Fixed-wing – Page 1175
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Mercenary intentions
Alan Venter/LUSAKA The shooting down of three Angolan air force Mikoyan MiG-23s in the first week of January by Unita forces fielding hand-held surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) has introduced a new dimension to the Angolan war. The MiGs were engaged in ground support operations against Dr Jonas Savimbi's rebel army. ...
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Pakistan orders more F-7MG fighters, plans upgrades
Paul Lewis/ISLAMABAD Pakistan plans to order around 50 improved Chengdu F-7MG fighters from China, as the air force moves ahead with the upgrade of its existing F-7P and Dassault Mirage III/5 fighters and the delivery of more secondhand French aircraft. The Pakistan air force (PAF) is looking for ...
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ACE in the hole for AH-64 and UH-60
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Army plans to procure an Advanced Common Engine (ACE) in the 2,240kW (3,000shp) class for retrofit into in-service Boeing AH-64 Apache and Sikorsky Aircraft UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. US Army officials say the as-yet unfunded Common Engine Programme (CEP) is required for the ...
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Russian 1.44 to fly soon despite money shortage, says MAPO
MAPO MiG's MFI (Article 1.44) fifth generation fighter prototype will fly by early March, MAPO officials said at the aircraft's first public appearance on 12 January at the LII flight test centre at Zhukovsky, near Moscow. The aircraft taxied in front of an audience that included Russia's ministers of defence ...
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KC-10s training
Boeing has won a 10-year US Air Force KC-10 Aircrew Training System contract worth $80 million. The KC-10 tanker manufacturer will provide instructor and simulation-based training for cockpit procedures, boom operations and cargo loading. The work will be performed by Boeing Aerospace Operations with support from Thomson Training and Simulation ...
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US fighters tangle with Iraqi
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The first air-to-air engagements between US and Iraqi fighters since 1992 were inconclusive after all six missiles fired at MiG-25 interceptors in the no-fly zone over Iraq missed their targets in two incidents on 5 January. The US Department of Defense said it would not ...
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Japan considers tanker buy
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE The Japanese Defence Agency (JDA) is considering an Y80 billion ($710 million) purchase of four Boeing 767 or similar tanker aircraft, despite a decision to speed up planned procurement spending cuts. The JDA says no firm decision has been made on buying tankers. Money is expected ...
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F-22 production
The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin/Boeing and Pratt & Whitney contracts to build the first two production F-22 Raptor fighters. Lockheed Martin/Boeing has received a total of $504 million to build the two so-called Production Representative Test Vehicles to be used for operational flight testing. Nearly $190 million ...
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Ka-60 makes first flight
The Kamov Ka-60 Kasatka multirole utility helicopter made its first flight from Kamov's Lyubertsy works on 24 December, 1998. The helicopter, which has a design payload of 2,500kg, was built to a requirement from the Russian army for a light utility design capable of training, medevac, paradrop and supply roles. ...
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Predator UAV prowls through comms testing
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC General Atomics has demonstrated the ability of the Predator unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to communicate directly to air traffic control centres over a voice-radio relay link through a digital line of sight datalink. The trial is part of an effort to enable UAVs to fly in ...
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RAF considers SAR radar pod for Tornado and Eurofighter
Howard Gethin/LONDON The Royal Air Force is considering the possibility of giving its Eurofighter EF2000 and Panavia Tornado fleets a new all-weather day and night penetrating reconnaissance role early in the next century. The UK Defence Research Agency (DERA) has been tasked with conducting a technology demonstrator programme ...
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Israel clears Silver Arrow unmanned air vehicle for export
Israel has released for export the Silver Arrow-developed Hermes series of long-endurance unmanned air vehicles (UAVs). The systems have previously been classified. Silver Arrow UAVs are operated by the Israeli Defence Forces in long-range intelligence missions complementing data gathered by the Offeq-3 spy satellite. The firm is considered to be ...
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Pakistan plans to push ahead with Chinese Super 7 fighter
Paul Lewis/ISLAMABAD Pakistan is preparing to push ahead with full scale joint development with China of the Chengdu FC-1/Super 7 fighter as the US Government agrees to refund payments made on 28 embargoed Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs. The two countries are negotiating a detailed working agreement following the signing ...
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Boeing takes wraps off Wedgetail contender
Boeing has unveiled its Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) based contender for Australia's Project Wedgetail airborne early warning requirement. The competition is also being contested by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The BBJ (combining the fuselage of the 737-700 and the wing of the 737-800), with a mock-up of the 7m-long Northrop ...
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Merlin breaks the spell
Richard Scott/RNAS CULDROSE It has been a long time coming. The process of introducing the Merlin HM Mk1 shipborne helicopter to UK Royal Navy service finally began on 1 December, 1998, with the commissioning of 700M Naval Air Squadron (NAS) at RNAS Culdrose in south-west England. In its role as ...
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Leasing joins corporate fray
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON A new business aircraft leasing company, touted to be the world's first dedicated leasing operation, has been launched in the UK by joint venture partners CAPITAL BANK Corporate and aviation specialist, Exxtor. The first aircraft is scheduled for delivery next month. Corporate Aircraft Leasing (CALL) is designed to ...
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French receive E-2C
The French navy has taken delivery of the first of three Northrop Grumman Hawkeye E-2C airborne early warning aircraft destined for the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.Under the Fr5.9 billion ($1 billion) foreign military sales deal, the aircraft will be supplied with pilot and mission simulators, spares and a training ...
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Next-X ?
From the highs of the X-15's flights at over six times the speed of sound to the lows of the early-1990s' cancellation of the over-ambitious X-30 single-stage-to-orbit aerospace plane, the USA's "X-" series of experimental vehicles has exemplified the country's drive for dominance in the aeronautical and space technology arenas. ...
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AMRAAM purchase complete RAAF missile upgrade
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA The Australian Department of Defence has concluded separate deals with Matra BAe Dynamics and Raytheon Company for the acquisition of ASRAAM and AIM-120B AMRAAM missiles for carriage by the RAAF's F/A-18s. The two deals total more than A$130 million (U$S80 million). The ASRAAM deal will ...
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USAF ponders C-130 options
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US Air Force is expected to solicit industry proposals in the next few weeks for a Lockheed Martin C-130X Avionics Modernisation Programme (AMP) to upgrade its entire fleet of C-130Hs, older E models and special operations versions to a new common standard. A draft ...