Fixed-wing – Page 1180
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Italy borrows to buy Eurofighter
Andrea Spinelli/GENOAThe Italian air force is being forced to borrow L1,000 billion ($598 million) from its research and development budget for the next 15 years to top up funds to buy the Eurofighter 2000. The funding mechanism has come to light in the 1999 defence budget released by the Italian ...
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South Africa picks Hawk and Gripen for modernisation plan
Jonathan Rosenthal/JOHANNESBURG The South African Government has opted for the Saab/British Aerospace Gripen fighter and BAe Hawk trainer as the main elements of a R30 billion ($5.22 billion) 15-year modernisation package for the South African National Defence Force. UK companies were the clear winners in the 18 November announcement, with ...
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707 suffers in flight engine separation
A Boeing 707-320C freighter operated by Nigerian airline IAT Cargo overran at Belgium's Ostend airport on 14 November during an emergency landing after one its four engines separated during a flight. The 31-year-old aircraft (5N-VRG) was flying from Ostend to Lagos, Nigeria, with 35t of cargo and five crew. ...
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South Africa looks to BAe to acquire Denel stake
Jonathan Rosenthal/JOHANNESBURG South Africa is to partially privatise Denel, the state-owned defence group, by the middle of next year, according to public enterprises minister Stella Sigcau. The government has begun looking for an equity partner for Denel's aerospace division, and Sigcau says British Aerospace would be the first company it ...
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Major players bid for VTOL UAV programme
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The planned acquisition of a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicle (UAV) by the US Navy and Marine Corps has drawn interest from a dozen competitors, including Bell Helicopter Textron, Science Applications International (SAIC), and a team led by Schweizer Aircraft. A joint ...
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Russia holds talks on Su-30 transfer technology
Sino-Russian talks are under way for a possible procurement of over 50 Sukhoi Su-30 multirole fighters by China, along with the transfer of Su-30MKproduction technology. According to Russian aerospace trade company Aviaexport "-Moscow will simply have no other way out than to transfer the technology" because China insists it ...
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Cueing test
The Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), which will allow pilots to lock on and fire at enemy aircraft by simply pointing their head at the target, has been successfully demonstrated on two test aircraft in California. The JHMCS, which is a joint US Air Force, Navy, Boeing and Lockheed Martin ...
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Dassault/Aerospatiale agree
Julian Moxon/PARIS The French Government has finally agreed with Dassault and Aerospatiale the terms under which Aerospatiale will take over the Government's 46% holding in the combat aircraft and business jet manufacturer. The move, which comes as Aerospatiale is itself merging with privately owned Matra Hautes Technologies, is being ...
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BAe backs Australian EF2000 development push
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA British Aerospace has unveiled in Australia plans for the relocation of major software development activities linked to the Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon as part of the creation of a new Military Aircraft Systems group to be based in Melbourne, Victoria. The company is attempting to sell the ...
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RAAF rejects ALARM lease
Peter La Franchi/ADELAIDE The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has rejected an offer of the loan of ALARM anti-radiation missiles from the UK Royal Air Force, and is proceeding with alternative plans for a new medium range stand-off weapon equipped with a dual spectrum seeker head. The missile loan proposal, ...
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RAF considers FLIR system for Hercules special forces flight
The Royal Air Force is considering buying a forward looking infrared (FLIR) navigation system for up to six of its Lockheed C-130K Hercules transports, likely to be intended for covert missions by its special forces flight. Marshall Aerospace will be the prime contractor for installing the uncooled 8-14,000 nanometre ...
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Indian air force training slammed
Hormuz Mama/BANGALORE Howard Gethin/LONDON A report from the Indian Government auditor general has severely criticised the safety record of the Indian air force and called for a major shake-up of the service's training system. It stops short of calling for a new advanced trainer, but gives the lack of such ...
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New Zealand F-16 lease deal decision imminent
The New Zealand Department of Defence will decide before the end of the year whether to proceed with a probable lease deal for Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters to replace the Royal New Zealand Air Force's (RNZAF) McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, says defence minister Max Bradford. Negotiations are in progress. ...
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Israel looks at new maritime
The Israeli air force is to replace its three Seascan maritime patrol aircraft and will decide soon whether to purchase a new platform or use one of its existing aircraft for the mission. A final decision is expected early next year. The Seascan is a specialised version of the ...
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Electronic warfare hitch delays Su-30 delivery to India
Howard Gethin/LONDON The Indian air force is looking for alternative suppliers for electronic warfare equipment for its second batch of 10 Sukhoi Su-30 strike aircraft, after Israeli firms were barred from supplying India following New Delhi's nuclear tests earlier this year. The Indian air force has still not made ...
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FR Aviation signs international corporate maintenance deals
Kate Sarsfield/BOURNEMOUTH FR Aviation (FRA) is making further inroads into the corporate aircraft market with the signing of three international business aircraft maintenance contracts. The first two deals, with Mercury Aviation of Jeddah and a US-based operator, cover the maintenance of two BAC One-Elevens. The third contract, being undertaken ...
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Kaman/AlliedSignal complete K-MAX fuel tests
Kaman and AlliedSignal have completed initial fuel pressure tests on the K-MAX fleet and have found no more fuel-pump driveshaft spline failures. Investigation of the fatal crash of a K-MAX in Germany in early September revealed that both the primary and secondary pump splines had failed in the T5317A-1 turboshaft ...
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Dasa reviews Mako after BAe protests
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (Dasa)is reviewing its participation in the Mako advanced trainer/light combat aircraft programme after objections were raised to its involvement by British Aerospace. BAe was concerned by a memorandum of understanding signed at the Seoul Air Show in South Korea at the end of October, ...
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Thomson wins RAF Tornado deal
Thomson Training &Simulation has been selected as the preferred bidder to supply Tornado simulator training centres to the Royal Air Force. The centres, which will be owned by the company and leased to the RAF, will be sited at the Tornado bases at Lossiemouth in Scotland and Marham in Norfolk. ...
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Boeing aims to fund F/A-18 active array work for the US Navy
Boeing plans to co-fund initial development of an active-array radar for the F/A-18E/F, in the absence of US Navy funding. The move will bridge the gap until the navy can find funding and "...get the radar into the fleet as early as possible," says Paul Summers, manager F/A-18 new product ...