Page 128 - ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΑΕΡΟΠΟΡΙΚΗ ΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΑ - 50 ΧΡΟΝΙΑ | HELLENIC AEROSPACE INDUSTRY - 50 YEARS

HELLENIC AEROSPACE INDUStRY
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Μaintenance work on an F-16 aircraft (© Hellenic Aerospace industry s.A.)
DIAS artillery system. At the same time, the elec- tronics sector participated in international consor- tia for the development of weapon systems:
stinger post: In 1983, a consortium was formed between Germany, Greece, turkey, and the Neth- erlands for the European co-production of the Stinger POSt, and the HAI signed an agreement with Dornier as the main subcontractor to pro- duce the launch tube assembly and grip stock as- sembly parts. In 1991, the production line became fully operational and was completed in 1998.
Bcs erMis ii: In 1998, the HAI undertook as the main contractor, the project of upgrading the ER- MIS Battlefield Communications System in phase B, on behalf of the Hellenic Army General Staff (GES). the contract provided for close cooperation with Siemens Hellas, and the two companies proceeded to establish a joint subsidiary, PMC Hellas, which would undertake the completion of the project. the program started in 1999 and the Model Network was completed towards the end of the 2000s.
During the same period, the HAI decisively expanded its business activities into the field of civil and commercial telecommunications. In 1998, the HAI and OtE (Hellenic telecommuni- cations Organisations) signed a programmatic agreement for the execution of a package of projects with a total value of 18 billion drach- mas. Finally, it is worth mentioning HAI’s involve- ment in the early stages of the country’s space program, through its participation in Hellas Sat Ltd., which consisted of OtE, Cyprus-based Ava- com net, and Germanos. the plan was to launch a satellite carrying 30 transponders, build two control stations, and commercially exploit the signal by providing telecommunications services. On June 14, 2003, the first Greek satellite, Hel- las Sat 2, was launched from Florida, USA, and placed into orbit.
maintenance and civil aviation
During the 1990s and 2000s, the Hellenic Air Force remained the main customer of HAI’s aircraft and engine maintenance unit, with the number of maintenance programs and their total value in- creasing exponentially. the development of the engine maintenance department depended to a certain extent by the needs and progress of the NMA procurement programs. the HAI quickly acquired the capability to overhaul Snecma’s new M53 engines, and in 2003, the first M53-P2 en- gine was successfully tested on the new Mirage 2000-5. the issue of maintaining the F-16 engines was more complicated, as the aircrafts were fitted with two different types of engines. Despite the difficulties, in 1998 the first GE F-110 engine was delivered for the F-16 Block 30/50. In 2004, the HAI signed an agreement with Pratt & Whitney, which enabled the general overhaul of the F-100 PW-220 engines used in the F-16 Block 52.