Fixed-wing – Page 1114
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USAF invites T-38C Talon upgrade bids
The US Air Force is drawing up a draft request for proposals for a $700 million upgrade of the Northrop T-38C's propulsion system and structure. This is in addition to ongoing avionics modernisation work designed to extend the trainer's life to 2040. Following the recent approval of an acquisition ...
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Apache arrival
The British Army Air Corps sees the WAH-64 as part of a light, flexible force Stewart Penney/LONDON On 15 March, the UK Army Air Corps (AAC) took delivery of the first of 67 GKN Westland WAH-64 Apaches, heralding a change within the British Army that those responsible for service ...
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Mobile manoeuvres
Changes in the nature of the world's armed forces has increased the demand for attack helicopters Stewart Penney/LONDON Collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War led to a major change in the structure of NATO as its members moved away from heavily armed forces based ...
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Tactical Helicopter Group and the command structure
When operational, 301 and 302 Squadrons at Gilze-Rijen - near Eindhoven - will form the armed element of the RNLAF Tactical Helicopter Group, which, in turn, forms the aviation element of the Netherlands' 11 Air Manoeuvre Brigade (AMB) operating alongside the Royal Netherlands Army's 11 Air Mobile Brigade, based at ...
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Flexible muscle
The Netherlands is the first international customer for the AH-64D Apache Stewart Penney/GILZE-RIJEN AB When the Netherlands ordered Boeing AH-64D Apaches in 1995, it became the first international customer for the updated version of the US Army's attack helicopter. The AH-64D has new digital avionics, an improved cockpit ...
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16 Air Assault Brigade Joint Helicopter Command
The AAC's Apaches will be operated by three regiments - 3 and 4 at Wattisham, Suffolk and 9 at Dishforth, Yorkshire - each with two squadrons of eight aircraft. Each regiment will also have a squadron of light utility helicopters, likely to be Lynx, incorporating an upgrade proposed by GKN ...
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People
Gareth Kirkwood, managing director (MD) of British Airways subsidiary Brymon Airways, has been appointed MD of British Airways World Cargo. Northrop Grumman's Electronic Sensors and Systems sector has appointed four new vice-presidents (VPs): Donald Wilhelm - airspace management systems, George Perkins - space systems, James Armitage - engineering, Baltimore operations ...
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A129 gets Stinger as helicopter...
A129 gets Stinger as helicopter anti-air missile moves on Raytheon has been awarded a contract by Italy to integrate the Stinger Block I air-to-air missile (AAM) with the Agusta A129 Mangusta attack helicopter, as the US company prepares to meet the Shorts Missile Systems (SMS) Starstreak in a competitive shoot-out ...
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Italy orders more C-130Js as A400M requirement falls
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The Italian air force plans to exercise additional options for the stretched Lockheed Martin C-130J-30 Hercules, further reducing its requirement for the Airbus Military Company A400M. Italy plans to deploy two Hercules squadrons equipped with 12 C-130Js and 12 C130J-30s. "We have 20 aircraft on contract and, ...
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Chile offered Advanced F-16s
Paul Lewis and Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Lockheed Martin has revealed that its recently submitted F-16C/D proposal to Chile includes elements of the new advanced-capability version. The Chilean air force (FACh) has moved quickly to press the newly inaugurated government in Santiago for a decision on the fighter programme. ...
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F-22 flights halt for flaperon rib repairs
New flaperon ribs are being installed on Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptors at the US Air Force's Edwards AFB, California, flight-test centre. The action follows discovery of a damaged rib during static testing. Delamination of a composite rib in the left-hand flaperon was discovered late last month, during ultimate-load testing ...
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United Arab Emirates F110 choice powers derivative to new level
General Electric has formally launched development of the most powerful F110 derivative yet, a 32,500lb-thrust (145kN) version, after its selection to power 80 Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 60 aircraft ordered earlier this month by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The company hopes the $400 million UAE win, for the ...
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Thai requirement revives UH-1H upgrades
International interest in the potentially large Bell UH-1H upgrade market is being revived, thanks in part to an emerging Thai military requirement to extend the life of more than 100 helicopters. The Thai army is looking at options to upgrade its 96 UH-IHs, while the Thai air force has ...
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Allied Force prompts Joint STARS upgrade
Last year's NATO air war against Yugoslavia has resulted in "quick reaction" modifications to the US Air Force's Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS). Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman expects to be under contract next month to begin engineering and manufacturing (EMD) of the Radar Technology ...
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Poland studies Mi-24 upgrade possibility
Poland is evaluating a plan to upgrade 20 Mil Mi-24s with new avionics and weapon systems to close the capability gap created by scrapping the PSL Swidnik Huzar attack helicopter programme in December 1998. The Polish Government dropped a contract with an Israeli Elbit-led consortium for the supply of ...
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US Army embraces smart cockpit
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Army is to fit the Rotorcraft Pilot's Associate (RPA) cockpit management system in Boeing AH-64D Apaches being upgraded to Longbow standard. The system is also being considered for a command and control version of the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk and a variant has found a ...
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The long road
The Chilean air force hopes that its looming fighter decision will put it firmly on the path to modernisation Paul Lewis/SANTIAGOSqueezed between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile has unique geographical characteristics. This pencil-thin nation stretches more than 4,000km (2,500 miles) from ...
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JSF faces further threats as delays build
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The Joint Strike Fighter programme is coming under threat from three sides. The engineers' strike at Boeing is pushing back the X-32 concept demonstrator's (CD) first flight; the General Accounting Office is calling for development delays and a Department of Defense acquisition strategy review looks likely ...
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MTU, Volvo and Fiat discuss link
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH MTU, Volvo Aero and FiatAvio are discussing a tie-up that could lead to the creation of a aero-engine concern rivalling Snecma for second spot behind Rolls-Royce in the European engine makers' league. The talks are at a preliminary stage. MTU says no decisions have been taken ...
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Southern success
Argentinian, Brazilian and Chilean companies lead in putting South America's aerospace industry on the map Paul Lewis/SANTIAGO Guy Norris/CORDOBA The South American aerospace industry has won recognition in recent years as a major player on the international scene, thanks in part to the success of Brazilian manufacturer Embraer. Two other ...