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Aviation History
2000
2000 - 1252.PDF
DLINCS Supersonic ideas sought by DARPA THE US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking industry ideas on a proposed programme to demonstrate technology for a quiet, long-range, supersonic reconnaissance aircraft. DARPA anticipates the Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) pro gramme would result in the flight testing of a demonstrator vehicle diat could also be die precursor of a supersonic business jet (SSBJ). A request for information (RFI) issued in late March is the result of Congressional action last year to add $15 million to DARPAs fiscal year 2 000 budget, to begin a super sonic aircraft noise mitigation pro gramme. Gulfstream and Lock heed Martin's Skunk Works hope to use the cash to support flight testing of a demonstrator by 2005. This would be die precursor of an SSBJ that would be able to fly supersonically over land. The RFI says die goal of the pro posed QSP "is to demonstrate a vehicle with substantially increased range and performance, low over all operational cost and capability for supersonic flight over land". High-speed, long-range, deep- penetration reconnaissance is the primary application, says DARPA. Technologies being considered include reduction of sonic boom by airframe shaping, plasmas and adaptive flow control; supersonic laminar flow control to reduce weight and increase range; high- bypass supersonic cruise engines to reduce noise and increase efficien cy; and advanced materials such as foamed metallic structures. J NEWS IN BRIEF • IRAN DELIVERY Iran is to take delivery this month of four of five Mil Mi- 171s ordered from the Ulan- Ude Aircraft Production Organisation in Siberia. The first was delivered in January last year. The Mi-171 is a civil derivative of the Mi-8 Hip. Reports suggest, however, that the helicopters will be operat ed by the Iranian armed forces. Lucas urges Europeans to combine on net trading EMMA KELLY/TOULOUSE THE UK-based aerospace arm of US conglomerate TRW is initiating talks with fellow European companies to form an Internet trading exchange to com bat what it sees as US-dominated aerospace web initiatives. "The e-business revolution is US-led. Europe must galvanise its activities, otherwise it will be left behind," Arabella Bijlana, business improvement director at the company told delegates at the e-Commerce for Aerospace con ference held in Toulouse, France, from 12-14 April. The two biggest aerospace Internet exchanges announced to date - the unnamed Boeing, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon initiative, and Honey well/United Technologies' my- Aircraft.com - are dominated by US companies. UK-based flight control, power, engine and cargo systems supplier TRW Aeronautical Systems- Lucas Aerospace has talked to firms which have already launched e-commerce aerospace industry ventures. Bijlana says: "Our bargaining power is fairly limited. These are companies wordi billions of dollars and we are just a $1.2 billion com pany." She says that European companies should combine and then join one of the larger e-com merce initiatives. "If we can bring some of the other players together it will give us power. The existing portals have a limited equity stake that's still vacant [for other companies] and diere are a lot of companies keen to bid for it. If we [European compa nies] get integrated and leverage our collective power, we will have considerably more muscle," says Bijlana. "We might decide that we have established enough critical mass to go it alone and not join one of the other e-commerce groupings," she adds. The European dotcom alliance is part of TRWs wider e-com merce strategy, which is aimed at workflow simplification, improved supplier management and in creased customer satisfaction. • Mesa considers CRJ900 to feed regional growth PAUL LEWIS/WASHINGTON DC MESA AIRLINES is looking at the yet-to-be-launched Bombardier Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) 900 as part of a wider pro posed order being discussed with the Canadian manufacturer. The carrier is also considering increas ing the size of its planned Embraer RJ-145 fleet and wants quicker deliveries of jets on order. The Phoenix-based carrier plans to bolster its regional jet fleet to accommodate growth in feeder services for mainline partners US Airways and America West. US Airways' pilots' union has agreed to relax scope clause restrictions, allowing die addition of 3 5 region al jets with up to 50 seats, almost doubling the size of its fleet. Jonathan Ornstein, Mesa chair man and president, says: "We are interested in larger aircraft. America West is one of die few car riers that has no scope clause restraints and we could put a larger aircraft on to the svstem." Mesa operates 32 CRJ200s, all of which will be used for its America '— 1 • • Mfl '. / mean alrllnea r-j [•> r r n a o |n| « i r i ^M / M t!v--.—"' .-.C-fZSC Bombardier may be serving up more CRJs to Mesa, including the 90-seater West Express operation once the ERJ-145s enter US Air Express service. Despite earlier strained relations with Bombardier, Mesa is considering increasing its CRJ fleet to 50 and is due to evaluate die new 70-seat version of die regional jet. "The CRJ900 is a more interest ing aircraft than die 700 in terms of economics; we're talking to Bombardier about it," says Orn stein. A decision could be made within die manufacturer's second quarter launch deadline, widi a pos sible requirement for 20-25 jets. Mesa has also asked Embraer to speed up delivery of the 36 ERJ- 145s from one to two a mondi next year and in 2002. The first Brazilian 50-seater will be deliv ered by die end of die mondi and die deal includes options on 64 jets. "I have indicated to Embraer diat I would like to increase the size of my firm order from 36 to 50 jets," says Ornstein. Mesa is allocated 28 of US Air's 38 permissible regional jets and hopes to expand that with the scope clause change. • CI IfiUT IMTCDM ATI/"\M Al 1 O 1 A A«»;i OA/IA
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