Fixed-wing – Page 1245
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Tour de force
Unlike the last two air shows at Paris, where the talk among military-engine makers was dominated by budget cutbacks, consolidation and survival, this year's discussions will welcome decisions to proceed with some military programmes. Leading the drive is the US/UK Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) which, as the US Department of ...
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European focus
EUROPE IS THE near-term focus for the flight-simulation industry, with several high-proÌle military programmes pending, and the region's commercial-aircraft industry planning new developments. Production contracts for the Dassault Rafale fighter and Eurocopter Tiger combat-helicopter are expected to be signed at Paris - and planning for the respective training ...
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B-1B upgrade is accelerated
The US Air Force is pulling forward critical elements of its conventional-mission upgrade for the Rockwell B-1B bomber, to allow it to deploy the aircraft in the role earlier than originally anticipated. The fast-track plan involves the inegration of the Raytheon-made ALE-50 towed-decoy system (TDS) and the McDonnell ...
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UK launches new Strategic Defence Review
The UK Government has launched a Strategic Defence Review (SDR), expected to run for about six months, to re-examine the role, structure and equipment programme of the country's armed forces. The Government says that, with the exception of the Trident ballistic-missile submarine force, all programmes will be examined. ...
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Cuts threaten Japanese air force procurement projects
Japanese military-aircraft procurement plans face chaos because of pending cutbacks in defence expenditure within the next five-year mid-term plan. The Japan Defence Agency (JDA) is faced with having to make critical decisions on future acquisition priorities before the end of the current five-year plan in 2000. Included in ...
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USAoffers to switch two USAF JSTARS to NATO operations
NATO OFFICIALS have been briefed on the USA's "Fast Track" offer to provide two Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft off the US Air Force production line for the Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) programme. The two E-8s would be paid for by the USA. ...
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ABL team holds missile-tracking talks with USN
The Boeing-led Airborne Laser (ABL) team is in talks with the US Navy over the collection of missile-tracking data using Northrop Grumman F-14Ds equipped with infra-red search and track (IRST) systems. The YA-1A laser platform, a converted Boeing 747-400F, will be fitted with six Lockheed Martin IRST sensors ...
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Air drop fatalities
Indonesia's IPTN lost its chief test pilot, Erwin Danoewinata, in a crash of a company CN-235 military transport aircraft. Erwin and five other crew died when the aircraft stalled on 22 May during a trial low-altitude cargo parachute drop. The company blames the crash on a failed parachute. Source: ...
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Sharing safety secrets
In the commercial air-transport world, systems for sharing safety data among airlines and across borders are under construction. The military community, with its more conservative culture, is lagging behind, but there are some signs that firm foundations for pro-active safety exchanges are being laid. Many safety-conscious and commercially ...
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Lockheed Martin tests joined-wing model
Lockheed Martin is flight-testing a scale model of a joined-wing tanker/transport being studied under its New Strategic Aircraft (NSA) project. Initial tests of the 1.98m-span radio-controlled model exhibited "excellent" flight characteristics and met or exceeded objectives, the company says. A joined-wing design would allow the aircraft to be equipped with ...
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Rafale order
The French Government has ordered the first 13 Dassault Rafale multi-role fighters following agreement with major subcontractors and Dassault to cut prices by 10%. A further order, for 48 aircraft, has been thrown into doubt by a possible change of government. The order covers ten Rafales for the navy and ...
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Lucas provides JSF emergency power
LUCAS AEROSPACE is to provide an emergency power-generating system (EPGS) to be flight-tested in an F-16 modified by Lockheed Martin to demonstrate power-by-wire flight controls for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The unit will be supplied under the JSF Integrated Subsystems Technology demonstrator programme. The EPGS is an ...
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Proton launch is successful
A Russian Proton DM booster operated by ILS International Launch Services carried AT&T's Telstar 5 communications satellite into orbit from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, on 24 May. It was the Ìrst flight of the booster since the failure of the Proton launch of the Mars '96 probe on 17 November, ...
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1996 World military aircraft incidents
ABBREVIATIONS AAC Army Air Corps; AAR Air-to-air refuelling; AB Airbase; AF Air force; AFB Air force base; AGL Above ground level; ANG Air National Guard; AP Airport; BAe British Aerospace; CFIT Controlled ßight into terrain; CNK Cause not known; FOD Foreign-object damage; IAI Israel Aircraft Industries; JASDF Japanese Air Self-Defence ...
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Boeing's actions require scrutiny
Sole-supplier deals could stifle competition and reduce the impetus to innovate. When a company with the size and influence of Boeing flexes its muscles, everybody had better sit up and take notice. Recently, there's been plenty of muscle-flexing in Seattle. Boeing has signed sole-supplier deals with American Airlines ...
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Indian Air Force chief to evaluate MiG-AT
Indian Air Force chief ACM Satish Kumar is to visit Moscow this month to evaluate the MiG MAPO MiG-AT trainer. The air force has a longstanding requirement for 80 jet trainers, but a decision has been thwarted by lack of funds. The Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet and the British Aerospace Hawk ...
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C-130J delivery delay forces RAF to keep C-130Ks flying
The Royal Air Force is being forced to keep operating at least five Lockheed Martin C-130Ks Hercules originally due to be retired from service during 1997 because of a delay of at least 12 months in the delivery of the first of 25 replacement C-130Js. Five aircraft initially ...
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Japan plans Hawkeye upgrade
The Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) is planning a $400 million avionics upgrade for its fleet of Northrop Grumman E-2C Hawkeye airborne early-warning (AEW) aircraft, to improve interoperability with the US military. The US Defense Department has notified Congress of the proposed Japanese upgrade project. The modification work ...
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Samsung moves to save KTX-II project
Samsung Aerospace is offering to increase its stake in South Korea's proposed KTX-II programme, in an effort to prop up waning political support for the advanced-trainer/light-strike aircraft in the face of impending defence cuts. The move follows a recent Korean Development Institute (KDI) study of the financial feasibility ...
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USAF plans low-cost mini-missile tests
The US Air Force has decided to proceed with the advanced-concept technology demonstration (ACTD) phase of the low-cost autonomous attack system (LOCAAS) programme being developed by the Wright Laboratory's Armament Directorate at Eglin AFB, Florida. The award of the ACTD contract by the USAF is expected in January ...