Fixed-wing – Page 1113
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Slovakian deployment
Ten US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter aircraft and supporting personnel deployed on 1 April from Spangdahlem AB, Germany, to the Malacky airbase in Slovakia for the first time. The F-16s will use the bombing range at nearby Kuchyna after a bilateral agreement was signed last year (Flight International, ...
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JSF contract landed
Messier-Dowty has selected Aircraft Braking Systems, Eaton Aerospace and a Parker Aerospace/Normalair Garrett joint venture to join its team developing landing gear for Boeing's Joint Strike Fighter contender. Their work will include contributions to actuation, nosewheel steering and brake systems. Source: Flight International
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US Army rolls out aviation modernisation plan
Ramon Lopez/FORT WORTHThe US Army plans to procure 1,213 Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche helicopters, but seems to be stepping back from its aim of converting all Boeing AH-64As into the more capable Apache Longbow configuration. A March 2000 draft of the aviation modernisation plan obtained by Flight International shows that the ...
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Sri Lankan crashes
An Antonov An-12 cargo aircraft crashed on its third approach to Kadirana Airport, Sri Lanka, on 24 March. Six of the eight people on board were killed, with three fatalities on the ground. On 30 March, a Sri Lanka air force-operated An-26 crashed on an emergency diversion to Thalawa. Its ...
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Strengths and weaknesses
Operational evaluation confirms the Boeing F/A-18E/F as the best carrier-based fighter the US Navy can afford - but it's not perfect Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Development and operational testing are two different disciplines. So it was with trepidation that the US Navy awaited the results of operational evaluation (Opeval) of ...
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US Army keen to move on common engine
The US Army wants to move ahead with the proposed new Common Engine Programme (CEP) to power Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow helicopters and the Sikorsky UH-60X Black Hawk. It has failed to enlist the US Navy's support for a joint development, however. An operational requirements document (ORD) has been signed ...
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US Army opposes call to cut Comanche build numbers
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US Army has ruled out cuts to the size of its planned Boeing/Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche programme as part of its soon-to-be-released aviation modernisation plan. "Our programme is still good -it still goes on to 2023, with the first unit fielding Comanches in 2008. That programme ...
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Contracts
Rohde &Schwarz has won a DM18.5 million ($9.15 million) contract to supply NATO-compatible radios to Saab for Batch 3 JAS39 Gripen fighters. An option is included to retrofit earlier aircraft. Denel of South Africa has signed a deal to become a strategic partner to BAE Systems following the agreement to ...
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USN F-14 re-evaluation saves $268 million and extends life
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US Navy has extended the fatigue life of its 220 Northrop Grumman F-14 Tomcats by re-evaluating the original structural analysis and service life projections of the aircraft. This will ensure that the fighter has a substantial number of available flight hours left after the type ...
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New Zealand says 'no' to F-16s
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC New Zealand has scrapped its controversial deal to lease 28 Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs from the USA and is to retain its elderly McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks until at least 2007. Following Wellington's decision, however, the 28 Block 15 OCU-standard F-16A/Bs are not ...
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Teledyne JASSM win revives Tomahawk hopes
Teledyne Continental Motors is to power Lockheed Martin's Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM) with the J402-100, a new derivative of its J402-400 turbojet. The deal, which covers production of up to 3,700 units, follows the completion of a powered test flight at the White Sands missile range late last ...
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BAE and EADS enter final straight in race for Alenia
Chris Jasper/LONDON Andy Nativi/GENOA BAE Systems and European Aeronautic, Defense and Space (EADS) have submitted their final bids for a tie-up with Italy's Alenia Aeronautica. The Italian Government is expected to choose between the two as early as this week. The UK company has offered "a global alliance", taking ...
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People
Air Canada has appointed Calin Rovinescu executive vice-president (VP) corporate development and strategy. Rovinescu advised the airline on resisting a takeover bid by Onex, and on the acquisition of Canadian Airlines. BAE Systems has named Allan Cook as group managing director (MD), programmes and Eurofighter, replacing Steve Mogford, now one ...
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Reality check
The ability of small air forces to define, develop and maintain a credible level of air combat capability has always been a challenge, but it may be becoming an impossibility if New Zealand's scrapping of its deal with the USA for 28 Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs is anything to go by. ...
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Funding delay holds up Austrian medium helicopter choice
Selection by Austria of a medium-lift helicopter has slipped to the mid-year after funding was not included in the 2000 budget announced on 21 March. A decision had been expected in February. The Ministry of Defence will decide between the Eurocopter AS532UC Cougar and the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk. ...
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US Navy considers hybrid UAV designs
Unmanned air vehicle (UAV) concepts based on the unconventional CarterCopter (CC), a hybrid autogyro and fixed-wing design, are believed to have been submitted to the US Navy for its Multi-Role Endurance (MRE) UAV contest. Contract bids were due to be submitted by 17 March. Although the bidders are not ...
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DoD aims to relax arms controls
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The US Department of Defense (DoD) is pushing for controls to be waived on exports of weapons and technology to the UK and Australia, in an effort to enhance interoperability and encourage open defence markets. Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Secretary of State Madeline Albright ...
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AH-X bidders await end-of-year request
Manufacturers eyeing a potential contract to replace Japan's 84 Fuji/Bell AH-1S attack helicopters say they anticipate a fresh request for information to be issued by the end of the year. According to Boeing, which is proposing the AH-64D Apache Longbow, this could be followed by a contract in around ...
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Japan's BK117 C-2 prototype flies at Gifu
Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) has successfully flown the first Japanese-built prototype BK117 C-2 medium-twin-turbine helicopter at its Gifu plant. First flight was on 15 March, for about 1h, says Masato Furusawa, KHI's senior manager of helicopter project engineering. The prototype hovered and demonstrated forward, reverse and sideways flight and ...
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Japanese fine tune military transport requirement
Andrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO The Japan Defence Agency (JDA) has begun to crystallise its requirement for a replacement military transport, according to JDA officials speaking at the Tokyo Aerospace 2000 show - held from 22-26 March at the Tokyo International Exhibition Centre. The C-X replacement for the air force's ageing ...