Fixed-wing – Page 1166
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News
First NATO modified Polish MiG-29 makes its debut
Poland has deployed the first of its Mikoyan MiG-29A fighters fitted with Western identification friend or foe (IFF) and communications equipment, ready for air-defence duties with NATO following Poland's recent accession to the alliance. The new IFF blade antennas on the top of the nose to port of the electro-optical ...
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Sikorsky advances S-92 utility
Paul Lewis/STRATFORD Sikorsky is bringing forward the planned military utility version of the S-92 Helibus, including study of marinised applications for the medium-size helicopter. The company seeks international market support for a mid-year production go-ahead. The S-92 was intended primarily as a 19-seat civil helicopter, to be followed ...
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NATO reacts to surveillance challenge
Tim Ripley and DeeDeeDoke/LONDON Allied commanders are calling in additional surveillance assets to improve their coverage of Yugoslavia in an effort to combat intensifying Yugoslav military action in Kosovo. US Air Force General Atomics RQ-1A Predators and US Army TRW Hunter unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) - the latter on their ...
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B-1 is deployed as NATO targets Serb tactical units
NATO began to switch the emphasis of its air campaign in Yugoslavia to tactical targets on 31 March in an effort to target the Yugoslav army in Kosovo directly, but continued with strikes against strategic and air defence targets as bad weather hampered operations for much of the last week ...
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Unita rebels obtains MiG-23s, gunships
Unita, the Angolan rebel movement, has obtained up to six MiG-23 fighter bombers and six Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helicopters, South African sources say. The acquisition ends the Angolan Government's monopoly on air power and alters the balance of power in the country. More importantly it offers Unita the ...
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US Air Force offered another 60 C-17s
The US Air Force's C-17 Globemaster III transport fleet will number 180 if the US Department of Defense accepts a Boeing offer to supply a further60 aircraft. The unsolicited offer on 30 March results from a year-long Boeing study of cost-cutting measures aimed at generating further C-17 sales to ...
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US DoD to detail JSF cost restructure plan
Chris Jasper/LONDON Joint Strike Fighter rivals Boeing and Lockheed Martin are to be called in by the US Department of Defense on 9 April to be told how the DoD intends to restructure the programme in an attempt to head off rising costs. The planned revision of the programme will ...
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Poland takes first step towardsrebuilding aerospace industry
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Poland has begun restructuring its beleagured aerospace industry with the formation of a new company to take over the assets and ongoing operations of bankrupt PZL-Mielec Aircraft. The move is aimed at relieving the state-owned manufacturer of its crippling debts and allowing it to fulfil current ...
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Airbus aims to trim A3XX weight
Julian Moxon/PARIS The take-off weight of the Airbus Industrie A3XX will be reduced by 2-3t through the use of a new, high-pressure hydraulic system, if tests being carried out by Aerospatiale at Toulouse prove it to be economically and technically viable. "We have decided to go for a system ...
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NATO air armada begins wave of attacks on Serbian targets
Howard Gethin/LONDON Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Aircraft from 13 NATO nations began an air and missile bombardment of Yugoslav military targets on the night of 24/25 March in response to the failure of the Yugoslav Government to sign up to peace talks over the disputed Kosovo region of Serbia. The ...
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USAF study faults weapon performance in Bosnia as NATO starts Serb campaign
Tim Ripley/LONDON With NATO airpower striking at Yugoslavia, details have emerged of the performance of US "smart" weapons used during the organisation's last Balkan air offensive in 1995. The USAF's Balkan Air Campaign Study, which remains unpublished, even though it is available through the Freedom of Information Act, says ...
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US Navy fires first next generation Sidewinder missile
The US Navy and US Air Force's joint RaytheonAIM-9X Sidewinder programme passed a major milestone on 18 March with the first live test firing of the next generation air-to-air missile. The missile was launched from a US Navy Boeing F/A-18C fighter flying subsonic at 4,575m (15,000ft) operating from the China ...
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US restructures JSF programme concept demonstration
The US/UK Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme is to be restructured so the competing design teams can complete the concept demonstration phase with the funds available. JSF programme office deputy director Maj Gen Mike Haugh says that the work to be accomplished within the current phase will be reduced ...
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UK considers Sea Harrier modifications
The UK Royal Navy is considering modifying its Sea Harrier F/A2 fighters with a new colour multifunction display and identification friend or foe (IFF) transponder/interrogator as part of a fleet wide introduction of Successor IFF (SIFF) equipment. The new IFF installation programme applies to a range of military equipment and ...
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Making the transition
Eclipsed by the primes, Canada's second and third tiers contain world-class players Canada's diminishing defence spending has forced fundamental changes on to its aviation industry. Many companies, subsidiaries of US primes established to provide industrial offsets for Canada's past military purchases, have had to find a new raison d'etre. ...
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Elbit purchases US support company
Israel's Elbit Systems is continuing a drive to transform itself into a major upgrade centre for military aircraft, with the agreed purchase for $16 million of Alabama, USA-based International Enterprises (IEI). IEI provides repair, maintenance and logistics support for defence electronics systems on aircraft and ships. The deal follows ...
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Workshop
Alsalam Aircraft has signed a deal with Saudi Arabian Airlines to undertake heavy maintenance and overhaul on six of its Boeing 747s. Work will be performed at Alsalam's facility at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh. Alsalam, 25% owned by Saudi Arabian, undertakes a range of civil and military maintenance ...
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Matra BAe fails to make ASRAAM date
Howard Gethin/LONDON Deliveries of the Matra British Aerospace ASRAAM advanced short-range air-to-air missile to the Royal Air Force have been delayed by what the UK Minstry of Defence says are "operational and technical reasons". Neither customer or supplier will give a revised in-service date, but with production contracts ...
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S Korea pushes for more F-16s
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE The South Korean Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy is pushing to continue domestic production of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters beyond the initial 120-aircraft order. This is because of concerns that Samsung Aerospace, which manufactures the F-16 under licence, will have excess production capacity once the contract ...
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Metric range
Metric Systems is to lease rangeless air combat training systems to the US Air Force for use with Boeing F-15 and Lockheed Martin F-16 units in Europe. The contract, potentially worth $40 million, includes Metric's global positioning system rangeless instrumentation pod. Source: Flight International