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Aviation History
1992
1992 - 0520.PDF
TrunkLiner faces financial delay Wrangling over the finances of the Chinese Trunk Liner deal is stalling the final go-ahead of the programme, in spite of technical details being completed on 20 February by partners McDonnell Douglas and CAT1C, the China National Aero-Technology Import and Export agency. The cause of the dispute has not been spelled out. Revealing new details of the TrunkLiner negotiations, McDonnell Douglas vice-presi dent/general manager China programmes John Mangan says: "We are working with them to define the workshare but, basi cally, we have agreed to a two- phase deal." Negotiations covering an ini tial 40 aircraft, of which half will be TrunkLiner versions of the MD-80 series, are in progress. The programme has been di vided into phases to ease the complicated manufacturing tran sition from the MD-80, which is built in longitudinal "double- bubble" sections, mated hori zontally, to the MD-90, which is made up of fuselage-barrel sec tions. Manufacture of Long Beach-made MD-80/-90s is being converted to the barrel-section construction method and all FAA offers ATC upgrade advice The US Federal Aviation Ad ministration (FAA) has launched an international co operative programme called "Partnership 21", aimed at offering technical assistance and expertise to nations who are upgrading air traffic control (ATC) systems. Introducing the programme at the show, FAA Western Pa cific regional administrator, Carl Schellenberg, said: "In pro moting the Partnership 21 pro gramme, the USA is not casting itself as a big brother to the world. The FAA does have an established track record, how ever. We are investing close to $40 billion in new equipment and technologies to modernise our ATC system. Other coun tries...would be foolish not to exploit our experience to their advantage." The programme is geared to wards the achievement of the long-range aviation system goals of the International Civil Aviation Organisation's Future Air Navigation System (FANS), as well as continuing inter mediate system improvements. Partnership 21 was spurred by 1991's meeting of the Air Navigation Conference in Mon treal, Canada, at which a global consensus was reached on the architecture of an aviation sys tem for the 21st century. This endorsed ideas for a satellite- based ATC system as proposed by the International Civil Avia tion Organisation's special com mittee on FANS, utilising global positioning systems (GPS and GLONASS) as well as other developments, such as t auto matic dependent surveillance. "Through Partnership 21 seminars, the FAA hopes to transfer the technical expertise we've acquired, however ardu ously, to counterparts around the globe. Seminars might be conducted bilaterally, com prised of experts in different subject areas presenting a spe cific in-country programme," says Schellenberg. The FAA has begun drawing up a syllabus of topics for the seminar programme and hopes to begin the first international partnership within the year. • FAA market ATC expertise TrunkLiners will be built in sections from the first aircraft, says Mangan. The Chinese work-share com ponent of the final assembly will be 100% for both types and its share of "manufacturing hours" involved in the various sub assemblies will be around 65%. Under phase one, the Shang hai factory will build three stan dard MD-82s, 17 MD-82Ts equipped with dual-tandem landing gear, being developed by CATIC, and 20 MD-90-30Ts. Phase two will cover phased construction of 130 additional aircraft throughout the remain der of the decade. Douglas Aircraft president Bob Hood says: "We hope to reach final agreement with the Chinese on this programme in the very near future. We will co-produce MD-90s in China, plus additional MD-80s, to help them meet their need for up to 170 aircraft to serve cities throughout that nation." Asked whether the continuing sales of other western aircraft, including, most recently, seven Fokker 100s, to China would affect the deal, Hood says: "I expect sales of 737s and Fokker 100s to continue. The number of aircraft that we're talking about being sold cannot possibly meet the large numbers required by the Chinese. "Although the initial iTrunkliner] requirement will probably be scaled down to 40 aircraft, we expect to negotiate the balance later in the 1990s. We always expected [the initial deal to cover] something less than 150 aircraft," says Hood. Finalisation of the long- awaited deal is becoming in creasingly important to Douglas and the Chinese. Production of the MD-80 at Shanghai is wind ing down and the switch to the tandem-gear-equipped MD-90- 30T will soon require placing orders for long-lead items. To Douglas, the go-ahead of the Chinese MD-90 will lead to the production of the MD-95, one of the new narrowbody twins aimed at increasing the company's market penetration into the 21st century. • GE gives RM12 lead to Volvo General Electric plans the long-awaited transfer of de sign authority on the F404/ RM12 engine to Sweden's Volvo Flygmotor "within the next few months", according to GE inter national products development manager Mike Brazier. The 80kN (18,0001b)-thrust RM12 powers the Saab JAS39 Gripen and differs from the F404 in having a birdstrike- resistant fan that runs at 5% higher airflow than the F404- 400. The engine also has a hydromechanical/electronic backup control system, derived from the unit developed for the F404-100D used in the Sin gapore air force's McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. Brazier says that, with transfer of design authority, "...ulti mately Volvo will be responsible for final assembly of the engine, with GE providing about 70% of the parts." • NEWS IN BRIEF REPAIR EXTENSION Singapore Aerospace and Tur- bomeca subsidiary, Singapore Aerospace Engines, has re ceived a repair-licence exten sion covering the Makila 1A1 turboshaft, as well as a new repair licence for the Arriel 1D1 powering the Ecureuil helicopter. GARRETT CONTRACT Allied-Signal's Garrett Auxil iary Power division has won a $23 million US Navy con tract for the design and devel opment of the universal jet air start unit (UNIJASU) under a two-phase programme. The UNIJASU unit will be based on the Garrett 331-200(UJ) APU used on the Boeing 757 and 767. GEC SUPPLIES GPS GEC-Plessey Avionics is to supply the PA9154 naval global positioning receiver to GEC-Marconi Systems for in stallation in the ANZAC frig ates. The first frigate delivery is scheduled for 1995. 14 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 4 - 10 March, 1992
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