Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH
THE GERMAN Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) is negotiating a new contract with composite-aircraft manufacturer Burkhart Grob, which must be completed by mid-November to save the Strato 2C programme.
Grob says that outstanding funding of DM46.74 million ($31 million) is being withheld by the German Government pending completion of the new contract, which will include reduced performance requirements for the high-altitude research aircraft. While Grob remains optimistic, failure to complete negotiations by mid-November will threaten half the company's workforce with redundancy.
The revised contract will require the final mission aircraft to operate at altitudes of 75,400ft (23,000m), instead of the 79,000ft envisaged earlier in the programme. Grob says that this is because the aircraft is heavier than originally expected.
Grob had expected the federal research and technology ministry to release the remaining funds after the Strato 2C proof-of-concept aircraft achieved a 60,650ft altitude (a record for an aircraft in its class) during flight tests.
The parliamentary budget committee had specified that funds would be released if the aircraft could prove performance between 59,000ft and 65,500ft.
Grob has expressed dismay that the funds were nevertheless held back, saying that this threatened the programme and could lead to almost immediate job losses.
According to the ministry, however, the funds could only be released with the approval of the DLR, which was hoping that the aircraft would achieve 65,000ft altitude. Grob and DLR sources say, however, that they believe that an agreement can be reached before job cuts become necessary.
Source: Flight International
