Fixed-wing – Page 1157
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GECI inks Fairchild Dornier contract
Paris-based GECI Technologies has clinched a contract to help design the complete fuselage and cockpit of Fairchild Dornier's regional 728JET. One hundred and twenty of these advanced 70-seaters have already been ordered by Lufthansa, with 90- and 50-seat versions scheduled to enter service in 2003 and 2004 respectively. ...
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Israeli Arrow hits bullseye in test
Visitors to the Paris air show will have the chance to view operational elements of the advanced Israeli Arrow anti-ballistic missile system, which is being displayed outside the Jewish state for the first time. Israel Aircraft Industries have a launcher, fire control system and a surrogate missile on display outside ...
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UAVs prove value to theatre commanders
The age of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has arrived, a top Pentagon admiral announced in Paris as he revealed details of its key role in recent allied air strikes against Serb forces. Speaking at the annual Shephard Press UAV Conference immediately before the air show, Rear Admiral Robert Nutwell ...
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Helicopter makers battle for major military deals
Rival helicopter manufacturers will be using show week to cement their bids for several lucrative military contracts which are moving toward firm decision time. Top of their wish list would undoubtedly be winning the race to supply Turkey's $3-billion requirement for 145 attack helicopters - a protracted competition that was ...
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Builders line up for navy 'vertrep' contract
Helicopter manufacturers are lining up to bid for a three-year vertical replenishment (vertrep) contract in the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf, following the release by the US Navy of a fresh request for proposals (RfP). Kaman, which will be offering its K-Max heavy lift helicopter, says it expects a firm ...
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Lockheed Martin X-35 set for a double debut
The two X-35 concept demonstrators taking shape at the Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, are very similar in appearance to the aircraft Lockheed Martin will offer in the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) competition - and that is a trump card in the company's battle against Boeing to win the 3,000-aircraft ...
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Battle of the joint strike fighters
Boeing comes to Paris with a renewed optimism for its work on the X-32 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) following news of the successful joining of the wing to the first of the two concept demonstrators being built at the company's Palmdale, California works. Reports that the competitor, Lockheed Martin's X-35, ...
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Nite Hawk pod upgrade planned for Spanish air force
Sener of Spain has joined forces with Lockheed Martin to offer the Spanish air force an upgraded version of the Nite Hawk targeting pod for its Boeing F-18s. The team has in its sights upgrading some 500 pods in service worldwide. The new Nite Hawk Block III features ...
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Turin roll-out for the new C-27J Spartan
Alenia and Lockheed Martin's new C-27J Spartan is to be rolled out in Turin tomorrow as the Italian-US collaborative project gathers momentum. The new aircraft, which incorporates many of the modern propulsion, avionics, glass cockpit and other features of the C-130J, is due to fly before the end of the ...
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Embraer angling for increase in military sales
Embraer's ALX advanced trainer/light combat aircraft has made its first flight on the eve of the Paris air show. The Brazilian air force has ordered 100 ALXs, also known as the Super Tucano, and the company believes there will also be a "strong" export market. The first flight, from Embraer's ...
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UK Apache programme on target for deliveries
The first WAH-64 Apache helicopter destined for the UK Army Air Corps has arrived at GKN Westland's South West England base for final assembly. The aircraft is the first of nine being shipped to the UK this year from Boeing's Mesa, Arizona, plant and marks the beginning of a ramp-up ...
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Zvezda ejection seat proves its worth - again
For the third time in 10 years Russian display pilots owe their lives to the spectacular capability of an ejection seat - the Zvezda K-36DM. Yesterday's dramatic incident, in which the two airmen were catapulted from the cockpit of their Su-30MK just 150ft (45m) from the ground, mirrored a MiG-29 ...
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'The Sukhoi dropped like a stone'
As people stared from chalet balconies at the smoke-enveloped crash site, Sukhoi's staff made frantic telephone calls and officials at the bureau's static park pavilion could be seen openly weeping as they waited to hear about the crew's fate. "We can't see the runway from ...
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Crashes happen despite stringent safety standards
Nobody works harder than the organisers of air shows to keep them safe, but the proximity of people and hardware being put through its paces means there is inherent danger in such events. It's exactly 10 years since Russian pilot Anatoly Kvotchur ejected horizontally moments before his vertically-diving MiG-29 plunged ...
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RBE2 radar gets ahead
The RBE2 radar - a European pioneer - is set to be among the first airborne multirole electronically scanned radars in the world to be introduced into service Julian Moxon/PARISThe Rafale's RBE2 (radar à balayage electronique/2) multirole electronic scanning radar is the first of its type to be developed in ...
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Seeker gets on track
The Rafale's electro-optic sensors, the aircraft's 'eyes' will provide a valuable supplement to the radar and together will give the crew a detailed all-weather view Julian Moxon/PARIS Flight testing of the Rafale's front sector optronics (FSO) system began in April, aboard the Dassault Mystere 20 "avion banc d'essai" testbed aircraft. ...
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Mentors grounded
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recommended immediate grounding of Beech YT-34, T-34A, and T-34B Mentors that have been used for recreational air combat simulation flights. Operators are recommended to carry out thorough checks of wing spars and "other critical structures". The NTSB also proposes that Raytheon Aircraft ...
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Crucial face-off looms in Norway fighter contest
Eurofighter and Lockheed Martin are squaring up for a crucial battle in Norway. The European consortium Eurofighter is fighting to secure a Typhoon order from Norway, a long-established F-16 customer. Bids have been submitted to the Norwegian air force, which is seeking 20 firm orders and 10 options for ...
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Marine Rafale
The Rafale M is the first carrier-capable aircraft developed by Dassault Aviation since the Super Etendard entered service in 1978 and, as such heralds a new era of French maritime power. The Charles de Gaulle will carry up to 30 Rafale Ms as its primary fleet air defence/interception force. The ...
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Digital domain
The digital revolution is spreading to the battlefield and a leading light, the Comanche, will be on view at Paris Paul Lewis/NASHVILLE The US military is preparing for a warfare revolution by forming the world's first digitised army early next century. At the head of this planned Army XXI ...