Fixed-wing – Page 1184
-
News
Lockheed Martin unveils full-size X-35 mock-up
Lockheed Martin has unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the X-35 design for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) project at the Fort Worth, Texas, plant. The unveiling follows a Final Design Review with government project managers in August at the Skunk Works in California, where the first real X-35 is under ...
-
News
UCAVs head to sea
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Operating aircraft from ships has never been easy, and a whole branch of military aviation has grown up around carrier-based operations. With interest in unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) growing all the time, is was to be expected that the US Navy would have its unique concerns ...
-
News
Swiss Cougar
The Swiss Government has approved funding in its 1998 defence budget for the purchase of 12 Eurocopter Cougar Mk1 military transport helicopters for the Swiss army. The deal, which is expected to be signed in December, is thought to be worth around SFr320 million ($210 million) and will increase to ...
-
News
Airborne early warning competitors are reduced to three
The Greek air force has shortlisted the contenders for its airborne early warning (AEW) requirement to Ericsson Microwave Systems, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman. Initial screening of respondents to the Greek request for information has pitted Ericsson's Erieye airborne early warning and control system, mounted on an Embraer RJ-145 ...
-
News
USA concerned by fighter bids
US Fighter companies are becoming concerned that the competition for a new front-line fighter for the Greek air force could be hit by increasing disquiet in Washington about the escalation of tension between Greece and Turkey. "There is concern over maintaining stability in the region without escalating [tension]," says ...
-
News
Kongsberg eyes new seeker for Penguin missile
Norwegian missile manufacturer Kongsberg is considering adapting the passive infra-red imaging seeker which is being developed for the New Anti-Shipping Missile (NSM) for the Penguin missile. There are proposals to improve the Penguin's seeker and navigation systems, although this has not yet formally been requested by a customer. Kongsberg ...
-
News
Bidders gather for Greek jet trainer
Jet trainer manufacturers worldwide have responded to a Greek request for information (RFI) covering a replacement for the Greek air force's ageing Rockwell T 2E Buckeye fleet. Respondents include Aermacchi with the MB339, Czech manufacturer Aero Vodochody with the L-159T, British Aerospace with the Hawk and Alenia/Embraer with the new ...
-
News
European powerhouse
Carol Reed/LONDON While chief aerospace and defence players wrestle with complex super-mergers, second tier aerospace supplier, Anglo-French group Avicore, is planning its own expansion and has a European powerhouse for tactical reconnaissance, airborne data acquisition and recording systems and countermeasures in mind. After acquiring UK-based specialist tactical reconnaissance and ...
-
News
Bidders cry foul on UK tender
Howard Gethin/LONDON BIDDERS for the Royal Air Forces' Short Term Strategic Airlifter Requirement are considering whether it is worth responding to a UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) invitation to tender, believing the requirement can only be met by one contender, the Boeing C-17. "We are examining the wording ...
-
News
Boeing wins C-130 support contract
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Boeing a $1.2 billion, 10-year contract to support variants of the Lockheed Martin C-130 operated by US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The Integrated Weapon System Support Programme (IWSSP) covers repair, maintenance, modification and upgrade of ...
-
News
First WAH-64 flies
The first production WAH-64 Apache attack helicopter for the British Army made its maiden flight on 25 September and was handed over to UK prime contractor GKN Westland three days later at Boeing's Mesa, Arizona, plant. The 30min flight, which included hover tests and rearward and forward flight, was ...
-
News
Final Tornado
The final new-build Panavia Tornado has left the BAe Warton production line for delivery to the Royal Saudi Air Force, concluding the aircraft delivery portion of the Al Yamamah contract signed in 1993. Development work continues on upgrading UK Tornado GR1s to GR4 standard, which will be completed by 2003, ...
-
News
Japan ready to flight test attack helicopter
The Japan Defence Agency (JDA) is expected to begin flight evaluations in early 1999 of competing European and US attack helicopters, as it once again faces conflicting pressure to purchase either a foreign design or support the indigenous development of an enhanced version of the Kawasaki Heavy Industry (KHI) OH-1 ...
-
News
Boeing chooses JSF manufacturing team
Boeing has picked its core team of suppliers for its bid to win the Joint Strike Fighter programme competition. The suppliers are UK-based Flight Refuelling, for the fuel system, Marconi Electronic Systems for cockpit displays, Messier Dowty for the main and nose landing gear and Rolls-Royce for the vertical ...
-
News
Tamam wins Hind upgrade work
The Tamam division of Israel Aircraft Industries has been awarded a $20 million contract to upgrade 25 Russian-made Mil Mi-24 Hind helicopters. Although the company declines to name the customer, India is thought to be one strong possibility. The contract includes the production of a prototype and the series ...
-
News
Longbow on target
Peter Gray/FARNBOROUGH Now a Boeing product following the merger with McDonnell Douglas, the AH-64D Apache Longbow is a substantially improved version of the widely used AH-64A attack helicopter. Changes include uprated engines, new digital avionics and the Longbow fire-control radar. This mast-mounted radar is associated withfire-and-forget Hellfire anti-armour ...
-
News
Raptor approaches supersonic tests
The first supersonic tests of the Lockheed Martin Boeing F-22A Raptor air superiority fighter are expected to take place later this month at Edwards AFB, California. The tests will be conducted with the Raptor 1 (aircraft 4001), which is now dedicated to expanding the high and fast part of ...
-
News
Proteus aims to reach new high
Scaled Composites, manufacturer of the Proteus high-altitude long operation aircraft, plans later this month to expand the flight envelope to altitudes above 35,000ft (10,700m) and speeds up to 175kt (320km/h) indicated airspeed (or Mach 0.55) as part of its goal of achieving "loiter" operations at 64,000ft. Proteus, which was ...
-
News
Kaman warns K-MAX users on fuel pump failure
Kaman has alerted K-MAX operators that the first fatal crash of the external lift helicopter, in Germany early in September, may have been caused by a fuel pump failure. The company is meeting engine manufacturer AlliedSignal to decide what action should be taken. The single-seat, single-engined helicopter, operated by ...
-
News
Japan and USA join for ejection seat
Japan and the USA have launched a co-operative programme to develop improvements for the ACES II ejection seat. The objectives are to expand the seat's accommodation range, prevent limb-fail injuries and increase high-speed stability. The Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) ACES II seat is used in Japan Air Self-Defence Force ...