Fixed-wing – Page 1177
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USAF updates aircrew systems
The US Air Force is preparing to award contracts to operate and update some of its aircrew training systems. Competitions are under way to provide training services and systems for the Boeing B-1B and C-17, as well as Lockheed Martin C-5 and C-130 programmes. The C-5 competition is to ...
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Indian refuelling
Flight Refuelling of the UK is in talks with the Indian air force to supply Mk32 refuelling pods to give the air force's Sukhoi Su-30s a flight refuelling capability. The single pod would fit on the centreline pylon of the Sukhoi. Air force Jaguars could also perform buddy-buddy refuelling from ...
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Imperial is set to grow
South African air cargo and aircraft leasing company Safair is to be acquired by Imperial Holdings, a local transport and automotive company, in a R230 million ($40 million) cash purchase. The buy will be completed at the end of January 1999. Safair is a wholly owned subsidiary of South ...
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Going global
The US Government may be finally realising that, in aerospace at least, there is a world outside its own borders - or so its industry is hoping. In its year-end review and forecast, the US Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) has noted that the Department of Defense (DoD) is expected to ...
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Austria revises pilot training with Swedish help
Austria is to send pilots to train on Swedish air force Saab Viggens as it prepares to select by the end of next year an advanced fighter to replace its ageing fleet of J35OE Drakens. The Saab/British Aerospace JAS39 Gripen is seen as a leading contender to meet the ...
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USAF's 'Block D' B-1B goes operational
The first US Air Force B-1B bomber updated to "Block D" standard under the conventional mission upgrade programme (CMUP) made its first operational sortie on 3 December. The aircraft is the first of seven to be upgraded to the new standard as part of an accelerated element of the ...
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USAF considers extra F-16 order
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US Air Force has asked Lockheed Martin for pricing on 30 additional Block 50/52 F-16C/Ds to extend domestic production of the fighter to late 2003, while finalising the sale of 25 surplus F-16A/Bs and 20 accompanying upgrade packages to Portugal. According to the manufacturer, ...
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US Navy may fly Canadian CF-5s
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Navy and the Canadian Government are negotiating the lease of surplus Canadian Forces NorthropCF-5A/Bs to supplement F-5E/Fs used to prepare US fighter pilots for air-to-air engagements. Negotiations started six months ago on a a "no-cost" lease of between 14 and 16 CF-5A/Bs that ...
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Poland cancels Israeli contract for Huzar attack helicopter
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Poland has backed out of its $800 million agreement with an Israeli consortium to supply anti-tank missiles and integrated avionics for the PZL-Swidnik Huzar battlefield helicopter. A revised request for proposals (RFP) is expected to be issued early next year, with Warsaw hoping ...
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Canadian Aerospace aims to convert trainer
Canadian Aerospace Group, a unit of SL Ventures, has hired Florida-based Micro Systems to design and install a guidance and flight control system for its Monitor military jet trainer, modifying it for unmanned surveillance and strike missions. Ontario-based Canadian Aerospace and Micro Systems plan to jointly develop unmanned air ...
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Free range
Paul Seidenman/SAN FRANCISCO The US Air Force has completed more than 7,000 air combat training sorties using the Kadena Interim Training System (KITS). The USA's first operational rangeless training system, KITS was deployed in August last year at Kadena AB in Okinawa, Japan. KITS replaced the overwater Air Combat Manoeuvre ...
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Boeing to build next X-aircraft for NASA
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC NASA has selected Boeing to build the next X-series experimental vehicle, under its Future-X programme to demonstrate technologies for low-cost access to space. The unpiloted, reusable Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV) - likely to be designated the X-37 - will be released by theSpace Shuttle to demonstrate autonomous ...
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Problems stack up for US aerospace despite boom
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US aerospace industry will post a record $7.4 billion in profits on $140 billion in sales this year, and expects to see sales grow by $4.5 billion next year to $145 billion, according to the Aerospace Industries Association. The US trade group, however, declines ...
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BAe to manufacture Boeing 777 components
British Aerospace has secured a deal from Boeing to manufacture components for the 777 twinjet as the Airbus partner company realigns its aerostructures business. The Boeing deal follows an earlier contract to produce components for the Next Generation 737 and the 747. BAe's Aerostructures division has received a 10-year ...
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HAL reveals mock-up of trainer
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) unveiled a mock-up of its HJT-36 intermediate trainer at the show. The aircraft is a tandem-seat, single-engined, swept wing design, aimed at replacing the HAL Kiran 2 which will need to be removed from service in 2005, says the Indian manufacturer. The design, which is at ...
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Indian air force offered MiG-29 upgrade package
MAPO is offering a MiG-29 upgrade to the Indian air force to bring its fleet of MiG-29A fighters up to the SMT multirole standard first shown at the Farnborough air show this year. At the same time, the Russian company has begun to make progress on its MiG-21 upgrade for ...
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Lantirn order
Lockheed Martin's electronics and missiles unit has won a $106 million contract to manufacture low altitude navigation target infrared for Night (LANTIRN) systems for the Lockheed Martin F-16. The work includes 20 Sharpshooter and 20 Pathfinder pods, and related containers, support equipment and spares. The system permits fighter pilots to ...
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X-32 Design Review
Boeing has completed the final design review of the X-32 concept demonstrator with the US Defense Department's Joint Strike Fighter programme office. Details of the airframe, propulsion, subsystems and support systems, as well as flight testing plans are being finalised, says Boeing, which is building two X-32s for the competition. ...
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Waiting to happen
If airline flight safety is the issue, the US Federal Aviation Administration is almost always a world leader in developing systems to promote it. There is one area - flight operations quality assurance (FOQA) - however, in which it has long wanted to advance, but has been immobilised by circumstances ...
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Lockheed urged to hurry C-130J orders
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Political pressure is mounting on the US Air Force to accelerate its planned purchase of additional new Lockheed Martin C-130J transports by up to four years to fill a shortfall in orders after 2000 and a threatened temporary shutdown in production. Lockheed Martin has existing ...