Interavia Business & Technology back issues from June 2007:
The next challenge.(EDITORIAL)
Jun 22, 2007; ... For the last two decades, the commercial battle between Boeing and Airbus has attracted extensive--in some cases excessive--media coverage worldwide. The industrial, technological, economical and even political roles played by the two rival manufacturers amply justify this media ...
Advanced composite cargo aircraft.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The Air Force Research Lab has awarded two contracts for work on the Advanced Composite Cargo Aircraft to design, develop, and manufacture a technology demonstration aircraft. Lockheed Martin and UAV specialist Aurora Flight Sciences each received ...
Lockheed Martin.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(acquisition)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Lockheed Martin has acquired the defence and intelligence business of RIM Systems Pty Ltd, an Australia-based provider of system engineering, software development, integration, and programme management services and products. Lockheed Martin acquired the RIM Systems business from RIM ...
Rocketplane Kistler.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Rocketplane Kistler (RpK) and Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide commercial launch service support to Japanese users to the International Space Station (ISS). JAMSS is a private corporation established ...
Meggitt.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Meggitt has announced the formation of a new Meggitt Sensing Systems division. The division has been formed by merging the Meggitt Aerospace Systems and Meggitt Electronics groups into a single entity that aligns some of the world's most notable companies in the sensing industry with ...
A400M gets its wings.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Seville, Spain)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Airbus has delivered the first pair of wings for the A400M military transport aircraft from the UK to Seville, Spain, where aircraft final assembly is taking place. The A400M wing features the first-ever composite (carbon fibre reinforced plastic, CFRP) outer wingbox for an ...
Euro-UCAV in wind tunnel testing.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Dassault-led nEUROn Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Saab has started initial wind tunnel testing of the Dassault-led nEUROn Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator. The testing involves high speed testing up to the speed of sound. A 1:16-scale nEUROn model was installed in the wind tunnel belonging to FOI, the Swedish ...
Bombardier focuses on production, services to boost EBIT.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Bombardier Aerospace president and COO Pierre Beaudouin says that the company's Aircraft Services activities constitute a key source of future growth and a ma or contributor to the company's plans to boost EBIT from its current level of 3.9% to 8% by the end of the decade. Also playing a ...
Denel Dynamics.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(A-Darter air-to-air missile programme )(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Denel Dynamics, the missiles and UAV division of Denel, has launched the latest generation of the A-Darter air-to-air missile programme to be developed by and for both the South African National Defence Force and Brazilian Air Force. The co-development of the missile between South Africa ...
EADS North America.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Deliveries of the US Army's newest rotary-wing aircraft are continuing ahead of schedule as EADS North America plans to increase production output of the twin-engine UH-72A Lakota Light Utility Helicopter. The delivery rate will be ramping up to two Light Utility Helicopters per month in ...
Thales.(Business Briefing)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Thales and Microsoft have signed a strategic partnership agreement to jointly promote the Thales Comm@nder Computerised Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C41) solution, for defence and security customers worldwide. Comm@nder already incorporates Microsoft technology to ...
GKN makes US acquisition.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(acquisition)(Teleflex Aerospace Manufacturing Group)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... GKN of the UK has agreed to acquire the Teleflex Aerospace Manufacturing Group (TAMG)--a US manufacturer of complex engine components for the aerospace industry. GKN says the combination of its existing Engine Products business and TAMG will create a leading manufacturer of fixed and ...
Rolls-Royce delivers 2,000th AE3007 engine.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Rolls-Royce and Embraer celebrated the delivery of the 2,000th AE3007 engine during a ceremony on March 22 at Embraer's facility in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The AE3007 has powered Embraers ERJ family of regional jets and Legacy Business Jet for a decade. Entering service in ...
Construction starts on Chinese Airbus assembly line.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Construction has started on the Airbus A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Tianjin, following recent approval by the State Council of the Feasibility Study Report for the project. The setting up of the FAL in China includes the construction of dedicated hangars, office buildings, ...
MBDA.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... European missile systems group MBDA has signed an agreement with EADS and Thales to purchase German rocket motor company Bayern-Chemie / Protac, subject to the approval by the European Commission and various regulatory approvals. Bayern-Chemie / Protac is jointly owned by EADS Deutschland ...
Sikorsky Aircraft.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Sikorsky Aircraft has been awarded a $10.3 million increment as part of a $16.6 million contract to help solve one of the military's more pressing problems in fighting desert wars: landing helicopters and taking off safely when blinding sandstorms distort the landscape and create ...
Norway.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Norway and Saab, through Gripen International, have signed a Letter of Agreement regarding the future development of the Gripen fighter. The total value of this agreement--seen as an important step for Gripen as a candidate to be selected as Norway's future fighter aircraft--is some 150 ...
BAE Systems.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(J.F. Lehman & Co.)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... BAE Systems has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Inertial Products business to J.F. Lehman & Co. The Inertial Products business supplies military and commercial customers inertial sensors and measurement units for the control, navigation and guidance of fixed- and rotary-winged ...
Record year for Pilatus.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Pilatus Aircraft says 2006 was its best year ever. The company has been on an upward curve for the past four years, and both sales (CHF 572 million) and operating income (CHF 53 million) once again increased in 2006, by 23% and 56%, respectively. There was also a double-digit increase in ...
Ramjet simulated flight success.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne (PWR) and its fellow X-51A team members--US Air Force, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), NASA and Boeing --have successfully demonstrated operation and performance of the X-1 scram et engine in the first simulated fight at Mach 5 of the X-51A. ...
Sikorsky selects CH-53K fuselage supplier team.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Sikorsky has announced the selection of four subcontractors to design and fabricate the ma or fuselage sections for its new CH-53K heavy-lift helicopter currently under development for the United States Marine Corps. Sikorsky's Fuselage Team will consist of Aurora Flight Sciences, EDO ...
Honeywell starts SHFE testing.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Honeywell has successfully completed the first engine test of its Small Heavy Fuel Engine (SHFE). SHFE is part of the Versatile Affordable Advanced Turbine Engines (VAATE) programme, a joint DoD, NASA, DoE and industry alliance. The goal is to develop, demonstrate and transition advanced ...
Thales Alenia Space.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Alcatel Alenia Space)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Thales Alenia Space is the new name for Alcatel Alenia Space, following the official green light from the European Commission for the transfer to ...
Alenia Aeronautica.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(The Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Alenia Aeronautica and TsAGI, the Russian Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute, have announced a joint feasibility project for cooperation in the field of research & development and design of ...
Elbit Systems Ltd.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Elbit Systems Ltd. has announced the successful completion of its previously announced Cash Tender Offer for balance of the ordinary shares of Tadiran Communications Ltd. The Offer expired at 2:00 p.m., Israel time, on April 26, 2007, with 6,690,801 Tadiran shares tendered and accepted for ...
Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and BAE Systems Australia have signed a new five-year Strategic Research and Development Alliance agreement which is expected to boost defence science and technology in Australia in a number of focus areas.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Defence Science and Technology Organisation)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Australia's Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) and BAE Systems Australia have signed a new five-year Strategic Research and Development Alliance agreement which is expected to boost defence science and technology in Australia in a number of focus areas. The agreement ...
European Union.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)(Defence Technological And Industrial Base)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... European Union governments have agreed what they call a "landmark strategy" for Europe's Defence Technological And Industrial Base (DTIB), describing it as a fundamental underpinning of Europe's security and defence policy and setting a series of practical steps to achieve their vision of ...
Boeing prepares fuel cell demonstrator.(BUSINESS BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Boeing researchers and industry partners in Europe say they plan to conduct experimental flight tests this year of a manned airplane powered only by a fuel cell and lightweight batteries. The systems integration phase of the Fuel Cell Demonstrator Airplane research project, under way since ...
CFM56--what next? All options are open, as GE and Snecma prepare the powerplant for the next generation of single-aisle aircraft.(FINANCE, MARKETS & INDUSTRY)
Jun 22, 2007; ... CFM is not excluding any possibilities as it reviews its technology options for the engine that faces the daunting prospect of following in the footsteps of the enormously successful CFM56. With its Leading Edge Aviation Propulsion (Leap 56) programme, the Franco-US joint venture ...
Tight timeline for A400M: the timeline is tight, but the European airlifter programme is still aiming for first deliveries, to the French Air Force, in October 2009.(FINANCE, MARKETS & INDUSTRY)
Jun 22, 2007; ... No one said it was going to be easy. From the time the A400M programme was officially launched in May 2003, Airbus made it clear that the development schedule was going to be tight ... but feasible. The timetable calls for certification and initial deliveries to the French Air Force within ...
Indra.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Indra, a Spanish defence and information technology company, has signed a licensing agreement with Northrop Grumman, obtaining rights to manufacture and market the US firm's ASR-12 air traffic control radar system outside the United States. The agreement signifies Indra's entry into the ...
Eurocontrol.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Eurocontrol has calculated that, under the current European Air Traffic Management (ATM) system, each aircraft flies an average of 48.6km more than necessary due to the structure and use of en-route airspace (5.9% of distance flown). In order to improve the corresponding environmental and ...
IATA.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... IATA reports that, in March 2007, international passenger traffic demand rose 7.8% year-on-year--the largest year-on-year single month increase recorded in a year. Average international passenger load factors remained high at 76.4%. International freight traffic demand continued a ...
First painted Singapore A380 rolls out.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Those first A380 for Singapore Airlines rolled out of the paint hangar in Hamburg, Germany, on 2 May 2007. The entire surface area of the aircraft fuselage was "polished" by hand by some 100 painters working four shifts. The whole paint process took 21 days to complete. Over 2,200 litres ...
European parliament reflects on Sky Marshals.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The use of "Sky Marshals"--especially if it involves the carriage of weapons on board aircraft--should be strictly regulated, and measures such as the Commission decision on the carriage of liquids should expire after six months, says the Transport Committee of the European Parliament. The ...
Thales delivers first A380 simulator.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Thales has delivered the first A380 Full Flight Simulator (FFS) to Singapore Airlines. The FFS is based on the Thales C2000X system and will be supplied with the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 engine, a flight crew debrief system, a Forward facing Instructor Operating Station configuration and ...
Association of European Airlines.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The Association of European Airlines released traffic and capacity data for its members in March and April, showing the usual see-saw effect of the movable Easter holiday. Additional growth in March was offset by weaker figures in April. The increase For the two months ...
Association of Asia Pacific Airlines.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(International passenger traffic)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Members of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA) carried a total of 11.9 million international passengers in March 2007, an increase of 4.2% over the corresponding period last year. International passenger traffic in RPK terms grew by 3.8% year-on-year, while the passenger load ...
National Transportation Safety Board.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... In the wake of last year's midair collision between two TCAS-equipped aircraft (a Legacy 600 bizjet and a Gol Airlines 737-800) over Brazil, the National Transportation Safety Board has issued three recommendations to address what it calls a critical safety issue regarding the loss of ...
Emissions trading.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... What is the likely impact of emissions trading on the European airline industry? Chris Reid of Deutsche Bank has attempted to establish an analytical framework for investors based on current and future airline C[O.sub.2] emissions. In the short term, he does not see emissions trading ...
Asia.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... IATA is urging Asia to take a greater leadership role in shaping the global aviation industry. Speaking in Singapore recently, Giovanni Bisignani, IATAs Director General and CEO, said that Asia needed to show greater vision than other regions on two major topics--liberalisation and the ...
Lufthansa, Tatarstan Airlines sign CRJ900 orders.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Lufthansa obtained approval from its Supervisory Board to sign a firm order for 15 Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets. The value of the firm orders, based on the list price of the CRJ900 aircraft, is approximately US$584 million. Lufthansa has also taken purchase rights on 15 additional ...
Integrating UAVs into commercial airspace.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The European Defence Agency (EDA) has launched a new initiative to address the challenge of enabling unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to operate alongside conventional air traffic. The initiative follows extensive consultation between the Agency, the European Commission and the Aerospace and ...
Strong fourth quarter for US carriers.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)
Jun 22, 2007 ... A group of 21 selected US passenger airlines reported a system operating profit margin of 2.6% in the fourth quarter, down from the third quarter but the largest fourth-quarter profit margin for this group since 1999, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) of the US ...
ETOPS milestone for Boeing 777.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(extended operations)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Boeing has delivered the first of 10 777-300ER (Extended Range) airplanes to Jet Airways, India's largest private airline. The airplane, featuring the carrier's new paint scheme, entered service on May 5, commemorating the airline's 14th anniversary of operations. A few days ...
Runway collisions.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The National Transportation Safely Board continues to press for action to prevent runway collisions. According to the NTSB, there were 330 incursions in 2006--a figure that it says will probably be surpassed in 2007. Over the last three years the number of serious events has continued to ...
European Low Fares Airline Association.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) welcomed the European Commission's decision to limit the abuse of public service obligation (PSO) rules on routes between Sardinia and mainland Italy, saying thatit marked an important precedent in the fight against widespread ...
Europe's regional airlines.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Europe's regional airlines claim to be showing the way on sustainable growth, having recorded passenger growth of 8.2% in 2006, while growth in the number of flights has slowed from 3% to 1.3%, proving that passenger growth can be accommodated while reducing the environmental impact of ...
Safest year on record.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... IATA says that 2006 was the safest year an record. According to IATA data, the 2006 industry hull loss rate was 0.65 accidents per million flights for Western-built jets, which is equivalent to one accident for every 1.5 million flights--a 14% improvement on 2005. IATAs member airlines ...
First EMBRAER 170 for Egyptair Express.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... On 17 May Embraer delivered the first of six EMBRAER 170 jets to EgyptAir Express, the new subsidiary of the Egyptian flag carrier, EgyptAir. This aircraft is the first E-Jet to operate in that country. EgyptAir selected the EMBRAER 170 in September 2006, placing an order for six aircraft, ...
TSA "could do better" in foreign airport, carrier inspections.(AIR TRANSPORT BRIEFING)(Transportation Security Administration)
Jun 22, 2007 ... In the aftermath of the alleged August 2006 liquid explosives terrorist plot, efforts by the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to evaluate the security of foreign airports and air carriers that service the US have come under renewed scrutiny. According to a recent ...
World airline fleet watch.(AIR TRANSPORT & GENERAL AVIATION)(Statistical table)
Jun 22, 2007 ... <Pre> WORLD AIRLINE FLEET WATCH Airbus deliveries, Jan-March 2007Single- A300/aisleA330 A330A340 Totals AERCAP (British Midland)22 AERCAP (Juneyao Airlines) ...
What's French for LCC? Air France/KLM takes on the low cost carriers, which are slowly penetrating the French market.(AIR TRANSPORT & GENERAL AVIATION)(low cost carriers )
Jun 22, 2007; ... According to national airports association UAF, low cost carriers (LCCs) carried a total of 18 million passengers at French airports last year--two-thirds of them to regional destinations, i.e. airports other than the major Paris hubs. Though this represents an impressive 24.5% growth rate ...
European market fuels bizjet boom: the business aviation community was in buoyant mood at Ebace, and the rosy picture seems set to extend for the next five years.(AIR TRANSPORT & GENERAL AVIATION)
Jun 22, 2007; ... Following a year in which orders, deliveries and revenues soared to unprecedented levels, the business aviation community can rarely have been in such buoyant mood as it assembled in Geneva for this year's European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, better known as Ebace ....
New capabilities for Eurofighter.(DEFENCE)(contracts of NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency with Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH)
Jun 22, 2007 ... NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) and Eurofighter GmbH have signed a contract extending the capabilities of Eurofighter Typhoon beyond those already delivered with Tranche 1 based on the Main Development Contract. The new contract--officially called First Batch of ...
QinetiQ.(DEFENCE)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... A system which provides a single pilot with the ability to fly their own aircraft while simultaneously directing up to four further unmanned aircraft has been successfully demonstrated from the cockpit of a military fast jet for the first time. The system, developed by QinetiQ and funded ...
Boeing.(DEFENCE)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Boeing has conducted a successful first mission system test flight of an Airborne Warning and Control System(AWACS) aircraft upgraded under the Block 40/45 programme, the largest enhancement in the history of-the US Air Force E-3 AWACS fleet. During the seven-hour flight on April 5 from ...
Growler completes initial test phase.(DEFENCE)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The US Navy's next-generation electronic warfare aircraft has completed the first phase of test and evaluation, having completed an ambitious regimen of flight tests since the arrival of Growler test prototype aircraft EA-2 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. in late November. The ...
Successful sea-based missile defense "hit to kill" intercept.(DEFENCE)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announced the successful completion of an Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense "hit to kill" intercept flight test on 26 April. Conducted jointly with the US Navy, the test involved the simultaneous engagements of a ballistic missile "unitary" target (i.e. the ...
Thales.(DEFENCE)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Thales is pursuing the final phase of development and production engineering for the active phased-array radar for combat aircraft (see also p. 35). The company says it successfully completed a series of flight tests on the Mirage 2000 test-bed aircraft in the first quarter of 2007 at the ...
Embraer studies new military transport.(DEFENCE)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Embraer is studying the possible development of a military transport aircraft. With a 19t (41,888lb) payload capability, the EMBRAER C-390, as it is called, would be the heaviest airplane ever produced by the company. The new project incorporates a number of technological solutions ...
Pratt & Whitney.(DEFENCE)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Pratt & Whitney, in partnership with the United States Air Force and the Egyptian Air Force, has opened an F100 engine line at the Helwan Depot located at the Helwan Air Base in Egypt. The Egyptian Air Force's F-16 fleet is powered by the F100-PW220/220E propulsion systems. As part of ...
Gripen International.(DEFENCE)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... Norway and Saab, through Gripen International, have signed a Letter of Agreement regarding the future development of the Gripen fighter. The total value of this agreement is some 150 million Norwegian Kronor (approx. $25 million). The Norwegian Defence Minister Anne-Grete Strom-Erichsen ...
Helmet-mounted display makes first flight on F-35.(DEFENCE)
Jun 22, 2007 ... A Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) made by Vision Systems International (VSI) recently flew for the first time on an F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft. It was worn by Lockheed Martin's Jon Beesley, who piloted the advanced fighter. The HMDS provides critical flight ...
May day rollout for Advanced Hawkeye.(DEFENCE)(Brief article)
Jun 22, 2007 ... The first Northrop Grumman E-2D Advanced Hawkeye for the US Navy made its first public appearance at rollout ceremonies on 1 May. The E-2D is designed to be more adaptable to quickly changing technologies, allowing the Navy to better respond to changing threats from changing enemies. ...