All news – Page 6501
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Virgin Sun launches European charter services
Virgin Sun, the new charter airline division of Virgin Holidays, has launched operations with two leased Airbus A320s on services to European tourist destinations. The carrier's initial fleet, which flies from London Gatwick and Manchester, is being leased from GE Capital Aviation Services. Additional A320s are expected to join the ...
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Marketplace
American Airlines has placed orders for three additional Boeing 737-800s for delivery in 2000. The 146-seaters will replace three aircraft operated by Reno Air that will not be integrated into American's fleet when the airlines are merged. Beirut-based Trans-Mediterranean Airways (TMA) is seeking finance to fund the acquisition of ...
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Italian medicine
European consortium Temporary Associated Companies has been awarded a contract by the regional government of Tuscany, Italy, to provide helicopter emergency medical services within the region. The group, which comprises Italy's Helitalia and Aeroveneta as well as UK-based Bristow Helicopters, will begin operations at the end of July. Helitalia will ...
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Boeing outlines refinements to JSF programme budget
Paul Lewis/Washington DC Boeing has outlined a range of refinements to its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Programme that it claims will eliminate a projected 5% budget overspend and ensure full Preferred Weapons System Concept (PWSC) compliance with the final joint operational requirements document (JORD). "Rebaselining the programme involves ...
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JASSM flight tests delayed while fault is fixed
The second flight test of the stealthy Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) has been delayed by up to two months. Technicians are working to ensure that the electrical problem which probably caused the 8 April unpowered test flight failure has been eliminated. The first flight test ended ...
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Contracts
Lockheed Martin Sanders, electronic warfare prime contractor for its parent company's Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) proposal, has selected Litton Amecom to lead development of the electronic support measures (ESM)system, if Lockheed Martin wins the JSF contest. Israel's Rafael will supply its vertically launched Barak-1 point defence missile to Signaal of ...
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Nordic nations move ahead with agreement on joint helicopter buy
Stewart Penney/LONDON Defence ministers have agreed to proceed with the Nordic Standard Helicopter Programme (NSHP)to replace transport and naval helicopters in service in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden with a common type. A ministerial deal is expected to be signed in June and a request for quotations (RFQ) ...
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Czechs issue request for 36 fighter deal
The Czech Government has issued a request for information (RFI) for the acquisition of up to 36 Western fighters. The governments of France, Germany, Sweden, the UK and the USA have received the request. Against expectations the four-nation Eurofighter Typhoon will also be considered. Other candidates for a purchase ...
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SBIRS upheavals delay Australian access plans
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA Funding to provide Australian access to the US Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS)has been put on hold for up to three years following extensive restructuring of the surveillance programme. In February, the USAir Force terminated development contracts with Boeing and TRW for demonstration satellites to prove ...
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Laser tests
TRW has completed initial test runs of its Infra-Red Experimental Source (IRES) test bed for the US Air Force's Airborne Laser (ABL) programme. Source: Flight International
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Slovakia shops for new aircraft and Mi-24 Hind upgrades
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Slovakia PLANS to acquire up to 60 advanced trainer and light attack aircraft and upgrade its Mil Mi-24 Hind battlefield helicopters with Western avionics. Tenders could be issued in June. The country, which has ambitions to join NATO, plans to evaluate the Aermacchi MB339, Aero Vodochody ...
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US Army stretches Comanche performance
The US Army is extending the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche's operational range and endurance with further refinements to the scout helicopter's design weight and main rotor. "We're making changes to the aircraft to increase the fuel load, really because the army wants more range than they said eight years ...
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Congress may use Kosovo cash for Prowler replacement study
Paul Lewis/BETHPAGE The US Congress is expected to use supplemental Kosovo funding to launch a study to replace the Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic jammer aircraft, the limited fleet of which has been severely stretched supporting the Balkan conflict. The US Navy planned to launch a $16 million analysis ...
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Lockheed Martin sees focus of UCAV shifting to surveillance
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA The US Air Force's proposed unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) may see its first operational applications in surveillance and reconnaissance roles rather than strike missions, according to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics president, "Micky" Blackwell. The shift in focus, Blackwell says, is likely to be driven by competing ...
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IMI changes course on talks to secure a partner for Star-1
Israel Military Industries (IMI) and Boeing have terminated negotiations on the possible joint development of the Light Defender stand-off weapon. IMI has opened talks with another US company. The Israeli company is discussing development funding with its unnamed potential partner, which could lead to an operational weapon system based ...
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ARINC goes Dutch for datalink navigation demonstration
Emma Kelly/LONDON The Dutch National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) and ARINC have demonstrated the use of VHF datalink mode 2 (VDL-2) and satellite communications in a communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management environment. The flight demonstrations, part of the European Commission's (EC) fourth European framework's Airborne Air Traffic Management ...
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Airlink Swaziland prepares for take-off
Hilka Birns/CAPE TOWN A new southern African airline, Airlink Swaziland, will take to the skies on 13 June as a joint venture between South African regional carrier, SA Airlink, and the government of Swaziland. The new carrier takes over from Royal Swazi National Airways which will close after ...
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Air Scandic adds TriStar
European supplemental charter carrier Air Scandic has added a 26-year-old ex-Cathay Pacific Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 1 to its fleet of two Airbus A300s. The TriStar, which is based at Manchester to provide additional capacity on its European subcharter flights this summer, is operated by Irish charter carrier Aer Turas. The ...
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Workshop
British Airways has selected its subsidiary BAAE to undertake avionics maintenance of its Airbus fleet. The airline has orders and options on 188 single-aisle A320 family aircraft. Subject to raising the required investment funding, BAAE will undertake the maintenance at its South Wales facility for the next 10 years. Sextant ...
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Arabs ponder open skies
Ian Goold/JEDDAH Middle Eastern airlines, although widely split on liberalisation, are coming under increasing pressure to support a local deregulation effort, with the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) establishing a task force to consider open skies and liberalisation issues. The lack of regional liberalisation has started to affect ...