FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1994
1994 - 0008.PDF
HEADLINES Malaysia plans for CN-235 purchase BY JOHN BAILEY IN SINGAPORE Malaysia is to buy 32 CASA/IPTN CN-235s, largely as a replacement for the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF's) ageing de Havilland DH-4A Caribous. ' Although the Indonesian statement refers to the CN- 235s as "transport aircraft", there is a possibility that some of the examples bound for Malaysia will be the MPA mari time-patrol variant. Malaysia becomes the largest foreign customer for the Indo nesian-built CN-235, which is produced under a joint-venture agreement made between IPTN and CASA of Spain. As part of the same agree ment, Indonesia will buy 20 Swiss-designed Datwyler MD3- 160 trainers built by Malaysia's SME Aerospace. Malaysia will also buy two IPTN-built NAS.332 Super Puma helicop ters, produced under licence from France's Aerospatiale. The value of the contracts has not been released, but ne gotiations were concluded at the Langkawi International Aerospace and Maritime (LIMA) exhibition in Malaysia early in December 1993. Indonesia and Malaysia also plan to sign an aerospace-co operation agreement in Janu ary, although it is not clear what this will involve. IPTN chairman Dr Bachar- rudin Habibie says that three CN-235s will be delivered to USN vote rejects T-45 engine contest The US Navy has decided against proceeding with a Congressionally backed engine competition for the McDonnell Douglas Aerospace (MDA)/ British Aerospace T-45 Gos hawk trainer aircraft. The USN has confirmed that US Congressional representa tives involved had been in formed by Nora Slatkin, the navy's research and acquisition chief, of the decision to stick with the Rolls-Royce Turbo meca F405 (Adour 861) turbo- fan rather than start a com petition with AlliedSignal's F124, an unre-heated version of the engine developed to power Taiwan's Indigenous De fence Fighter. The USN's decision comes as a relief to R-R and Turbomeca, which are now expected to proceed with plans to set up a final assembly and support unit in the USA for the F405. The new operation will be at Turbomeca's Grand Prairie, Texas, site, which is also con veniently located for the T-45's initial operating base at Kingsville. The plan is to in crease the US content to an initial 30% of the engine by value and go up from there. The USN had been reviewing whether there was an economic justification for a T-45 engine competition. In 1992, the US Congress directed the navy to look into the desirability of an engine contest and $35 million was appropriated in fiscal years 1992 and 1993, to pay for the powerplant competition. Cost estimates from R-R Turbomeca and AlliedSignal were sent to MDA, to establish the expected life-cycle costs for each engine. MDA presented the results of its evaluation to the USN, but the company did not inform the engine makers of its recommendation. R-R acknowledges that the F-405 suffered from technical problems in early flight tests, but says that the F405-powered Goshawk performed well in the latest operational evaluations. About two dozen of a planned 268 T-45s have been delivered to the USN. R-R Turbomeca had delivered about 50 F405 turbofans by year-end. • Malaysia may use the CN-235 for maritime patrol duties the RMAF "as soon as possi ble", but he will not reveal the delivery schedule for the re maining aircraft. IPTN has assembled less than 20 CN-235s at its plant in Bandung since 1988, although it has supplied the outer wing, tail and aft fuselage sections for 48 Spanish-built models. The largest customer for the IPTN-assembled CN-235 is the Indonesian air force, which has also ordered 32 aircraft, includ ing the MPA version. Brunei has also ordered the MPA, while there have been around 30 commitments for the com mercial version from domestic airlines in Indonesia. The MD3-160 was designed by Max Datwyler, but the rights to build the aircraft were bought in June 1993 by SME Technologies. Local manufac turing and assembly of the all-composite aircraft will start in Malaysia later this year (Flight International, 15-21 De cember, 1993). • Piper purchase agreed Vero Holdings, a company formed by Philadelphia- based private investment firm Dimeling, Schreiber and Park, has signed an agreement to purchase Piper Aircraft's assets for more than $35 million. The asset-purchase agree ment has been approved by Piper's creditors and the air craft manufacturer plans to file a financial re-organisation plan with the bankruptcy court in mid-January. A confirmation hearing is expected 120 days after filing of the plan, at which other interested parties will be al lowed to bid for Piper. The bankruptcy-court judge's deci sion will be final, Piper says.D Canadian rejects routes offer Canadian Airlines parent PWA's board of directors has rejected a renewed Air Canada offer to purchase its international routes. Calagary-based PWA has concluded that the offer would lead to the collapse of Cana dian and the loss of up to 16,000 jobs. Both airlines are making sub stantial losses and Air Canada chairman Hollis Harris says that Canada's market is not big enough to support two interna tional carriers. He adds that independent studies show that Canadian could survive only as a North American carrier. Air Canada offered a package which included C$368 million ($276 million) in cash for the purchase of the overseas routes, spare parts, inventory and equipment associated with the foreign routes. It also of fered to assume C$800 million in debt and lease obligations for eight Boeing 747s used on' the overseas routes. Air Canada also proposed a deep discount on the services which PWA has agreed to buy from American Airlines parent AMR over the next 20 years. AMR's bid to inject C$246 million into Canadian requires PWA to buy services, including 6 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 5-11 January, 1994
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
