Fixed-wing – Page 1285
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Chilean Mirages operated with US F-16s
CHILEAN AIR FORCE DASSAULT MIRAGE 5M ELKANS, recently acquired from Belgium, have been used for the first time in joint operations with US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16s deployed to the South American nation. The Mirages were operated alongside locally upgraded Northrop F-5E Tiger IIIs and controlled by the Chilean ...
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Prospects fade away for dual-seat F-22
DEVELOPMENT of a two-seat variant of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 is to be dropped to save money. The US Air Force is to cancel two tandem-seaters planned for the development programme, leaving nine single-seat aircraft, although Lockheed Martin says that it has yet to receive a stop-work order. ...
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Taiwan and Lockheed Martin sign C-130-co-operation deal
TAIWAN HAS SIGNED an industrial co-operation agreement with Lockheed Martin, worth close to $90 million, as part of its planned purchase of four new C-130H-30 transport aircraft. Lockheed Martin has proposed a range of projects to Taiwan's Industrial Development Bureau. Areas of co-operation under discussion include assistance with ...
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Japanese logger
Kyokuto Boeki Kaisha will hand over the first Kaman K-MAX for a Japanese customer on 10 July, following Japanese certification of the external-lift helicopter. Japan Royal will use the helicopter for heli-logging in the Yoshino area of Nara Prefecture. Source: Flight International
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India and Russia close to Su-30 contract
Alexander Velovich/Moscow INDIA AND RUSSIA are on the brink of a deal covering the sale of up to 40 Sukhoi Su-30MK multi-role fighter aircraft. The Indian defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadam is quoted in Russian press reports as saying that negotiations to buy the Su-30MK "-are ...
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Whiteman receives first GAM deliveries
THE FIRST 17 global-positioning-system (GPS)-aided munitions (GAMs) have been delivered to Whiteman AFB, Missouri, for use on the Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber. The GAM offers an interim, near-precision direct attack weapon pending future delivery of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) later this decade. Over 100 GAMs ...
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German budget cuts endanger critical defence programmes
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH HUGE cuts in the latest German defence budget, approved by the cabinet on 10 July, have left questionmarks over the Eurofighter EF2000, Eurocopter Tiger and Helios 2/Horus reconnaissance satellite and procurement programmes. The 1997 defence budget has now been fixed at DM46.6 billion ($30.5 ...
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MDC to test Rafael Python 4 on F-18
McDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) is to test-fire a high off-boresight air-to-air missile, believed to be the Israeli Rafael Python 4, from an F-18 later this year under a company-funded programme designed to demonstrate an off-boresight engagement capability. The test will take place at the China Lake weapons range. An ...
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Pentagon torpedoes Marine Apaches and Black Hawks
THE AMBITIONS of McDonnell Douglas and Sikorsky to sell, respectively, the AH-64 Apache and UH-60 to the US Marine Corps have been dealt a serious blow by a US Department of Defense (DoD) report recommending that upgrading the USMC's existing fleet is the most cost-effective approach. The DoD ...
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Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 noses ahead
STRUCTURAL ASSEMBLY of the first Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 forward fuselage is complete and installation of tubing, wiring, cockpit instrumentation and avionics racks is under way at Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems in Marietta, Georgia. Visible (see picture, right) is the radar bulkhead, which is canted to reduce radar cross-section, ...
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Israel presses Russia in bid to clear way for China AEW deal
Ari Egozi/TEL AVIV THE ISRAELI Government is pressing Russia to approve the sale of an Ilyushin Il-76 Candid, to allow Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) to conclude a deal to convert the aircraft into a Phalcon radar-equipped airborne early-warning platform for China. A $250 million deal to ...
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RAF considers JTIDS Tornado GR4 update
Douglas Barrie/LONDON THE ROYAL AIR FORCE is studying the possibility of equipping its Panavia Tornado GR4 strike-aircraft with the Joint Tactical Information Distribution Systems (JTIDS) data-communications network. Funding for fitting RAF combat aircraft with the JTIDS so far covers only two squadrons of Tornado F3s, along ...
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Fakel moves into AAM market
RUSSIAN SURFACE-to-air missile (SAM) design house Fakel is attempting to break into new markets by offering two air-to-air versions of secret SAM development projects. Both weapons are being offered for the Sukhoi Su-27M (Su-35) Flanker. Fakel is working on an active-radar-guided medium-range missile (box right in picture) ...
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F-16 trainer for Kelly
Lockheed Martin F-16 pilots of the 182nd Fighter Squadron of the Texas Air National Guard's 149th Fighter Wing at Kelly AFB, San Antonio, will be the first to use a new Unit Training Device flight simulator at the base. The Hughes-built simulator is the first of 56 for the US ...
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Light fighter, big punch
The British Aerospace Sea Harrier Blue Vixen/AIM-120 upgrade is proving its worth with the Royal Navy. Douglas Barrie/YEOVILTON WHEN the Royal Navy's British Aerospace Sea Harriers were armed with Raytheon AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, engagement with an enemy was compared to having a "knife fight in a phone ...
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Boeing holds tanker talks with Kawasaki
BOEING IS discussing a co-operative tie-up with Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) to offer the 767 tanker/transport multi-mission aircraft to the Japan Defence Agency (JDA). The US manufacturer views Japan as the most likely launch customer for its proposed 767-300 tanker/transport derivative. To secure JDA funding, Boeing wants ...
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Manila narrows fighter choice
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE THE PHILIPPINE AIR force is expected to narrow its evaluation of competing fighter aircraft to a shortlist of two or three final contenders by October. According to local sources, the air force is looking at new-build and upgraded secondhand fighter types. The number ...
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Pemco/Airod team
Pemco Aeroplex has teamed with Airod of Malaysia to bid for the US Air Force's worldwide Lockheed Martin C-130 overhaul contract. The USAF's C-130 programmed depot-maintenance contract is due to be awarded in the second half of 1996. Source: Flight International
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Lockheed Martin begins talks with Czech manufacturers
LOCKHEED MARTIN has held negotiations with Aerovodochody and engine manufacturer Motorlet on possible industrial offset packages which could accompany a deal to sell F-16 fighters to the Czech Republic. A team of industrial experts from the US manufacturer arrived in Prague on 1 July for discussions with several ...
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ITEC ships first F124 turbofan
ITEC ships first F124 turbofan to MDC for Australian T-45 bid THE FIRST F124-400 turbofan for installation in a McDonnell Douglas (MDC) T-45A Goshawk has been shipped to MDC by AlliedSignal Aerospace's International Turbine Engine (ITEC) for eventual demonstration to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The ...