All news – Page 6764
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Motorola completes Iridium constellation
Motorola's planned 66-satellite fleet of Iridium worldwide mobile communications satellites were all in orbit on 17 May after the launch of five satellites on a Boeing Delta II from Vandenberg AFB, California. In all, 72 Lockheed Martin-built satellites in the $5 billion system have now been launched in a ...
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Wake shield
Spacehab, which provides pressurised modules for the Space Shuttle, has signed an agreement with the University of Houston's Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center for the rights to the Wake Shield Facility free flier, which has has flown two Shuttle missions to manufacture semiconductor thin film materials. Source: Flight International
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NASA introduces lightweight tank on next Shuttle mission
Tim Furniss/LONDON A major component change to the Space Shuttle system will be introduced on 2 June when the Discovery STS91 is launched on the ninth Shuttle Mir Mission (SMM). The Shuttle stack will incorporate the first lightweight external tank (ET) which holds the 543,300 litres of liquid ...
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Echostar IV solar panels hit trouble
The Lockheed Martin A21200AX, Echostar IV communications satellite launched aboard a Proton booster from Baikonur by ILS International Launch Services on 8 May has experienced problems with solar panel deployment. Some transponders on board are believed to have been affected. Lockheed Martin's recent contract ...
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Moving with the times
Peter Henley/WOODFORD Generations of test pilots have enjoyed varied and rewarding careers at the Avro Flight Test Centre (FTC), Woodford, in northern England. The FTC now, however, has roles and expertise far more complex than in the past. This is partly attributable to the march of technology, but also through ...
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Reaching for the sky
Dave Higdon/HOUSTON After several false dawns, the much trumpeted renaissance of general aviation in the USA finally appears to have become reality in 1997 - with a hint of a continuing strengthening of the position in years to come, according to figures delivered by the Federal Aviation Administration during the ...
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Kidde stops smoking
Kidde Technologies has been selected by Boeing to supply cargo fire-protection equipment for Next Generation 737s, starting this year, fending off rival bids, including one from French company Cerberus Guinard. Source: Flight International
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Laser power
The US Department of Defense has awarded a $750,000 contract to Laser Power to develop a full colour helmet-mounted display (HMD) for military pilot training. The San Diego, California-based firm will produce an HMD with proprietary red, green and blue solid-state "microlasers" providing 2,560 x 2,048 resolution with 80° per ...
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Planar advance
Planar Advance of Beaverton, Oregon, has been awarded a contract by L-3 Display Systems to deliver a new, high-resolution flat-panel display subassembly for the US Army's Boeing AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. The Eagle-5M displays will be incorporated in the helicopter's target acquisition designation system in the gunner/co-pilot seat. Source: ...
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Virtek speeds EF2000
British Aerospace has cut by 25% the man hours spent on producing composite structural components for the Eurofighter EF2000 by introducing a laser templating machine produced by Virtek Vision of Canada. Source: Flight International
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Iridium loss
A fifth Motorola Iridium global mobile communications satellite has stopped working, reducing to 62 the number of fully operational spacecraft. Unconfirmed reports indicate that several other Iridiums are experiencing momentum wheel stabilisation problems. Five more satellites were due to be launched on a much-delayed Boeing Delta II from Vandeberg AFB, ...
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100th PC-12 delivered
Pilatus Aircraft has delivered its 100th PC-12 to a private customer, nearly 42 months after the first single-engined aircraft was delivered. The turboprop was sold in a corporate configuration. Source: Flight International
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Galaxy clocks up
Galaxy Aerospace's Galaxy business jet has reached Mach 0.9 during a certification test at Israel Aircraft Industries to assess maximum cruise speed. The test aircraft has now accumulated 120h over 35 flights. Source: Flight International
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Fortis sale
Fortis Aviation has delivered an executive Boeing 757-200ER to an undisclosed US-based customer. The aircraft, previously owned by Denmark's Sterling Airways, was converted from an airliner to a corporate variant in 1994. Source: Flight International
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K-Max firefighter
The Royal Malaysian Air Force has deployed a Kaman K-MAX helicopter to help tackle forest fires in the Kuantan region, on the east coast. The K-MAX has dropped more than 2.65 million litres of water since operations began in mid-April. Source: Flight International
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Sloane delivers
Sloane Helicopters has delivered a Robinson R22 to a private customer, bringing to nine the number of Robinson helicopters delivered by the UK-based distributor this year. Sloane has orders for five R22s and two R44s to date and is due to deliver its first two Agusta A109 Powers by the ...
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GEC EURODASS
GEC-Marconi Avionics has been awarded a £170 million contract by British Aerospace to lead production of the defensive aids subsystem for the Eurofighter EF2000. The Stanmore, UK-based team will work with EURODASS partners BAe, Elettronica of Italy and Indra of Spain to incorporate features which include missile warning and active ...
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Damage to wiring grounds old 737s
Chafed electrical wires in fuel tank conduits were found in so many older Boeing 737s that the US Federal Aviation Administration grounded many of them by issuing an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) on 10 May. Checks on fuel tank pump wiring following an earlier AD had revealed that seriously ...
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New 737s may be produced at Douglas Long Beach factory
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing is studying setting up a Next Generation 737 production line at its Douglas Products division site in Long Beach, California, although it says that the plan, if it gets the go-ahead, would not take place before 1999. The study was announced as part of changes designed ...
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Airbus seeks A3XX commitments
Max Kingsley-Jones/TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie says it is to start seeking launch commitments from airlines for the A3XX large aircraft early next year. One of the key potential customers, British Airways, has already indicated a requirement for up to 23 aircraft. Jurgen Thomas, senior vice-president of Airbus Industrie's large ...