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UPDATE 
Week ending February 14, 1999
+++ Eurofighter interest in Greece and Norway +++ Lockheed and Dasa form company for PAC-3 missile +++ Dasa upgrades Polish MiG-29s to NATO standard +++ Tupolev Tu-334 flies +++ Jet Aviation has first BBJ at Basel +++ American Blimp certified in Germany +++ Stardust mission successfully launched +++ ESA astronaut Umberto Guidoni will be the first European to visit ISS +++ Augsburg Airways orders more Dash 8s +++ Cupola contract for Alenia +++ News in brief +++

Eurofighter interest in Greece and Norway
Griechenland und Norwegen am Eurofighter interessiert

Greece has announced it is entering negotiations to buy between 60 and 80 Eurofighter combat aircraft. The surprising statement came after the Greek government had delayed a decision on the short term purchase of up to 60 fighters because of a severe dispute between the finance and defence ministers over a drastic shortfall in available money. Defence minister Tsohatzopoulos then apparently was going it alone and was betting on a long term solution, because the Greek order is not expected until the Eurofighter goes into production, estimated to be after 2005. "As for the type of the plane that will cover us in the immediate future, we will re-examine the issue in another cabinet meeting after consultations between the defence and finance ministries," Tsohatzopoulos said.
Meanwhile, the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Defence decided on February 12 to issue a Letter of Request (LOR) for procurement of new combat aircraft. The Royal Air Force Materiel Command will request the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency of an offer for Eurofighter 2000 and the US Air Force of an offer for Lockheed Martin's F-16 Block 50N. The requests are for 20 aircraft delivered within the time periode 2003-2010. The suppliers are requested to offer alternative payment- and delivery schedules. The request includes an option of 10 additional aircraft. The project is subject to approval by the Parliament (Stortinget). Eurofighter 2000 and F-16 Block 50N are the remaining candidates in the competition. The two were selected as the best candidates after an extensive evaluation based on Norwefian Defence Research Establishment's (FFIs) Combat Aircraft Analysis.

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Lockheed and Dasa form company for PAC-3 missile
Gemeinschaftsunternehmen für Luftabwerhrrakete gegründet

On February 11, Lockheed Martin Vought Systems of Dallas (Texas) and Dasa have established a joint venture company for PAC-3 Missile work in Germany. The new joint venture company is expected to be the venue for offset production of missile equipment, and final missile integration, test and logistic support for the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) Missile procurement of Germany. It is also anticipated that the company will play a significant role in the application of the PAC-3 Missile future growth potential. The new company will formally be known as GLVS-Gesellschaft für Luftverteidigungssysteme mbH, which is translated "Air Defense Systems Company." Gunter Stammler of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG and Ed Ulery of Lockheed Martin Vought Systems have been nominated as General Managers. Planning for the joint venture began in early 1998 with the signing of an agreement between the two companies to explore the partnership parameters. Since that time, Lockheed Martin Vought Systems and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace have worked closely together to structure an organization that will provide enhanced products and services to both current and future customers.

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Dasa upgrades Polish MiG-29s to NATO standard
Polnische MiG-29 werden modernisiert

DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (Dasa, Munich) will upgrade the 22 MiG-29 aircraft flown by the Polish Air Force to western standards in preparation for the country's entry into NATO. This was agreed in a contract signed by Dasa's Military Aircraft Division and the Polish Air Force in Warsaw on February 8. According to Dasa, Poland has thus chosen the least costly way of integrating its air forces into NATO with European assistance. The retrofits are to be carried out under Dasa management, the major part of the work being undertaken by the Polish Air Force at the WZL 2 plant in Bydgoszcz. The modernisation and adaptation of existing MiG-29 aircraft is a cost-effective alternative to the procurement of western fighter aircraft, which would entail high expenditure. Together with the German Ministry of Defence, Dasa suggests a concept for cooperation with all the central and east European states who use the MiG-29.

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Tupolev Tu-334 flies
Erstflug der Tupolew Tu-334

On February 8, the Tupolev Tu-334 finally made its long overdue maiden flight athe the Zhukovsky flight test centre outside Moscow. Work on the airliner started in the 80s and the prototype was shown as long ago as August 1995 at the Moscow air show. The Tu-334 is conceived as a replacement for the aging Tu-134 . Three prototypes plus two static test airframes are under construction. Price of the 100 seater should be 15 million US-Dollars.

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Jet Aviation has first BBJ at Basel
Boeing Business Jet wird in Basel ausgestattet

Boeing has delivered a green Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) to the designated completion center Jet Aviation Basel for exterior paint and cabin outfitting. The aircraft, the first BBJ to be outfitted in Europe, is scheduled to be completed by the third quarter this year. The aircraft will receive a VIP interior accommodating 18 passengers. The cabin design is a combination of French classical and contemporary elements. The bedroom is furnished with convertible beds and a closet. A private desk is personalized with inlays set in wooden panels. The adjoining bathroom displays a trompe l'oeil landscape. The cockpit will be equipped with a Head-up Display Guidance System. Nine auxiliary fuel tanks will be installed to give the aircraft a greater range.

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American Blimp certified in Germany
LBA-Zulassung für A-60+ Lightship

The German Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) has awarded a type certificate to the American Blimp Corporation A-60+ airship. The approval covers single pilot day/night flights, in both VFR and IFR conditions. Germany is now added to the list of countries that have awarded type certificates to the A-60+, which include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China and Japan. ABC is the only airship organization in the world that has scheduled manufacture of airships at the moment. It is headquartered at Hallsboro, Oregon, where the airships are constructed in a 20000 sq ft facility. Today, there are 16 Lightships in operation, three of them of the larger A-150 model, which seats ten. Three more will be delivered in 1999. All but four of the ABC blimps are operated by The Lightship Group, a 50/50 partnership between Virgin Lightships, owned by Richard Branson, and ABC,

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Stardust mission successfully launched
Stardast erfolgreich gestartet

NASA's Stardust spacecraft successfully shot into a clear blue sky atop a Delta II rocket from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Station at 4:04:15 p.m. EST (1:04:15 p.m. PST) on 7 February to become the first U.S. mission destined for a comet, and the first-ever spacecraft sent to bring a sample of a comet sample back to Earth. The Stardust team reported that the spacecraft was in excellent health and that its power and temperature levels are normal. The spacecraft is in communication with NASA's Deep Space Network, and is controlled through the mission operations area at Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, Colo., and monitored at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., where the mission is managed. Stardust is on a flight path that will deliver it to Comet Wild-2 (pronounced "Vilt-2" on January 2, 2004. The spacecraft will gather particles flying off the nucleus of the comet. In addition, Stardust will attempt to gather samples from a stream of interstellar dust that flows through the solar system. Captured in a glass foam called aerogel, the comet and interstellar dust samples will be enclosed in a clamshell-like capsule that will be dropped off for reentry into Earth's atmosphere in January 2006. Equipped with parachutes, the capsule will float to a pre-selected spot in the Utah desert, where it will be retrieved and its contents delivered to scientists for detailed analysis.

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ESA astronaut Umberto Guidoni will be the first European to visit ISS
ESA-Astronaut Umberto Guidoni wird erster Europäer auf ISS sein

Umberto Guidoni, an astrophysicist of Italian nationality, will fly on an upcoming Space Shuttle mission that will deliver up to 10 tons of equipment to the Space Station, now being assembled in orbit. His flight, named STS-102, is currently scheduled for April 2000. For the first time, the Shuttle will transport the material in a specially-designed Multipurpose Logistics Module (MPLM) mounted in its cargo bay. That module, named Leonardo, is the first of three such carriers scheduled for launch to the Space Station. They are being built by ASI under an ASI-NASA agreement that includes a flight opportunity for an Italian astronaut. Both the MPLMs and Europe's Columbus laboratory, which will be added to the Space Station in 2003, have been derived from the European-designed laboratory, the Spacelab, which flew on 22 Shuttle flights over 15 years, from 1983 to 1998. STS-102's cargo - laboratory racks filled with equipment, experiments and supplies - will be used to outfit the U.S. laboratory module, which will have been attached to the Space Station one month earlier. Umberto Guidoni will be making his second spaceflight. His first one was as a payload specialist on the Shuttle's 16-day Tethered Satellite System (STS-75/TSS-1R) mission in February-March 1996.

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Augsburg Airways orders more Dash 8s
Weitere Dash 8 für Augsburg Airways

On February 10, Augsburg Airways, a Team Lufthansa member, has placed a firm order with Bombardier Aerospace for three Dash 8 Q300 aircraft. The order represents a conversion of three existing options. The transaction is valued at approximately $45 million U.S. ($67 million Cdn.) and deliveries are scheduled for January, February and March 2000. "Expanding our fleet with the new, quieter Q Series aircraft with their Noise and Vibration Suppression system will offer our passengers a level of comfort unavailable on any other turboprop aircraft," said Olaf Dlugi, managing director of Augsburg Airways. In a recent passenger survey conducted by Business Traveler Magazine, Augsburg Airways was voted the number two regional airline in Europe. Augsburg Airways has been a Dash 8 customer since 1990 when its predecessor company, Interot Airways, placed three Dash 8 Series 100 aircraft on routes from Augsburg to Berlin, Hamburg, Dusseldorf, Leipzig, Dresden and Cologne.

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Cupola contract for Alenia
Alenia erhält Auftrag für Cupola

On February 11, the Cupola contract for the International Space Station was signed in Turin between ESA and Alenia Aerospazio. The Cupola programme results from a bilateral agreement between NASA and ESA under which the European Space Agency is to provide two "Cupolas" for the International Space Station in exchange for Shuttle transportation of European equipment and experiments for the Station. The "Cupola" is a kind of Space Station control tower: an observation module, in the form of a windowed dome, that will let the crew manoeuvre the robotic arm (Space Station Remote Manipulator System - SSRMS), thereby facilitating the assembly and attachment of the various Station elements. The Cupola will accommodate command/control workstations and other hardware to observe the Earth and Orbiter / Space Station activities. However, the Cupola mission is not restricted to operating a workstation. The Cupola will also offer unquestionable psychological benefits by providing a pressurized observation area for the crew to have a clear view of the station, the stars and Mother Earth. Thus, the Cupola will have a vital role in the evolution of the Space Station.
The two Cupola units stipulated in the contract will be launched on the Shuttle and positioned on the Nodes - the interconnecting elements of the Station - by the SSRMS. The first unit is currently planned to be attached to Node 1 ("Unity") in early 2003 and the second to Node 3 later that same year. ESA has assigned the programme - worth around 20 million Euro (39 billion lire) - to Alenia Aerospazio following evaluation of the proposal that was judged to be the best of the competing offers.

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NEWS IN BRIEF / KURZMELDUNGEN

Sikorsky has announced that it has signed a contract with the Turkish Government to provide 50 S-70 Black Hawk helicopters for the Turkish Armed Forces. The contract value is more than $500 million. The aircraft will be procured through a direct purchase from Sikorsky, utilizing a U.S. Export Import Bank guaranteed loan to Turkey. Deliveries will begin immediately and continue through 2001. Turkey previously made three purchases of Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopters. In 1992, a contract was signed for the delivery of 45 aircraft to the Turkish Government. In 1988, six aircraft were delivered to the Turkish Jandarma. Sikorsky also delivered six Black Hawk helicopters to the Turkish National Police (TNP) in 1990. In addition, eight S-70 Turkish Navy Seahawk helicopters are on contract, with deliveries starting in 2000.
+++
Dasa board member Wolfgang Piller has resigned to take up freelance activities, it was announced on February 12. According to Dasa, Piller leaves on his own wish and in an atmosphere of mutual understanding.
+++
Fairchild-Dornier and the ATR consortium are negotiationg on a cooperation to build a new 70seat regional jet family. Regular meetings are taking place, but it is not yet clear if and when a deal can be struck. ATR seems to be optimistic, though, holding out the possibility of a MoU by the end of February.
+++
Skirmishes between US combat aircraft and the Iraqi air defence in the no-fly zones continue, with incidents reported on February 12, 11, and 10, As usual, the US planes usually reacting with strikes on military targets after Iraqi provocotions“.
+++
Jet Aviation Handling has been appointed the new handling agent for Britannia Airways GmbH at the Swiss airports of Zurich and Geneva. The airline recently expanded its route to include the city of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Jet Aviation offers a comprehensive package of handling activities to the German carrier, which include passenger check-in and gate services, lounge, baggage, ramp, load control, and station control. Britannia Airways uses a Boeing 767-300 for its bi-weekly route Puerto Plata-Geneva-Zurich. For the 98/99 winter season the carrier has an exclusive contract for the tour operator CA Ferntouristik, owned by the Munich based group FTI/Frosch Touristik. From Geneva, two thirds of the seats are available to Caribbean travelers, from Zurich, the remaining third is available.
+++
The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127H turboprop engines which power the Ilyushin IL-114-100 52-passenger regional aircraft made a first flight on the aircraft on 26 January, 1999. The flight lasted 15 minutes and was witnessed by Uzbekistan Prime Minister Sultanov together with dignitaries from TAPO, Ilyushin, Uzbekistan Airways, the launch customer, and Russian government representatives.
+++
Hungary has inaugurated its first Air Sovereignty Operations Center, in the run up to NATO membership next month. The ASOC is a computer system linked to radar which gives real-time picture of its airspace and also allows links to NATOs integrated air defence system. The ASOC programme is part of a larger military overhaul which includes investments in three-dimensional radar and English teaching. The centre was paid for by the US government. Lockheed Martin installed the hardware and software for 10,6 million US-Dollars.
+++
Matra BAe Dynamics has signed the SWIMLI contract with the Swiss government for the upgrade of the Swiss Air Forces Rapier missile system.s. The programme is valued at more than 50 million Pounds. It will give the Swiss Rapier air defence missile systems improved capability in the operational environment for the foreseeable future.
+++
Irish low-cost airline Ryanair plans to start services to Germany on April 22. It will serve Hahn airport from London-Stansted and thus inaugurate the first scheduled services on this ex-military airport in the Eifel region. It plans on 200000 passengers per year.
+++
Lufthansa Consulting has signed a deal with Mexicana Airlines to restructure the carrier. Main aims are cost reductions.
+++
British Airways will buy nine per cent of Iberia, when the Spanish airline is privatised. Also, Iberia will join the oneworld alliance.
+++
Iberia´s franchise airline Air Nostrum has signed a deal for five new-generation ATR 72-500 regional airlines. Deliveries will begin in March.
+++
Globalstar has announced the successful simultaneous launch of four of its low-earth-orbiting (LEO) satellites into space, bringing to 12 the total number of Globalstar satellites now in orbit. Globalstar's satellites, manufactured by prime contractor Space Systems/Loral, were launched on February 8, at 10:54 p.m. EST aboard a Soyuz-Ikar launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. All four Globalstar satellites were separated from the upper stage at an altitude of 920 kilometers above the Earth approximately three-and-a-half hours later (2:24 a.m. EST, February 9). Engineers at Globalstar's ground operations control center (GOCC) in San Jose, Calif., subsequently acquired the satellites' signals using the five Globalstar telemetry command unit gateways located in Aussaguel, France; Yeoju, South Korea; Dubbo, Australia; Bosque Allegre, Argentina; and Clifton, Texas.
+++
On February 8, SITA has been awarded a five-year contract, valued at US$215 million, to provide Lufthansa Passenger Airline with a fully managed global desktop solution that will cut the airline's infrastructure costs, globally standardize all its information technology (IT) services and ensure year 2000 compliance. Additionally, SITA will provide Lufthansa with the global communications network to link all its people worldwide to its central host system based in Frankfurt, Germany. This two year contract is valued at US$ 32 million and will provide Lufthansa with the technology architecture required to take advantage of Internet Protocol (IP) standards on which the industry will depend. The successful operation of over 6,000 personal computer workstations in over 400 locations across 100 countries will be based on SITA's CUTE (Common Use Terminal Equipment) systems integration expertise and remote management across its global network. Extended passenger processing services will be made available in city centres, train stations, hotels and bus depots using SITA's CUTE Lite. These locations will all economically and efficiently link to nearby airports and the airline's headquarters across SITA's global network.
+++
The U.S. Air Force has awarded a $10.1 billion aircraft engine maintenance contract to a team led by the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and Lockheed Martin Aircraft & Logistics Centers. The contract has a base period of seven years with eight one-year award term options. Industry members on the Lockheed Martin team include Lockheed Martin Control Systems, Woodward Corporation, Standard Aero, and Chromalloy Gas Turbine Corporation.
+++
The US National Aeronautic Association (NAA) announced this week that the U-2S/ER-2 has been selected to receive the 1998 Robert J. Collier Trophy recognizing the top aeronautical achievement in the United States for 1998. Lockheed Martin Corporation and their partners, General Electric Corporation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Air Combat Command of the U. S. Air Force and the Defense Intelligence Agency, were recognized for, "designing, manufacturing, and operating the U-2S/ER-2 high- altitude, all-weather, multi-functional data collection aircraft, which serves as America's "Sentinel of Peace" around the world." In announcing the selection, NAA President Don Koranda commented, "Although the U-2 program has been in existence for a long time, this new version will substantially enhance the mission capabilities performance and safety of this high-altitude aircraft well into the 21st century."
+++
On February 11, Rockwell announced that it has exercised its option to acquire l00 percent ownership of Flight Dynamics, the market leader in Head Up Guidance Systems for aircraft operations. The closing of the transaction is expected to occur by April. "Flight Dynamics brings important technology to the core Rockwell Collins businesses. This acquisition is integral to our strategy of increasing our aviation electronics content across multiple platforms and increasing our strong market position," said Clay Jones, president of Rockwell Collins. Flight Dynamics, with 250 employees based in Portland, Ore., is a leader in advanced approach guidance systems, which provide increased pilot awareness and safety in low visibility and marginal weather conditions. Their patented Head Up Guidance System (HGS(R)) technology is certificated and operating on business, regional, airline and military transport aircraft.
+++
United States defence and aerospace company Raytheon has teamed up with Ansett Australia to modify aircraft for the RAAF's airborne early warning project. Under the deal, Raytheon and Ansett will offer the RAAF seven Airbus A310 aircraft equipped to handle RAAF requirements for its multi-million dollar Project Wedgetail airborne early warning and control (AEW and C) fleet. That will give the RAAF a long-awaited capability for broad area surveillance across Australia's far north and northern sea approaches. Three consortia, headed by Raytheon, Lockheed-Martin and Boeing, are vying for the Wedgetail deal with a winner expected to be announced later this year.
+++
French Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn has visited a Dasa facility in Dresden and met with DaimlerChrysler Aerospace chief Manfred Bischoff, but afterwards played down the event as being “just concerned with the general state of the European aerospace industry and not any specific French-German linkup in that sector” But he underlined France's commitment to continued consolidation in the European aerospace sector. "We continue to favour a large European (Aerospace) industry. We'll support everything that will favour movement in the European aerospace industry," he said.
+++<BR> CATIA Solutions have been chosen as the strategic CAD/CAM/CAE system for use in the development and engineering design of the unique, lighter-than-air CargoLifter airship. CargoLifter AG said it will use about 50 seats of the software from IBM(b) and Dassault Systemes to design and develop one of the safest, most accurate and ecologically acceptable means of transporting heavy goods in the history of transportation. The company said all of its more than two dozen European development partners also use CATIA. Considerable time and cost savings are expected from virtual development teams using CATIA's digital mockup capabilities and IBM e-business, electronic supply-chain and other networking solutions to implement concurrent engineering practices and minimize the need for prototypes.
+++
At the traditional defence symposium in Munich, German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said Germany would do all it could to promote cross-border concentration of defence industries in Germany, Britain and France. Schröder also urged France to speed up efforts to privatise its defence sector, saying such moves would facilitate cross-border mergers. "I can only suggest that the French government undertake more efforts in the direction of more privatisation and the reduction of government influence in the industry," he said. "I'm not offering advice but just a suggestion that the work would be easier if the business structures were similar," he said. "It's my experience that in fact private sector structures in this area are much more efficient."
+++
On February 11, Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer announced the pre-launch of a new family of regional jets consisting of a 70 and 90-seat jetliner -- the ERJ-170 and the ERJ-190. Related on-going studies are now reaching an advanced stage. Consistent with this decision, Embraer is actively pursuing commitments from airlines, major suppliers and partners. Following a long-standing practice, Embraer approached 46 regional airline companies that represent 55 percent of the current regional aviation market and performed in-depth investigations to identify present and future trends that will shape that market. Collecting data from North American, European, South American and Asian regional carriers, Embraer integrated multiple feedback to define the characteristics of its future aircraft. This ensures an airplane specifically designed to meet operators' needs, an objective that will be assured through customer's full participation in the development phase. Among other items, the customer's studies indicated that a 70-seat and a 90-seat jetliner would be needed in the near future. Pending a decision on the final go-ahead for the ERJ-170 program, which will take place during the second quarter of 1999, initial deliveries should occur in 2002. Embraer is also contemplating the development of a stretched derivative for the 81/100-seat segment of the regional transport market, the first ERJ-190 being ready for delivery in 2004. Development of both programs calls for an investment of approximately US$750 million.
+++
A memorandum of understanding between U.S. Air Forces in Europe and the Republic of Slovakia will soon allow U.S. pilots to train in what was once part of communist Czechoslovakia. The document, Feb. 9 by USAFE Commander Gen. John P. Jumper and Slovakia's State Secretary for Minister of Defense Jozef Pivarci, gives U.S. fighter pilots access to the republic's Kuchyna Bombing Range and nearby Malacky Air Base, located about 25 kilometers east of the Austrian border. Under terms of the agreement, U.S. fighters will use the airfield and the nine-square-kilometer range for air-to-ground training missions. In return, the United States will provide financial support to build or upgrade some of the range facilities. U.S. fighters are expected to begin training in Slovakia later this year. "The base and bombing range will primarily be used by F-15s and F-16s, perhaps five or six times a year," Jumper said. "They'll stay for one to two weeks at a time. At the most, I would anticipate a deployment of 12 F-15Es would bring about 200 people here during a deployment."
+++

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Previous updates are still available:
Die News der letzten Wochen sind weiter abrufbar:

*February 7, 1999

*January 31, 1999 *January 24, 1999 *January 17, 1999 *January 10, 1999

*December 20, 1998 *December 13, 1998 *December 6, 1998

*November 29, 1998 *November 22, 1998 *November 15, 1998 *November 8, 1998 *November 1, 1998

*October 25, 1998 *October 18, 1998

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

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