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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 1230.PDF
H EADLINES UK Chinook deal settlement near The UK Ministry of Defence and Boeing Helicopter are expected to reach agreement in the next few days on a renegoti ated contract for the Royal Air force's Chinook mid-life update. Boeing had wanted up to £25 million more than previously agreed to accept the aircraft in their post-Gulf War condition. The aircraft were modified for the war with engine particle separators, new navigation/ communication suites, self- protection chaff/fare dispensers, new radar-warning receivers and 7.62 miniguns. Most of the Gulf-modified Chinooks were diverted to Tur key for the Kurdish airlift while they were being shipped back to the UK. The first RAF Chinook for mid-life update is already being worked on by Boeing in Philadelphia. This "proof of concept" air craft had not received the Gulf modifications, hence Boeing's demand for additional funds to assess what extra work will be needed on the modified aircraft (Flight International, 10-16 April). The alternative was for the RAF to return the aircraft to the pre-Gulf condition covered by the original contract. • MDC 'civil sales to double7 BY HUGH McATEAR IN SINGAPORE McDonnell Douglas com mercial transport sales will more than double in five years, accounting for nearly all of the company's total business, according to chairman John McDonnell. Speaking to Flight Interna tional in Singapore, McDonnell said that his forecast would have been made regardless of the company's spate of military- contract cancellations and losses of new business, which culminated in its recent failure to win one of the few major defence contracts available through to the end of the cen tury, the US Air Force Advanced Tactical Fighter development programme. McDonnell said that the loss was a disappointment but emphasised the significance of the commercial market: "There is no question — whether we had won or lost, this is what is happening". In 1990, transport aircraft sales (civil and military) totalled $5.8 billion, having risen from $4.5 billion the previous year. By contrast, combat aircraft McDonnell Douglas looks for Asian partners on MD-12 programme sales — which include the com pany's helicopter activities — slipped to $5.83 billion from $6.12 billion in 1989. Missiles, space and electronic systems increased to S3.18 billion from $2.76 billion. The MD-11 airliner has started to generate income with the start of deliveries. The smaller MD-90 series is in de velopment and MD-80 produc tion is running at its highest- ever level with output of 140 scheduled for this year. McDonnell said that the com pany is close to first flight with its USAF C-17 airlifter pro gramme — due in June or July. "This is one of the infamous fixed-price projects which have Budget-cut battering for B-2 and SDI The B-2 bomber and a central plank of the US Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) are struggling for funds in the early stages of this year's US budget negotiations. The House Armed Services Committee (HASC), one of the B2: Future funding not to be? four key committees in the budget process, voted to halt production of the Northrop B-2, after the currently approved 15 aircraft. It also voted to kill the SDI Brilliant Pebbles orbital in terceptor programme. SDI director Henry Cooper accuses the HASC of not under standing the programme and of retaining mismatched research programmes that do not form a deployable system. The B-2 move reflects the position of committee chairman Les Aspin who is, nevertheless, thought to be open to a com promise number. The USAF wants 75 of the aircraft and is being vigorously supported by Northrop which, with McDonnell Douglas, re cently lost the service's Ad vanced Tactical Fighter contest. Some B-2 supporters are ad vocating the scrapping of the troubled B-1B fleet to free money for the B-2 purchase. The HASC is supporting the Bell Boeing V-22 tiltrotor, which defence secretary Dick Cheney wants to cancel, and continued rebuilding of Grum man F-14A to F-14D standard. The equivalent Senate com mittee is thought to be pro-B-2, but it seems certain that the issue is again set for fierce debate, as the budget moves to the full House and Senate. • The HASC also voted to allow women to fly combat mis sions in all aircraft types for the first time. • caused us considerable pain and suffering. We are near the ceil ing and expect little earnings but hopefully not a lot of loss," he says. McDonnell believes that civil ian potential for the aircraft, which included interest from Federal Express, has not been fully explored. The McDonnell Douglas chairman sounded an optimistic note to the start of this year, citing first-quarter 1991 revenue and earnings figures as the best since 1986. "We are enthusias tic about the future," he said. Lou DiLeo, MDCs regional vice-president commercial mar keting Pacific and Asia, says that the chairman's visit to Sin gapore was a courtesy call to MD-11 customer Singapore Air lines, as part of a regional tour which included Hong Kong, In donesia and South Korea. McDonnell said, however, that he would raise the subject of possible sale of the MD-12 (a stretched version of the MD-11) to Singapore Airlines, which he said has expressed interest. The company's search for po tential risk-sharing partners for the MD-f2 development had resulted in requests for propos als going out to companies in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan and, he believed, Indonesia. McDonnell confirmed his company as the front runner in China's $5 billion 150-aircraft Trunkliner programme and said: "I believe we are the only ones they are talking to and it is now subject to successful negotiations" (Flight Interna tional, f-7 May). D 6 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15-21 May, 1991
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