Fixed-wing – Page 1181
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News
RWR production
RaytheonSystems has begun low-rate initial production of the ALR-67(V)3 radar warning (RWR) receiver for the Boeing F/A-18E/F. Current US Navy F/A-18C/Ds will be equipped with the improved system when operating in potential combat zones. Source: Flight International
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Collins offers pay by the hour support
Rockwell Collins has formed a new business unit to provide a wider range of avionics support services to commercial and military customers. Options to be offered by the new Collins Support Services (CSS) unit include the ability to pay by the operating hour for avionics support. For the first ...
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BAe woos Denel in SAAF fighter deal
Jonathan Rosenthal/JOHANNESBURG British Aerospace is offering to consolidate the South African defence industry alongside the emerging single European defence company, as part of its bid to sell Saab/BAe JAS39 Gripen fighters and BAe Hawk lead-in fighter trainers to the South African Air Force (SAAF). Sources in the South ...
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Teams queue as South Korea rekindles early warning plans
Paul Lewis/SEOUL South Korea's stalled E-X airborne early warning (AEW) programme is attracting renewed international interest, with Boeing/Northrop Grumman seeking US Government approval to offer the 737/MESA, while Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Raytheon have broadened their teaming agreement to propose the Airbus A310/Elta Phalcon. South Korea has ...
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US tests Little Birds for clandestine operations
Ramon Lopez/WILLIAMSBURG The US Army's elite 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) is conducting flight tests of a further enhanced "Little Bird" helicopter destined to conduct clandestine missions until it is replaced by the RW-X rotorcraft in the 2015-18 timeframe, say US Army aviation officials. First fielded in ...
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Marconi tests Diamond Back wing kit on Boeing munitions
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Marconi Electronic Systems' Diamond Back wing kit is to be flight tested on the Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the Boeing Small Smart Bomb (SSB) within the next two years, in a bid to extend the range of a new family of smart bombs. ...
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GKN Westland grabs maintenance deal
GKN Westland and the UK's Defence Helicopter Support Agency have signed a 10-year partnership agreement for the repair and overhaul of the UK Ministry of Defence's entire Westland Lynx and Sea King naval helicopter fleet. The deal is likely to cover the Merlin helicopter when it comes into service in ...
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Powerplant manufacturers face off for NH90 competition
Julian Moxon/PARIS Engine suppliers for the four-nation NH Industries NH90 military transport helicopter are in the final stages of an all-out competition to provide powerplants for aircraft which are being ordered by Germany and the Netherlands. The two teams - Rolls-Royce/Turboméca/BMW R-R, with the RTM322, and General Electric/Fiat/Alfa ...
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C-130 ticket
Spain's National Institute of Aerospace Techniques (INTA) has certified cockpit modifications by CASA to the Spanish air force's fleet of Lockheed Martin C-130 transports. Modernisation of the whole fleet is expected to be complete by 2000. Source: Flight International
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Lockheed Martin gives C-130J ergonomic refit
Lockheed Martin is to introduce a series of alterations to the cockpit of the C-130J tactical transport aircraft to overcome ergonomic problems experienced by short pilots, including visibility through the aircraft's advanced headup display (HUD) and reach to the throttle in certain flight parameters. The problem has been caused ...
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Mini-missile to take away
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Weapons a fraction of the size of today's munitions are being considered by the US Air Force to increase the firepower of the planned Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and smaller unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) that might follow. Internal weapons carriage, when required for stealth, limits the ...
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Eurocopter achieves sales boom in US market
Off-shore operator Tex-Air Helicopters has purchased 11 Eurocopter helicopters for use in the Gulf of Mexico. The Houston, Texas-based company will take delivery of six AS350s by year-end, and seven EC120s will arrive next April. The aircraft will be used on contracts for Amoco and other oil companies. The ...
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Socata's diesel range kicks off with petrol prototype
Andrzej Jeziorski/SEOUL Socata has begun construction of the first prototype of what will eventually become a range of diesel-engined aircraft. The French manufacturer hopes to fly its MS250 Morane light single at next year's Paris air show in June. The prototype of the four/five-seat Morane will have a ...
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Eurocopter seeks partner for tiltrotor
Julian Moxon/PARIS Eurocopter is seeking to develop a 15/20-seat civil tilt-rotor and says that it is now looking for European partners to invest in the project. The Franco/German company says that while the eight/nine-seat Bell BA609 civil tiltrotor "presents no direct competition in the short term", there is a need ...
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F-22 boom costs cut
GenCorp Aerojet has won Boeing contracts worth $25 million to supply eight ship-sets of forward tailbooms for initial production F-22 fighters, and to cut the cost of producing the electron-beam- welded titanium booms. Source: Flight International
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VisionAire revises Spirit design
VisionAire has made major alterations to its ambitious Spirit VA-12B "personal jet" sports aircraft and has begun construction of a prototype at its Chesterfield site in Missouri. "It should be flying within 18 months," says Tom Stark, senior vice-president of the company's Future Works advanced development division. The ...
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Brazil chooses Elbit for F-5 upgrade
Embraer has selected Israel's Elbit Systems to upgrade the avionics in Brazilian air force Northrop F-5s, under a contract estimated to be worth $180 million. Elbit is believed to have lowered its bid from $230 million. Elbit is already contracted to develop the avionics for the air force's ALX ...
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Australia issues F-111 maintenance tender
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) will call for four separate tenders for the depot maintenance of its F-111s as part of a "market testing" process to evaluate private contracting against in-house solutions. The process will use "-innovative contracting initiatives, including performance-based contracting, strategic alliances and life- of-type contracts, ...
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Doubts grow over Huzar anti-tank missile
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Longstanding doubts over the Polish procurement of the Rafael NT-D anti-tank missile for the PZL-Swidnik Huzar battlefield helicopter look set to be realised, as prospects fade of an Israeli consortium meeting Polish test requirements. Rafael told Polish defence officials at a meeting in Warsaw in the ...
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All-electric F-16 ground testing goes ahead
An "all-electric" version of the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter is undergoing ground testing to demonstrate the electric actuation system intended for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Electric actuation promises to reduce the JSF's weight and cost and improve maintainability. Ground testing began when external 270V DC electrical power was ...