All news – Page 6816
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Privatise now
It looks like strong arm tactics are about to be employed to try and get France to agree to privatise Aerospatiale as a precondition for its integration with its UK and German partners, British Aerospace and Daimler-Benz Aerospace, to form a European super company. As one German industry insider ...
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US Air Force works on passive AMRAAM
Douglas Barrie/LONDON The US Air Force is developing a secondary passive anti-radiation seeker for the Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The Passive Adjunct Seeker Antenna project is led by the USAF's Wright Laboratories Armament Directorate. A demonstration of the passive seeker antenna has already been ...
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Bidders line up for $1 billion Hercules special operations deal
The US Air Force is expected to award a $1 billion contract in June for long term contractor support for five special operations variants of the Lockheed Martin C-130 aircraft. The draft request for proposals (RFP) for the Integrated Weapon System Support Programme (IWSSP) was issued last year, and ...
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Decoy test finds heat snag
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Flight testing of the ALE-50 towed decoy on the Boeing F/A-18E/F has revealed that heat from the engine exhausts burns through the cable when afterburners are engaged, and can melt cable insulation and short out power to the decoy when engines are on full unreheated power. The ...
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Global Hawk air vehicle finally spreads its wings
The Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV) flew for the first time at Edwards AFB, California, on 28 February despite several small anomalies which shortened the inaugural flight. The Global Hawk, a high altitude long endurance (HALE) UAV, flew for 56min, although the initial mission was planned ...
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Israel will evaluate 707 replacements
The Israeli air force is preparing a fleet replacement programme for the 13 ageing Boeing 707-300s it operates in transport, electronic warfare (EW), electronic intelligence and tanker roles. The service is planning to gradually replace the 707s with a newer generation Boeing type selected from the 737, 757 or ...
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KTX-II partners push on despite South Korean budget reduction
Full-scale development of the KTX-II light combat aircraft/advanced trainer will continue, despite deep cuts in South Korean defence expenditure, say Samsung Aerospace and partner Lockheed Martin. The two companies are pressing ahead with refining the overall design of the aircraft and finalising the selection of subsystems, including the multimode ...
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Small TESAR
Northrop Grumman is to propose a scaled-down version of its Tactical Endurance Synthetic Aperture Radar (TESAR) for the US Army's Alliant Techsystems Outrider unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The TESAR is in production for the US Air Force's General Atomics Predator UAV, the company having received a $21 million contract for ...
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B-1B reserve
The US General Accounting Office believes that the US Air Force can save money by assigning more Rockwell B-1B bombers to reserve units. The USAF has 70 operational B-1s: 52 are assigned to active duty units and 18 are with reserve squadrons. The USAF plans to increase the operational fleet ...
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Silver Arrow unveils long endurance UAV
Israeli unmanned air vehicle (UAV) manufacturer Silver Arrow has rolled out the very long endurance Hermes-1500. The UAV, powered by two Rotax-914s, is to begin flight tests shortly. The vehicle is capable of flying for up to 40h at altitudes of up to 30,000ft (9,000m). Source: Flight International
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DARPA puts limits on UCAV competitors
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The competition to demonstrate an unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) is to be limited to four companies - Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Systems - says the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). A request for proposals is to be released on ...
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Rocket's red glare
When will the phoney war end for Raytheon and Matra BAe in the fight for the RAF's active radar guided missile? Douglas Barrie/LONDON Transatlantic battle has yet to be fully engaged between the major US and European air to air missile houses - Raytheon and Matra BAe Dynamics - ...
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Battling the giants
Closures, airport bans and hostile neighbours have hit general aviation hard in Europe Kate Sarsfield/London EUROPEAN Owners of general aviation (GA) aircraft not only have to face the opprobrium of hostile neighbours, including the occasional sniper, but they are rapidly being deprived of airfields. Barely a week goes by when ...
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Cause for concern
As the third Ariane 5 is prepared for launch, there is anxiety about the programme Tim Furniss/LONDON Such is the state of the Ariane 5 programme that the third test flight of the European launcher in July will create as much tension as the first. The launcher's maiden flight ended ...
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Sociable climber
Mooney's Encore climbs, descends and cruises like its hot-rod predecessor, but is a machine for serious business flying Dave Higdon/augusta, kansas Mooneys's Encore climbs, descends and cruises like its hot-rod predecessor, but is a machine for serious business flying.What most sticks in mind about one aeroplane or another? Is it ...
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Maiden flight of Ae 270 scheduled for mid-1999
Taiwan's Aerospace Industrial Development (AIDC) and Czech partner Aero Vodochody will begin assembling the first prototype Ae 270 single turboprop utility aircraft by the middle of the year in readiness for a maiden flight in 1999. According to AIDC business manager Paul Yang, the Taichung-based manufacturer has already begun ...
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Lufthansa/Bombardier venture beats FAA certification schedule
German-Canadian maintenance joint venture Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS)has won US Federal Aviation Administration certification. The company is now an approved maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services provider for Learjet and Canadair Challenger aircraft which belong to customers based in North America and Europe. LBAS is a joint venture ...
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Learjet 45 deliveries await icing approval
Bombardier says that it will begin Learjet 45 deliveries "immediately following the successful conclusion of planned post-certification modifications to the anti-icing system". The Learjet 45 was certificated last September and deliveries had been expected to begin before the end of the year. "We committed to our customers that their ...
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Final Lycoming AD limits inspections
The US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is claiming victory after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a revised airworthiness directive (AD) limiting the impact of crankshaft inspections on Textron Lycoming piston engines. AOPA says that "80% of Lycoming owners will not be affected" by the final rule - ...
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Raytheon backs Mexican share plan
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Raytheon Aircraft is backing efforts by its Mexican distributor, Aerolineas Ejecutivas, to establish a business jet fractional ownership programme in Mexico, using Beechjet 400As. The Mex Jet 2000 programme has yet to be launched, but Aerolineas is believed to be close to selling all the available ...