Fixed-wing – Page 1234
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US Army picks Northrop minefield detector for Bosnian operation
The Northrop Grumman Airborne Standoff Minefield Detection System (ASTAMIDS) is to be sent to Bosnia for three months, says John Martin, a new-business-development manager for the US firm. The ASTAMIDS, which consists of an infra-red (IR) sensor, processor and display station, is designed to survey minefields accurately from ...
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South Korea sets KTX-II deadline
South Korea has given competing engine manufacturers General Electric and Snecma until 16 August to submit their final proposals for the powerplant of the planned Samsung/Lockheed Martin KTX-II advanced trainer/light combat aircraft. The Government and KTX-II prime contractor Samsung are planning to complete the evaluation and make a ...
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Philippine air force misses deadlines in fighter search
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The selection of a new multi-role fighter aircraft for the Philippine air force is in danger of slipping by as much as a year, following the failure of its evaluation team to meet successive deadlines in choosing a shortlist. Following the submission of tenders ...
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Taiwan starts to consider fifth-generation fighters
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Taiwan's air force has begun planning the procurement of a fifth-generation fighter as a follow-on to the Dassault Mirage 2000-5s and Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs on order and now entering service. "We're now drafting a plan to study and evaluate the next-generation fighter," ...
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UK MoD will invite tenders for new IFF programme soon
Douglas Barrie/London The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is likely to release an invitation to tender for its £500 million ($800 million)-plus next-generation identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) programme within the next two to three months. The Successor IFF (SIFF) project is intended to provide all three armed services ...
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Clinton faces Latin America discord
A decision by the Clinton Administration to ease a two-decades-old ban on the sale of advanced US weaponry to Latin America has been attacked by opponents within US Congress, who vow to redouble their efforts to stop such sales. The White House announced on 1 August that the ...
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Increased potency
Bell's continued investment in the Cobra and Huey programmes may save money Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC VALUEFORMONEY is an overused phrase, but it is the central tenet of the US Marine Corps' programme to upgrade its Bell AH-1WSuperCobra and UH-1N Huey helicopters for continued service through to 2020. To ...
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Civil and military helicopter directory
Compiled by Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC and John Christovassilis/LONDON Helicopter manufacturers are working, with some success, to stimulate the civil market with the introduction of new designs. Bell Helicopter Textron, the leading civil-helicopter manufacturer with around half the world market, has revamped its commercial product-line, most recently ...
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On the defensive
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Gen Huang Hsien-yung, commander-in-chief of the Taiwan air force, has a single, very important task: defend Taiwan from China. "Our strategy is defensive, and the required mission for the air force is to intercept enemy aircraft," says Huang. China considers Taiwan a renegade province, ...
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Tiger begins to roar
Optimism is rising as the Franco-German Tiger is prepared for production Julian Moxon/MUNICH Morale has improved considerably at Eurocopter's Tiger programme office since the signature of the production-investment contract (PIC) at the Paris air show on 20 June. The event laid to rest last-minute doubts about the commitment ...
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Belgian minister bans air shows
Herman De Wulf/BELGIUM The Belgian minister of defence, Jean-Pol Poncelet, has ordered a ban on air shows at Belgian military airfields, pending a forthcoming inquiry into safety precautions and local emergency procedures. The decision, which effectively puts an end to all air shows in Belgium, follows ...
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Mooney scouts two-seater market for Predator
Graham Warwick/Oshkosh Kate Sarsfield/London MOONEY AIRCRAFT is surveying the market for the M20T Predator, a two-seat aircraft based on the company's unsuccessful entry in the US Air Force's early-1990s enhanced flight-screener competition. Based on Mooney's high-performance four-seaters, the Predator has side-by-side seating under a sliding canopy, and dual ...
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Indonesia turns to Sukhoi after failure to net additional F-16s
Douglas Barrie/LONDON Indonesia is to acquire 12 Sukhoi Su-30Ks from Russia as replacement Ìghter aircraft following its abortive attempts to procure additional Lockheed Martin F-16s from the USA. The country is also to acquire eight Mil Mi-171M Hip helicopters, according to reports from the country. Details ...
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Military helicopters
The military helicopter arena continues to be a case of too many cooks chasing a limited amount of kitchen space: the market is oversubscribed with suppliers battling for too few buyers. Just when it appeared some progress towards rationalisation was taking place - the acquisition of McDonnell Douglas ...
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Aydin on JSF team
Lockheed Martin's Skunk Works has awarded AYDIN Telemetry a $6 million contract to supply the flight-test instrumentation equipment for its two Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) demonstrator aircraft. Source: Flight International
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Brazilian Black Hawks
The Brazilian army has ordered four Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk helicopters for delivery in August, to be based in Patuca, Ecuador. The helicopters will be used on peacekeeping missions along the disputed border between Ecuador and Peru. Source: Flight International
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A risky business
The Mir's troubles are only to be expected in the course of manned spaceflight Tim Furniss/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER By 7 August, Russia's Soyuz TM26 should have arrived at the troubled Mir space station. It will be a member of the next mission to the Mir who will be ...
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Boeing heads shifting industry league
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON Boeing has begun to pull away from its nearest competitors in the league table of USaerospace manufacturers over the first half of 1997. Even without the McDonnell Douglas (MDC)merger, Boeing's sales have leapt by close to 60%due to soaring civil-aircraft sales, and the Rockwell ...
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Brazil nears F-5 upgrade launch
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC BRAZIL ISCLOSE to releasing a requests for proposals for a Northrop F-5E/F upgrade programme. Avionics and structural updates for some 50 aircraft will enable the F-5 to be used as an interim air-defence aircraft until the Brazilian air force acquires a new fighter early next ...
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Canada plans September SAR helicopter decision
Second-time lucky for the EH101 team? CANADAPLANS to decide in September on the C$600 million ($430 million) purchase of 15 search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopters. Bids have been received from Boeing, offering its CH-47 Chinook; Sikorsky, with a variant of its UH-60 Black Hawk called the Maplehawk; Team Cormorant, led by ...