All news – Page 6289
-
News
USA may fund Philippines-NZ fighter deal
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA The USA is considering financing the sale of Royal New Zealand Air Force McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks to the Philippines. It may also "sweeten" a controversial lease of 28 Lockheed Martin F-16A/B fighters by lowering the upfront cost, says the head of New Zealand's conservative opposition party, ...
-
News
Northrop Grumman wins USN UAV contest
Northrop Grumman's Ryan Aeronautical Center has been picked to supply the US Navy's next tactical vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle. The system will replace AAI/Israel Aircraft Industry Pioneer fixed-wing UAVs. The Programme Executive Office, Cruise Missiles and UAVs, has awarded Northrop Grumman a $94 million engineering and manufacturing ...
-
News
AEW on the attack
After solving a sensitive technology transfer issue to clinch Australia's Wedgetail programme, Boeing/Northrop Grumman has Asia in sight Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC On Northrop Grumman's map of prospective customers for airborne warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft, only one country is marked as conquered - Australia. Next to fall, the company ...
-
News
Lengthy service
The world's longest airliner, the 777-300, has been working for 18 months. Some of its key operators assess its progress Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Although Airbus Industrie pioneered the widebody twinjet concept in the early 1970s, its rival Boeing has developed the configuration to its ultimate size and weight, with ...
-
News
Defence renaissance
The world's defence manufacturers are again identifying the Asia-Pacific as a major market Stewart Penney/LONDONBy common consensus, the worst effects of the Asian economic crisis have passed and the nations around the Pacific are again considering their defence needs. At the 1998 Asian Aerospace show, the economic crisis generated pessimistic ...
-
News
Reality bites
Opportunities are looming large, but Asia's aerospace industry is in poor shape Chris Jasper/LONDONAsia's battered aerospace sector is finally getting to grips with the new realities thrust upon it by the region's patchwork economic collapse of a few years ago - although it has taken its time. Before currencies nose-dived ...
-
News
Road to recovery
The gloom of the past two years has been replaced by a cautious optimism Chris Jasper and Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON When the aerospace industry last gathered in Singapore, for Asian Aerospace '98, the sense of gloom was almost palpable. Subsequent events fully justified that pessimism. Only now are Asian orders beginning ...
-
News
Power in the Pacific
Could the USA's ability to shape Asia-Pacific security be on the wane? Peter La Franchi/SYDNEY The future dominance of the USA in shaping security in the Asia-Pacific region cannot be taken for granted, the Australian Defence Organisation's most senior strategic planner has warned. How the USA maintains - ...
-
News
Boeing's 777-300 reliability figures are the best for a widebody introduction
Boeing's 777-300 reliability figures are the best for a widebody introduction Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Boeing says its experience with the introduction of the 777-300 has been a case of "no news is good news". Mike Fleming, Boeing's 777 fleet support chief, says: "In terms of performance ...
-
News
To the rescue
Hong Kong and Singapore take contrasting approaches to the search and rescue role Andrzej Jeziorski/HONG KONG and SINGAPORE Hong Kong and Singapore, both major Asian international business centres, are often compared. The cities are responsible for significant portions of airspace and busy sea lanes and each must be able to ...
-
News
The great debate
China's air power strategy, Indonesia's air force development plans and how air wars will be fought this century are on the agenda at the MAPC The commander of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force, Lt Gen Liu Shunyau, will reveal his plans for the future of air power ...
-
News
Bell 427 certification
Bell received US certification for the light twin-turbine Model 427 late last month, clearing the way for delivery of 80 helicopters the company has on order. In the meantime, Bell "is still looking at the 412, trying to decide what to upgrade and modernise", says Bell president John Murphy. Source: ...
-
News
FAA snag sparked Premier revamp
Raytheon Aircraft says a "communication" problem with the US Federal Aviation Administration led to the need to redesign the flight control system on the Premier I business jet. The redesign late in the development programme will delay certification to the end of June (Flight International, 1-7 February). Premier I ...
-
News
Sikorsky picks new avionics suite
Sikorsky has selected Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 equipment as the baseline avionics suite for its new S-92 medium helicopter. Sikorsky selected the avionics after dropping plans to develop a Honeywell-based cockpit. Late last month Canada's Cougar Helicopters signed a letter of intent to be the first launch customer for ...
-
News
EVA deal boosts 777X launch prospects
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Taiwan-based EVA Airways has signed a letter of intent with Boeing for seven 777Xs, helping the programme towards its delayed full launch. EVA had opted for the rival ultra-long-range Airbus A340-500. Although Boeing declines to confirm the deal, EVA's commitment is believed to include four ...
-
News
GAMA predicts healthy growth
US general aviation manufacturers delivered more than 2,500 aircraft last year, almost 14% more than in 1998. Similar or better growth is projected for this year, says the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA). The value of the aircraft shipped by GAMA member companies rose by over 35% last year, ...
-
News
Airbus lines up huge MAS order
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is in the final stages of negotiations with Airbus Industrie on an order for up to 80 aircraft, including 18 A340-500/600 widebodies and up to 62 examples of the A320 family. Industry sources say the aircraft types have been agreed ...
-
News
BA and KLM post third-quarter losses
Chris Jasper/LONDON Frits Njio/AMSTERDAM British Airways has announced third quarter results which suggest it is on the way to a big full year loss, although a rise in yields suggests its new premium passenger strategy is paying off. European rival KLM has posted even poorer figures, but unlike BA ...
-
News
Boeing looks for simpler structure
Boeing is to simplify the structure of its Commercial Airplanes Group in an effort to build on last year's improved financial performance. Two of the group's three units - single-aisle and twin-aisle programmes - will be merged, with the Commercial Aviation Services (CAS) unit remaining untouched. The move is ...
-
News
Japan suffers another launch failure
Japan's space programme has suffered another severe blow with the failure of an M-5 rocket launch and the loss of the Astro-E astronomical observation satellite on 10 January. The failure is being attributed to a first-stage nozzle malfunction, and comes three months after the ¥34.3 billion ($320 million) in-flight ...