Fixed-wing – Page 1170
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Manufacturers are on a high over sales prospects
Helicopter manufacturers are projecting increased deliveries this year, based on their order backlogs. Eurocopter has benefited from a strong US market, says president Patrick Gavin. The company delivered 216 commercial helicopters last year, up from 211 in 1997, and booked orders for 272. These include 32 upgraded versions of ...
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hover bother
Folks attending the Helicopter Association International's Heli Expo show in Texas last week were generally upbeat about their industry, despite the negative effects on some sectors of the Asian economic downturn and low oil prices. Outside the doors of the Dallas convention centre, however, the view was less than ...
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Italy to buy more helicopters, fighters, for two-carrier force
Andrea Nativi/GENOA The Italian navy is to significantly increase its capacity to project air power in the next decade, with plans to acquire additional fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and new platforms for operating them from. It currently operates 16 McDonnell Douglas Harrier II Plus fighter bombers and two TAV-8B ...
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UK plans marriage for services' Joint Force 2000 Harriers
Howard Gethin/LONDON UK Royal Air Force and Royal Navy Harrier squadrons are to be reorganised into new combined strike wings for the services' new carrierborne Joint Force 2000 (JF-2000), in a move that represents the closest co-operation between the two services in decades. The merger of the Harrier ...
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X-32 meets JSF compliance target
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Boeing claims to have kept its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme on budget by balancing the cost of a revised preferred weapons system concept (PWSC) with savings achieved in the construction of two X-32A/B demonstrator aircraft. "We've had a management plan in place that has been ...
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Tomahawk Text
The US Navy successfully conducted a Tomahawk cruise missile land attack flight test on 22 February. Launched from a cruiser, the missile flew to a test range at China Lake, California, where it was recovered for future use. The USN is working on an upgraded weapon dubbed Tactical Tomahawk. ...
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Sikorsky considers heavier Super Hawk
Sikorsky is studying a stretched, higher weight UH-60X version of the S-70A Black Hawk to meet a US Army requirement to carry heavier loads. The stretched helicopter would have the same gearbox and rotor system as the Sikorsky S-92 Helibus, the first prototype of which is now undergoing flight testing. ...
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Heavyweights to contend supply contract
The US Navy will shortly issue fresh request for proposals (RfP) to helicopter manufacturers and operators for a three year vertical replenishment (vertrep) service to support the fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and Arabian Gulf. This latest vertrep contract, extendible for up to five years, follows a series of ...
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CFM56 fault accepted under 'hazard ranking'
A serious mechanical fault that has occurred seven times in CFM International CFM56-3 turbofans between 1995 and 1997 has been calculated as an acceptable risk by the US and UK aviation authorities, a UK Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report reveals. The UK Civil Aviation Authority's acceptance of the ...
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Dasa study finds An-70 could meet European airlifter requirement
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) has revealed details of its technical evaluation of the Antonov An-70 medium transport, which is being studied as an alternative to the Airbus Military Company's A400M (formerly Future Large Aircraft) by Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The manufacturer concluded it would be technically ...
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Israel to upgrade Croatian MiGs
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Lahav division and Elbit Systems are to upgrade 30 Croatian air force Mikoyan MiG-21bis aircraft, following the signing of a framework deal on 15 February in Tel Aviv by the Israeli and Croatian defence ministers. The two Israeli companies will negotiate ...
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Merlin heads for amphibious support role
GKN Westland has proposed an upgrade of the EH101 Merlin helicopter to carry higher weight, as part of a growth plan partly devised to meet the UK requirement for a Future Amphibious Support Helicopter (FASH) replacement for the Royal Navy Commando force's Sea King HC4. The FASH requirement is likely ...
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Greek attention turns to attrition
Lockheed Martin and Dassault are to submit revised proposals for a smaller attrition sale of F-16C/D or Mirage 2000-5 fighters to the Greek Government, following its announced long term intention to join the Eurofighter consortium and order the EF2000 Typhoon. Greece made a verbal commitment to ordering the Typhoon on ...
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JASSM prepared for initial flight testing
Ramon Lopez/ORLANDO Lockheed Martin officials are preparing for the first flight test of the stealthy Joint Air-to-Surface Stand-off Missile (JASSM), planned for early March. The evaluation of the JASSM, which bears the US military designation AGM-158, will take place at an undisclosed US military test range, say project ...
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USA mounts new bid for NATO JSTARS
Northrop Grumman has supplied data on Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) derivatives to the USAir Force programme office as part of a revised proposal to sell the system to NATO for the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) project. The next NATO Conference of National Armament Directors, scheduled ...
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Mil begins upgraded Mi-24M flight tests
Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW The Russian army has embarked on a trial upgrade programme for its Mi-24 attack helicopters, in apparent recognition that it is unlikely to ever acquire meaningful numbers of the advanced Mi-28 or Ka-50 attack helicopters. The first Mil Mi-24M modernised combat helicopter made its first two test ...
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News in Brief
Patriot tie-up Lockheed Martin Vought Systems and DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa) have established a joint venture, to be called Air Defense Systems, to manufacture missile components, as part of the offset deal tied to Germany's purchase of the US firm's Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system. The venture will carry out ...
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Sukhoi to modernise Polish Su-22s
Poland has signed an agreement with Russian arms export agency Rusvooruzhenie and Sukhoi to upgrade 15 of the air force's Su-22 attack aircraft. Upgrade of a further 50-60 of the Polish air force's 100-strong fleet is also possible. The agreement has been signed by Sukhoi and the Polish Bydgoszcz ...
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Improvise and modernise
Paul Lewis/ISLAMABAD Resolving the deadlock with the USA over embargoed F-16 has left Pakistan's air force without new fighters The news that Washington had agreed to refund Islamabad $464 million for 28 undelivered Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs was greeted with mixed reactions by the Pakistan air force. The settlement brings to ...
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Teams firm in attack helicopter contest
The six bidders in the Australian AIR 87 attack helicopter are firming up their industrial partnerships as the Australian Army prepares to draw up a shortlist of contenders. According to Hervé Moray, leader of the Franco-German Eurocopter's Tiger helicopter proposal, a shortlist is expected at the end of March. This ...