All news – Page 6523
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Teams start Skynet 5 studies for UK MoD
Matra Marconi Space (MMS) and Lockheed Martin-led teams have been chosen to conduct design studies for the UK Ministry of Defence Skynet 5 military communications satellite. The studies will focus on the procurement of the system through a private finance initiative, which will require the winning team to develop, ...
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F-16 problems prompt rethink on update
Guy Norris/SEATTLE The US Air Force is pushing to accelerate a series of planned engine upgrades to the Pratt & Whitney F100-220 and -220E-powered Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet, following several engine related crashes, the latest in March near Luke AFB, Arizona. The Israeli air force temporarily grounded its F-16s ...
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Fairchild talks continue as ATR revises Airjet
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Fairchild Aerospace and ATR partners Aerospatiale and Alenia have failed to resolve the main obstacles to their possible collaboration on a family of regional jets. Talks continue in an effort to find a compromise. While differences remain over the location of final assembly lines, engines and ...
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Air France close to A318 signings
Julian Moxon/HAMBURG Air France has confirmed that it is close to ordering the Airbus A318 to replace its Boeing 737-500s, but director general Pierre-Henri Gourgeon says the airline remains in "tough negotiations" on powerplant selection. Airbus chose the Pratt &Whitney PW6000 as the sole powerplant for the A318, ...
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KAL MD-11 crashes
A Korean Air (KAL) Boeing MD-11 freighter (HL-7373) crashed 6min after take-off from Shanghai Airport, China, on 15 April, in a residential area 10km (6nm) south of the airport. The three crew died and five people on the ground were reportedly killed, with at least 26 injured. The seven-year-old MD-11, ...
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British Midland weighs up 717 but pushes for shrink option
Chris Jasper/LONDON British Midland (BM) has emerged as a potential first European airline customer for the Boeing 717 twinjet. Chairman Sir Michael Bishop suggests the carrier might opt for the aircraft if Boeing can be persuaded to develop it as a family, including a smaller shrink model. The ...
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Hughes loses Asian satellite contract
Asia Pacific Mobile Telecommunications (APMT) of Singapore has terminated the contract with Hughes Space and Communications to build a$450 million satellite mobile communications system, to serve South-East Asia. Hughes "was unable to secure the necessary export licences for the programme in a timely manner", says APMT. The US Government ...
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New breed
Researchers are at work on European comfort and safety Julian Moxon/PARIS It used to be said that a helicopter, with its complex mechanics and whirling, vibration-producing, aerodynamic surfaces, was best described as "a million individual components flying in close formation". While it may be amusing, the image is becoming less ...
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Neighbourly helicopter
Eurocopter's "neighbourly helicopter" programme has given rise to the EC120 and EC135, which have noise levels 6dB lower than the International Civil Aviation Organisation standard, making them the quietest in the business. This year, the work will progress with a demonstration of the EC155 main rotor, fenestron and inlet, ...
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From bad to worse
Helicopter accidents skyrocket in the civil aviation sector David Learmount/LONDON Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Turbine engined helicopter accident numbers for last year are well up on those for the previous year: 239 compared with 171 in 1997. Comparison with 1996 also shows an increase, although less dramatic, from the 218 accidents ...
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New from old
PaulLewis/WASHINGTON DC The remanufacturing of military helicopters is not a new business. For the US aerospace industry it is set to become a proportionally more important source of rotary-wing revenue over the next 10 years. There are around 6,500 helicopters in the US military inventory, significantly down from the Vietnam ...
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Boeing's helicopter hat trick
The CH-47 Chinook helicopter is threatening to rival the B-52 bomber for endurance Paul Lewis/PHILADELPHIAWhen it comes to aeronautical longevity little equals the B-52 bomber other than perhaps the CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the same Boeing stable. With no successor in sight, 300 of the US Army's tandem-rotor helicopters are ...
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Staying one step ahead
Paul Lewis/STRATFORD, CONNECTICUT Sikorsky has adopted a three-step strategy to keep it at the forefront of the world's helicopter industry. Its immediate goal is to sustain output through US domestic UH-60/CH-60 and international S-70 sales, while continuing to press ahead in the long term with the RAH-66 Comanche. It hopes ...
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Multi-mission MPX glitters for Diamond
Diamond Aircraft has received US Federal Aviation Administration certification for the MPX variant of its Xtreme motorglider. The manufacturer announced the news at the US Experimental Aircraft Association's Sun 'n' Fun fly-in in Lakeland, Florida, on 11-17 April. The MPX has an all-composite airframe and is offered as a ...
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Airshare plans for European fractional launch
The first European owned, commercially operated fractional ownership programme is to be launched next month, with the delivery of the first of two used Cessna CitationJet business aircraft. Initially, Oxford Airport, UK-based Airshare will target the UK domestic market. Airshare managing director Peter Coyle says: "We want to focus ...
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Israel's Elta develops miniature synthetic aperture radar pod
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV Israeli electronics manufacturer Elta has developed and begun manufacture of the first podded synthetic-aperture radar (SAR)system that can be carried on fighter-sized aircraft as small as the Lockheed Martin F-16. Lockheed Martin's tactical aircraft division will work with Elta to market the radar. The EL/M-2060P ...
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RAAF buys F-111s
The US Department of Defense has announced the sale to Australia of 11 excess F-111 fighter aircraft, 130 F-111 Pratt & Whitney TF-30 turbofans, ALR-62I radar warning receiver systems and various related support equipment, with an estimated value of $500 million. Australia is the last operator of the F-111, with ...
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General Atomics Predator and Prowler ready for heavy fuel
Ramon Lopez/BRISTOL Unmanned air vehicle (UAV) builder General Atomics is seeking US Air Force support for an in-house heavy fuel engine (HFE) development for the Predator high altitude UAV, which is ready for flight testing. The company is also poised to test an HFE for the Prowler II tactical ...
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Brazil's Tiger upgrade stalled by currency and cost cuts crisis
Paul Lewis/RIO DE JANEIRO Brazil's planned Northrop F-5E/F Tiger upgrade programme faces further delay, as a weaker local currency and mounting pressure on selected suppliers to cut costs prolongs protracted contractual negotiations. Elbit was selected as the integrator for the F-5 avionics upgrade last October, but because of the devaluation ...
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B-2 repair move
Northrop Grumman has begun the transfer of its B-2 composites repair operation to the US Air Force overhaul facility at Hill AFB, Utah, from its Pico Rivera, California, plant, which is to close by the end of the year. The company will continue to be responsible for most depot maintenance ...