All news – Page 6944
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F-117s fly again
The US Air Force's remaining 53 Lockheed Martin F-117 stealth fighters have been returned to flight status after the US Air Force lifted its grounding order which resulted from the crash on 14 September of an F-117 during an air show near Baltimore, Maryland. The aircraft broke apart and crashed ...
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USAF considers DC-X and X-33 for military-spaceplane testing
Boeing and Lockheed Martin have received US Air Force contracts to begin developing technologies and concepts for a military spaceplane. The Integrated Technology Testbed programme is aimed at demonstrating military-spaceplane operational concepts early next century. Boeing's demonstrator concept uses a re-usable rapid-response launch vehicle, derived from ...
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Fitters take over Polish reconnaissance
The Polish air force is now using some of its Sukhoi Su-22M4 Fitters to fulfil the reconnaissance role previously carried out by its Sukhoi Su-20s and Mikoyan MiG-21R Fishbeds, both types having been withdrawn from service. The MiG-21R was retired in July. The Fitters are being flown with the KKR-1 ...
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Aged to perfection?
Dave Higdon/WICHITA Flying from Clark County Airport in southern Indiana to a Kentucky state park a mere 110km (60nm) away hardly seemed a fair way to sample a Raytheon Beech Bonanza B36TC - let alone this loaded, 50th-anniversary edition. Certainly nothing to challenge the six-seat Bonanza's big speed, ...
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Schools in
Efforts to raise air-transport industry standards in China have not only been confined to the pilot, but have extended across the workforce. New training initiatives and investments have been targeted at high-level executives, middle-level managers, operations staff, down to line mechanics. China's call for help has been answered ...
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Cooking up business
The move to ATR 72s has so far been successful for Mount Cook Airline's crews and passengers Paul Phelan/CAIRNS A fleet of five to six Boeing 737-400s or Airbus A320s, and 13-14 Aero International (Regional) (AI(R)) ATR 72s, calculates one air-transport analyst, would far better fit Air New ...
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Misguided weapons
The Chinese air force's guided-weapons-procurement programmes mirror its fixed-wing projects in their profusion, and the leisurely pace of development. Like its combat-aircraft projects, the air force's air-launched-weapons procurements have relied heavily on licensed and unlicensed manufacture of Western designs while also pursuing the development of indigenous designs. ...
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Cultural revolution
The Chinese air force struggles on with its long march to modernity Douglas Barrie/London On paper, the Chinese air force is by far the greatest of Asia's Tigers, with its vast fleet of combat aircraft. In reality, it is closer to a woefully inadequate circus of museum pieces. ...
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Private pioneers
Tim Furniss/LONDON Sixteen organisations in Argentina, the UK and the USA are competing for a $10 million prize to be won by becoming the first to finance privately and build a spacecraft which can carry three people on a suborbital flight to an altitude of 100km. The prize ...
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Regional rewards
Europe's regionals meet in Italy on8-10 October, with much to be satisfied about Embraer's EMB-145, in British Regional Airways livery, is a direct rival for the Bombardier Canada Julian Moxon/PARIS Each year, it seems that the European regional-airline industry has better news to report. Traffic growth, ...
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Boeing points 737 business jet towards fractional owners
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Boeing is discussing its 737-based Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) with operators of corporate-aircraft fractional-ownership programmes. The company says that it wants to enter the fractional-ownership market with an established operator, but to offer part-owners the same level of product support which it will provide for ...
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Seasprite approval
Kaman's SH-2G(E) Super Seasprite maritime helicopter, configured for the Egyptian air force, has received approval from the US Navy following its successful flight-qualification and performance-testing programme. The Egyptian Government will take delivery of the first of ten SH-2Gs by the end of October. Source: Flight International
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Portugal nears SAR selection
The Portuguese air force is expected to make a decision by the end of the year on the selection of a search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter, after evaluating the last of the three contenders for the contract. The evaluation of the Eurocopter AS532 Cougar MkII is due to begin on ...
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Irish Police adds Ecureuil to fleet
The Irish Police air-support unit (ASU) has taken delivery of a Eurocopter AS355N Ecureuil 2. The aircraft will join the ASU's Pilatus Britten-Norman Defender 4000, which was delivered in August. Both aircraft are equipped with infra-red thermal imaging, recording cameras, searchlights and global- positioning navigation systems. Source: Flight ...
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Boeing flight tests improved MD600N
Boeing plans to complete follow-on testing of the MD600N by the end of the year, to clear enhancements to the recently certificated light single-turbine helicopter. Tests are under way at the former McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems in Mesa, Arizona, to expand the flight envelope and certificate additional equipment ...
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Honda fan plans
Honda plans to flight test an improved version of its HFX experimental small turbofan within the next two to three years. The HFX-20 will be more fuel-efficient and less noisy than the original HFX-01, the Japanese company says. Honda says that it has no plans for production. Source: ...
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P&WC sets sights on Williams-Rolls Royce niche
Pratt &Whitney Canada (P&WC) is studying the market for a small turbofan to compete with the Williams-Rolls FJ44. "We continue to look at small turbofans," says president Gilles Ouimet. "Williams obviously has a market niche. We will see how the market develops." The Canadian company is concerned by ...
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Zeppelin flies NT airship prototype
Zeppelin Luftschifftechnik has begun flight testing a prototype of its Zeppelin NT new-technology rigid airship. The craft's 45min maiden flight took place on 18 September, with US test pilot Scott Dannecker at the controls. The prototype was flown from the Friedrichshafen exhibition grounds, where it was assembled, landing ...
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Airbus considers producing all AE31X airframe in China
Airbus Industrie Asia (AIA) is discussing producing virtually the entire airframe structure for the planned AE31X family of regional aircraft in China, in an effort to reduce costs. AIA and its two joint-venture partners Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) and Singapore Technologies (STAe) have agreed that production costs ...
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J-STARS pitched back into ASTOR battle
Douglas Barrie/LONDON The UK is to reconsider the Northrop Grumman Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (J-STARS) to meet its Airborne Stand-off Radar System (ASTOR) requirement, following a political deal hammered out in September. The E-8 J-STARS bid was eliminated from the UK competition on technical ...