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					Foreign missions in Baghdad have warned their citizens to prepare to flee even by dangerous land routes if Iraq closes its airspace. Six Iraqi helicopter pilots flew to Saudi Arabia on Monday and requested political asylum. Facing growing anti-Americanism in Pakistan, the U.S. ambassador there, Robert Oakley encouraged a packed meeting of Americans in Islamabad to leave voluntarily ahead of January 15. The move was part of a State Department plan to protect employees. Discreetly, Americans connected to U. S. embassies in a number of Islamic countries have either been recently withdrawn or given the option of departing voluntarily. A growing number of airlines have halted or reduced flights to Israel. An exodus of foreign nationals from Tel Aviv is under way as Saddam repeatedly warns that the first action against Iraq will draw ferocious retaliation against Jews. At airports across the Mideast, hordes of people have left while the number of incoming flights shrinks. Palestinian activists in Israeli-occupied lands have pledged to support Iraq, predicting escalation of their three-year uprising. P.L.O. chairman Yasser Arafat gave a speech Monday night saying Palestinians would fight with Iraq if it came to war. He hopes to create a last-minute deal averting war in the Persian Gulf while advancing his long-cherished dream for an international conference on the P.L.O.'s goals in the Mideast. Israel's defence minister approved distribution of 1 million gas masks to residents of rural areas. Israel's 3.5 million urbanites received gas masks late last year. Intelligence sources say suspected terrorists have been spotted staking out U.S. embassies and other American facilities around the globe. Tomorrow the U. S. Congress will begin debate to explicitly authorize war in the Gulf. A narrow win for the motion is expected by Saturday as new polls indicate almost seven out of every ten Americans support war with Iraq. Canada's first commitment of "offensive" force since WW II will be the assignment of additional CF-18s, personnel, and refueling, medical and support materials to the Gulf region. Micheal John O'Brien
	Volume 5, Number 2 January 9, 1991


	PRELUDE TO WAR? THE LAST WEEK BEGINS "The only real chance that we have for peace is if Saddam Hussein begins to understand that the deadline is real and that we are serious." - James A. Baker III An average of six or seven ships arrive daily in Saudi Arabian ports as part of the American sea lift to support and buttress some 430,000 U.S. military personnel in the Gulf region. Officials at the U. S. embassy in Baghdad are destroying the mission's files by feeding stacks of papers into two shredding machines. Baghdad ordered Iraq's 225 hospitals to keep only "critical cases" as of Monday. Iraq's MDs were told to prepare to treat war casualties. World stock markets slid, oil prices rose more than $3 per barrel and gold jumped more than $10 an ounce Monday as commodity traders decided war was likely and began buying crude and gold as secure investments. As a prelude to today's meeting with James Baker in Geneva, Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi foreign minister said Iraq will not leave Kuwait. He predicted a war would be worldwide, "bloody, long, terrible". Diplomacy was set to end today although the Iraqi Foreign Minister says he wants Baker to come to Baghdad after today's talks.





	FRANCE PLAYS GAMES OVER GULF CRISIS Of the Europeans' involvement in the Gulf, the big questions on the minds of many in North America and abroad are "Where does France stand?" and "Will France's business interests in Iraq stand in the way of unequivocal support for the forces allied against Saddam Hussein?". France, like the Soviet Union, has developed a strong trade foothold in Iraq. George Bush and Secretary of State James Baker have consoled France's Francois Mitterrand having irrefutably rejected a French plan for a "Mideast Peace Conference" and a negotiated settlement with Iraq that links Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait with the Palestinian question. Baker was in Paris Tuesday for talks with Mitterrand apparently resolving their differences. Mitterrand suggested to European Community foreign ministers last week that the U.N. Security Council meet again before the multinational force arrayed against Iraq commits itself to armed conflict. Germany and Italy have shown a measure of support for this diplomatic initiative. Baker rejected the proposal. In fact, the Bush administration has repeatedly opposed linking the occupation of Kuwait to the question of a Palestinian homeland. *Sources to The Wednesday Report* say that French lawmaker Michel Vauzelle met with Saddam Hussein for four-and-a-half hours in Baghdad on Saturday and saw Yasser Arafat in Tunisia on Sunday. Saddam apparently told the French politician he is prepared to make "sacrifices" in return for guarantees that Iraq will not be attacked and that its economic and regional-security problems will be addressed by the international community. Both men reportedly asked Vauzelle for help in winning reconsideration of the Jan. 15 deadline. Vauzelle, president of the National Assembly's foreign affairs committee, told a French television network on Monday night that France might send an envoy to Baghdad if the talks today between Baker and Iraqi Foreign Minister Tariq Aziz end in failure. He insisted that his trip to Baghdad was undertaken without the approval or consent of the French government. France's odd behaviour with respect to the Gulf crisis should come as no surprise. Apart from France being Iraq's mentor in the development of what is becoming an indigenous Iraqi nuclear capability, Iraq, in 1981, ordered from France's Dassault-Breguet some 147 Mirage F1E and 60 F1B aircraft and subsequently placed further orders for Mirages each year between 1983 and 1988. Dassault-Breguet has also sold 5 Super Etendard and 3 Mystère 20 fixed wing aircraft while Aerospatiale has sold 61 Gazelle, 14 Super Frelon, 52 Puma and 59 Alouette helicopters to Iraq during recent years. Iraq currently operates 116 Mirage aircraft in fighter and ground attack roles — the last of which was delivered in 1989 — and 11 as trainers. It also operates around 115 French-built helicopters. At the same time as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, negotiations were under way for the supply of fifty Mirage 2000s. Total shipments of French missiles to Iraq are reported as including 849 AM39 Exocets (between 1977 and 1987) and an undisclosed number of the ship-launched version of the same missile in 1986. Aerospatiale, which supplied Iraq with more than 3,000 air-launched missiles during the period 1979-1981 has also supplied 600 ARMAT antiradiation missiles which entered service in 1984. Matra has supplied its BLG laser-guided `smart' bomb. Other air weapons known to have been supplied over a period of years include 1,050 Roland and 75 Crotale antiaircraft missiles and the R550 Magic and R530 air-to-air missiles. French land equipment in service in Iraq includes 85 self-propelled 155mm howitzers supplied under a 1982 contract. Moreover, a well-informed source to The Wednesday Report claims that the French state-owned explosives manufacturer SNPE would have been the intermediary in the supply of high energy propellant for the Gerry Bull-designed Supergun. Phase II of the now infamous Gerry Bull (Space Research Corporation) Supergun project — Project Babylon — was for a large quantity of propellant valued at around $12 million. It was to be produced by the Belgian company PRB and sold to Iraq by SNPE. Partial delivery is said to have been required before October 1990 and PRB's Sales and Marketing Director Jean-Louis Jourdain was to visit the customer in November 1989 to open negotiations which were expected to lead to a signed contract some time in January 1990. That was not the full extent of SNPE's ongoing involvement with Iraq.** According to the same source, at the time that the U.K. company Astra announced its takeover of PRB, the Belgian company was in negotiations with SNPE regarding an ongoing demand from Iraq in the region of $65 million each year for ammunition components, pyrotechnics and propellants. SNPE's intention seems to have been that the two companies should collaborate to satisfy all or part of this requirement. Micheal John O'Brien - with files from John Reed in London

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		U.N. DEBATE TOPIC COULD IMPEDE IRAQ'S NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT If Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union could reach an agreement to ban nuclear tests and get it passed by 117 U.N. member-states, Iraq would have great difficulty pursuing its current nuclear weapons development projects thus eliminating one of the strongest elements moving the West toward war with Iraq. In a U.N. conference that ends January 18, more than 70 U.N. member-nations began debate on amending the 1963 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty early this week. In his opening remarks, Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar declared that "Continued violence and unresolved disputes in many parts of the world, and the Persian Gulf crisis in particular, have dampened much of the elation generated by the end of the Cold War. Once again the question of the existence and possible use of weapons of mass destruction has been brought to our attention in an ominous matter." Iraq has threatened Israel with its chemical weapon arsenal if it is attacked. Israel is widely believed to have one hundred or more nuclear weapons. Israel has warned Iraq of the worst. As is often the case, the Soviets set the agenda for the conferees' debate with an old utopian axiom delivered in a letter from Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. We are ready, he says, "to stop our nuclear tests at any time if the U. S. A. does likewise." But the United States and Britain have said they would veto any attempt to amend the treaty to ban underground testing. Under the 1963 treaty, all three of the original signatories — the United States, Britain and the Soviet Union — must agree to any amendment, as must a majority of the 117 nations that have signed the treaty. Meanwhile, Third World nations question why they are barred from developing nuclear weapons under the 1970 nuclear nonproliferation treaty, up for review in 1995, while the United States and Soviet Union continue refining their nuclear arsenals. It is widely believed among delegates that a total test ban including international monitoring and verification of compliance could help prevent nations on the threshold of developing nuclear weapons, including Iraq, from perfecting them. Opponents to a comprehensive test ban say, however, that testing is necessary to verify that weapons work, and to test their safety. U.K. DEFERS DECISION ON NUCLEAR BOMB REPLACEMENT The United Kingdom has postponed a decision on the replacement for its aging WE177 free-fall nuclear bombs. The government has recently confirmed that it has retained its requirement for an air-launched tactical nuclear weapon. Although replies to parliamentary questions have avoided any mention of a possible timescale, it has been generally believed that there has been considerable progress towards a choice between the competing solutions put forward by Martin Marietta, Boeing and Aerospatiale — the latter as a possible Anglo-French collaborative venture. The programme has now been put "on hold", say London sources. The decision to do so, they say, was taken as a result of an unacceptable combination of technical problems, political sensitivity and cost. The well-publicized problems with the Boeing contender and some differences in requirement between the U.K. and France might have added to its technical complexity, but sources believe that the situation in the Gulf has heightened political sensitivities and that the government does not wish to do anything which might strengthen the arguments of the `peace lobby'. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament is known to be about to launch a fresh attack on continued investment in nuclear weapons. However, cost considerations might have been the most powerful influence. Whitehall is wrestling with overspending on the current year's defence budget and last week the government announced that the additional costs associated with the Gulf deployment were already in the region of $1 billion. Newspaper reports putting the cost of the WE177 replacement programme at $6.5 billion are said to be wildly inaccurate, but there is nevertheless a fear that the programme could fall victim to Treasury pressures. The ministry does not customarily comment on its nuclear programmes, but sources say it believes that a "low profile" hold decision which will keep the programme away from critical scrutiny offers the best chance of keeping it intact.


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	"DON'T WORRY" SAYS SOVIET AS TANKS NEAR IRAN, SYRIA & IRAQ One of the Soviet Union's top military strategists says that "the West should have nothing to fear" from the U.S.S.R.'s redeployment of weapons from Europe to behind the Urals and that their movement is not a violation of the European arms reduction treaty. According to Colonel-General Nikolai Chervov, an aide to the chief of the General Staff of the Soviet Armed Forces, everyone, from U.S. Secretary Baker down was aware before signing the treaty reducing conventional weapons in Europe that the U.S.S.R. had moved some of its weapons eastward out of the control area. Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze had informed Baker of this fact in the autumn of 1990. "As of the end of November 1990," says Chervov, "the United States had shifted as many as 1,270 tanks from Europe to countries such as Saudi Arabia, the Asian part of Turkey, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, Pakistan, Oman and Bahrain. Another 1,000 or so tanks were being moved to the U.S. forces stationed in Saudi Arabia." In all, about 3,000 western alliance tanks are being shunted out of the European reduction area to areas not subject to control under the European or any other treaty. Furthermore, claims Chervov, NATO intends to move about 1,000 Leopard tanks and other weapons to the Turkish region of southeast Anatolia which is beyond the reduction area. Even Turkey he notes, is moving over 300 of its surplus tanks southeastward from the reduction zone to its borders with Iran, Syria and Iraq. Chervov calls this "a violation of the European arms control agreement, since it is happening after the treaty has come into force". When asked to provide figures for Soviet weapons, Chervov gave the following: "As of July 1, 1988, the U.S.S.R. had about 41,500 tanks deployed in its land forces in Europe. As of November 19, 1990, the day the treaty was signed, there were about 21,000 Soviet tanks left in Europe." As for the others, Chervov insists that "4,100 had been turned into scrap metal and used to make other vehicles; 16,400 more modern tanks had been deployed beyond the Urals in the eastern part of the U.S.S.R.", replacing some of the outdated tanks. Between now and 1995, says the Soviet General, "about 6,000 obsolete tanks will be removed from the eastern U.S.S.R. Some will be scrapped and others reequipped for civilian use." The reason for deployment beyond the Urals, says Chervov, is that in 1988-90 the U.S.S.R. unilaterally cut its forces in Europe by half a million men, 10,000 tanks and 8,500 artillery pieces and also withdrew troops from eastern Europe. The redeployed tanks "will be used as replacements for outmoded models in the Soviet east. The Soviet defence industry can slow down production". This should pose no problem whatsoever, says the Soviet military advisor. "No deception is possible," he insists. "There will be strict inspection of initial data, numbers before and after the ratification period, reduction procedures (sites for destruction and reequipment, sites of permanent storage) and final levels for the duration of the treaty. There will be inspections on virtually a daily basis in the eastern part of the U.S.S.R. Is there any way of hiding anything? "Before the treaty, there was no clear definition of `verifiable installation'. Naturally, the West would have liked to count — and did list — everything possible. Once the treaty had defined what was subject to verification, the number dropped. "First, facilities with personnel but no arms or materiel to be reduced under the terms of the treaty are not counted. "Second, we have unilaterally disbanded several large units including a guard tank division that the West seems to have `lost'. Several other units have been removed from the reduction area. "Third, military schools with thirty or fewer weapons or materiel to be reduced under the terms of the treaty, or with less than 12 pieces of any one type subject to reduction are excluded. "Finally, several facilities with weapons of the kind not subject to reduction under the treaty are not going to be counted either." But they are going to be supervised so no cheating is possible, says Chervov. Getting in a final dig at the West, the Soviet General suggests that "NATO wants to increase the number of our facilities by hook or by crook so it can therefore up the quota of inspections we will have to undergo."



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		MARITIME COMMAND JUGGLES FOR PERSIAN GULF CREW ROTATION The first replacement crew for the Canadian task group in the Persian Gulf arrived in the United Arab Emirates last week, less than two weeks before the United Nations deadline for an intransigent Iraq to pull out of Kuwait. But the crew of HMCS Preserver, who take over from the crew of HMCS Protecteur, the task group's supply ship, will not be placed in harm's way, at least for the next little while. Preserver Commander Captain (N) Dennis Cronk says his crew will take as much time as necessary getting broken in on their new ship. That means holding training exercises outside the designated war zone. The 350-man crew has spent the last six months on shore duty while their own ship has undergone a major refit at the drydock of Halifax-Dartmouth Industries Ltd. At a farewell parade on December 31, 1990, Rear-Admiral Robert George, Commander, Maritime Command refused to say what role the Canadian navy would play should the current crisis develop into a shooting war by the January 15 deadline. The Admiral would only say that Canadian ships will not play a front line role, hinting that in all likelihood the forces will continue their interdiction duties. Over the last three months Canadian destroyers have racked up 20 percent of the multinational naval forces' interdiction of ships bound for Kuwait. (See The Wednesday Report, January 2, page 1, "Gulf Crisis Complicates TRUMP".) George says that there were 6,000 stop and searches of ships during that period. In the meantime, the crew of the west coast-based HMCS Huron arrived in Halifax to begin training for possible transfer to the Gulf. The crew will receive training on the Phalanx close-in weapon system, the Bofors 40mm gun and .50 calibre machine guns. HMCS Huron itself is expected to arrive in Halifax January 26. Its placement in the Tribal-class Update and Modernization Programme (TRUMP) has been bumped up. Huron is now scheduled to go to the MIL-Davie yard in Quebec for its TRUMP refit when the ice clears in the St. Lawrence some time this spring. Huron's crew is scheduled to take over duty of HMCS Athabaskan in February. As well, a crew from HMCS Restigouche will take over from those currently serving on Terra Nova this March. NEWFOUNDLAND COMPANY SCORES PREMIER DEFENCE DEAL A small Newfoundland company which only became involved in the defence business less than a year ago has landed a major defence subcontract from General Electric Aerospace of Syracuse, New York. Steelcor Industries Inc. of Buchans, Newfoundland — 300 kilometers west of St. John's — has won a $1.2 million contract to build components for GE's AN/FPS-117 radar for use in the North Warning System (NWS). Steelcor President Sean Power says that the contract — which covers building heat sinks, bandpass filters and radar pedestals — will create twelve jobs immediately with the prospect of forty full-time jobs in the future. Under the $1.3 billion NWS Pact signed between Ottawa and Washington in March 1985, the two countries will build 52 long and short-range radars to be strung along Canada's Arctic coastline. The NWS replaces the 1950s-era Distant Early Warning (DEW) line which previously was North America's only line of detection against a possible attack by Soviet bombers and cruise missiles. The NWS — of which the U.S. pays 60 percent and Canada 40 percent — will have 13 `minimally manned' installations using the GE radar. "Minimally manned" means 8-10 people per site, whereas the old DEW line sites were crewed by 20-25 people. For the newly-arrived Steelcor the last year has meant coming up to the standards of the `big boys' in the defence industry. With a $1 million loan from the Newfoundland and Labrador Development Corporation and backing from St. John's developer Calvin Powell, the company invested in Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) lathes. As well, the main plant, housed in a former mining operations workshop has managed to meet or exceed NATO AQAP and U.S. MIL54028 quality standards required of defence contractors. Power admits that he raised a few eyebrows at GE last year when he entered competition for the subcontract. One company official, he recalls, asked: "How do you expect to compete way up there in the woods?" But Power notes that aside from a ready labour pool and facilities his firm benefits from relatively cheap transportation costs. With nearly no manufacturing base of its own, Newfoundland must import most of its goods. Trucks and ships leave the province daily with empty loads, creating an incentive to ship products out at reduced rates.


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	SIX ONTARIO COMPANIES BOOSTED BY FEDERAL CONTRACTS Oracle Corporation Canada Inc. of Ottawa received a two-year standing offer worth up to $35 million to provide federal departments and agencies with software licenses and support services for mini and mainframe computers. CAL Corporation of Ottawa (formerly Canadian Astronautics Ltd.) won a $7,403,063 contract to develop and test a radar spacecraft power system for DND. The work will maintain 37 person-years of employment until October 31, 1993. Hawker-Siddeley Canada Inc. of Mississauga received a $6,807,562 contract amendment to supply DND with spare parts for aircraft engines. As a result of this contract, 123 direct and 105 indirect jobs will be maintained until December 31. Raytheon Canada Ltd. of Waterloo received a contract valued at $3,274,735 to supply spare parts for Transport Canada's radar installations under the Radar Modernization Project. Delivery is expected by the end of April. General Motors of Canada Ltd. in Oshawa will provide DND with vans under a $463,259 contract. Delivery of the vehicles is expected by April 17. Eyretechnics Ltd. of Ottawa received a $300,000 standing offer to provide DND with technical investigation and engineering support services for various arms and related equipment. Work under the contract will maintain six jobs until August 31, 1992. BAE GROWS 146 AS RAF QUEEN'S FLIGHT GETS 3rd "STATESMAN" British Aerospace has announced a new addition to its 146 family of jetliners to be called the 146-NRA. Studies on the new aircraft are based upon a 14-foot stretched version of the 146-300 fuselage accommodating 125 passengers in a 5-abreast, single class layout. Various combinations of mixed class seating as well as 6-abreast configurations will also be available, all using the existing 146 cabin design. The aircraft will feature a new and larger wing permitting cruise speeds of up to Mach 0.82 and a range of more than 2,500 statute miles. The 146-NRA Project will retain the high wing configuration used on existing 146 models, enabling airlines to choose either the GE/SNECMA CFM 56 or the IAE V2500 high bypass ratio turbofan engines and offering the long term opportunity for the installation of larger diameter, ultra-high bypass ratio powerplants when they become available. The 146-NRA will be produced in parallel with BAe's RJ70, 146-100, 146-200 and 146-300 models. British Aerospace is in discussion with a number of potential international collaborative partners with the intention of achieving full 146-NRA entry into service during 1996/1997. Meanwhile, the Queen's Flight of the Royal Air Force has officially received its third BAe 146-100 `Statesman'. The two 146s in VIP service with the Queen's Flight since 1986 have flown a total of 5,300 hours and over two million miles including trips to Australia, Mongolia and Russia. BAe 146 `Statesman' aircraft are also in use as VIP transports in the Middle and Far East and in Africa. SEVEN MORE HAWKS FOR FINNISH AIR FORCE The Finnish Air Force (FAF) will receive seven additional Hawk two-seat trainers under contracts awarded to British Aerospace and Rolls-Royce. The FAF Hawks are used for the training of fast-jet pilots who will be posted to front line, fighter aircraft squadrons. Finland was the first export customer to select the Hawk when it placed an order for fifty Mk 51 two-seat advanced flying trainers in 1977. Including this contract, orders and requirements for the Hawk now stand at around 750 aircraft. BAE JETSTREAM SUPER 31 TOPS 1990 DELIVERY LIST The British Aerospace Jetstream Super 31 had the largest share of 12-19 seat aircraft deliveries in North America and worldwide last year. Based on figures for the period January 1 to December 15, 1990, 55 aircraft were delivered worldwide, 53 of which were received by four airlines in the United States. Over 420 commitments have been made for Jetstream 31s and Super 31s worldwide.



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		QUEBEC COMPANIES WIN DND CONTRACTS TOTALING $12.5 MILLION Bendix Avelex Inc. of Montreal received two contracts totaling $5.8 million to calibrate, adjust and repair electronic equipment for DND. The contract also calls for the provision of spare parts and will maintain 24 person-years of employment until December 31, 1993. Bombardier Inc. of Mirabel won a contract worth $4,770,045 to provide DND with CF-18 aircraft spare parts. Twelve person-years of employment will be maintained until March 31, 1992 under the contract. Textron Canada Ltd. of Saint-Janvier received a $1,005,153 contract to supply DND with spare parts for the CH-135 Twin Huey helicopter. Delivery to Canadian Forces supply depots in Edmonton, Montreal and Moncton is expected by December 31, 1992. A. Crosbie Inc. of Chateauguay won a $454,940 contract to manufacture tent supports for DND. Work under the contract will create three jobs and maintain another six until June. Le Groupe Produits Chimiques, Harcros Canada Inc. of Saint-Leonard will supply DND with hydraulic fluid under a $258,882 contract. The product is to be shipped to Canadian Forces bases across Canada by March 31. Peinture Internationale (Canada) Ltee of Baie d'Urfe received a contract valued at $233,400 to supply DND with marine paints and primers. The contract will maintain up to six jobs. BOEING ANNOUNCES NEW SUPPLIERS FOR 777 JETLINER Boeing Commercial Airplane Group recently announced agreements with three aerospace suppliers for the production of components and systems for the new Boeing 777 twin jet. The initial orders with these firms have a combined estimated value of $130 million (U.S.). The suppliers are Garrett Auxiliary Power Division and AiResearch Group of Allied-Signal Aerospace Company and Hamilton Standard Division of United Technologies. Garrett Auxiliary Power Division will design and build the 777's auxiliary power unit — which provides power for electrical and air conditioning needs during ground operations — at Garrett's plant in Phoenix, Arizona. AiResearch Group will produce the 777's cabin pressure and air supply control systems at the company's plants in Torrance, California, Tucson and Tempe, Arizona and Toronto. Hamilton Standard Division will be responsible for the cabin air conditioning and temperature control system as well as the ice protection system for the wing and engine cowling. Production will take place at Hamilton Standard's facilities in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Boeing earlier announced contracts with Honeywell Inc. for flight deck avionics and Sundstrand Corporation for the primary electrical power generating system. All of these suppliers are working with Boeing 777 design/build teams in Seattle. The design/build concept brings together representatives from engineering, manufacturing, customer support and other disciplines to help assure that designs are cost-effective, fully integrated and meet customer needs before they are released for production. 737 SETS SINGLE-YEAR DELIVERY RECORD IN 1990 The 737 has set a Boeing single-year delivery record with the December delivery of a 737-500 to the German operator Hapag-Lloyd. This brings the total number of 737-300, 737-400 and 737-500 airplanes delivered in 1990 to 166, beating the 1988 record of 165. Boeing has also announced orders for 1,734 of the new generation 737 family which comprises the 737-300, 737-400 and 737-500, a total unsurpassed by any other twin jet series. Together with 1,144 of the earlier 737-200s and -100s, the total of all 737s ordered comes to 2,878. No other jetliner of any type has matched this sales record. The 737 is one of the most versatile airplanes built and in 22 years of operation, the world fleet of 737s has carried an estimated 2.8 billion passengers. 100TH 747-400 WENT TO CANADIAN AIRLINES Boeing Commercial Airplane Group of Seattle, Washington delivered the 100th 747-400 late in December, 1990 to Canadian Airlines in Vancouver, B.C. The aircraft will initially operate between Canadian cities and Hawaii, and later to Pacific Rim destinations. The 747-400 — flown by a crew of two — can carry as many as 400 passengers in a three-class arrangement more than 8,000 miles.


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	BOEING's SECOND 777 CUSTOMER SEEKS 25 AIRCRAFT All Nippon Airways, Japan's largest carrier has become the second customer for the newest Boeing jetliner with its order for 15 Boeing 777s and options for 10 more. The firm orders are valued at approximately $2.6 billion (U.S.) in delivery-year dollars including spares and support. The airline has not yet chosen the engine type for its 777s, but has said that the new aircraft will be used to meet its growing demand on both domestic and regional routes. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 1996. This order brings the total number of 777s ordered to date to 49. BAE/MCDONNELL DOUGLAS GET NAVY CONTRACT FOR NEW HARRIER McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace will jointly develop the radar-equipped Harrier II PLUS under a $181.5 million (U.S.) contract awarded by the U.S. Navy to prime contractor McDonnell Douglas. The contract includes the integration, development and flight testing of the APG-65 radar in the U.S. Marine Corps Harrier II AV-8B and authorizes the manufacture of 24 previously ordered Harrier II AV-8Bs to Harrier II PLUS standard. The U.S. Marine Corps is also considering the remanufacture of existing Harrier II AV-8Bs. Approximately 800 Harriers of all types have been ordered by five customers on three continents at a total cost of £5.5 billion (sterling). CALENDAR January 11 — The Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) will host its annual Post-Christmas Reception to be held at the Ottawa Congress Centre between 7:00 pm and 8:30 pm. Mess kit and black tie dress are optional. Admission is to invited guests only. Invitees are reminded to R.S.V.P. to the AIAC, (613) 232-4297. February 11-12 — The Canadian Maritime Industries Association's (CMIA) 43rd Annual Technical Conference will be held in conjunction with the 6th Annual Canadian Shipbuilding and Offshore Exhibition (CSOE'91) at the Ottawa Congress Centre and the Westin Hotel, Ottawa. The technical conference's open sessions on February 12 will be presented on the Capital Hall level at the Ottawa Congress Centre while CSOE'91 will be located in the Congress Hall at the Ottawa Congress Centre. The preliminary list of technical presentations has been drafted and the 150 available booths are quickly being reserved. For more information on the largest technical marine conference held in Canada contact Mrs. Joy MacPherson, Director, Administration and Finance, CMIA, (613) 232-7127. February 13 — A meeting of the Forum for Industrial Participation (formerly CIBA) will be held at the Ottawa Congress Centre from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and is open to all who wish to attend. Fees which include lunch are $120 for private sector and $75 for public sector attendees. For further information contact Bob Brown at (613) 733-0704. March 24-28 — Washington's premier space conference and exposition, Space Expo '91, will take place at the Washington DC Convention Centre. Events include seminars on U.S., Soviet, Pacific Rim and European programmes, business potential and opportunities; Space Education Day; Public Day; and a Gala Congressional Reception. The exposition will explain how to develop a business in space, provide access to space decision makers in Washington, and showcase new ideas, technologies and companies. For more information write to Space Expo '91, 25 South Quaker Lane, Suite 24, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314. May 6-7 — The 38th Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Aeronautics and Space Institute will be held at the Chateau Champlain Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. The meeting will feature a lecture from an outstanding member in the scientific or engineering fields of aeronautics, space or associated technologies; symposiums based on papers; will recognize and reward industry leaders; and discuss the future of CASI. For further information contact the Conference Coordinator at (613) 234-0191. *Warning: The Wednesday Report* is protected by copyright.** No reproduction of any kind is permitted without the consent of the publisher. Violation of The Wednesday Report's copyrights may render you liable (c.15, 1988 — Copyright Amendment Act) to a summary conviction and to a fine not exceeding $25,000 or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed six months, or both; and on indictment, to a fine not exceeding $1 million or to imprisonment for a term not to exceed five years, or both.



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Publisher and Editor In Chief: Micheal J. O'Brien
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