Fixed-wing – Page 1192
-
News
Combat L-159 makes debut
Aero Vodochody's first single-seat L-159 advanced light combat aircraft was due to make its public debut at the Czech International Air Fest at the end of August. The aircraft, which flew for the first time on 18 August, is the first L-159 fitted with the full international avionics package supplied ...
-
News
Raptor arrives
The second Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor arrived on 26 August at Edwards AFB, California, where it will enter the flight test programme. The aircraft flew non-stop to the desert test site from Lockheed Martin Aeronautical System's Marietta plant in Georgia. Source: Flight International
-
News
Restored French budget revives Rafale hopes
France's defence budget has been restored to the level called for in the 1997-2002 spending plan, raising hopes that the long-awaited multi-year procurement funding for Dassault Aviation's Rafale fighter will finally be released. The extra money - around Fr4 billion ($660 million) - has come from unspent equipment funds ...
-
News
Lockheed Martin squeezes into air-to-air missiles
Lockheed Martin and Rafael are to develop jointly an improved version of the Israeli Python 4 air-to-air missile in a venture that could signal Lockheed Martin's entry into the air-to-air missile business as a US competitor to Raytheon . The two companies signed an agreement in May to form ...
-
News
Reflectone singled out for Italian C-130J job
Reflectone is awaiting a contract to build C-130J training devices for the Italian air force under its teaming deal with aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin. Eighteen aircraft are due to be delivered to Italy, starting in 2000. The US company has received a letter of intent to procure for the ...
-
News
Asian tailoring
Paul Lewis/SEOUL & SINGAPORE Simply selling off the shelf is proving to be increasingly out of vogue with many of Asia's wealthier and more sophisticated air arms. Nations with unique operational needs and, perhaps more importantly, local aerospace industries to nurture, are insisting on alternative solutions. Lockheed Martin is ...
-
News
No short measures
Peter Henley/MOSES LAKE, WASHINGTON Embraer's RJ-135 is a logical and economical derivative of its successful stablemate - the 50-seat ERJ-145 - with the fuselage shortened to reduce the capacity to 37 passengers. The ERJ-145 has taken the regional airline market by storm. Following the trail blazed by Bombardier's Canadair ...
-
News
Turbine technology
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The newest US combat aircraft shattering the skies over Farnborough in 2010 will be powered by an engine which, compared to its 1990s' ancestor, will have double the thrust-to-weight ratio, yet will cost one-third less to make and to maintain. Futuristic though these goals may ...
-
News
Bolivian feud rumbles on
The feud between Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB) and Bolivia's current government is heading for a showdown. And while La Paz quarrels with its flag carrier, LanChile's plan to exercise fifth freedoms between Bolivia and Miami could set back relations with Chile. LAB's privatisation in 1995, when Brazil's VASP bought ...
-
News
Leaning forwards
Flight International reviews industry progress towards lean manufacturing Lockheed Martin aeronautics sector chief Micky Blackwell recently declared 1998 to be the "year of lean" - and not because of a dearth in orders. Five years after the USA launched its Lean Aircraft Initiative, Blackwell believes that the industry is beginning ...
-
News
Lean on the line
Industry may never see World War II production rates again - but the lessons live onGuy Norris/Seattle Ian Sheppard/London Graham Warwick/Fort WorthFor Boeing, it was back to the future when it began implementing lean manufacturing in 1993, as many of the real lessons were taught back in the Second World ...
-
News
Virtual fighters
Lockheed Martin is redefining what it costs to develop and produce a new combat aircraftGraham Warwick/Fort WorthTwo imperatives drive almost every operation at Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems: keeping the F-16 in production, and winning the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) competition. Both goals share one prerequisite - affordability. Of all ...
-
News
Squirrel Lease
The UK's Kent Air Ambulance is due to resume operations on 2 September, flying a Eurocopter AS355F1 Twin Squirrel helicopter, leased by Medical Aviation Services, to replace a similar model to the one that crashed in late July, killing the pilot and crew. The decision follows a recent incident in ...
-
News
Airports
The Japanese Transport Ministry is to reduce landing and control tower service charges at domestic airports from fiscal year 1999. Landing fees will be slashed by one-third, while fees for control tower services and other facilities will also be lowered in an attempt to invigorate domestic air routes. The ...
-
News
Get Lean
Everyone who considers dieting needs a compelling reason, be it physical or more intangible. The same applies for the aerospace industry. The drive to eliminate wasted time and effort which currently has the industry in its grip, and which is at the heart of lean manufacturing, has gained its urgency ...
-
News
Dasa/MAPO to work on Bulgarian MiGs
Daimler-Benz Aerospace (Dasa) is in discussions with Bulgaria to provide an upgrade for 22 MiG-29 Fulcrums through its MiG Aircraft Production Support (MAPS) joint venture with MAPO of Russia. The upgrade includes bringing the cockpit avionics up to NATO standards, and possibly improving the maintenance procedures for the engines, ...
-
News
Northrop system flies UAVs in test
Northrop system flies UAVs in test Northrop Grumman has demonstrated a new control system which allows autonomous control of several unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to be undertaken by a single operator. The capability of the firm's Co-operative Aggregate Mission Management System (CAMMS) was demonstrated in a company-funded flight ...
-
News
UK forces examine combat rescue approaches
Howard Gethin/LONDON The UK armed services are investigating possible solutions to a requirement for a combat search and rescue capability (CSAR) as a result of experience in the Bosnia conflict and the priority being given to out-of-area operations in the recent defence review. The Royal Navy Commando helicopter ...
-
News
S Korean air force considers stopgap fighter
The South Korean air force is considering leasing interim fighter aircraft to make up for a two-year delay in its future F-X programme. Samsung Aerospace is lobbying to sell more Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds to make up the shortfall and keep its Sachon licence production line open beyond 2000. South ...
-
News
TRW delivers crucial F-22 avionics suite
TRW has delivered the first communications, navigation and identification (CNI) avionics system to the US Air Force for installation in the Lockheed Martin F-22A. The CNI is a vital element of the integrated avionics architecture, allowing pilots to navigate to and from targets reliably, detect and avoid threats and ...