All air transport news – Page 2254
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Lockheed Martin aims for a more civil future with space expansion
Carol Reed/FARNBOROUGH US fighter to missiles and electronics group Lockheed Martin is reinventing itself, in the wake of the failed acquisition of Northrop Grumman, into a fully fledged information technology and commercial space launcher and services business. According to group chairman Vance Coffman, the business mix is set ...
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Matra merger with Aerospatiale spurs European missile plans
France's Aerospatiale and Matra Hautes Technologies are accelerating merger plans and negotiating with other European companies to join the missiles and space groupings resulting from the July agreement between the two companies. Yves Michot, the Aerospatiale president and his Matra counterpart Philippe Camus, have made clear that attracting other ...
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Saab winds down turboprop production as talks continue
Max Kingsley-Jones/FARNBOROUGH Saab Aircraft has completed a round of reorganisation as it winds down its turboprop production and expects to decide by the end of the year whether to sell the line to another manufacturer. The Swedish company announced late last year that it was to withdraw from ...
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UAE starts negotiations on $7 billion F-16 order
Formal negotiations with the United Arab Emirates on its $7 billion order for 80 Lockheed Martin F-16s have finally begun, after the completion of prolonged talks between the US and UAE governments on technology transfer. Sources say the resulting agreement gives the UAE the advanced technology features it wants ...
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Airbus confirms Emirates and ILFC A340 orders
Airbus Industrie has confirmed orders from two customers, Emirates and International Lease Finance (ILFC), for up to 26 A340-500/600s. The two deals have an estimated value of $3.8 billion, including options. ILFC's deal for 10 Rolls-Royce Trent 500-powered A340s includes five firm orders and five options, with deliveries scheduled ...
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Eurofighter prepares bid for Norwegian contest
Eurofighter is preparing to submit a Typhoon bid to Norway in the first major international fighter competition since the United Arab Emirates elected to order the rival Lockheed Martin Block 60 F-16C/D. The Norwegian decision is viewed as being of major importance, with several countries now drawing up similar ...
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Boeing to flight test 747X wing
Boeing is to flight test a full scale wing modification for the proposed 747X based on aerodynamic changes originally developed by McDonnell Douglas for the MD-11. The company has completed initial windtunnel tests of the change, dubbed the trailing edge wedge, and plans to refine the modification before flight ...
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Bombardier unveils plan for 90-seat jet family
Bombardier has announced its intention to develop an all new 90-seat class regional aircraft, dashing longstanding Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' (MHI) hopes of incorporating its Global Express business jet high aspect ratio super critical wing into the design. The proposed BRJ-X Option B design will feature an all new wing ...
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IAE faces uncertainties after PW6000 launch
The future of the International Aero Engines (IAE) consortium is facing uncertainties in the wake of Pratt & Whitney's launch of the PW6000 and stated intent to develop the follow-on PW8000 in direct competion with the V2500. The go-ahead of the PW6000 for the Airbus A318 has fuelled speculation ...
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Hurel-Dubois divides nacelle ventures
Hurel-Dubois has formed a new alliance with Aermacchi for the production of nacelle systems for aircraft with fewer than 100 seats. The French company has reached an agreement with existing partner Bombardier Aerospace-Shorts for their International Nacelle Systems joint venture to focus on aircraft of 100 seats and over. ...
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Ladish models forging process for Rolls-Royce Trent 500
Ladish has finished computer modelling the forging processes for critical components of the Rolls-Royce Trent 500 turbofan being developed to power the Airbus A340-500/600. The Cudahy, Wisconsin-based company is producing several components for the engine. Process modelling eliminates the traditional approach of developing components using a step-by-step, trial-and-error methodology. ...
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Messier-Dowty plans giant drop rig
Messier-Dowty, now wholly owned by Snecma, is to build Europe's largest landing gear drop test rig. The MEGA (Machine d'Essais pour Grands Atterrisseurs) is a $3 million project to assemble the rig in Toulouse. Entry into service is scheduled for early 2000. The rig will be sited at the ...
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KLM set to bring first737-900 to Europe
KLM has underlined its commitment to Boeing's Next Generation 737 family by becoming the first European operator to order the stretched 737-900. The order for four aircraft is a blow to Airbus Industrie, which had campaigned hard to sell the A321 to KLM as part of attempts to complete ...
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Rolls-Royce ties up RB211 Qantas upgrade
Rolls-Royce has secured a deal with Qantas to upgrade its fleet of RB211-524 turbofans to the new -524G/HT standard and a further $1 billion worth of Trent 500 engine orders from Emirates and International Lease Finance (ILFC). The Qantas order covers modernising airline's fleet of 18 RB211-powered Boeing 747-400 ...
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TNT A300F lease paves way for BAe deal
TNT is finalising a major Airbus A300B4 conversion contract with British Aerospace Aviation Services (BAeAS), following the signing of a lease deal with C-S Aviation Services (CSAS) for four A300B4 freighters. The deal with CSAS, and another with Airbus Industrie's Asset Management division for three A300B4s, comes as part ...
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737 order boost
GATX Capital has boosted its Next Generation 737 orders to 15 with a deal for five 737-800s. SAS has also ordered Next Generation 737s, exercising nine options from a 1995 deal and adding five more as it seeks to modernise its fleet. The orders are for -600s, -700s or -800s. ...
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Customers prompt 90-seat proposal
Bombardier is preparing to launch a 90-seat regional jet before its 70-seat contender has even flown because "...our customers are telling us they want such an aircraft," says chairman Laurent Beaudoin. "If we could have delayed them, we would, but they say they want a 90-seater." The company says it ...
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Rekkof 'ready' to resurrect Fokker jet line
Rekkof Restart will make a final decision on 24 September whether to revive production of Fokker 100 and Fokker 70 regional jets. The decision hinges on the results of an economic assessment on the impact the gathering global economic problems will have on the project. The study is being ...
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ATR and Embraer to decide on 70 seater by year-end
ATR and Embraer expect to decide by the end of the year whether to launch new 70-seat size regional jet developments. At the same time, the companies are continuing to seek partners and jointly discuss a possible collaborative programme in what is fast becoming an overcrowded market. The Brazilian ...
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GECAS signs $3.2 billion Airbus/Boeing contracts
General Electric Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) has placed orders worth an estimated $3.2 billion with Airbus Industrie and Boeing for up 52 aircraft. The deal with Airbus, for 30 A320 family aircraft plus options on a further 10, takes the US leasing company's orders for the twinjet to 82 ...