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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 2755.PDF
HEADLINES BUSINESS & GA KATE SARSFIELD / ORLANDO Soaring NetJets in record order Fractional giant spends $12 billion to launch CJ3 and G150 NetJets has placed another record- breaking order, signing a deal for over 200 business jets at last week's National Business Aviation Associ ation (NBAA) show in Orlando, Florida. The deal was the largest of several announced at the show, and confirms the pivotal role of fractional ownership programmes, which are continuing to sustain the business aviation industry dur ing the economic slowdown. In its latest spending spree, Net Jets, the world's largest fractional ownership provider and business- jet operator, is paying nearly $2 bil lion on launch orders for Cessna Citation CJ3s and Gulfstream G150s, with orders and options for 100 of each. The deal also includes 12 Citation X super mid-size busi ness jets on top of the 60 aircraft al ready in service with NetJets, which operates nearly 500 aircraft. The announcement brings the Wood- bridge, New Jersey-based compa ny's orderbook to over 1,000. First deliveries of the mid-size G150 and light CJ3 will begin in the second quarter of 2005, and those of the Citation X in 2004. As a further boost to its order- book, Cessna is adding 25 each of the CJ3 and the Excel superlight business jets to its Cessna Citation- Shares fractional programme which it owns with TAG Aviation. Italy's Piaggio Aero sold six P. 180 Avantis to Skyline Aviation Services in a needed fillip for the Italian manufacturer, which has been struggling to gain a foothold in the US market with its unconventional business aircraft design. Since its 1998 relaunch, 23 P. 180s have been delivered worldwide. The order- book totals around 30 aircraft. Bombardier Flexjet, meanwhile, has become the first fractional pro gramme to operate an aircraft for a US government agency, following the sale of a one-eighth share in a Learjet 31A and a one-sixteenth share of a Learjet 60 to NASA. If the two-year evaluation is successful, says Flexjet, the US Congress is likely to approve government ownership of aircraft shares. Flight Options, the second lar gest fractional programme since its acquisition earlier this year of Ray theon Travel Air, has, meanwhile, launched a pre-owned Citation X programme in a move designed to bridge the gap between the mid size Hawker 800XP and the Chal lenger 601 programmes. The first of five aircraft is set to enter service on 1 November. SEE NBAA SHOW REPORT P27 BUSINESS Thales thrives as BAE sales dive Delays and cost overruns cut half-year sales and profits at the UK's largest aero space company, BAE Systems, as French rival Thales saw defence sales rise. BAE sales in the first half of this year fell 9% to £5.7 billion ($8.9 billion), forc ing the company £63 million into the red. Finance director George Rose blamed poor management at the company's shipyards. BAE also saw losses from its As- trium satellite joint venture with EADS, which it is selling to EADS by year-end, and took £30 million in one-off costs from avionics division reorganisation. BAE expects sales growth next year, but says this year they will be flat at £13.1 billion. Longer term, chief executive Mike Turner is pinning his hopes on BAE Systems North America's access to US defence spending. The division is set to "meet or better its 2002 targets", he says. More US take-overs are likely. Thales posted €88 million ($87 million) net first-half income. Consolidated sales rose 15% to €4.9 billion, a corrected rise of 9.5%.There was growth of 21 % in defence sales, while aerospace sales fell 7% on a like-for-like basis. Al though orders were down at €4.4 billion against €4.7 billion for the first half of 2001, Thales says 2002 orders "should be close" to last year's record €11 billion. Briefing German court deals blow to Airbus A380 LITIGATION Airbus has suffered a potentially major setback to its timetable for developing the A380, after a German court overturned government approvals for Airbus to build a new A380 manufacturing facility at its Firkenwerder, Hamburg, plant. The facility, which will produce the forward and rear fuselages of the superjumbo, is being constructed on a 140Ha (350 acres) site reclaimed from the adjacent Elbe wetlands, and has been the subject of local environmental opposition (Flight International, 30 April-5 May). Last week's court decision favours two local residents who claimed aircraft noise would damage their property rights. Airbus can continue with construction while it appeals. A decision is expected by year-end. Canada awards CRJ900 type approval CERTIFICATION The Bombardier CRJ900 has won type certification from Transport Canada. Approval by Europe's Joint Aviation Authorities and the US Federal Aviation Administration are expected soon. Certification follows a 13-month flight-test programme completed in June, during which two aircraft flew around 895h and 347 flights. Deliveries to launch customer Mesa Air Group, operating under the America West Express banner, are due in the first quarter of 2003. Assembly of the first production aircraft is under way at Bombardier's plant at Montreal. The aircraft's first flight is due next month. Floods prompt Czechs to dump Gripen deal FIGHTER ACQUISITION The Czech Republic decided last week not to buy 24 Saab/BAE System Gripen fighters because of the cost of cleaning up after the recent floods in the country. Instead of spending CKr60 billion ($1.96 billion) on the Gripens, the ministry of defence is to approach France, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the USA to buy or lease used aircraft, probably Lockheed Martin F-16s from Belgium or the USA, or an older type of Gripen from the Swedish army. The best option, says former Czech air force commander Ladislav Klima is to buy older F-16s. JDAM achieves moving-target capability MUNITIONS The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Northrop Grumman have for the first time demonstrated the ability to redirect continuously a GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) to hit a moving target as part of the Affordable Moving Target Engagement (AMSTE) programme. AMSTE uses remote offboard radar to feed real-time targeting data via a Joint STARS aircraft. The 900kg (2,000lb) weapon was released from a Lockheed Martin F-16 at 20,000ft (6,000m) and hit a target in traffic moving at 29km/h (18mph). Portugal seeks EC635 delay compensation DISPUTE Portugal has asked Eurocopter for g6.5 million ($6.4 million) to compensate for delay and cancellation of its g34 million order for nine EC635 helicopters (Flight International, 20-26 August), which should have been delivered between July 2001 and March 2002. Defence minister Paulo Portas says the sum includes g3 million for training, g1.4 million on infrastructure and g950,000 on exercises. The rest compensates for Eurocopter not providing military certification for the aircraft, and Portugal not being able to use it. Iran test launches ground-to-ground Phatch MISSILES Iran test launched its Phatch-110 A ground-ground missile this month. The missile is said to be a version of the Chinese DF-11, which is 9.75m (32ft) long, has a 3,800kg (8,360lb) launch weight and 280km (150nm) range. Sources say Iran upgraded the missile's motor and its inertial navigation system with GPS. Range has been increased to 400km. In May, Iran tested the Shihab-3 ballistic missile, under development with North Korea. The one-stage missile contour resembles the Scud but is 40% bigger. It has a 15t launch weight and carries a 700kg re-entry vehicle with a 500kg warhead capacity. The Shihab-3 has a 1,300km range. www.flightinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 17-23 SEPTEMBER 2002 7
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