China’s first mission to Mars is on hold for 26 months following a last-minute decision by the Russian space agency Roscosmos to postpone launch of its Phobos-Grunt probe. Originally set for launch on a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in a planetary window opening Oct. 6, the mission was delayed until the 2011 Mars launch window, apparently because of problems with the return vehicle that was to bring back samples from the Martian moon Phobos, according to Ma Yongping, deputy director of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.
The CRJ is a family of twin-engine, 44-100-seat regional jets. The initial model was the 50-seat CRJ100, which is no longer in production. It first flew in May 1991, and deliveries began in October 1992. The CRJ100 was replaced by the 50-seat CRJ200, which is powered by a pair of 9,220-lb.-thrust GE CF34-3B1 turbofans. Other variants have included the 44-seat CRJ440, which is also powered by CF34-3B1s; the 64-78 seat CRJ700, powered by two 13,790-lb.-thrust CF34-8C5 turbofans; and the 86-90-seat CRJ900, powered by two 14,255-lb.-thrust CF34-8C5s.
The E-Jet family consists of twin-engine, 70-122-seat regional jet aircraft. The 70-80-passenger 170 made its first flight in February 2002, and deliveries began in March 2004. The 78-88-seat 175 flew for the first time in June 2003. The 170 and the 175 are powered by 14,200-lb.-thrust GE CF34-8E engines. The 94-114-seat 190 made its initial flight in March 2004, while the 106-122-passenger 195 first flew in December 2004. The 190 and 195 are powered by 20,000-lb.-thrust CF34-10E engines. Through 2008, 498 aircraft in the series were produced.
The MA60 turboprop is a stretched version of the Xi’an Y7-200A. It can accommodate 56-60 passengers, and is powered by two 2,750-shp. Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127J engines. The aircraft made its initial flight in 2000. Deliveries began in August 2000, to Sichuan Airlines. A freighter version, the MA60-500, is also marketed. Through 2008, approximately 36 MA60s were produced. An improved version of the MA60, dubbed the MA600, is being developed. A total of 115 MA60/MA600s are forecast to be produced in 2009-18.
The German air force is introducing into operational service in Afghanistan a new airborne reconnaissance system. Tornados deployed to Mazar-i-Sharif as part of the country’s support of NATO forces are cleared to start flying operationally with the RecceLite pod. Tornado crews have been training with RecceLite for several weeks. The wet-film reconnaissance system will continue to be used in parallel, the German air force says. It has bought two RecceLite pods along with the support equipment.
Pentagon leaders hope a painstakingly recrafted source-selection strategy for the U.S. Air Force’s KC-X replacement tanker will make clear to competitors and Congress alike, when the winner is named in mid-2010, why they won and so avoid the protests and politics that doomed the last competition.
Tital, a supplier of aluminum and titanium castings, has been qualified by Airbus France as a strategic supplier for the A400M turboprop military airlifter and single-aisle jet aircraft. The company previously supplied Airbus but now is allowed to perform a higher level of work as part of Airbus’s strategy to work with fewer suppliers that provide components at an elevated level of completion. Tital has been seeking higher status in the Airbus supply chain for the past three years.
The A330 twin-engine, wide-body commercial passenger transport was developed by Airbus to replace aircraft such as the A300, DC-10-10 and L-1011. An A330 prototype first flew in November 1992. Deliveries began in December 1993. Customers have a choice of turbofan engines in the 64,000-72,000-lb.-thrust class: the GE CF6-80E1, Pratt & Whitney PW4000 or Rolls-Royce Trent 700. Three A330 models are available. The A330-300 seats 335 passengers in two classes or 295 in three classes. The A330-200 seats 293 in two classe, or 253 in three.
I’m afraid Dale L. Jensen (AW&ST Aug. 24/31, p. 8) doesn’t know what to do with NASA either. The real key to not just “lesser” cost but low cost is not to develop “advanced performance rocket engines” to increase payload, but to develop a fully reusable launch vehicle with a relatively simple design (two-stage, vertical-takeoff-or-landing), with proven technologies throughout, and generous safety margins to ensure reliability.
An MQ-1 Predator flying a mission in Afghanistan lost contact with its ground control station and presumably crashed in a forward operating area May 13, according to a U.S. Air Combat Command accident investigation board report released Sept. 22. The Predator, assigned to the 15th Reconnaissance Sqdn. at Creech AFB, Nev., was not recovered, and no crash site has been located. The aircraft loss is valued at about $3.9 million. The aircraft lost its return link and attempts to re-establish it were unsuccessful.
Lockheed Martin says the A2100 PAN satellite it built for a classified U.S. government mission is performing “as required” following its Sept. 8 launch by a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 from Cape Canaveral.
The Brazilian government has given Boeing, Dassault and Saab until Oct. 2 to hand in revised offers in the F-X2 fighter competition. Moreover, the Brazilian legislature has signaled it will hold hearings into the botched source-selection process, which was thrown into turmoil on Sept. 7 when President Lula da Silva said the country would buy 36 Dassault Rafales, only for the defense ministry to say it was not finished with the source-selection process.
Ethiopian Airlines has expanded its powerplant contract with Delta TechOps to become an open-ended agreement to maintain, repair and overhaul the carrier’s Pratt & Whitney PW2040s. Delta TechOps started maintaining Ethiopian’s engines in 2005.
Preliminary results from Europe’s Planck cosmic background observer show data quality to be as good or better than expected. The mission, launched May 14, undertook a preliminary all-sky survey from its position at the second Lagrange Point on Aug. 13 following instrument checkout and adjustment. The initial two-week survey, covering nine 15-deg.-wide strips—one for each frequency—was intended to verify the stability of the instruments and the ability to calibrate them during the long periods needed to meet accuracy requirements. Routine operation began on Aug.
The TBM 850 is a single-engine, turboprop-powered business transport. It replaced the earlier TBM 700 in 2006. The TBM 850 is powered by a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-66D engine rated at 850 shp. It seats four passengers in a club layout, or six in a high-density configuration. The aircraft has a range of about 1,520 naut. mi. A total of 88 were built through 2007. Production of 418 TBM 850s is forecast for 2009-18. EADS Socata is aiming the TBM 850 to compete with very light jets.
European air taxi operator Blink has opened a second operating location and its first on the European continent by inaugurating service at its Geneva hub. Blink began flying last year from London. Peter Leiman, managing director, says “Geneva is the perfect location to begin developing our destination network” because of a lack of similar service and the city’s central European location. Leiman says the company has an edge in Geneva because a majority of charter aircraft seat 6-8 passengers, whereas the average number of passengers for typical trips is only two.
The C919 is planned as a twin-engine narrow-body jetliner seating 130-200 in four versions: standard, short-body, long-body and plateau, the latter for hot-and-high operations. The C919 will compete with the Airbus A320 family and Boeing 737. The standard version, the C919-200, will seat 156 in two classes. The project was launched in 2008. First flight is due in 2014, and certification and entry into service in 2016. None have been ordered. Comac is expected to choose 30,000-lb.-thrust engines from Pratt & Whitney or CFM International.
The government will transfer all of its shares in state-owned aircraft manufacturer MiG to the United Aircraft Corp. for a total of 1.05 rubles, some 35 U.S. cents. The “purchase” of MiG by the UAC is part of UAC’s additional share issue of 66 billion rubles ($2.18 billion) to be carried out during October. According to the share exchange rate approved by the UAC board of directors on Sept. 21, all of MiG will be exchanged for one share in UAC, says a UAC executive.The low valuation is because of the poor financial state of MiG.
It is rare that the absurdities of the U.S. funding priorities are shown to be as stark (AW&ST Aug. 3, pp. 27 and 28). On p. 27, you report in “Flexibiity Is Costly” that the U.S. Air Force is still struggling with how it will get by with only 187 F-22’s, and that there are tasks the F-35 will not be able to fulfill. Meanwhile, on the next page in “Minding the Gap,” we find NASA does not have money to support the International Space Station beyond 2016, and that the gap in human flight after the shuttle stops flying could easily top five years.
You tell us in “Tourist Plan” (AW&ST Sept. 7, p. 62) that the people of New Mexico have voted to tax themselves to fund Spaceport America. You further write that economists in New Mexico estimate that the facility will have a $300-million payroll and 2,300 employees by 2016. This would mean an average salary of $130,000. Is this realistic? Did no one do the math? Furthermore, what motivated the voters of New Mexico, which ranks 42nd in median household income, to decide it was necessary to subsidize millionaire space tourists with their tax dollars?
The C-212, once known as the Aviocar, made its first flight in March 1971. Initial deliveries occurred in May 1974. It is built in Spain by EADS CASA, and is also built under license in Indonesia by Indonesian Aerospace (IAe). Approximately 473 C-212s were built through 2007. The C-212 is an unpressurized, 21-28-passenger regional turboprop. The C-212-200 is powered by two Honeywell TPE331-10R-511C/512C engines rated 900 shp. each. The C-212-300 used two TPE331-10R-513C turboprops, also rated at 900 shp. each.
NASA’s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (Messenger) spacecraft will perform its third and final flyby of Mercury on Sept. 29, getting one last gravity assist to position itself to enter the planet’s orbit in 2011. The spacecraft will pass less than 142 mi. above the surface, taking more than 1,500 pictures and giving scientists their last close look at the planet’s equatorial regions. Determining the composition of Mercury’s surface is a major goal of the orbital phase of the mission, which will last one year.
Launched in July 2008, Bombardier’s CSeries family includes two basic models.The CS100 can carry 110 passengers, while the larger CS300 can seat 130. Each is available in standard and extended-range versions, while the 130-seater is also sold in an extra-thrust version. The CSeries will be powered by the new PW1000G geared turbofan engine from Pratt & Whitney. Service entry for the CS100 is planned for 2013. The 110-seater will compete with the Embraer 190 and 195 and Airbus A318, while the CS300 will compete with the Boeing 737 and A319.
A charged political decision over opting for a British or U.S. communications and electronic-intelligence aircraft appears to be still sitting on government ministers’ desks, weeks after contenders expected to hear which route the U.K. Defense Ministry intends to pursue.
Arie Herweijer (see photo) has become vice president-sales and business development for Metron Aviation , Dulles, Va. He was regional sales and marketing manager for HITT.
