All news – Page 6309
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Creatively buoyant
The USA, Russia and the rest of Europe have seen plenty of civil helicopter product developments in the past 12 months Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DCThe civil helicopter industry remained creatively buoyant last year, with the launch and certification of new US and European developments and a continuing proliferation of Russian designs. ...
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Time travel
Helicopter fractional ownership is still at the embryonic stage - but operators have bigger plans Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DCThe concept of fractional ownership has grown to be a phenomenal success with the business jet fraternity, but it is at the embryonic stage in the rotary-wing world. Selling a timeshare in a ...
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Regional relations
The rush by major airlines into global alliances has been repeated at a regional levelGünter Endres/LONDONGlobal alliances with fancy names like oneworld, Wings and Star have become fashionable in the airline industry. But a quiet revolution has also taken place at a regional level in Europe, where flag carriers have ...
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AASI starts operator selection for Jetcruzer share scheme
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Advanced Aerodynamics and Structures (AASI) plans to boost sales of its Jetcruzer 500 turboprop by establishing a network of aircraft operators offering fractional ownership of its six-seat pusher. "We are selecting suitable companies and we should have them in place before June when the aircraft is scheduled for ...
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Fuel contamination grounds 5,000 Australian aircraft
Paul Phelan/CAIRNSUp to 5,000 Australian piston-powered general aviation aircraft - over half the national fleet - were grounded indefinitely in early January, pending resolution of a major fuel contamination crisis. The problem originated from Mobil Oil's refinery at Altona, Melbourne. The safety measure affects all aircraft refuelled by Mobil or ...
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US Army reviews Apache plans
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC US Army programme executive officer for aviation, Maj Gen James Snider, is working to reverse last year's cuts to the number of Boeing AH-64A attack helicopters to be upgraded to AH-64D Apache Longbow configuration. He says the cuts are "a bad idea". Meanwhile, the US Army is ...
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Austria nears selection of medium-lift helicopter
Stewart Penney/LONDON Austria's ministry of Defence expects to select a medium-lift helicopter within the next month, but is no further forward with its fighter selection because of political delays after last October's elections. The MoD will decide between the Eurocopter AS532UC Cougar and the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk, ...
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Rafael starts Black Sparrow export drive
Israeli armaments company Rafael has launched efforts to export its Black Sparrow airborne ballistic missile target. Developed as part of the Arrow anti-tactical ballistic missile programme, the Black Sparrow is based on Rafael's AGM-142 Popeye air-to-ground missile. The Black Sparrow is equipped with a larger rocket motor than ...
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US Army launches kinetic missile programme
The US Army is launching a Compact Kinetic Energy Missile (CKEM) technology demonstration programme that could provide the US military with the next-generation hypervelocity missile that can be fired from helicopters and armoured vehicles. The CKEM would be smaller, lighter and faster than the Line of Sight Anti-Tank (LOSAT) ...
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Contracts
Canadian Marconi has won a C$4.9 million ($3.4 million) contract from Eurocopter Germany to supply CMA-806A Doppler navigation systems for retrofit to German navy GKN Westland Sea King Mk41 helicopters. Deliveries are due to start in mid-year. The Spanish army has awarded Boeing a contract to upgrade five CH-47C Chinooks ...
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South Korea deploys anti-radar UAV
South Korea has deployed the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Harpy anti-radiation unmanned air vehicle (UAV) and is on the verge of placing another order. Any additional purchase could include developed versions of the ground-launched system. The South Korean army purchased 100 Harpys in a deal valued at about $50 ...
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JSF office sets March target for design specification
The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme office plans to issue Boeing and Lockheed Martin with final design specifications by March, clearing the way for the conclusive Preferred Weapon System Concept (PWSC) tendering process to begin. Release of the final operational requirements document (ORD) was due in December, but was ...
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An-70 funding
Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma has issued an order to support the country's aircraft industry. About $350 million is to be allocated in the 2000 state budget to produce five Antonov An-70 propfan transports and 25 Progress/Motor Sich D-27 engines. Building production standard aircraft will allow the completion of certification flying, ...
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NMD test to be tougher
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC A second "hit-to-kill" National Missile Defence (NMD) flight test, set for 18 January by the US Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO), will be technically more challenging than the first last October. The first successful intercept test, IFT-3, was primarily to demonstrate the hit-to-kill capability of ...
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UK issues parallel invitations to tender for Spectator
Two parallel invitations to tender (ITT) for the risk reduction phase of the Spectator unmanned air vehicle (UAV) requirement have been issued by the UK Ministry of Defence. The two ITTs cover "potential programmes" for the supply of an aircraft to emulate a UAV and a radar to "provide ...
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Proposal to rescue InterCanadian fails
A plan to rescue InterCanadian Airlines, grounded since 27 November, has collapsed. Its originator, a union-backed investment fund, has found that the regional carrier owes more money than first believed. The Quebec Solidarity Fund says InterCanadian is a "financial disaster with debt of about C$45 million" ($31 million). It ...
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Mergers
Menzies Transport Services (MTS) has acquired the London Heathrow cargo-handling facility of Aer Lingus, with a 10-year contract to handle the airline's cargo there. Austrian Airlines, Olympic Airways and Air Algerie are other customers. MTS is the second largest cargo handler at Heathrow. Acquisitive Smiths Industries of the UK is ...
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KAI joint bid
BAE Systems and Boeing are in advanced talks on possibly merger of their bids to buy a 30% stake in Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI). The two have been shortlisted as foreign investors alongside a joint Lockheed Martin/Aerospatiale Matra/Carlyle bid. BAE says it is "exploring all possibilities". Source: Flight International
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FRA's NJS move will power plans for Asia expansion
Government flying services specialist FR Aviation of the UK hopes to expand into South-East Asia and Australasia through its A$62 million ($40.6 million) purchase of National Jet Systems (NJS). But it says it has no plans to divest itself of Adelaide-based NJS' civil operations. National Jets Italia, British Airways' planned ...
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Big two neck and neck
Airbus' sales put Boeing in the shade last year, as their order backlogs swung into equilibrium Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON The airliner order and production cycles reached significant points on the graph during 1999, with output peaking but global demand in descent. Airbus Industrie's order performance was its second best ever, ...