Fixed-wing – Page 1261
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Battle for survival
When the Belgian Air force deployed Lockheed Martin F-16A Fighting Falcons to Vicenza airbase in Italy as part of the "post-IFOR" NATO presence over Bosnia, it demonstrated a change in Belgian Government policy, which, until then, had seen only ground troops committed to the peacekeeping campaign. It has taken the ...
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Philippine air force considers twin-engined fighter solution
The Philippine air force is leaning towards a twin-engine solution to its fighter requirement, following flight evaluations of a McDonnell Douglas (MDC) F-18C/D and Mikoyan MiG-29. According to local sources, the Philippines' new armed forces chief-of-staff and former air force commander, General Arnulfo Acedera, has come out in ...
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US Army keeps tabs on Starstreak
The US Army has released funding to continue evaluation of the Shorts Missile Systems Starstreak as a self-protection weapon for the McDonnell Douglas Helicopter Systems (MDHS) AH-64 Apache gunship. In late December, Shorts was awarded a $2 million increment as part of a $13 million contract to continue ...
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Fighting the accountant
CRITICS OF THE McDonnell Douglas (MDC) F-18E/F argue that the aircraft does not represent enough of an advance over the current F-18C/D to justify the $63 billion programme cost. The US Navy , however, believes that the E/F structural upgrade restarts the growth cycle and prepares the aircraft to replace ...
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China's first local helicopter makes its maiden flight
China's first locally designed and produced helicopter, the Jingdezhen Z-11, had its maiden flight at the end of December. The six- to seven-seat machine has been developed as a general-purpose helicopter for use by civil and military operators. Aviation Industries of China (AVIC) plans call for local airworthiness ...
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Antonov modifies An-70 controls
Antonov has modified the flight-control system on its An-70 propfan military transport, as a result of the fatal crash of the first aircraft. The second prototype was rolled out at the end of December 1996 Piotr Balabuyev, Antonov general designer, says that some of the safety-critical elements of ...
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Germany untangles Eurofighter funding
The German Government has agreed on a proposed solution to long-running funding problems afflicting the Eurofighter EF2000 programme. According to German press reports, half the money needed for production investment and the production phase of the programme could come as a special package of funding from the finance ...
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DarkStar flight tests will be resumed in mid-year
Flight testing of the stealthy Lockheed Martin/ Boeing DarkStar long-endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) will resume in the second or third quarter of 1997, once the second prototype is completed. Two further DarkStar systems, including two UAVs and associated payloads, are also being built. They will be delivered ...
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F-18E/F sea trials ready to begin
INITIAL SEATRIALS of the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) F-18E/F are scheduled to begin on 17 January. The trials will take place on the Navy's latest aircraft carrier, the USS Stennis, and will involve a series of arrested landings and catapult take-offs with the first two-seat development aircraft, the F1. ...
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German air force will update its Tornados
The German air force is to upgrade the navigation capabilities of its Panavia Tornado fleet with the installation of a Litef integrated global-positioning system and laser inertial-navigation system (GPS/LINS). The parliamentary defence approvals committee has cleared the procurement, and according to the defence ministry, a contract should be ...
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Portuguese PMAWS
The Northrop Grumman AAR-54 imaging ultra-violet Passive Missile Approach Warning System (PMAWS) is to be installed on Portuguese air force Lockheed Martin C-130Hs. The terms of the contract have not been disclosed. This contract covers the C-130Hs being used in air operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Deliveries are planned for the third ...
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Indian AF crash
All 22 people on board were killed when an Indian air force Hindustan Aeronautics 748 twin turboprop transport crashed on 24 December, 1996. Initial reports suggest that the aircraft may have suffered an engine failure before hitting a hill near Nellore, 240km (130nm) from Madras, according to Airclaims. ...
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STAe will expand leasing business
Singapore Technologies Aerospace (STAe) plans to acquire a leasing fleet of up to 20 aircraft over the next five years as part of a wider effort to expand the commercial side of its business. STAe, together with its parent holding company Singapore Technologies, has already established a joint-venture ...
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Kfir talks
Ecuador is negotiating the purchase of additional Kfir fighters from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). Ecuador is already operating one squadron of Kfir C-2 fighters. IAI has already asked for US approval for the deal. This is needed because the aircraft is powered by a US engine. The fighters are offered ...
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An-70 rolls out again
Antonov rolled out its second An-70 on 23 December - the first aircraft crashed. The military transport is due to fly in the first half of this year. The Ukrainian aircraft builder also rolled out its first An-140 twin-turboprop airliner. Iran has already signed a deal to build the 52-seater. ...
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New Year's resolution
ONE OF THE FEW people to emerge smiling from the Franco-German summit in Nuremberg on 9 December was Siegfried Sobotta, co-president of Eurocopter and chairman and chief executive of Eurocopter Deutscheland (ECD). During the summit, Germany gave no firm commitment to the joint Helios 2/Horus satellite programme; the ...
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MiG-AT poised for service
The Russian air force will place an order for ten VPK MAPOMiG-AT advanced jet trainers within the next 12 months, according to Russian press reports. If confirmed, the move is the clearest indication yet that the MiG-ATis emerging as the air force's preferred jet trainer over the rival Yakovlev Yak-130. ...
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German air force sends F-4F Phantoms to Holloman
The German air force is to send ten McDonnell Douglas F-4F Phantoms to Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, on 14 January, in a move towards upgrading its US-based F-4 training squadron. The F-4Fs will replace F-4Es now used by the service for training at the base. A ...
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FAA flights begin on C-130J
US FEDERAL AVIATION Administration flight-testing of the Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules 2 has begun in anticipation of civil certification in May. The company is developing the C-130J as a private venture and will use civil certification, rather than military qualification, as proof of the aircraft's airworthiness. Certification testing began in ...
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UKMoD enters MALD talks
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is "involved in discussions" with Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Systems and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) over potential participation in the Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) programme. The MALD is a small, jet-powered unmanned air vehicle, which will be launched as ...