FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1040.PDF
HEADLINES DEFENCE CHRISTINA MACKENZIE / PARIS Dassault and EADS plan combat future Joint deal to be foundation for next generation of fighters Dassault Aviation and EADS have signed an agreement laying the foundations for the joint develop ment of Europe's future combat air craft, be it manned or unmanned, to succeed the Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale and Saab Gripen. According to the agreement Dassault - 46%-owned by EADS - will be prime contractor for combat air vehicles with or without pilots, the first of which is the proposed pan-European unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) demonstrator now named Neuron, while EADS will be prime contractor for strategic reconnaissance UAVs, notably the European medium-altitude long- endurance, or Euromale system. Greece and Sweden have already joined the Neuron project and Spain is now joining through EADS Casa, which will be responsible for developing the wing and part of the ground station. EADS Casa presi dent Francisco Fernandez Sainz says Spanish funding for the demonstra tor will be €20-25 million ($24-30 million). However, no memoran dum of understanding (MoU) has yet been signed by the French and Spanish governments. "The change of government in Madrid led to some inevitable delays," Fernandez says, "but the ministry of defence is interested in taking part in both the Neuron and Euromale and has set up a task force which will lead to the signature of an MoU." Charles Edelstenne, chief execu tive of Dassault, stresses the "truly structuring aspect of this agree ment for the future: it will enable our two companies to weave a net work of crossed and complemen tary co-operations, laying the basis for coherent development of our military aeronautical industry for the next 20 or 30 years". As more European governments and industries join the Neuron pro ject so the financial envelope will change. Edelstenne says the origi nal €300 million announced by French defence minister Michele Alliot-Marie is only "a basic figure which we are discussing". Edelstenne says first flight for the Neuron is set "more or less" for 2008. He says the philosophy behind it is to achieve a totally European product "much cheaper to buy than a manned combat air craft, notably because its vocation is to be used in situations too danger ous for a manned aircraft". Eurofighter partner nations Italy and the UK have not signed for Neuron, but Dassault has previ ously named Alenia as a potential participant and it is understood the latter's parent Finmeccanica is close to signing an agreement. SEE EUROSATORY P14 BUSINESS JUSTIN WASTNAGE / LONDON Alcatel completes space merger French communications group Alcatel has finalised the merger of its space unit with the satellite division of Italian state holding company Finmeccanica to cre ate the largest European space company. The memorandum of understanding to combine the businesses comes after six months of talks (Flight International, 9-16 December 2003). The new joint venture will be managed through two companies, Alcatel Alenia Space, which will be 67% owned by Alcatel, with Finmeccanica holding the remaining one- third share; and an as-yet unnamed satellite service company merging Telespazio and Alcatel Space's operations and services activities, which will be 67% owned by Finmeccanica and 33% by Alcatel. Alcatel Alenia Space will be based in France and divided into five divisions: telecommunications; optical observation and science; observation systems and radar; navigation; and infra structure and transport. With forecast sales in 2004 of €1.8 billion ($2.16 billion) this year, the combined entity will become Europe's largest space company. Briefing STOVL F-35 hit by propulsion hitch JOINT STRIKE FIGHTER Pratt & Whitney has halted tests on the Lockheed Martin F-35B short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) engine variant for at least one month after detecting an erosion problem. Unexpected wear and tear appeared on a second stage low-pressure turbine vane in the F135 STOVL powerplant after less than two months of performance checks on a test stand in West Palm Beach, Florida, P&W says. The Joint Strike Fighter engine entered testing in mid-April, and the anomaly was detected in early June. Testing may resume in July, but engineers are still searching for potential causes of the erosion in the low-pressure turbine section, which drives the STOVL variant's unique lift fan. P&W says the engine tests were running ahead of the original schedule, so a possible four-week delay now should not affect the overall development schedule. First flight for the F-35B is scheduled for mid-2007 under a revised schedule presented to the Defense Acquisition Board on 17 June Flight International, 8-15 June). Regions demonstrate airline boost NO-FRILLS CARRIERS A lobbying group for poorer European areas is attempting to block expected curbs on state aid to regional airports, arguing that the growth of no-frills carriers at Europe's secondary airports is vital to regions' economies. The Committee of the Regions has asked the European Commission to take "due account" of the positive role played by low-fares airlines as a "catalyst for economic development and job creation" in drafting new guidelines on state aid. The commission has been revising existing rules on state aid, after Charleroi Brussels South airport was judged to have breached anti-subsidy rules in its deals with Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair in February. EU-USA air services negotiations drag on OPEN SKIES Cracks have emerged in the European Union's US Open Skies negotiating team after transport ministers rejected the latest US offer late last week. Germany joined France and the Netherlands in calling for a mini-deal with the USA linked to guaranteed further talks on market access for European carriers in the USA. European Commission vice-president Loyola de Palacio says the latest US offer, which includes the quasi-charter indirect air carrier concept, "is not enough in terms of market access". The UK is leading opposition to any deal that does not include cabotage rights for European carriers in the USA, fearing US reluctance to negotiate further once open access to London Heathrow is granted. The EC, however, is coming under increasing pressure to sign an early deal in a bid to legalise pending European airline mergers. Ukraine to pay shoot-down compensation ACCIDENT Ukraine is to pay around Rb5.8 million ($200,000) compensation to every victim of its 2001 accidental missile shoot-down of a Sibir Airlines Tupolev Tu-154 over the Black Sea, with all on board killed. The state had agreed to pay that sum to each of the 40 Israelis killed, but under pressure from Russia's president Vladimir Putin has now agreed to pay the same sum to each of the 38 Russian casualties. The Grushin S-200 Angara (SA-5 Gammon) missile was fired at a target drone by the Ukrainian military during an exercise in Crimea, but it missed and locked on to the chartered Sibir Tu-154 instead, causing it to break up 6min after being struck. Revival of 728 runs into trouble FUNDING Fairchild Dornier Aerolndustries was late last week declining to comment on German media reports that it had filed for bankruptcy. The German arm of China's D'Long International Strategic Investment has been trying to revive the defunct Fairchild Dornier 728 regional jet since its Chinese parent bought the programme following Fairchild Dornier's 2002 insolvency. Press reports claim that D'Long is suffering serious financial difficulties and that the bankruptcy filing resulted from its refusal to grant additional credit to the German division. www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22-28 JUNE 2004 5
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
