Fixed-wing – Page 1260
-
News
Belgium provides for more F-16 upgrades
The Belgian air force has been given Government clearance to upgrade a further 24 Lockheed Martin F-16s to the mid-life update (MLU) standard in addition to the 48 fighters already earmarked for the upgrade. The Government is providing BFr 3.5 billion ($105 million) for the additional work. It ...
-
News
P&W proposes Asian F-16 engine upgrade
Pratt & Whitney is pushing its further improved F100-229 Increased Performance Engine (IPE) (Plus) to Asian air forces as an upgrade option for the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D, with Singapore and South Korea likely candidates for the upgrade. The engine, which has also been designated as the -229A, is ...
-
News
Raytheon E-Systems picks A310 for Australian AEWcompetition
Raytheon E-Systems will offer the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) four modified Airbus Industrie A310s to meet the RAAF's airborne early warning and Control (AEW&C) System requirement, "Project Wedgetail". The four A310s are being provided by Airbus Industrie, the aircraft are likely to be second hand aircraft held ...
-
News
S Koreans discuss link-up
South Korea's four main competing aerospace manufacturers are discussing the formation of a joint-venture organisation to lead and co-ordinate the development of new indigenous projects and participation in larger international collaborative efforts. The new company would bring together Daewoo Heavy Industries, Hyundai, Korean Air and Samsung Aerospace. It ...
-
News
SEP rockets into Snecma
Snecma has completed the takeover of rocket engine and advanced materials venture Société Européen de Propulsion (SEP), which now becomes a wholly owned group subsidiary. SEP, in turn, will take over Snecma's brakes subsidiary, Messier-Bugatti, to create what is claimed will be Europe's largest aviation and automobile braking company. ...
-
News
US picks states for 'free-flight' tests
A two-year "free-flight" test programme is set to begin in Alaska and Hawaii during 1999, following US Government approval of the so-called Ha-laska free-flight demonstration project. US vice-president Al Gore says that, beginning in 1999, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will conduct a two-year demonstration of "free-flight" ...
-
News
Microturbo
Saphir 4-2/4-5 The Saphir 4-2 and 4-5 models are fitted to some Dassault Falcon 20 business jets, rated at around 50kW. The variants differ mainly in that the 4-5 has additional noise insulation around the APU. Saphir 20 The Saphir 20, originally certificated in 1975, is ...
-
News
Royal Air Forcesteps up C-17 transporter studies
The Royal Air Force is stepping up studies into leasing the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) C-17 as a strategic transport, with indications that it is trying to get approval in principle for the deal before a UK general election has to be called by mid-year. The Ministry of Defence ...
-
News
Aerospatiale jumps back into profit
Aerospatiale has posted a dramatic turnaround in its financial fortunes during 1996, which president Yves Michot says will strengthen the group's hand as it prepares for major structural changes including the forthcoming merger with Dassault Aviation and the restructuring of Airbus. The manufacturer also reveals that it is involved in ...
-
News
Lockheed Martin has eyes on FATE designs
Lockheed Martin has eyes on FATE designs LOCKHEEDMARTIN plans to offer a tailless-delta design for the USAir Force's planned Fighter Aircraft Enhancement (FATE) programme to build pilotless demonstrators to flight-test new technologies. The company has been working on the tailless-fighter design since 1991, most recently under the Air Force's Innovative ...
-
News
Turkey and Eurocopter discuss Cougar licence
Eurocopter is in "advanced" negotiations with Turkey on licence-building 30 Cougar Mk 1 utility helicopters. The deal follows an order in 1993 for 20 machines - which were supplied directly from the Franco-German company. Few details of the accord are being released, but it is understood to be ...
-
News
Italy will review defence procurement
Italy is to review its defence-acquisition plans, with substantial cuts being seen as inevitable. Several projects are likely to be delayed, if not cut altogether. Beniamino Andreatta, Italy's defence minister, says that the long-term defence spending plan, the Defence Model hammered out in 1995, is no longer affordable. He says ...
-
News
Germany approves Litening procurement
The German parliamentary defence-procurement approvals committee has given the go-ahead for Germany's long-awaited purchase of laser designator pods for its Panavia Tornado fleet. The contract, believed to be worth DM144 million ($91 million), will go to Rafael of Israel. The company's Litening pod was selected early in 1996 ...
-
News
KC-135 Re-engineing
The first of ten re-engined Boeing KC-135 tankers will be delivered to an unidentified non-US customer in February under a $10 million deal announced on 7 January. The original Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojets are being replaced with CFM International CFM-56 turbofans. Source: Flight International
-
News
Dassault and Government near multi-year Rafale purchase deal
The French ministry of defence (DGA) and Dassault Aviation are near to a landmark agreement under which the price of the Rafale fighter would be cut by 10% in return for a multi-year procurement of up to 48 aircraft. This will be the first time such an agreement, ...
-
News
Radar tests get under way on Sukhoi Su-27IB variant
Two "production standard" Sukhoi Su-27IB (Su-34) strike aircraft have been fitted with the Leninetz phased-array radar, with flight-testing about to get under way, according to Sukhoi officials. What Sukhoi describes as the "second production aircraft" is now at Pushkino air base near St Petersburg, where Leninetz is based. ...
-
News
Pentagon approves US Marine Corps UH-1N upgrade
The US Marine Corps has awarded Bell Helicopter Textron a $134 million contract to initiate a UH-1N light-utility-helicopter modernisation programme in preference to buying the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. The project was held up by the Department of Defense (DoD) in October 1996, when further military-helicopter commonality studies ...
-
News
France nears final Aerospatiale/Dassault decision
The French government, anxious to kick-start the restructuring of its aerospace industry, is on the verge of finalising the details of the merger between Aerospatiale and Dassault Aviation. It also plans to move quickly towards privatisation of the resulting group. Approval for the merger, by a newly created ...
-
News
Rada orders
Rada Electronic Industries has secured orders worth $5.4 million for its CATS, ACE and maintenance simulator products. The CATS orders came from the UK and China, while a weapons-system trainer has been ordered by the Israeli ministry of defence. Source: Flight International
-
News
Donald Lang
Donald Lang, engineer, business executive and pilot, who retired a year ago as president of Pratt & Whitney China, died on 31 December at the age of 54, following heart surgery. Lang joined P&W in 1965 as an experimental test engineer. He helped develop the F100 engine, which powers the ...