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Aviation History
1993
1993 - 0006.PDF
HEADLINES Lockheed heads Proton sales L ockheed has linked up with Russian space organ isation Khrunichev to market the Proton launch vehicle and its derivatives worldwide. The US aerospace company has formed the Lockheed Commercial Space Company to manage its part of the busi ness and the company has jointly established Lockheed- Khrunichev International, to market the launch vehicle. The venture has Russian Government approval and the US State Department has pro vided initial authorisation. The joint endeavour is the first credible attempt to market the Proton in the West, after the formation of several joint concerns with Western agents came to nothing. Lockheed has now entered the commercial launcher busi ness, mainly in competition with General Dynamics in the USA. By offering launches at a price of less than $70 million, it also hopes to bite into Arianespace's significant share of the market. The tie-up allows Lockheed to push its satellite manufac turing capability, offering a complete service to delivery in orbit. In addition, the company is part of the Motorola-led consortium planning to launch an array of Iridium satellites to create a cellular telecommuni cations network. It is thought that the Proton could be used to launch up to three of these satellites at a time. The Proton is the world's most used geostationary satel lite launcher, having flown 169 times with 153 successes — it is also the biggest commercial- launcher. It has one commer cial launch contract to carry the Inmarsat 3F4 satellite into orbit in 1995, at a cost of just $36 million. • Russia has offered South Af rica the $5 million launch of a redundant SS20 missile to carry up to nine small satellites into orbit. The SS20 would be launched from Murmansk or a mobile launcher could be shipped to South Africa. • Dornier 328 prototype hit by propeller failure BY DOUGLAS BARRIE IN MUNICH Aprototype Dornier 328 re gional twin-turboprop air craft suffered a near-catastrophic propeller failure on 14 Decem ber, when the blades on one engine detached and punctured the fuselage. The test aircraft is understood to have been flying at 15,000ft (4,600m) when the incident oc curred. Officials close to the Deutsche Aerospace subsidiary say that as a result of the blade loss, the aircraft rolled through 280° and lost 5,000ft before the test crew recovered control. Dornier officials were not able to comment as the company was closed for the Christmas period. The incident is the latest blow to the already troubled Dornier 328 programme. The aircraft is the subject of a weight-reduction programme, having been around 700kg overweight. The aircraft's cruise speed and range performance are also caus ing concern. The cruise speed is 10-15kt (18.5-28km/h) below Dormer's problems mount as 328 faces new failure the projected speed and range is at least 185km (lOOnm) down on the projected figure. The Dornier 328 is powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW119A engines fitted with Hartzell six-blade composite propellers. Hartzell was selected over Dowty and Hamilton Stan dard, despite its relative inexpe rience in dual-acting propellers. Sources close to the Dornier 328 programme suggest that a problem has emerged, with the blades developing hairline cracks, which requires engine power to be limited. Hartzell was unable to confirm this. All six blades are understood to have detached from the pro peller hub, with at least one puncturing the fuselage. Sources say that it was fortunate that no flight-critical control systems were harmed by the incident. • Clinton fills US aerospace posts Incoming US President Bill Clinton has announced most of his senior Government aero space related appointments. House armed-services commit tee chairman Les Aspin, argua bly the most influential US defence figure in recent years, replaces Dick Cheney as defence secretary. Aspin is widely- respected in the US Government and the Pentagon for his com mand of defence issues. Former Denver mayor Freder- ico Pena steps into Andrew Card's shoes as transportation secretary. He was involved pe ripherally in the development of Denver's massive new airport and brings a reputation for a "hands on" style. Clinton's campaign manager, lawyer Micky Kantor, takes over from Carla Hill as US trade representative. He will conduct trade negotiations, including air liner manufacturing disputes, and is likely to have a high profile under Clinton's plans. James Woolsey, a director of Martin Marietta and British Aer ospace Inc, takes an exceptional degree of aerospace experience to the post of CIA director. Federal Aviation Administra tor Thomas Richards is not now expected to be retained under Clinton. The tradition of ap pointing former military officers to the post is likely to be broken in favour of a person with greater transport experience. • NEWS IN BRIEF AMR/CANADIAN Encouraged by PWA's plans to revamp Canadian Airlines, American Airlines' parent company AMR is to invest C$246 million ($192 million) in the Canadian carrier in return for a 33% equity stake and 25% voting rights in the airline. PWA has the remain ing 75% share. See Air Transport, P 6 ERICSSON CONTRACT The Swedish Defence Material Administration has awarded a $200 million contract to Ericsson Radar Electronics for six Erieye phased-array air borne-early-warning radars to be carried by Saab 340s. The contract is for one Saab 340, with five on option, worth $74 million. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 6 • 12 January, 1993
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