News clips from Le Bourget

AgustaWestland said today they were in the final stages of negotiation with the Swedish defence procurement agency, FMV for the sale of 20 A109 Power helicopters for initial training of Swedish Armed Forces helicopter pilots. The aircraft would be delivered between 2003 and 2007.The contract is expected to be signed in the next few weeks.

Deutsch Structure Finance (DSF), a leasing company based in Frankfurt, Germany, has placed its first order for GE's CF34-8C engines to power 50 firm, 30 option Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft. The total value of the engine order is $320 million. Delivery of the firm aircraft is scheduled to begin in early 2003 and continue through mid-2009.

Bombardier Aerospace has announced a follow-on order for two high-speed, 72-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop airliners to Innsbruck-based Tyrolean Airways, subject to board approval. Tyrolean currently has five Bombardier Q400 aircraft in its fleet and a sixth scheduled for delivery in March 2002 from a previous order.

The CASA C-295 MPA demonstrator is being displayed by EADS CASA. The aircraft's MPA warfare systems is a development of the company's self-funded Fully Integrated Tactical System (FITS) which has already been selected for the modernisation of the Spanish Air Force P-3 Orion fleet.Installed in the CN-235-300, the FITS system is currently under consideration by all three contenders in the US Coast Guard's Deep Water programme. It has also been short-listed for the Turkish Navy and Turkish Coast Guard for installation in the CASA CN-235, as part of the so-called MELTEM program. Other potential users of the CASA C-295 ASW system include UAE Naval Forces for the UAE's Shaheen I programme.

The Goodrich - Messier joint venture has been selected by Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) to supply wheels and brakes for the airline's new A321, A330 and A340 fleets. The contracts, each of which allow for options on further business, amount to a firm order to supply 'wheels and brakes' on twelve A321 aircraft, four A330-200/-300 aircraft, seven A340-300 aircraft and options on the A340-500/-600 aircraft. According to Jan-Olof Johansson, Director Corporate Aerotechnical Purchasing, "As a founding member of the Star Alliance, we are accustomed to seeking out partners who are known to be industry leaders. The Goodrich - Messier joint venture offered us the best combination of reliability, innovation and service with an attractive offering of carbon brakes. We're looking forward to what we can accomplish together."

Harris Corporation has delivered its Falcon II tactical radios to the Macedonian Army under a $3.2 million contract that also includes technical training and support. Harris' Falcon II RF-5800H high frequency (HF), and RF-5800V very high frequency (VHF) manpack radios will provide the Macedonian Army with reliable tactical communications through enhanced, secure voice and data performance, networking, reduced size and weight, and extended battery life. "We needed a communications system that could facilitate interoperability between Macedonian peacekeepers and NATO," said Macedonian Undersecretary Radica Gareva. "Harris has a NATO-proven history of providing secure voice and data capabilities to defence forces, and this factor weighed greatly in our purchasing decision."

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