in the San Francisco Bay Area, by the end of the year. Missiles & Space President Mike Henshaw said today that the layoffs reflect the recent loss of business contract competitions, a delay in major program orders and the changing nature of the marketplace.
+++
The Board of Directors of Raytheon Company announced that it has appointed Daniel P. Burnham, 51, vice chairman of the AlliedSignal Corporation, as president and chief operating officer, effective July 1. Raytheon also announced that Burnham would succeed Dennis J. Picard, Raytheon's chairman and chief executive officer, as CEO on December 1, 1998, consistent with the plans previously announced by Picard and Raytheon's Board.
+++
A telecommunications satellite made by Aerospatiale of France has arrived at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province. The satellite is to be launched in the near future by a China-made Long March 3B carrier rocket. This will be the first time for China to launch a telecommunications satellite made by a European country. The satellite, named Sino No.1, is the first commercial telecommunications satellite managed by the Sino Satellite Communications Company Ltd of China, which is engaged in the lease of satellite transponders and relevant satellite telecommunications business.
+++
China Eastern Airlines was selected as the best airline in China by 14,000 domestic and overseas passengers, news agency Xinhua of China reports. Xiamen and Shenzhen airlines were also crowned as best in their passenger-handling categories as the year-long activity "Passengers on Civil Aviation" ended recently. The Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, the Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport and the Guilin Liangjiang International Airport stood out as the three best international airports. China's 18 aviation companies and 40 civil airports joined the competition, jointly sponsored by the China Civil Aviation Association, the All-China Civil Aviation Youth Volunteers Association and the "CAAC" Magazine. China has launched five such competitions, said an official from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), adding that such activity will help the industry improve services.
+++
Lufthansa chief executive Jürgen Weber has announced that the company is on target for further record results this year. At the shareholders meetng at Hamburg he hinted that a profit of over two billion DM is the target for 1998, based on the excellent performance so far. Weber also mentioned that the current alliance system should be expanded "carefully". On the cost front, the Program 15 will reach its goals not in 2001 but in 1999.
+++
In 1997, the world's scheduled airlines as a whole experienced an operting profit of 5,7 per cent of operating revenues, acording to preliminary estimates released by the ICAO. Revenues were at 291 000 million US-Dollars, with operating expenses at 274500 million. Load factors rose, for the fourth year in a row, to reach their highest annual levels, 69 per cent in total and 70 per cent for international services.
+++
On June 19, the supervisory board of Düsseldorf International airport has given the green light for the lengthening of the main runway 05R/23L. It will be expanded on the east side to reach a length of 3400 m, thus enabling heavy airliners to take off for non-stop operations to distant North American and Asian destinations.
+++
WDL Aviation of Cologne has signed a contract to purchase a BAE 146-200 from British Aerospace Asset management. the aircraft will be delivered b AMJ after June 30 and will be used for ad-hoc and contract charters.
+++

Back to the top of the page / Zurück zum Anfang der Seite


Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen ist nach wie vor abrufbar:

*June 14, 1998 *June 7, 1998

*May 31, 1998 *May 24, 1998 *May 17, 1998 *May 10, 1998 *May 3, 1998

*April 26, 1998 *April 19, 1998 *April 5, 1998

*January to March 1998 *January to December 1997 *September to December 1996

Home | UPDATE | Latest Issue | Gallery | FR Profile | Datafiles
Copyright 1998 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved.
Last updated June 20, 1998
FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83, 53173 Bonn, Germany