Fixed-wing – Page 1193
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Failed tests threaten future of Outrider unmanned air vehicle
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The future of the Alliant Techsystems Outrider tactical unmanned air vehicle (TUAV) is under new threat after a US Department of Defense report criticised the system for failing to meet several key flight test requirements and exceeding the promised purchase price by 50%. The damning ...
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Rotor blade collision is blamed for Ka-50 crash
A collision between the co-axial main rotor blades caused the fatal crash of a Russian army Kamov Ka-50 attack helicopter in June 1998, says an official investigation into the accident. The helicopter's pilot Maj Gen Boris Vorobyev, commander of the Army Aviation centre at Torzhok in the Tver region, ...
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Lean machines
BAe is relying on lean manufacturing to meet cost goals for the Eurofighter Ian Sheppard/Samlesbury Recession and restructuring can have their benefits, as is the case for British Aerospace's Samlesbury site in the north of England. With the closure in the early 1990s of the nearby Preston plant, then the ...
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Australia to prolong Hornets' life to 2015
Australia has ended industry hopes that it was about to launch a competition for a new fighter by announcing plans for a A$1.2 billion ($710 million) avionics and sensor upgrade of its Boeing F/A-18A/B Hornets, extending the fighter's operational life out as far as 2015. The upgrade will bring ...
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C-130J handover to RAF is two years late
Lockheed Martin is handing over the first C-130J tactical transport aircraft to the Royal Air Force at the company's Marietta, Georgia plant on 24 August - around two years behind schedule because of a series of technical problems. The aircraft will be delivered to the UK Defence Research Agency at ...
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Libya holds talks with BAe over aviation update
Carol Reed/LONDON A potential multi-billion-dollar business deal involving reconstruction of Libya's aviation infrastructure is being put on the table by the state's leader, Col Muammer Gadaffi, as a bargaining chip for Western states to lift their close to a decade-long sanctions against the North African country. British Aerospace ...
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Hughes clears HS-601 satellites
Tim Furniss/LONDON Hughes has cleared the Galaxy X and Astra 2A satellites for launch after completing investigations into the failure of space control processors aboard three HS-601 model communications satellites. The failure resulted in the total loss of Galaxy IV and the loss of the primary processor systems on ...
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USAF plans further manoeuvre vehicle tests
Further drop tests in the US Air Force Space Manoeuvre Vehicle (SMV) programme are planned, including a suborbital rocket engine boosted test flight in 2001, following the successful first drop-test of a 6.7m-long flight test vehicle on 11 August (Flight International, 19-25 August). A fully developed operational SMV would provide ...
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Aero Vodochody flies initial combat version of L-159
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Czech jet trainer manufacturer Aero Vodochody has flown the first single-seat L-159 Advanced Light Combat Aircraft, which is earmarked to become the mainstay of the Czech air force's combat fleet. The aircraft is the second L-159 prototype, but the first in Czech air force configuration, with a full ...
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X-40A flies
The Boeing X-40A for the Space Manoeuver Test (SMT) vehicle technology demonstrator has made its first flight at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, gliding 9,000ft (3,000m) to earth after release from a Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The flight demonstrated the X-40A's navigation, guidance and control system, which activated autonomously upon ...
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El Al attempts to block plans to open Israeli freight market
Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV El Al is trying to foil an Israeli Government plan to open up the country's air cargo market to another local carrier, claiming that the move would threaten its revenue as it prepares for privatisation. El Al is the only Israeli airline with a licence ...
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Russia puts civil airline safety oversight into military hands
Paul Duffy/MOSCOW Russia's military has been charged with taking overall control of civil aviation safety oversight and accident investigation in a new presidential decree. President Boris Yeltsin signed a decree on 10 August, transferring responsibility for the flight safety of Russia's civil airlines to the Ministry of Defence. ...
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CASA prepares for privatisation
Julian Moxon/PARIS Spanish state-owned manufacturer CASA has revealed a massive five-year investment plan to prepare the company for privatisation and to secure its place in the wider European consolidation. The plans have raised a negative reaction from unions, however. Up to Ptas141 billion ($900 million) is to be spent ...
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Delivery of China's upgraded Il-76 AEW system is delayed
Systems installation in the Ilyushin Il-76-based Israel Aircraft Industries(IAI)/Beriev airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft for the Chinese air force may be further delayed to around the end of 1999 to accommodate improvements discussed in a recent joint IAI/Beriev design review. Elta, the IAI subsidiary responsible for the project, is ...
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RAF sets 2002 target for Germany withdrawal
The UK Royal Air Force will close its last remaining base in Germany by 2002, as part of its restructuring programme aimed at cutting costs and preparing for the Joint Force 2000 plan to further integrate RAF and Royal Navy air operations. The RAF still maintains bases at Laarbruch ...
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Japan stalls on trainer choice
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Japan's impending selection of a new basic trainer aircraft is now scheduled for the end of August, as the Government once again hesitates to grasp the politically contentious issue of choosing between a cheaper off-the-shelf foreign contender or continuing its traditional policy of supporting the domestic aerospace ...
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Ka-60 battlefield utility helicopter ready to fly
The first flight of the Ka-60 medium battlefield utility helicopter prototype, now fitted with its five-blade main rotor, is due within the next two weeks, according to Kamov. The Russian company claims that the main rotor RPM can be optimised to reduce noise levels when operating over hostile territory. ...
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Outrider UAV suffers in test flight crash
Outrider tactical unmanned air vehicle (UAV) has been severely damaged in a crash during a test flight, just days after it officially completed a two-year demonstration programme for the US Army. The accident was witnessed by Danish military officials who were being briefed by Alliant Techsystems on the vehicle's ...
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Singapore scrutinises support
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Singapore has begun evaluating different proposed logistical support packages for its planned fleet of eight new attack helicopters, following the recent submission of tenders by rival airframe and powerplant suppliers. The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has sought to maximise its options by requesting separate ...
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Stretching a stretch
Guy Norris/SEATTLEBoeing's newest version of its 767, the -400ER, is unusual for two main reasons. It is the first widebody airliner to be stretched for a second time, and it is the first Boeing commercial jet design ever to directly involve Douglas Aircraft engineering input, thereby marking a milestone ...