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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 0034.PDF
ly, in international competitions. The French navy is scheduled to form its first Rafale squadron in 2001, which will work up with 12 fighters ahead of a first planned embarkation on the Charles de Gaulle nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in 2002. The first production Eurofighter is due to fly at BAE Systems' Warton factory in August, with the first aircraft due to be handed over to the UK Royal Air Force in June 2002. A key competition for the Rafale, Eurofighter, the Russian Sukhoi Su-27/30 and Boeing F-15 is South Korea's F-X programme. An initial order for 40 fighters is expected towards mid-2 001; the total requirement is 12 0 aircraft. Although the F-15 is seen as a firm favourite because of the big US military pres ence in South Korea, Dassault and Eurofighter will each hope to beat the other into third place. For Dassault, having not been downselected in Norway and having lost out in Greece, losing to Eurofighter for a third time would surely lead to re-evaluation of the fighter's export potential, especially given EADS' stake in both aircraft. Russia's moribund military aircraft manufac turers appear to be in for another year of misery. Unless President Vladimir Putin delivers on a promised increase in defence spending, it is unlikely that Russian manufacturers will receive many orders, although December's co-opera tion deal with EADS provides some hope for the future. A handful of contracts from China, India and elsewhere for Su-27/30s will keep some factories ticking over. RSK, however, has not won significant orders for the MiG-29 Fulcrum in recent years and the upgrade of early Russian air force MiG-29s to SMT standard appears to be providing little significant work. Also in Europe, the Airbus Military Com pany will be hoping to finalise a contract for its A400M military airlifter. If negotiations drag on for too long, there is a risk that the UK and pos sibly others will withdraw and seek other solu tions, such as the Boeing C-17 Globemaster and Lockheed Martin C-13 0J Hercules. An important change on the large aircraft front will be the USAF kicking off its 18- month-to-two-year analysis of alternatives for replacing its 550-odd Boeing KC-135 tankers. The potential size of any deal will mean that Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon (possi bly teamed with Airbus and/or EADS) will monitor developments closely. Attack helicopter competitions are set to be invigorated in Australia and Japan. The former's Air 87 competition, which stalled when Bell objected to not being shortlisted and success fully appealed to the Australian courts, was relaunched in mid-December, while Japan, having emerged from the worst of its economic slump, plans to relaunch its attack helicopter procurement around March. Expected competitors include Bell with the AH-1Z, Boeing with the AH-64D Apache Longbow, and Eurocopter with the Tiger. Each has teamed with a Japanese company, but the final size and shape of any deal will depend on whether the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force selects a "high-low mix" combining an attack helicopter with a version of the indige nous Mtsubishi OH-1, dubbed the AH-2. In Europe, EH Industries, Eurocopter and Sikorsky will be awaiting the outcome of the Nordic Standard Helicopter Programme, which combines the needs of Denmark, Finland and Sweden (with Norway now having only observer status) into a single deal for up to 100 aircraft. A decision is due in the first half. SPACE New launchers and the IS$ will boost the sector's spirits TIM FURNISS/SPACEFLIGHT CORRESPONDENT GRAHAM WARWICK/AMERICAS EDITOR AGAINST a background of the continuing on-orbit assembly of the International Space Station (ISS), 2001 will see the start of a new campaign to explore Mars and the introduction of at least five launch vehicles. For NASA, 2000 ended on a high note, with the successful erection of the ISS's Lockheed Martin-built solar arrays on perhaps the tricki est assembly mission so far. Seven of the nine Space Shuttle missions scheduled for 2001 are for continued assembly of the ISS. These will include delivery of the US laboratory module Destiny and the Canadian robotic manipulator system. The first three-man expedition crew, on board the ISS since October, will return to Earth in March and at least two more crews will be launched to the Space Station during the year. As NASA and its international partners establish a permanent presence in space, they will also ramp up efforts to attract commercial uses for their portions of the ISS. Nine Shuttle flights, including one to service the Hubble Space Telescope and a science mis sion, is an ambitious goal for NASA. Given 2000's record of delays, seven flights would seem a more realistic goal, but would involve slowing the ISS assembly sequence. The comingyear will see a flurry of activity in the launch services market, with a number of new or improved vehicles coming on line. Perhaps the most significant of these is Boeing's Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), which is scheduled for a maiden flight in late 2001. The two launcher families being developed under the US Air Force-supported EELV programme — the other is Lockheed Martin's Adas V, scheduled for a first launch in 2002 — will provide the main US competition in the commercial launch services market in the years to come. Other significant events planned for this year include the long-delayed first flight of India's indigenously developed Geostationary Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV), now scheduled for February. With a 2.5t payload to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), the GSLV is booked to fly two Indian Insats and the first Metsat this year. Japan, meanwhile, hopes to fly its improved H-2A expendable launch vehicle for the first time in July. Designed to carry 4-7t GTO payloads, the H-2A is intended to be more competitive on the international market than the cancelled H-2. •»;.!.Hm.]IMii»i|lilllil.l!l.^ll».lllH!IMIIIM!lM JANUARY 1 First XM Radio spacecraft on Sea Launch • Space Shuttle STS 98 Destiny ISS Laboratory Module • Delta II launch of GPS satellite • Ariane 5 launch !Ariane4 launch FEBRUARY • Possible manned Soyuz TM mission to prepare Mir space station for de-orbit • Titan IV B launch of US Air Force Milstar communications satellite 1 Second XM Radio Sea Launch • Delta II launch of GPS satellite 1 Ariane 5 launch MARCH M Ariane 4 launch • Space Shuttle STS 102 new crew to ISS, first crew returns 1 Atlas HAS launch of Loral satellite • PSLV launches Indian IRS satellite • Delta II launches GEOLITE 1 Pegasus carries HESSI craft 32 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2 - 8 January 2001
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