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BAE SYSTEMS gets out of regional jet business

27 November 2001

Blaming the aftermath of the 11 September terror attacks on the World trade Centre and the Pentagon, BAE SYSTEMS has decided to pull out of the regional jet business altogether. The company is closing its Avro RJX programme immediately and closing the Avro RJ production line when the four aircraft in production are completed.

The decision will mean 1700 job losses and BAESYSTEMS will take a Ј250 million charge in 2001. The job losses announced today relate only to BAE SYSTEMS' wholly owned businesses and exclude any impacts of 11 September falling within the Airbus integrated company.

Announcing these decisions today John Weston, Chief Executive, BAE SYSTEMS, said, "...operating profit expectations for Airbus next year have been reduced significantly and the outlook for regional aircraft has deteriorated sharply. Regrettably it has been concluded that our regional jet business is no longer viable in this environment."

He said the decision drew "...a line under the company's exposure to regional aircraft manufacturing and secures the company's financial exposure in this market."

The Company also said that Airbus production in 2002 would be reduced to 300 aircraft, although the company expected Airbus to remain profitable at the revised level of output.

BAE SYSTEMS said that by comparison to the commercial aerospace business, the core defence businesses were performing well, citing the recent announcement of further work in the UK's aircraft carrier project and the award of the JSF contract to the Lockheed martin team, in which the company has a 15% stake.


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DSD

Китай собрался на Луну, а пока готовится к очередному испытательному запуску
26 ноября 2001 г.
Китай вот уже несколько лет собирается отправить человека в космос, но пока идут редкие испытательные полеты космического корабля Shenzhou. В последние годы неоднократно появлялись сообщения о скором запуске китайского космонавта (обычно это происходило к очередной годовщине образования КНР), но теперь названа не очень близкая дата - китаец полетит в космос "к 2005 году". Кроме того, на днях было объявлено о планах китайской пилотируемой экспедиции на Луну.

Вообще, Китай занимается космосом уже давно - свой первый спутник он отправил на орбиту в 1970 г. В ноябре 1999 г. и в январе этого года прошли запуски беспилотных кораблей Shenzhou. Причем на втором из них в космос летали обезьяна, собака, кролик и несколько улиток. Но с человеком китайцы пока не торопятся и говорят, что нужно провести еще несколько беспилотных полетов.

К настоящему времени Китай провел почти 50 запусков, из них 90% были успешными. На ближайшие 5 лет запланировано еще как минимум 30 запусков спутников. В общем, Китай собирается занять более заметное место на рынке коммерческих запусков спутников. Несколько "чужих" спутников уже выводились на орбиты китайскими ракетами, в частности американские и бразильские. В дальнейшем Китай собирается расширить свое сотрудничество в области космоса с Россией и Европейским космическим агентством (ЕКА). В частности, именно в сотрудничестве с ЕКА Китай собирается отправить к Луне несколько автоматических зондов.

Ну а в ближайших планах Китая - запуск очередного, третьего по счету, корабля Shenzhou. Китайцы ничего никогда не объявляют официально до запуска, но, по словам независимого китайского космического аналитика Чен Лана, судя по всему, запуск Shenzhou III состоится в декабре этого года. Он же заявил, что в случае успешного полета Shenzhou III, первый китайский космонавт отправится на орбиту не к 2005, а к 2003…

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GE90 engine establishes new thrust record during tests

22 November 2001

During its initial ground tests, a GE90 engine a new thrust record for a jet engine, reaching 120,316 pounds of thrust. The record-setting thrust level was established on November 19 during tests of a GE90-115B development engine at GE Aircraft Engines' outdoor test complex near Peebles, Ohio.

The engine reached 120,316 pounds of thrust and then ran at a steady state of 117,446 pounds of thrust. During the first phase of ground tests this autumn, the engine is targeted to complete 150 hours of testing to measure thrust, performance, cross-wind capability, and fan blade stress levels.

"We first put the engine to test on Friday, set a new thrust record on Sunday, and broke it again on Monday," said Chaker Chahrour, general manager, GE90 Project Department. "This achievement is a testimony to the effectiveness of GE Aircraft Engines' new engine development team and its methodology."

The GE90-115B, the world's most powerful turbofan engine, is the exclusive powerplant for Boeing's longer-range 777-300ER and -200LR twinjets.

In early 2002, the engine is scheduled to begin flight tests on GE's 747 flying testbed at Mojave in California. The GE90-115B is scheduled for FAR33 type certification (rated at 115,000 pounds of thrust) by the US Federal Aviation Administration and the European Community's Joint Airworthiness Authorities in 2002.

Certification, first delivery, and entry into service of the 777-300ER is set for 2003. Air France, Japan Airlines, All Nippon, EVA, International Lease Finance, and GE Capital Aviation Services have ordered a total of 49 firm 777 longer-range aircraft.

In total, 17 customers have ordered 204 firm and 52 option GE90-powered 777 aircraft, with a firm engine value of more than $6.7 billion.

The GE90-115B features swept fan blades, a high-efficiency high-pr…

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Elbit Systems HUDs for IAF's new F-16Is

22 November 2001

Elbit Systems' subsidiary, El-Op Electro-optics Industries (El-Op), will supply Lockheed Martin with Head-Up Displays (HUDs) for the Israeli Air Force's (IAF) F-16I aircraft. Lockheed Martin's order is expected to exceed $7 million for deliveries over a four-year period.

The supply of the HUDs for the IAF F-16I aircraft is in addition to Elbit Systems' overall participation in Lockheed Martin's F-16s programmes. As previously announced by the Company, Elbit Systems is expected to supply equipment to Lockheed Martin for F-16 aircraft of the IAF and other customers in the overall amount of approximately $140 million.

El-Op's Wide Field Of View (WFOV) HUD system for the IAF F-16I aircraft uses new technologies, and is based upon the company's previous experience in the design and production of more than 2000 Head-Up Displays for numerous types of aircraft.

Chief Executive Officer of Elbit Systems, Joseph Ackerman, said, " We believe that El-Op's HUD presence in the F-16I programme will allow further expansion of our F-16 business to include other customers of Lockheed Martin.''


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DSD

NASA recommends further tests for V-22

22 November 2001

By Henry Wilson, DSD's contributing reporter


An independent NASA assessment has concluded that the troubled V-22 programme should continue, despite the number of fatal crashes that has led to the project being halted for almost a year, and advocated more testing for the experimental craft. The V-22 Osprey has the capability to take-off and land like a helicopter but is also able to fly as a turboprop aircraft by rotating its wingtip-mounted engines. The US Marine Corps has been a strong supporter of the new aircraft as the next-generation of aircraft for delivering troops into the combat zone.

The US Navy commissioned NASA to explore the effect of tiltrotor aeromechanics phenomena that might adversely impact the safety or the performance of the V-22, with particular focus on vortex ring state and autorotation. At least one of the four crashes has been attributed to the effects of vortex ring state.

Despite concerns voiced as to the safety of the V-22 in the light of the fatal crashes, the panel found that there were no known aeromechanics phenomena that would stop the safe and orderly development and deployment of the aircraft. It advocated that the project should be resumed without delay and that many of the problems could be ironed out as the testing programme worked towards its conclusion. The Executive Summary stated: "With appropriate test build-up, procedures, and identified recovery techniques, it is believed that it will be safe to conduct the planned flight tests. Consequently, the Panel recommends that…

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