All news – Page 6778
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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 ...
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Korean Air incurs fresh penalties
Korean Air (KAL) has suffered a new round of government sanctions on its domestic operations following the release of findings from the investigation into the recent runway overrun of a KAL Boeing MD-83. The South Korean Government has forced KAL to cut frequencies on its Seoul-Pohang route from 35 ...
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Transeuropean flies Tu-204
Transeuropean Airlines introduced on 15 May the first of three Tupolev Tu-204s it has on order, serving Barcelona from Moscow. The Moscow Sheremetyevo-based charter carrier, which operates two Tupolev Tu-154s and three Ilyushin Il-86s, will take delivery of its second and third Perm PS-90A-powered Tu-204s later this year for operation ...
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Chinese aim to compensate for traffic slump with aircraft leases
Chinese airlines are responding to overcapacity and a slump in domestic traffic by offering aircraft for lease to other carriers. China Southern Airlines, based in Guangzhou, is to wet-lease two of its Boeing 777-200s to Biman Airlines of Bangladesh for carrying passengers on the hadj, starting in July. Chengdu-based ...
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US carriers keep close watch on American court case
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC American Airlines promises to mount a vigorous defence against US Department of Justice (DoJ) allegations that it practised predatory behaviour to drive out start-up airlines at its Dallas/Fort Worth hub (Flight International, 19-25 May). The civil lawsuit against American is the first to follow a ...
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JAA warns of fraught times ahead
Replacing the European Joint Aviation Authorities with its planned successor, the single European Aviation Safety Authority (EASA), over the next five years is going to be fraught with difficulties, according to JAA director-general Klaus Koplin. The JAA has completed its basic task, Koplin says, and its remaining job is to ...
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Pakistan International introduces first 747-300 with revised scheme
Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has begun its fleet update programme with the introduction of the first of six Boeing 747-300s on lease from Cathay Pacific. The first aircraft, in a modified colour scheme, is being operated to London. The Rolls-Royce RB211-powered 747-300s, acquired under a lease-purchase contract, replace six Pratt ...
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Stabilised delays
Airspace restrictions imposed because of the Kosovo crisis are causing 30% of air traffic delays in Europe, according to Eurocontrol. The level of delays due to the airspace restrictions has fallen and stabilised over the last month. In the first two weeks of the conflict about 50% of air traffic ...