All news – Page 6992
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UK MoD will invite tenders for new IFF programme soon
Douglas Barrie/London The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is likely to release an invitation to tender for its £500 million ($800 million)-plus next-generation identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) programme within the next two to three months. The Successor IFF (SIFF) project is intended to provide all three armed services ...
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Clinton faces Latin America discord
A decision by the Clinton Administration to ease a two-decades-old ban on the sale of advanced US weaponry to Latin America has been attacked by opponents within US Congress, who vow to redouble their efforts to stop such sales. The White House announced on 1 August that the ...
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Northrop plans to show missile's flightpath live via video camera all the way to target
NORTHROPGRUMMAN is to demonstrate a bomb-damage-assessment system which consists of a video camera tethered 300m behind the munition to transmit images throughout the weapon's flight to the target. The US Air Force has awarded the company a $480,000 contract to supply its Munition-Deployed Bomb Damage Assessment sensors, integrated ...
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Increased potency
Bell's continued investment in the Cobra and Huey programmes may save money Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC VALUEFORMONEY is an overused phrase, but it is the central tenet of the US Marine Corps' programme to upgrade its Bell AH-1WSuperCobra and UH-1N Huey helicopters for continued service through to 2020. To ...
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Civil and military helicopter directory
Compiled by Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC and John Christovassilis/LONDON Helicopter manufacturers are working, with some success, to stimulate the civil market with the introduction of new designs. Bell Helicopter Textron, the leading civil-helicopter manufacturer with around half the world market, has revamped its commercial product-line, most recently ...
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Express success
Forbes Mutch/BILLUND, DENMARK There is usually only one reason why an airline's management might purchase new aircraft, and that is expansion. It may be expansion of the route network, an increase in service frequency or a rise in the number of passengers. In the case of Sun-Air of ...
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On the defensive
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Gen Huang Hsien-yung, commander-in-chief of the Taiwan air force, has a single, very important task: defend Taiwan from China. "Our strategy is defensive, and the required mission for the air force is to intercept enemy aircraft," says Huang. China considers Taiwan a renegade province, ...
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Tiger begins to roar
Optimism is rising as the Franco-German Tiger is prepared for production Julian Moxon/MUNICH Morale has improved considerably at Eurocopter's Tiger programme office since the signature of the production-investment contract (PIC) at the Paris air show on 20 June. The event laid to rest last-minute doubts about the commitment ...
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Belgian minister bans air shows
Herman De Wulf/BELGIUM The Belgian minister of defence, Jean-Pol Poncelet, has ordered a ban on air shows at Belgian military airfields, pending a forthcoming inquiry into safety precautions and local emergency procedures. The decision, which effectively puts an end to all air shows in Belgium, follows ...
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AviaBellanca Aircraft brings back SkyRocket six-seater as kitplane
NEWLY REFORMED AviaBellanca Aircraft has announced plans to market its SkyRocket III six-seat piston single as a kitplane while its pursues US certification of the aircraft. The Reston, Virginia-based company exhibited the first, 285kt (525km/h) SkyRocket II prototype at Oshkosh '97. President John Clark says that the company ...
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Avions Mignet shows Cordouan
Avions Mignet of France displayed the HM.1100 Cordouan tandem-wing, ultra-light aircraft at the Reaseau du Sport de l'Air Rally in Epinal Mirecourt, France, on 18-20 July. The aircraft, which had its first flight in June, is built from a mixture of metal and composites, has a three-axis control and nose-wheel ...
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Cirrus adds autopilot and larger display to SR20 specification
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC CIRRUSDESIGN has improved the specification of its SR20 light aircraft "-to further safety and ease of operation". The four-seat, all-composite aircraft will now include, as standard, an S-Tec roll-axis autopilot and larger Arnav multi-function display. The price has been increased, from $144,500 to $159,600, to ...
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Gulfstream contract
Gulfstream has signed a two-year contract with Garrett Aviation Services subsidiary, The Jet Center, to provide maintenance services for aircraft in its Netjet fractional- ownership fleet, which it operates under the Executive Jet banner. The Jet Center, which was acquired by Garrett in October 1994, will perform maintenance and repairs ...
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Galaxy selects Alliance for new headquarters
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Galaxy Aerospace has selected Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas as the base for its new $12 million US headquarters. The aircraft completion and service centre, parts depot and corporate and marketing offices, are scheduled to open in 1998, to coincide with the delivery of the ...
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Mooney scouts two-seater market for Predator
Graham Warwick/Oshkosh Kate Sarsfield/London MOONEY AIRCRAFT is surveying the market for the M20T Predator, a two-seat aircraft based on the company's unsuccessful entry in the US Air Force's early-1990s enhanced flight-screener competition. Based on Mooney's high-performance four-seaters, the Predator has side-by-side seating under a sliding canopy, and dual ...
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Revised figures force New Zealand insurers to review premiums
Aviation insurance underwriters in New Zealand, whose premiums have traditionally favoured turbine-powered helicopters over piston types, are now reviewing the differential rates they offer turbine operators. Aviation underwriter Arden Jennings told New Zealand's Aviation Industry Association conference at New Plymouth on 31 July that 11 of the 400 ...
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Flightstar aims for year-end deliveries
Ellington, Connecticut-based Flightstar introduced the German-designed C-42 Cyclone two-seat sportplane at Oshkosh '97. Kit deliveries will begin later this year, followed in 1998 by certificated Cyclones produced by Sebring, Florida-based Leza-Lockwood Aviation. Kits will cost about $30,000, including 60kW (80hp) Rotax 912 engine and a BRS emergency parachute-recovery system. ...
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Lionheart entrance
Harvest, Alabama-based Griffon Aerospace displayed its Lionheart six-seat kitplane at Oshkosh '97, just days after its first flight. The Lionheart is designed to use a rebuilt, 335kW (450hp) Pratt & Whitney R985 radial engine. The kit costs $90,000 without engine. Source: Flight International
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Zenith steps up production of trainers and starts dealer net
ZENITH IS INCREASING production of its CH2000 two-seat trainer to 100 aircraft a year and establishing a dealer network in the USA and elsewhere. The Midland, Ontario-based company is now producing two aircraft a month and has delivered 34 CH2000s since receiving certification in 1995. Diamond Aircraft, meanwhile, ...
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Tigress ready to roar
Lancair has launched a new high-performance - 325kt (600km/h) - kitplane, the Tigress, which was displayed at Oshkosh '97 powered by a 450kW (600hp) Orenda OE-600 turbocharged Vee-8. Source: Flight International