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Aviation History
1997
1997 - 3144.PDF
HtADUNES EC calls for a common armaments policy JULIAN MOXON/PARIS THE EUROPEAN Commis sion (EC) is proposing to push the issue of a common armaments policy within Europe as part of a two-pronged strategy to accelerate restructuring in the region's defence industry- Industry commissioner Martin Bangemann, who has been making increasingly urgent calls for action from Europe's manufacturers, says that the EC must now act to "facil itate" the necessary restructuring. "The European defence-related industry is too fragmented to be UK helps R-R pay for new Trent derivatives THE UK GOVERNMENT is to provide Rolls-Royce with £200 million ($330 million) of funding over four years to enable the UK manufacturer to launch three variants of its Trent turbo fan. R-R says that the Government will receive a commercial return which is based on sales of the three engine derivatives. The company has committed itself to develop the 463kN (104,000lb)-dirust derivative of the Trent 800, the 8104, for the Boeing 777-200/300X; the 236-276kN Trent 500 for the Airbus A340- 500/600; and the 289kN Trent 600, which will have applications on the proposed growth versions of the Boeing 747-400, and the stretched 767-400ER. R-R was selected by Airbus as sole engine supplier in June when it announced the go-ahead for its ultra-long-range and stretched A34O-50O/600 models. Airbus has since signed up Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada and EVA Air as launch cus tomers. R-R's decision to launch the Trent 8104 comes as General Electric has decided not to develop a higher-thrust GE90 engine for 777 growth versions. R-R signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing in August covering the development to meet a 777-200X entry-in-ser vice date of September 2000. • See Headlines, P8. sustainable," he warns in a report released by the European Comm ission (EC) industry directorate on 12 November. Although the EC has stressed that it does not want to interfere directly in the restructuring of the industry, it believes that it can help to set up an "integrated European market" for defence products. It proposes a two-pronged strat egy which would see proposals drawn up for a "common position on a European armaments policy", while at the same time setting down an "action plan" designed to speed die restructuring. It says that ANDRZEJ JEZIORSKI/MUNICH MAX KINGSLEY-JONES/LONDON AIRBUS INDUSTRIE is set to secure more key launch orders ; from European airlines for its new F A340-500/600 following decisions : by Swissair and Lufthansa to select the new models to replace their 747 ; "Classics". Firm orders are expect- : ed to be signed with Airbus soon. ; Swissair has been evaluating the I Rolls-Royce Trent 500-powered ; A340-600 alongside Boeing's • ultra-long-range offerings, the proposed 777-200X/300X and longer-range 747 proposals, but : the airline is now focusing on I Airbus for the replacement. i The airline has five 747-300s • that it wants to replace, while its Belgian partner Sabena (in which f Swissair's parent SAir group has a i 49.5% holding) has two 747-300s that will need replacing. A firm • order for at least five A340-60()s is I expected, plus additional options. Swissair's requirement is mainly the "speed and scale" of change make it "imperative" for Europe to start taking action in 1998. The EC wants to step up efforts to create a European Armaments Agency and to establish "a strong, integrated European defence, tech nological and industrial base". It says that it will work towards simplifying the movement of defence products between EC states, draw up a list of products which could be exempt from cus toms tariffs, and work towards har- monisation of national and European research programmes "to avoid wasteful duplication". for the 378-seat A340-600, but sources close to the negotiations say that there could be a require ment for an ultra-long-range 313- seat A340-500 in the longer term. Lufthansa is expected to finalise its order for an unspecified number of stretched A340-600s early next month. The airline is already a major A340 customer, with 16 A340-200/300s in service, and orders and options on a further 15. Lufthansa declines to confirm whether an order is imminent, but sources say that the decision to buy the aircraft has already been made. However, approval is required from the airline's supervisory board before an order can be announced. The board is expected to clear the order formally at its meeting on 3 December. Sources say that the order will not only allow the airline's fleet of eight ageing Boeing 747-200s to be replaced, but it will also represent an expansion of Lufthansa's long- range fleet. Other unspecified air- It will also work with industry to set up a European system of stan dards for defence-equipment pur chases and will "...look closely at utilising the synergies between civil and military technologies". Many of the initiatives, such as plans to introduce a simplified licencing scheme, are timed to begin in 1998, with all of the actions completed by 2000. "The need to implement a European Union strategy to keep up with the major changes in defence-related industries is becoming more pressing every day," says Bangemann. • craft are also expected to be ordered alongside the A340s. When Airbus announced the commercial launch of the ultra- long-range A340-500 and stretched 600 at the Paris air show in June, the consortium said that it would make a full industrial launch when it had received a "significant" number of orders. Since then, the consortium has signed Air Canada, EVA Air and Virgin Atlantic, which between them have placed commitments for 43 aircraft. The consortium has also been working to launch the programme at the Dubai air show, which start ed on 16 November. Other launch customers could include Emirates, Egyptair and Singapore Airlines (SIA). Cathay Pacific, which had been expected to be among die launch customers, is thought to have told Airbus that it cannot finalise an order in time for the launch. J See A ir Transport, Pll. Lufthansa is set to boost its A340 fleet with an order for the stretched R-R Trent 500-powered A340-600 Swissair and Lufthansa pick new A340 models 4 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 19 - 25 November 1997
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