All news – Page 6624
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Doubts grow over Huzar anti-tank missile
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Longstanding doubts over the Polish procurement of the Rafael NT-D anti-tank missile for the PZL-Swidnik Huzar battlefield helicopter look set to be realised, as prospects fade of an Israeli consortium meeting Polish test requirements. Rafael told Polish defence officials at a meeting in Warsaw in the ...
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All-electric F-16 ground testing goes ahead
An "all-electric" version of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter is undergoing ground testing to demonstrate the electric actuation system intended for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Electric actuation promises to reduce the JSF's weight and cost and improve maintainability. Ground testing began when external 270V DC electrical power was ...
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Denel joins Matra BAe to arm Rooivalk with Mistral
Howard Gethin/LONDONSouth Africa's Denel Aviation has joined with Anglo-French weapons group Matra BAe Dynamics to integrate the Mistral air-to-air missile into the weapons suite at the South African armed forces' Rooivalk attack helicopter. The 18-month programme, which began in September, will include initial compatibility flight trials, integration with the Rooivalk's ...
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Missile contract
Raytheon has been awarded an initial $45 million from the US Army to undertake an Atmospheric Interceptor Technology Test Bed programme, supporting endoatmospheric missile defence projects, including the Medium Extended Air Defense System and the Lockheed Martin Theater High Altitude Air Defense weapons. The US company expects to earn as ...
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US Army gets the go-ahead for new UAV contest
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Department of Defense's Joint Requirements Oversight Council has decided to allow the US Army to proceed with the Tactical Unmanned Air Vehicle (TUAV) programme, prompting the Army to run a competition that may yet include the previously favoured contender, the Alliant Techsystems Outrider UAV. Lt ...
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US Air Force looks at UK refuelling alternative
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Air Force may retrofit a wing-mounted hose-and-drogue aerial refuelling system, made by UK-based Flight Refuelling, on its 24 Lockheed Martin MC-130H Combat Talon II special operations aircraft. The US Department of Defense (DoD) says US special operations aviation forces do not have enough ...
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Going south
Joseph Sims/MIAMI Air Transport infrastructure experts say that the economic turmoil which has spread from Asia to Latin America will slow down the pace of airport privatisation in the region - perhaps by as much as 18 months. But officials at US company Ogden, in charge of the world's most ...
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Indian ambition
Hormuz Mama/BANGALORE With the first flight of its Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) now put back to mid-1999, nearly four years after its roll-out, the programme appears to be plagued with difficulties and delays and the target date of 2003 for first deliveries to the Indian air force looks increasingly over-optimistic. ...
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Winners and losers
Brent Hannon/MANILA New carriers launched since aviation was deregulated in the Philippines in late 1994 have enjoyed rapid growth as a result of the prolonged crisis at Philippine Airlines (PAL). The crisis, which came to a head with a pilots' strike in June this year and a two-week cessation ...
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Uncertain demand
Tim Furniss/PARIS About 80% of the commercial launches between now and 2008 could be to place payloads weighing between 100kg and 1,000kg into low earth orbit (LEO) at altitudes of 300-1,000km, says a recent market study from the Teal Group. This forecasts launches of over 800 LEO satellites, ...
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Correcting the deviants
David Learmount/LONDDONPilots and maintenance engineers not only make mistakes, some often break the rules, a fact confirmed by studies on human performance presented at a seminar held by the UK Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) on 24 September, in London. The aim of the seminar, entitled Professionals performing poorly, was ...
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Cessna expects new record as Citation sales near 400 mark
Cessna expects sales of its Citation business jets to exceed 400 aircraft this year, its highest-ever annual total. Sales were boosted by substantial pre-ordering of the new Citation CJ2 and Sovereign before their official launch last month. The company booked orders for 76 entry-level CJ2s and 79 mid-size Sovereigns ...
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Ilyushin sets target for Il-103 certification to emerge from shadows
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW Ilyushin expects to have the US Federal Aviation Administration shadow certification of its ll-103 single engined light piston upgraded to full certification by the end of this year. The Russian design bureau confirms that the MAK (Interstate Aviation Committee) Avia Register has certificated the aircraft's manufacturer, ...
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Bombardier aims FlexJet plan at Europe
Canadian aerospace group Bombardier will expand its FlexJet fractional ownership programme to Europe from January. The company will begin operations with three core-fleet aircraft, a light Learjet 31A, mid-size Learjet 60 and large Challenger 604. Negotations are under way with potential partners which have the operating certificate needed to ...
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Luscombe looks at overseas production
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Luscombe Aircraft is "in talks" with aircraft companies in Europe, South America and Australia over the possible establishment of licensed overseas production of the Spartan 185 four-seater. The Oklahoma-based manufacturer hopes to achieve US Federal Aviation Administration type certification for the Spartan "as early as ...
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PT6A-42A certification
Pratt & Whitney Canada's PT6A-42A turboprop for the New Piper Malibu Meridian and Aero Vodochody Ae270 has received Transport Canada type certificate approval. The engine, thermodynamically rated at 1,029shp, first flew in late August with the maiden flight of the Meridien and first deliveries are due to begin in early ...
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Orenda reveals plans for V-6 aero-engine study
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Orenda Recip is studying a smaller derivative of its new 450kW (600hp) OE-600A V-8 aero-engine for potential re-engineing of the Piper Malibu piston single and piston twins such as the Beech Duke. The proposed liquid-cooled V-6 would deliver between 225kW (normally aspirated) and 370kW (turbocharged). ...
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Assembly delays push back Sino Swearingen's SJ30
Manufacturing delays have pushed back certification of the Sino Swearingen SJ30-2 light business jet to "early 2000", says the company. Production of the wing and fuselage for the first certification-test aircraft is behind schedule at Gamesa, in Spain, and the first flight has been delayed to the second quarter of ...
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VisionAire reviews Vantage certification schedule
VisionAire is reviewing the cost and schedule for development of its Vantage single-engined business jet, and expects to announce a "more definitive" date for certification. The company has been aiming for certification in the fourth quarter of 1999, "-but we know that's a stretch", says chairman Jim Rice, who ...
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Boeing tests 747-X trailing edge wedge
Boeing has begun flight tests of a trailing-edge wedge wing modification on a 747-400 as the first element of a potential package of changes that could be applied to future 747 derivatives. The modification consists of a triangular-shaped wedge on the lower surface of the wing trailing edge, and ...