Fixed-wing – Page 1212
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Australia winds up for fight to supply Army helicopters
Paul Phelan/CAIRNS Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Australia's Defence Acquisition Organisation plans formally to kick off the Army's long awaited Air 87 programme with a request for proposals in May for a new fire support and reconnaissance helicopter. The Air 87 timetable calls for potential bidders to respond within three months and ...
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Fokker 50 cargo conversion studied
A cargo conversion programme is being studied by Fokker Services to meet a perceived need for a Fokker F27 freighter replacement. Fokker Services product marketing manager Leon Boenders says that of the 210 Fokker 50s now in service, some 30-50 have been identified as likely to become available up ...
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Royal Saudi Air Force selects F-16C/Ds but waits for go-ahead
The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) has decided to replace its Northrop F-5 and RF-5 fleet with Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds. All that remains to be determined is when the programme go-ahead is given, says Bob Elrod, vice-president of F-16 programmes with Lockheed Martin. The RSAF has a requirement for ...
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MD 900 left in limbo in Bell deal
Bell Helicopter Textron has agreed to acquire the bulk of Boeing's civil helicopter business, but says that it will not take the MD 900 twin engined line because of conflicts with its own range of helicopters. Bell president Terry Stinson says that he expects the deal to go through ...
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AlliedSignal selected for advanced R&D
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Army has picked AlliedSignal for the third phase of the multiservice Joint Turbine Advanced Gas Generator (JTAGG) demonstration. The service awarded the Phoenix, Arizona, based engine maker a $39 million contract to develop advanced engines for future US military rotorcraft. The contract will ...
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Greece and Chile fighter contests near fruition
Greece is moving towards a decision on its next fighter purchase, scheduling in-country evaluations of the designs in contention for its requirement for 40 aircraft. Lockheed Martin's F-16C was evaluated in February and Boeing's F-15E will be assessed in March. The US fighters are being offered in competition with ...
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USAF plans upgrade for F-16s
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC More than 250 US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16s are to be upgraded with an improved targeting capability developed for aircraft assigned to missions over Bosnia. The upgrade is an outgrowth of Project Sure Strike, implemented at short notice in early 1997 to increase the ...
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Poland drafts emergency plan as Huzar faces more delays
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH The Polish Government is considering bringing forward planned orders for PZL-Swidnik W-3 Sokol transport helicopters to help the manufacturer if the Huzar battlefield helicopter programme suffers from further significant delays to its schedule. Deputy defence minister Romuald Szeremietiew has assured the manufacturer that this will be ...
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AIA 98 FINALIST:Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (Maintenance & Modification)
During 1997 the Lockheed Martin F-16A/B Mid-Life Update (MLU) programme completed its development phase, passing key flight test milestones and with delivery of the first modified aircraft for operational service. The transatlantic programme is the most extensive and ambitious retrofit yet carried out on the F-16, involving major improvements ...
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AIA 98 FINALIST:Boeing (Military Aviation)
Success of the C-17 in the longest ever USAF airdrop mission. The US Air Force led the longest-range airdrop exercise in its history on 14-15 September, flying troops and supplies from the USA to Kazakhstan. At the heart of the mission was the Boeing C-17 Globemaster. Eight USAF C-17s ...
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AIA 98 WINNER:F-22 Raptor (Military Aviation)
First flight of the high agility, stealth F-22 fighter The first flight of the Lockheed Martin/ Boeing F-22A Raptor was undoubtedly one of the aerospace highlights of 1997. It was quickly heralded as bringing in a new era in fighter aircraft design. The Awards judges agreed that the aircraft represents ...
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AIA 98 FINALIST:Rolls-Royce-Turbomeca (Propulsion0
Development of the RTM 322 across four helicopter programmes Rolls-Royce Turboméca's collaborative RTM 322 turboshaft engine programme came into its own in 1997, with development under way for four different helicopter projects. The success is a tribute to the successful collaboration between the UK and French engine makers, which ...
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AIA 98 WINNER:Smiths Industries Aerospace (Training & Safety)
By bringing together traditional cockpit flight data recording/acquisition functions into a single integrated package, Smiths Industries Aerospace has not only offered clear cost savings but also opened the way towards improved aircraft and engine monitoring. The Smiths Integrated Data Acquisition and Recording System (IDARS) replaces what have traditionally been ...
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HAL discusses regional aircraft production links
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) is discussing with aircraft manufacturers a co-production tie-up on a turboprop regional aircraft and, later, a similar link for a 100 seat airliner, to meet expected demand for over 200 such aircraft in India over the next 10 years. HAL chairman Dr Krishnadas Nair says that ...
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RSAF closes on attack helicopter choice
The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) has narrowed its choice of new attack helicopter to the Boeing AH-64D Apache, Denel CSH-2 Rooivalk and Eurocopter Tiger. Singapore seems determined to press on with an attack helicopter programme, despite neighbouring Malaysia deferring any decision on its planned procurement to at ...
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Philippines will ask for new fighter bids
The Philippines is expected to issue a request for bids (RFB) for up to 24 fighter aircraft by the end of March, with a potential supplier to be selected by the middle of the year. The Philippines air force is in desperate need of combat aircraft to replace its ...
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RAAF works to extend F/A-18 life until 2010
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is working toward a full definition of its planned F/A-18A/B Hornet upgrade by the third quarter of this year, the aim of which is to extend the aircraft's combat effectiveness until 2010. The upgrade programme, say sources close to the project, is likely ...
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USA could buy Thai F/A-18s
The US Government may offer to acquire Thailand's eight unwanted Boeing F/A-18C/D fighters, now in production, unless a foreign buyer can be found for the aircraft or a satisfactory arrangement can be reached on either cancelling or deferring the $392 million order. US sources suggest that the scheme is ...
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Sukhoi gears up for Chinese tests
Sukhoi is expected to begin test flights in mid-1998 of a modified variant of its Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter intended for the Chinese air force. Russian sources say that an Su-27 airframe produced by the Komsomolsk on Amur factory has been fitted with a variant of the Phazotron ...
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RSAF fighter choice hinges on support
Training and base support are emerging as potentially key discriminatory factors in the Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF) choice of a next generation fighter aircraft. The RSAF is working toward selection of a fighter in 2001 to replace its fleets of Northrop F-5s and McDonnell Douglas A-4 Skyhawks, ...