LCROSS Mission Supports NASA’s Lunar Precursor Robotic Program
February 28, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
REDONDO BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) successfully completed critical design review, giving Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) the green-light to complete building flight hardware for the mission. As prime contractor, Northrop Grumman is building and integrating LCROSS for NASA Ames Research Center.
LCROSS is a rapid response mission. The contract for the spacecraft was awarded to Northrop Grumman in 2006 and production of many subsystems started shortly after the initial go-ahead. The company expects to deliver the spacecraft for launch 26 months after the program start, in August 2008, or in less than half the time of a typical spacecraft development program.
“We’re moving out quickly on this rapid response program,” said Steve Hixson, vice president of Advanced Concepts for Northrop Grumman’s Space Technology sector. “We’ve streamlined our processes to meet a very tight production schedule. Working with existing technologies, we’re confident that we can build and deliver a spacecraft from scratch in just over two years on schedule and on budget.”
A secondary payload, LCROSS will accompany the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to the Moon, where it will search for water and water-bearing compounds at the lunar South Pole. Water is essential for supporting future human outposts on the moon and can be broken apart into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be used to make rocket fuel.
LCROSS consists of two main components, an expended Centaur upper stage and a Shepherding Spacecraft. On approach to the Moon, the Shepherding Spacecraft will position the upper stage for a precision impact, then separate and perform a braking maneuver in order to observe the upper stage’s impact into the Moon.
Weighing about 4,400 pounds, the impact of the Centaur upper stage will create a crater one-third the size of a football field and send a 200,000-metric-ton plume as high as 35 to 40 miles. Sensors will observe and monitor the debris plume, searching for water ice or vapor. Shortly after the Centaur impact, the Shepherding Spacecraft will also impact the Moon, creating a second smaller plume. The impact will present observation opportunities to orbiting assets, such as LRO and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Northrop Grumman will provide the spacecraft design, system engineering and ground equipment for overall integration, which includes adapting the spacecraft subsystems for launch. The company will also provide the avionics and software. NASA Ames Research Center is responsible for mission management, science, operations and payload/instrument development.
Bombardier Signs Adria Airways For Two CRJ900 Jets
February 28, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
Toronto, February 28, 2007
Seventh European airline to order the aircraft
Boeing Delivers First Production Cruise Missile Test Instrumentation Kit
February 28, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 28, 2007 — Boeing [NYSE: BA] has delivered the first of 60 production Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM) / Air-Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) Test Instrumentation Kits (CATIK) to the U.S. Air Force under a $38 million contract.
The Air Force uses the kits to monitor in-flight missile performance. The kits also allow for remote command-and-control and flight termination of ALCMs and CALCMs during operational testing, transmitting the information to the flight test control center.
“These CATIKs enable the Air Force to continue its flight test program to verify reliability and accuracy of the missiles through 2030,” said John Griffith, Boeing ALCM/CALCM program manager.
ALCM is a self-guided weapon that carries a nuclear warhead. CALCM, designed in the 1990s, carries a conventional warhead. CALCMs are produced by converting surplus nuclear-armed AGM-86B missiles into the AGM-86C missile. When launched, ALCM weapons fly to their targets using terrain correlation mapping, while CALCM weapons use GPS guidance. During flight tests, both weapons fly a preprogrammed course over the range for up to four hours.
Data Link Solutions to deliver Link 16 terminals for Finnish Air Force
February 28, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (February 28, 2007) - The Finnish Air Force has selected Data Link Solutions (DLS) to supply Link 16 Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) Low Volume Terminals (LVT) for its fleet of F-18 aircraft. The award was a directed-source Foreign Military Sales procurement through the U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) MIDS International Program Office.
The MIDS-LVT provides a secure, high-capacity, jam-resistant digital data and voice communications capability.
The $1 million award is the Finnish Air Force’s F-18 “lead the fleet” order for MIDS airborne terminals. To date, DLS has been selected to provide Link 16 capability for the F-18 fleets of Finland, Switzerland, Australia, Canada and Norway. The award augments the SPAWAR Lot 7 award of $40.2 million for MIDS terminals for use by U.S. and coalition forces.
MIDS provides real-time data communications, situational awareness and navigation, and in some cases digital voice, all in a jam-resistant, crypto-secured package. Today, various types of MIDS terminals are providing interoperable communications aboard U.S. and coalition tactical fighter aircraft, command and control aircraft, ships, and ground sites.
Work will be performed in Wayne, N.J., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Power8 prepares way for “New Airbus”
February 28, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
Following the unanimous approval by the EADS Board of Directors on Monday, Airbus today presented the details of its Power8 restructuring plan to the Airbus European Works Council and announced the creation of a new industrial and operating structure for the Company.
Power8 will enable Airbus to face the very substantial challenge of the US dollar weakness, increased competitive pressure, the financial burden related to the A380 delays as well as meet its other future investment needs. Power8 provides for strong cost-cutting measures, aims at transforming the Airbus business model and the development of a global network of partners. It will allow Airbus to devote its resources to core activities and eliminate inefficiencies within its current structure. The programme aims at the full industrial integration of Airbus by establishing a new industrial organization with transnational Centres of Excellence replacing the existing national structures. This transformation will happen progressively over several years and includes the further extension of Airbus’ global footprint.
As part of Power8, the Airbus management will implement strong cost reduction and cash generating efforts leading to EBIT contributions of € 2.1 billion from 2010 onwards and additional € 5 billion of cumulative cash flow from 2007 to 2010. A large part of the cost savings will be achieved through reducing the total Airbus overhead workforce (including temporary and on-site supplier workforce) by 10,000. The envisaged measures to reduce overhead costs, and specifically headcount, require a provision of € 680 million to be taken in the first quarter of 2007. Airbus has put in place a robust tracking system with tangible matrix regarding cost and cash impact up to their materialization in the financial statements.
Airbus has the full support of all EADS core shareholders for Power8. The EADS and Airbus management has reviewed the programme thoroughly and is convinced that the envisaged measures will deliver on its economic promises. “The core objective of the programme is to make Airbus more efficient and competitive, so as to produce the most advanced and profitable products, and to serve its customers better in the future”, the CEOs of EADS Tom Enders and Louis Gallois said.
“We have had an excellent sales and delivery performance in 2006. But our long-term future is at stake if we don’t act now,” Mr Gallois, who is also Airbus President and CEO, said. “We fully appreciate that this transformation must be undertaken jointly and in close consultation with our social partners”. Airbus will report a negative EBIT in 2006 and, following the A380 delays, faces significant cash needs and deteriorating profits in the future, together with large investments needed for current and future programmes, in particular the A350 XWB. More fundamentally, the Dollar weakness alone has led to a 20 percent loss of competitiveness in only six years versus Airbus’ competition. “We cannot continue to produce at our current Euro costs and sell at Boeing’s dollar prices,” he said.
“Without establishing Power8 quickly, profitability will drift significantly short of industry standards and of reasonable expectations. This is an unsustainable and unacceptable situation. Power8 is designed to reduce that gap,” said EADS and Airbus CFO Hans Peter Ring.
Power8 envisages the following measures:
Lighter and cost efficient management
The objective of a lighter and cost efficient management will be addressed by several Power8 programme modules and in particular by the Reduction of Airbus Overhead costs module.
Reduction of Airbus Overhead Costs: The Airbus management proposes a progressive headcount reduction of 10,000 overhead positions over four years – thereof in Airbus Deutschland around 3,700 in Airbus France around 3,200, in Airbus UK around 1,600, in Airbus CE around 1,100 and in Airbus España around 400.
5,000 of these positions are temporary or on-site subcontractors, where reductions will begin immediately. The other 5,000 overhead positions affected will be direct Airbus employees. Priority is given to achieve reductions through negotiated voluntary severance processes and schemes in each country concerned. The respective national processes, including negotiations in each country of voluntary severance schemes, will be launched immediately. Airbus’ total workforce consists of 57,000 direct employees plus 30,000 subcontractors.
At this stage, the Airbus management proposes no forced redundancies. Should these schemes not generate the expected level of reductions within the next 12 to 18 months, other measures will have to be considered to fully achieve the cost saving targets.
“We will manage the social impact of these measures properly and in close dialogue with our employee representatives,” Mr. Gallois stressed. “The burden will be spread in a fair and equitable manner across Airbus. The balance of the Airbus founding nations will be preserved.”
Airbus will launch a strong training initiative, to identify the skills required by the “New Airbus” and to deliver the relevant training programmes.
Other substantial cost cutting and strict budget control measures are already underway. They include a temporary hiring freeze, an executive salary freeze for 2007, as well as significant cuts in general expenses. As part of the overall cost cutting, Airbus and EADS will work together to implement the strategy of shared services and sourcing.
Further Power8 modules aimed at streamlining Airbus’ processes and supporting the transition to the “New Airbus” are:
Develop Faster: This module aims at the reduction of cycle time of new aircraft development from 7.5 to 6 years, while establishing robust development processes with risk-sharing partners to secure these cycle time reductions, as well as the required aircraft maturity at entry into service. It also aims at improving the productivity of the company’s engineering activities by 15 per cent.
Lean Manufacturing: It is meant to further integrate manufacturing and associated engineering, and ensure the deployment of consistent lean production principles across all plants. A productivity increase by 16 per cent is targeted by 2010.
Smart Buying: This module aims at the reduction of the Airbus supply cost base. It will also contribute to the reshaping and consolidation of our supply base, and the building of a network of strong Risk Sharing Partners to Tier 1 suppliers, while streamlining the logistics organization (from 80 to 8 logistic centres).
Maximise Cash: This module targets the reduction of financial working capital and the tight control of cash in all operations.
The Customer First Module will ensure the interests of customers to always come first. “Delivering and even improving on our commitments, serving our customers even better, with even higher levels of services, more reliability and reactivity, and further improved quality is our prime objective in all this”, explains Mr Gallois.
Focus on core business
In the future, Airbus will focus on “core business” activities that are critical for the integrity and safety of the aircraft, or vital for technological and commercial differentiation, for the operability and reliability of the aircraft and its maturity at entry into service. These activities include overall aircraft and cabin architecture, systems integration, as well as the design, assembly, installation, equipping, customization and testing of major and complex components or manufacturing of new technology parts.
“This shift is essential for Airbus’ future. Many industries face similar challenges, but we have to establish our own way with specific solutions. We must retain the competencies that are essential to design, develop, produce, deliver and support the best and most efficient products for our customers,” Mr. Gallois said. “If we move carefully, pragmatically and quickly, we will leverage our position as a leading global player in the civil airliner market.”
This “core” activity focus will be implemented in the “make or buy” strategy adopted for the A350 XWB. About 50 per cent of aerostructure work will be outsourced to risk-sharing partners (€ 1.8 billion non recurring costs and € 600 million associated CAPEX). This is proportionally about twice as much as in earlier programmes.
The workshare responsibility for the development of the A350 XWB will be split equitably among the founding nations with about 35 percent for Germany and France, 20 per cent for the UK and 10 per cent for Spain.
Long-term global partnership network
Airbus will restructure its industrial set up and establish in the coming years a long-term oriented network with strong partners. This will allow Airbus to share development costs as well as engineering resources.
“We will turn Airbus into an extended enterprise. The A350 XWB will draw on this new business model, as we assign large work packages to Tier 1 suppliers in return for a better distribution of future investment, risks and opportunities, with a consolidated supply base,” Mr. Gallois said.
Airbus is considering industrial partnerships at its plants in Filton, Meaulte and Nordenham, in order to facilitate their development from metallic to composite design and manufacturing technology. The company has already received unsolicited proposals by potential industrial partners ready to invest in these sites and to possibly take partially or fully the control of them in the framework of the extended enterprise concept.
Airbus is determined to pragmatically attain the optimum scope of industrial activities and to optimize resource allocation and enhance capital efficiency. “This is the right time to consider such a partnership approach,” Mr. Gallois said. “Our order book translates into more than five years of production, and customer demand continues to be very high for our aircraft. We are ramping up our production everywhere and have just launched the A350 XWB. We are ready to share attractive business opportunities with strong partners.”
The sites in Laupheim, St. Nazaire-Ville and Varel will continue to perform long-term substantial workloads on the current Airbus aircraft programmes, such as the A380, the A320, the A330/A340 families, and the A400M. Airbus is committed to seeking viable future opportunities for these sites, this includes options to sell sites to key suppliers, management buy out or combination with nearby sites. This will of course be done in close consultation with the social partners.
“We will prepare the future of each and every one of our sites in the overall interest of Airbus, to strengthen industrial partners and suppliers, and to ensure long-term local business and employment continuity,” said Mr. Gallois.
Streamline the final assembly lines
A number of measures are also being implemented to further increase the efficiency of the final assembly lines (FALs).
The A350 XWB will be assembled and receive its interior furnishing in Toulouse, in the same facilities as the current A330/A340, enabling a capacity enhancement of this FAL.
A third A320 Family FAL will be set up in Hamburg immediately to cope with the steep production ramp-up currently under way. This FAL will be established in already existing facilities and will have full type flexibility when demand for A320s exceeds rate 14 per month. The A320 will continue to be assembled in Toulouse up to rate 14. Hamburg will also perform final assembly of the future New Single Aisle family.
Furthermore, in order to allow parts to be fitted in the most logical place to optimize the overall cycle time, some upstream preparatory A320 and A380 cabin installation work will be transferred from Hamburg to Toulouse. Cabin installation will remain in Hamburg. A380 deliveries will still be made from both Hamburg and Toulouse.
Fully integrated and transnational organisation
Airbus will introduce a fully integrated and transnational organisation to support the implementation of Power8 and the establishment of the new business model.
This new organisation will enable cost savings and strengthen leadership through clearer accountability, faster decision-making and simpler interfaces.
“Integration means strengthening the accountability of those responsible. It is not an invitation for centralisation or doing everything in-house. On the contrary, we demand an empowerment of those in charge,” Mr. Gallois explained.
The new industrial organisation will force process streamlining through the establishment of four truly transnational “centres of excellence” led by the Head of Operations: Fuselage & Cabin, Wing & Pylon, Rear, and Aerostructure, the latter being in charge of fuselage subassembly and interior furnishing activities. This will replace the current organization of eight nationally structured centres of excellence.
Further organisational changes include completing the integration of support functions such as Finance and HR as well as reinforcing the authority of core functions such as Engineering, Procurement and Programmes.
The national entity leaders will assume a strong representative role, acting as Airbus ambassadors. They will be accountable for all aspects connected to national regulations (legal, social etc.) but will not have any operational responsibility. They will report to the Airbus CEO office and act on its behalf.
Sharing services with EADS corporate functions where clear benefits arise, will be another lever to improve the efficiency of the support processes, optimize resources and reduce overhead costs.
Concluding his comments, Louis Gallois said: “None of these changes will be easy, but they are essential to securing the future of Airbus as a world-leading aircraft manufacturer for the long-term, and a business of which all its stakeholders can be rightly proud.”
Airbus operates in a growth market of 22,000 new aircraft in the next 20 years. The order backlog represents about five years of future production, and the company continues to deliver record levels of aircraft.
Breakdown of Power8 EBIT contribution by module:
|
|
EBIT |
|
Develop Faster |
6% |
|
Smart Buying |
31% |
|
Lean Manufacturing |
16% |
|
Reduce Overhead |
32% |
|
Maximise Cash |
- |
|
Restructure Industrial Set up/Focus on Core |
12% |
|
Final Assembly Line |
3% |
|
Total |
100% |
Boeing Delivers C-40C Transport to U.S. Air Force Reserve Command
February 28, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
ST. LOUIS, Feb. 28, 2007 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today delivered the first of three C-40C transport aircraft to the U.S. Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) at Scott Air Force Base (AFB), Ill.
The 932nd and 375th Airlift Wings will use the aircraft, a derivative of the Next-Generation 737-700 Boeing Business Jet, to transport congressional delegations and senior government personnel on official business.
“To facilitate the assembly process, we leveraged the company’s commercial 737 investment and infrastructure at our Seattle-area facilities, which completed final assembly of the basic air vehicle in two weeks,” said Ron Marcotte, vice president and general manager of Boeing Global Mobility Systems. “We then spent nine months modifying the aircraft to meet our AFRC customer’s unique military and mission requirements, while retaining as much of the commercial aircraft as possible.”
The modifications include military avionics that augment the commercial flight deck; a rewired interior that accommodates satellite communications equipment for passenger use; an interior that comprises 40 business-class seats, two work areas with conference tables and accommodations for 11 crew members; and auxiliary fuel tanks that extend the aircraft’s range to approximately 4,400 nautical miles.
The airplane joins a family of 16 C-40s already in service with the U.S. government: three C-40Cs with the Air National Guard at Andrews AFB, Md.; four U.S. Air Force C-40Bs supporting the U.S. Combatant Commands at Andrews, Ramstein AFB, Germany and Hickam AFB, Hawaii; and the U.S. Navy Reserve’s nine C-40As stationed at Naval Air Stations North Island, Calif., Fort Worth, Texas, and Jacksonville, Fla.
LOCKHEED MARTIN AWARDED $ 979 MILLION FOR AEGIS BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE
February 27, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
MOORESTOWN, NJ, February 27, 2007 — The U.S. Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA) today awarded Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] $ 979,175,217 for continued development and evolution of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Weapon System.
Capability improvements planned in the next phase of Aegis BMD include equipment and computer program development and incorporation of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Signal Processor (Aegis BSP) into the AN/SPY-1 radar, which as a system provides an advanced discrimination capability to defeat more complex ballistic missile threats. The Aegis BSP, which will be installed on all Aegis BMD ships beginning in 2010, is an open architecture design, allowing for quick and affordable upgrades as signal processor technology evolves.
In addition, Lockheed Martin will develop an adjunct computing suite that will house several computing devices and software components that continue Aegis BMD’s migration to open architecture. This move for Aegis BMD is in parallel alignment with the U.S. Navy’s Aegis Open Architecture initiative to transform the (non-BMD) Aegis Weapon System to a fully open architecture system. BMD capability will be included in modernized, open architecture combat systems in Aegis cruisers and destroyers starting in 2012.
“Our rigorous system engineering approach continues to deliver to the Navy and Missile Defense Agency a multi-mission weapon system that meets all challenges and continues to deliver critical capability to the fleet,” said Orlando Carvalho, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin’s Surface-Sea Based Missile Defense line of business.
During at-sea tests, the Aegis BMD Weapon System has achieved eight successful missile intercepts in 10 attempts. In addition to its intercepts, Aegis BMD has successfully completed more than 15 successful ballistic missile defense system tracking tests since June 2004. Aegis BMD went to sea with its initial operating capability in October 2004 and the latest version, Aegis BMD 3.6, was certified for tactical deployment by the U.S. Navy and MDA in September 2006.
The MDA and the U.S. Navy are jointly developing Aegis BMD as part of the nation’s Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). Ultimately, 15 Aegis destroyers and three Aegis cruisers will be outfitted with the ability to engage short to intermediate range ballistic missile threats and support other BMDS engagements using the Aegis BMD Weapon System and the SM-3 missile. Currently, six Aegis-equipped warships have the ability to engage ballistic missiles, while another 10 Aegis warships are equipped with Aegis BMD Long Range Surveillance & Track capability.
The Aegis Weapon System is the world’s premier naval surface defense system and is the foundation for Aegis BMD, the primary component of the sea-based element of the United States’ BMDS. The Aegis BMD Weapon System seamlessly integrates the SPY-1 radar, the MK 41 Vertical Launching System, the SM-3 missile and the weapon system’s command and control system. The Aegis BMD Weapon System also integrates with the BMDS, receiving cues from and providing cueing information to other BMDS elements.
The Aegis Weapon System is currently deployed on 81 ships around the globe with more than 25 additional ships planned or under contract. In addition to the United States, Aegis is the maritime weapon system of choice for Japan, South Korea, Norway, Spain and Australia. Japan will begin installation of Aegis BMD in its Kongo-class Aegis destroyers in 2007, and is a partner in developing a larger, faster variant of the SM-3 missile.
The second Horizontal Tail Plane (HTP) for the A400M ready for structural testing
February 27, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
Madrid, 27 February 2007
Yesterday, the second horizontal tail plane (HTP) for the A400M departed from EADS CASA facilities in Tablada, Seville, to EADS CASA testing facilities in Getafe, Madrid.
This second HTP, produced by EADS CASA in Tablada, will undergo structural testing required for the aircraft’s certification. This is an important milestone in the production plan within the A400M programme.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2005, EADS generated revenues of € 34.2 billion and employed a workforce of about 113,000. The Group includes the aircraft manufacturer Airbus, the world’s largest helicopter supplier Eurocopter and EADS Astrium, the European leader in space programmes from Ariane to Galileo. EADS is the major partner in the Eurofighter consortium, develops the A400M military transport aircraft, and holds a stake in the joint venture MBDA, the international leader in missile systems.
EMBRAER SIGNS M1 TRAVEL FOR UP TO 10 EMBRAER 190 E-JETS
February 27, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
Most of these aircraft will be operated by Switzerland-based Flybaboo São José dos
DENMARK JOINS F-35 PROGRAM’S NEXT PHASE, COMPLETES JSF PARTNER PARTICIPATION
February 27, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
COPENHAGEN, Denmark, February 27, 2007 –
Denmark today became the ninth and final F-35 partner nation to join the production and support phase of the Joint Strike Fighter program.
In signing the F-35 Production, Sustainment and Follow-On Development Memorandum of Understanding, Denmark extends its cooperation in the program beyond the current System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase, and joins the family of partner nations that will cooperatively develop, produce, test, train and operate the F-35 Lightning II.
“Today’s milestone is not the end of a process but rather the beginning of constructing the world’s greatest airpower coalition,” said Brig. Gen. C.R. Davis, F-35 Lightning II program executive officer. “Denmark’s long history of active partnership with the U.S. and all F-35 partner nations reaches a new pinnacle today as the country signs this MOU. This is a really great moment for the entire F-35 Lightning II Team.”
Denmark’s work on the program includes advanced composites, communications software, control-surface components and weapons pylons.
“Lockheed Martin is proud to continue its longstanding alliance with Danish industry, which has repeatedly shown that it is fully competitive with the best in the world,” said Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general manager of F-35 Program Integration. “This is a day to celebrate the strong relationship between Denmark and the United States, and to recognize the Danish government, military and industry for their foresight and dedication.”
Denmark joined the JSF program in 1997, and in 2002 was the first European nation to enter the program’s SDD phase. Over the last four months, the United States and the other JSF partner nations – the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Australia and Norway – signed the F-35 production and sustainment memorandum.
The F-35 will be the world’s most formidable strike fighter. The Lightning II is a stealthy, supersonic, multi-role, 5TH Generation jet designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers. The first F-35 began its flight test program on Dec. 15, 2006, and has met with extraordinary success.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 Lightning II with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, along with a worldwide supplier network. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136, with either engine producing 40,000 pounds of thrust – more power than any fighter engine in history.
Boeing, TAM Conclude Order for Four 777-300ERs
February 26, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
SEATTLE, Feb. 26, 2007 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and TAM S.A., Brazil’s largest airline, today announced conclusion of a pending deal for four 777-300ER (Extended Range) jetliners.
TAM, which flies both domestic and international routes, first announced its intention to acquire the 777-300ERs in October. This successful conclusion of negotiations will make TAM the first Latin American carrier to operate the popular 777-300ER.
TAM received two of three MD-11 jets in February, which the airline will use on trans-Atlantic flights, prior to receiving the 777-300ERs. The recently concluded 777 contract with the airline also includes purchase rights for four additional 777-300ERs. The four new airplanes were previously listed as “unidentified” on Boeing’s Commercial Orders and Deliveries website.
“This contract is an important step for TAM’s future growth in the long-distance international market, allowing the airline more flexibility and larger capacity on these routes,” said TAM President Marco Antonio Bologna.
“TAM’s order reaffirms why the 777 family of airplanes is preferred throughout the industry, and has garnered 67 percent of the market since launch,” said John Wojick, vice president-Sales, Latin America and the Caribbean, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The fuel-efficient 777-300ER is the world’s largest long-range twin-engine jetliner and is capable of carrying approximately 370 passengers in TAM’s three-class configuration, flying up to 7,880 nautical miles (14,594 kilometers). The 777-300ER is powered by General Electric GE90-115B engines, the world’s most powerful commercial jet engines.
UPS pushes back delivery date for A380F
February 26, 2007 by Marcel van Leeuwen · Leave a Comment
United Parcel Service has pushed back the delivery date for 10 A380 superjumbo jet freighters from Airbus. The cargo carrier also has kept open the option of canceling the order. The planes were originally supposed to be delivered between 2009 and 2012, but the new date was not disclosed.
