News clips from Le Bourget

Embraer has signed a contract for the first Legacy Executive aircraft to a Latin America customer. This new corporate jet has now logged 33 firm orders and 31 options. The Legacy Executive launching customer in Latin America is a major integrated financial services provider with headquarters in S~o Paulo, Brazil. The twin-engine jet will be configured with very fine executive interior with seating capacity up to 13 passengers and flat floor. Embraer expects to deliver this aircraft in April 2002.

Lufthansa and Boeing announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding that will make the European air carrier the international launch customer for the Connexion By Boeing high-speed Internet service. The agreement calls for the broadband communication service to be installed on Lufthansa's intercontinental fleet. The initial installation will be a DLH 747 aircraft, which will be equipped with the service to conduct a three-month development programme prior to installation on the fleet. Financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed.

BAE SYSTEMS has been awarded a contract by Raytheon Electronic Systems to supply key elements of the US Navy's ATFLIR (Advanced Targeting Forward Looking Infra Red) system for use on Boeing F/A 18 aircraft. The ATFLIR system has been jointly developed by a Raytheon/BAB SYSTEMS, Avionics team, and provides the US Navy with a targeting capability for both the C/D and E/F variants of the F/A 18. BAE SYSTEMS will supply the pod structure, including the roll drive system and aircraft pod adaptor unit, as well as the Navigation FLIR and Laser Spot Tracker to Raytheon. This contract, for 33 systems including spares for the first LR[P (Low Rate Initial Production) and fleet deployment phase, is valued at $10.4 million. It represents a significant step towards US Navy approval of full scale production. Raytheon and BAB SYSTEMS hope to secure orders for in excess of 600 systems from the US Navy in the coming years.

Vibro-Meter, part of Meggitt PLC, has signed an agreement with Boeing Commercial Airplanes for the development of an Advanced Engine Vibration Monitoring (AEVM) system. The first phase involves units which may be retrofitted to in-service 737 -300 to -900 aircraft using the CFM 56 engine. The AEVM is another step forward in aircraft engine monitoring technology. Following the contract that Boeing awarded Vibro-Meter last November for Universal Engine Vibration Monitoring systems, the new AEVM includes additional functionality and performance, allowing more information on engine condition to be acquired, contributing to improved management of engine maintenance. Condition Monitoring of rotating machinery is an established technique for industrial applications, and is now beginning to be employed in the more regulated world of aviation. Vibro-Meter has led the introduction of Condition Monitoring for aircraft, including helicopters.

Northrop Grumman Corporation's Litton Life Support subsidiary and Marshall Aerospace of Cambridge, England announced the successful flight test of an On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) on a Belgian Air Force C-i 30 aircraft. The state-of-the-art Northrop Grumman OBOGS was integrated onboard the Belgian C-i 30 aircraft to replace the existing Liquid Oxygen System (LOX). The Litton Life Support OBOGS increases safety and survivability of the C-130 aircraft while providing aircrews with necessary breathing oxygen during diverse missions. In addition to enhancing aircraft safety, the OBOGS significantly reduces the oxygen system's total life-cycle cost. The Litton Life Support OBOGS will also be installed on Royal Netherlands Air Force C-130 fleet by Marshall Aerospace the later this year.

The Russian Space Agency Rosaviacosmos and Astrium have strengthen industrial cooperation in the area of the re-entry technology, called IRDT (Inflatable Re-entry and Descent Technology). Yury Koptev, President of Rosaviacosmos, and Armand Carlier, CEO of Astrium, signed an exclusive according Memorandum of Understanding/Protocol during the International Airshow in Le Bourget with the aim to intensify the cooperation between Astrium and the Russian Babakin Science and Research Centre (BSC) in this field.

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