All news – Page 6731
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Broaching a hard target
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC A Hole blasted through 3.7m-thick reinforced concrete is testament to the capabilities of the UK's BROACH multi-warhead system. It is midway through US testing and the evaluation appears to be going well, but the ultimate challenge still lies ahead: can Team BROACH penetrate the US procurement ...
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Express lift to Mars
Tim Furniss/LONDON Selecting a possible landing craft later this summer will be the last stage in defining the science payloads for the European Space Agency's (ESA) Mars Express mission, which ESA hopes to launch in June 2003 if it receives the go-ahead in November. The decision to proceed ...
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Cessna alters singles lines as new ADs loom
Dave Higdon/INDEPENDENCE Changes are being made at Cessna's two-year-old factory for single-engined aircraft production. The changes are designed to end a series of service bulletins and airworthiness directives (AD) issued by the US Federal Aviation Administration which are mostly connected to engineering or assembly failures in the factory. ...
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Dassault will replace 900B
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Dassault Aviation is replacing its Falcon 900B triple-turbofan business jet with an upgraded variant of the aircraft known as the 900C. The Falcon 900C offers the same performance and cabin features as those of the 900B, but has the avionics of the extended range 900EX. The ...
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El Gavilan plans US assembly
El Gavilan is looking for a strategic partner in the USA to manufacture and sell its single-engine utility aircraft in the region. The company, which produces the piston-powered Gavilan 358 and is developing the 508T turboprop utility aircraft has already set up an office in Lockhaven, Pennsylvania, which is ...
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S-92 testbed
The first Sikorsky S-92 Helibus medium helicopter arrived at the company's West Palm Beach, Florida, development flight-test centre at the end of June, to be used as a propulsion systems testbed. Extensive ground-testing of the General Electric CT7-6D-powered helicopter is planned before the maiden flight, scheduled for the fourth quarter ...
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Aurora plans to extend endurance of Perseus
Aurora Flight Sciences, the Virginia-based maker of the Perseus B remotely piloted vehicle, has begun plans to extend the aircraft's high-altitude endurance capability following a successful flight from NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB, California, in which it reached a height of more than 60,000ft (18,300m). The ...
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Robinson designs hydraulics for R44
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Robinson has designed a customised hydraulic flight control system for its R44 four-seat light helicopter, in response to customer demand. "We have completed all the design work and we hope to have it installed on a machine and flying by early September," says Robinson customer support manager ...
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CFM56-7 failures spark FAA action
The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) which requires inspections of CFM International CFM56-7B turbofans that are used to power newly delivered Next Generation Boeing 737s. The move follows two inflight engine shutdowns on 26 June, both caused by failures in the accessory gearbox ...
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Air France confirms A320 family order
Air France has confirmed its order with Airbus Industrie for 16 A319s and four A321s to replace its ageing fleet of 19 Boeing 737-200s by January 2002. The aircraft will be powered by CFM International CFM56-5 engines. The airline has also taken 20 options for A320 family aircraft, of ...
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BA delays narrowbody decision
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES British Airways has delayed a decision on whether to choose Airbus Industrie or Boeing to supply its new short haul fleet after a last-minute revision of the US manufacturer's bid appeared to stave off an imminent move towards the European consortium. An evaluation team was ...
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GEC ready to spend cash pile on US defence acquisitions
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON GEC managing director Lord Simpson has outlined ambitions for a multi-billion-dollar acquisition spend in the US defence industry, effectively ruling out prospects that the UK group could wait for opportunities to emerge from French restructuring. GEC now has some £5 billion ($8.3 billion) at its disposal ...
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Asian airports open to sound of departing passengers
Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur have each opened a new international airport within days of each other - against the backdrop of falling traffic and the worst Asian economic downturn in recent history. Malaysia and Hong Kong have collectively invested $26 billion in building the two airports and supporting the ...
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Marubeni on Trent
Rolls-Royce has signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan's Marubeni to allow it to become a risk and revenue sharing partner in the Trent 500 programme. Source: Flight International
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Competition forces Airbus to consider innovative materials
Julian Moxon/PARIS Airbus Industrie is considering manufacturing the fuselage and wing of the A3XX from materials not yet used on transport aircraft, as part of its bid to ensure that the 480/650-seat aircraft is competitive with the Boeing 747-400 and its planned developments. Recent statements by the consortium ...
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Micro mistake
In Flight International, 1-7 July, we reported that General Motors and Williams International have teamed to manufacture microturbine generators. Dr Sam Williams, head of the US engine manufacturer, points out that the engine is geared for automotive and industrial applications and that the teaming relationship is limited to those arenas. ...
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P&W links with SIA for engine overhaul venture
Pratt & Whitney has finalised an agreement with Singapore Airlines (SIA) to establish a new engine repair and overhaul joint venture, in what is the latest in a series of after sales support investments in Asia by competing powerplant manufacturers. Eagle Services ASIA will be 51% owned by PW ...
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Alcatel satellite company confirmed
The consolidation of the satellite activities of Alcatel, Aerospatiale and Thomson CSF was officially completed on 1 July as part of a restructuring of the French electronics industry. The new company, in which Alcatel will hold a 51% share and Thomson 49%, will become the third largest satellite manufacturing ...
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Six-parachute cluster in K-1 test
Kistler Aerospace has completed a successful simulation of a landing by the reusable first stage of the K-1 satellite launcher, using a six-parachute cluster. The company described it as "one of the largest canopy deployments in the world". An instrumented payload was dropped from an aircraft at an altitude of ...
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China to launch European craft
A China Great Wall Industry (CGWIC) Long March 3B will be launched from Xichang between 14 and 18 July, carrying the first European satellite to fly on a Chinese booster. The Aerospatiale/Daimler-Benz Aerospace Sinosat 1 will be launched for Sino Satellite Communications carrying 24 C-band and 24 Ku-band transponders. ...