Browse > Home / Aeronautics News / Lufthansa Technik overhauls two “Space” Special Mission Aircraft in parallel

Lufthansa Technik overhauls two “Space” Special Mission Aircraft in parallel

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

October 23, 2014

thomas

Lufthansa Technik, leading provider of technical services for
commercial, VIP and Special Mission Aircraft, is currently working on
two unique “Space” aircraft in its VIP maintenance facilities in
Hamburg / Germany.

Since July, SOFIA, a modified Boeing 747SP that is operated jointly
by the USA’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and
the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) as a “Stratospheric Observatory for
Infrared Astronomy”, is undergoing a major overhaul at Lufthansa
Technik in Hamburg. The DLR and NASA have selected Lufthansa Technik
to perform a major overhaul of the aircraft on account of its claim
to have the widest and longest experience at maintaining this
aircraft type.

Since September, Lufthansa Technik is also converting a former Airbus
A310 of the German Air Force for Novespace, subsidiary of the French
National Space Center (CNES), from a VIP configuration into a
so-called Zero Gravity in-flight test and research platform for
parabolic flights. In parallel, Lufthansa Technik is also executing
heavy maintenance services on this aircraft, which utilization is
shared between DLR, CNES and the European Space agency (ESA).

“Beside our classic VIP completion and maintenance business for
private and head-of-state customers our technical services for
Special Mission Aircraft have become a very successful business over
the past years”, said Wieland Timm, Executive Director Sales VIP &
Special Mission Aircraft. “Due to our comprehensive experience with a
large variety of commercial aircraft, more and more customers trust
in us. The challenge is that despite these special aircraft are based
on commercial platforms none of them allows you just doing routine
procedures. Very often they are older platforms which you rarely find
in the commercial aviation, yet, equipped with the most modern
technical equipment for their specific purposes.”
The operation portfolio of Special Mission Aircraft lasts from troop
and cargo transport, tanker and medical evacuation to special
scientific operations like SOFIA or ZeroG.

Starting more than 50 years ago with the support of the VIP aircraft
of the German Air Force, Lufthansa Technik is currently providing
technical services for more than 20 Special Mission Aircraft from
several Air Forces and scientific organizations. The service
portfolio includes maintenance, repair and overhaul services for
aircraft, engines and components, maintenance management, logistic
and support of technical documentation.

» Próximo Post - Lufthansa Technik presents e-configuration tools for pre-customized cabin designs
« Post Aneterior - Lufthansa Technik’s nice® HD CMS / IFE system selected by Bombardier Business Aircraft on the Challenger 650*

Comments

¿Tiene algo que decir?

You must be logged in to post a comment.