Farnborough 2008 Show News - July 15, 2008 - (Page 12) FA R N B O R O U G H 2 0 0 8 Stevens to Europe: Invest, Don’t Isolate, Avoid Protectionism Europe needs to spend more on defense and avoid building protectionist barriers, Lockheed Martin CEO Robert Stevens said on the eve of Farnborough 2008. Although Stevens praised recent European Commission and European Defense Agency efforts to open defense procurement processes within Europe, he signaled concern that as the European Parliament and Council consider the directive, some barriers may be included. “It will be important to keep the focus on openness and competitiveness.” And he adds, “I believe the notion that European markets should be ‘protected in order to be strengthened’ is fundamentally misguided. Protectionism has not now, and has never been, a substitute for competitive strength.” Robert Stevens. Several voices have been raised in the European Parliament for a European-preference clause. Those calls have gained some more force after the U.S. Government Accountability Office recommended a re-compete on the U.S. Air Force tanker program, won by a consortium bidding the Airbus A330—the losing bidder, Boeing, will now have another shot at the program. Stevens wants to decouple the tanker issue from broader transatlantic issues. “I don’t think the issue should be viewed as a trade issue, but as a competition issue.” Europe should instead worry about modernization outlays, the Lockheed CEO maintains: “My worry is that the cumulative effect of this differential, year after year, is creating a transatlantic capabilities gap that threatens to become unbridgeable.” One result could be less cooperation. “If there is not a common body of technological knowledge and practice among us, if there is a continuing disparity among the community of industrial partners so that one continues to advance and one does not, there can be no meaningful collaboration. “And if that were to occur, the prospect for a viable transatlantic defense industrial base would be lost.” —Robert Wall Typhoon Protecting Austrian Airspace . . . From July 1, the Eurofighter Typhoon has taken over the protection of Austrian airspace under the leadership of the Austrian military’s Joint Armed Forces Command at Graz, and the Air Surveillance Command at Wals. Austria became the first export customer for the Typhoon following its selection of the type in 2003. The Austrian Air Force will receive a total of 15 aircraft up to 2009, all of which will be stationed with the Air Surveillance squadron at Zeltweg. Fully armed Typhoons patrolled the skies over the Austrian host stadiums during the recent Euro 2008 football championships, securing the airspace and guaranteeing security at the venues. . . . and Boosting UK Economy Commenting on the news that the Royal Air Force has declared the Eurofighter Typhoon fully combat-ready, Ian Godden, CEO of the Society of British Aerospace Companies, said, "The Typhoon project is not just a real plus for our armed forces but it is also an industrial triumph for the country, including major exports. The project sustains 100,000 jobs in the UK and represents another example of our world-leading defense industry delivering for the British economy." A330 Engine Exceeds Expectations, Pratt Says Pratt & Whitney says its first PW4000-100 Advantage70 development engine has completed endurance and flight-testing, in preparation for certification this year. The engine is expected to offer additional thrust and fuel efficiency for the Airbus A330 family. The flight test program began in April, and P&W (Hall 4, Stand F14) says testing met or exceeded expectations. A330-200s and -300s will be first to fly the PW4000-100 in mid-2009, and it will be the launch engine for the A330-200F. Disaster Strikes UK, But It’s Only Simulated Selex Sistemi Integrati, a division of Finmeccanica (Pavilion OE1-OE2), is demonstrating its Gold Standard computer-based disaster simulation system at this year’s Farnborough Airshow, providing comprehensive training for public service sector responders faced with natural disasters, explosions, wild fires and disease epidemics. The UK Cabinet Office signed a $4.3 million, five-year contract with Selex in May 2007 to provide Gold Standard for its National Security and Resilience Program. Polar Satellite Ends Service After 12 Years NASA has decommissioned its Polar satellite after 12 years of collecting data on how Earth’s space environment is affected by radiation and particles from the Sun. The satellite, built by Lockheed Martin, was launched in 1996 as the second element in NASA’s Global Geospace Science (GGS) program. The original requirement was for Polar to operate for at least two years, in an orbit looping over the poles. The other satellite in the GGS program, called Wind, is still operating after being launched in 1994. CAE’s B777 Sim Achieves Level D CAE announced this week that its Boeing 777 Full-Flight Simulator (FFS), designed and built for Delta Air Lines, has become the world’s first ever simulator to achieve Level D certification, the highest qualification for flight simulators, under the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) new Part 60 rule. FAA implemented the new standardized and more stringent qualification requirements for initial and continuing use of training devices earlier this year. The new 7000 Series Boeing 777-200LR FFS was delivered to Delta’s training center in Atlanta, Georgia, in May 2008. According to Marc Parnet, CAE's group president, Simulation Products and Military Training & Services, CAE worked closely with Delta over several months to ensure the system's qualification under the Part 60 rule. CAE is at Chalet A27. 12 July 15, 2008 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.