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Aviation History
2004
2004-09 - 1888.PDF
HEADLINES DEFENCE CRAIG HOYLE / MUNICH & WARTON Eurofighter sets a date for Tranche 2 Partners put UK under pressure to meet commitment The four-nation Eurofighter con sortium has set a November target date to sign a contract for the Tranche 2 production of 236 air craft for Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, with Britain coming under renewed pressure to meet its com mitment to the programme. German defence minister Peter Struck has urged his UK counter part, Geoff Hoon, to complete talks with Eurofighter partner company BAE Systems no later than 15 October. Eurofighter officials say it will then take two to six weeks for the UK's three partner nations to review and approve its agreement ahead of a Tranche 2 signature. "We are closing on an agreement with the Ministry of Defence and there is no logical reason why we can't meet a November timeline," says BAE's Typhoon managing director Chris Boardman. Europe's collaborative fighter air craft project has faltered over recent months because of delayed negotiations to sign a Supplement 3 contract for Tranche 2 produc tion, originally planned for conclu sion late last year. Eyeing a costly gap in manufacturing activities caused by the contract delay, the Eurofighter partner companies are already slowing work rates. "By mid-year we had stretched the production as far as possible, but we now do have cracks in the DEFENCE Bid to seal Greek Typhoon buy Eurofighter says it will use this week's Defendory show in Athens to resume efforts to complete a 90-aircrafl deal with the Greek government. Eurofighter chief executive Aloysius Rauen says the company will use the event to "re- emphasise the campaign" following a freeze in major Greek military procurements forced by the country's hosting of the 2004 Olympic Games. Greece has a new government and a new requirement since it selected 60 Typhoons, plus 30 options, to meet its future fighter requirements, and Eurofighter is waiting to see the new administration's stance towards pursu ing a fighter aircraft acquisition, says Eurofighter export director Pierluigi Romagnoli. He says a window of opportunity exists to around 2015 to sell the Eurofighter Typhoon before the availability of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which he does not view as a competitor. In a new development, Romagnoli says Turkey is also "starting to talk about an emerging requirement for the Eurofighter". line," says Eurofighter project man agement director Brian Phillipson. Production of some single parts has already been completed for Tranche 1, and industry is working on major parts for the 141st of 148 aircraft. Some suppliers have already scaled back short-term working and halted overtime, and some major production machines could be turned to work on other aerospace projects for Airbus, Embraer or Saab, says Eurofighter. The company is also still awaiting payments from the partner nations for some work conducted as part of its Tranche 1 activities. Phillipson says industry is "carry ing a significant burden on the ear lier contracts", and warns it will not do the same during the more than €10 billion ($12.4 billion) Tranche 2 phase. However, he adds: "We have increased confi dence that we will see Supplement 3 and Tranche 1 change contracts in place by year-end." Securing the delayed Tranche 2 award is "fundamental to the export potential of the weapon system", says Eurofighter chief executive Aloysius Rauen. The Typhoon is on a shortlist of three aircraft to meet a Singapore air force requirement, and with a platform selection expected from early 2005, company officials say the Tranche 2 contract must be signed by year-end. Briefing Boeing adds supplier, Rolls seals partnership SELECTION Boeing has picked Cleveland, Ohio-based Parker Hannifin to supply the hydraulics subsystem for the Boeing 7E7. The system will operate at 345bar (5,000lb/in2), compared with the typical commercial aircraft pressure of 207bar. Meanwhile, Rolls-Royce has finalised a risk and revenue sharing partnership agreement with Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on the Trent 1000 engine it is developing for the 7E7. The Japanese heavy machinery giant will take a 7% stake in the Trent 1000 by supplying the combustor and low-pressure turbine blades. • Boeing is understood to have told 717 suppliers to prepare to double production of the twinjet next year to a rate of two aircraft a month, although the company has not officially confirmed the move. Air Canada leaves bankruptcy, places order RESTRUCTURING Air Canada has exited bankruptcy protection with C$1.9 billion ($1.5 billion) cash on hand, a cleaner balance sheet and a new corporate structure. The Star Alliance carrier says it has completed restructuring that resulted in a reduction of more than C$7 billion in net debt and capitalised operating lease obligations from C$12 billion to less than C$5 billion. With Air Canada's emergence, an aircraft lease restructuring agreement with GE Capital Aviation Services has been put into effect. The agreement includes restructuring existing aircraft leases and financing the acquisition of new regional jets. Last month the airline signed a puchase agreement with Bombardier covering a firm order for 15 50-seat CRJ200s, 15 75-seat CRJ705s and "conditional orders" for an additional 15 CRJ200s. The Canadian carrier also signed a purchase agreement for 45 Embraer 190 aircraft and options for a further 45. Cessna hands over first Sovereigns DELIVERY Cessna delivered the first two Citation Sovereigns on 29 September to undisclosed customers in Mexico City, Mexico and Green Bay, Wisconsin. The handover comes four months after the mid-size business jet received US certification. Cessna says the Sovereign has exceeded original performance and weight expectations. "The aircraft is certificated to carry an extra 200kg [446lb] of fuel and travel over 185km [1 OOnm] further at maximum cruise and altitude," says the Wichita-based airframer, which has more than 100 orders for the aircraft to date. SEE FEATURE P54 Johns Hopkins to shape J-UCAS system COLLABORATION Academics at the Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, will shape the common operating system (COS) for the Boeing X-45C and Northrop Grumman X-47B, the two vehicles that comprise the Joint Unmanned Combat Air Systems (J-UCAS) programme. The Maryland-based laboratory will collaborate with the two primes to establish the standards and architecture for the COS, sometimes brokering agreements with other vendors to complete the work and other times integrating the systems internally. The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded the $27 million contract on 28 September. NASA dress rehearsal for hypersonic X-43A TESTING NASA conducted a captive-carry "dress rehearsal" of the planned Mach 10 flight of its X-43A hypersonic research aircraft on 27 September. The third and final flight of the unmanned, scramjet-powered X-43A is tentatively scheduled for early November. The first flight failed when the booster disintegrated after release from NASA's Boeing B-52, but the second X-43A set a speed record of Mach 6.83 on its March flight. Honeywell to supply 747 wheels and brakes RETROFIT Honeywell has signed an agreement with German flag carrier Lufthansa to provide wheel and brake products for its 30 747-400s. Retrofit will begin next year after US supplemental type certification. www.fliqhtinternational.com FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 5-11 OCTOBER 2004 S
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