Fixed-wing – Page 1293
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News
BAe introduces 'smart' monitoring to EF2000 structure
Martin Hindley/LONDON BRITISH AEROSPACE has revealed that the Eurofighter EF2000 is the world's first combat aircraft to be designed with an integrated structural health-and-usage monitoring system. The system is used to perform real-time airframe-fatigue calculations and to monitor "significant structural events and flight-performance parameters", says BAe. ...
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STAe poised for TigerEye modification
SINGAPORE Technologies Aerospace (STAe) is expected to win a contract to modify eight Taiwanese Northrop F-5Es to RF-5E TigerEye reconnaissance aircraft, after more than a year's delay to the order. Taiwanese defence minister Chiang Chung-ling has re-affirmed that STAe is the preferred choice over local companies. He ...
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Hercules update
Airod plans to begin work on converting the first of two Royal Malaysian Air Force Lockheed Martin C-130H transports into in-flight refueling tankers by the end of April. Lockheed Martin is acting as an integrator for the KC-130 modification programme, which will take six months to complete for each aircraft. ...
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RMAF backs F-5 upgrade
THE ROYAL MALAYSIAN Air Force (RMAF) is giving support to an industry-led initiative to upgrade its Northrop Grumman F-5E/F as lead-in fighter trainers. The RMAF has carried out a cost study of the proposed F-5 revamp and forwarded its conclusions to the Malaysian Government, say senior air ...
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MDC fights for F-18E/F as GAO calls for cancellation
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA McDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) has defended the F-18E/F Super Hornet after the leak of a US General Accounting Office (GAO) draft report, which has recommended that the aircraft programme be cancelled. Reports suggest that the Congressional watchdog, recommends buying upgraded F-18C/Ds, citing only "marginal ...
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Boeing advances weapons carriage
BOEING WILL ground-test an advanced weapons-carriage concept under a $2.5 million US Air Force technology-demonstration contract. The Weapons Carriage Technology programme "...will deliver advanced, multiple-purpose, weapon-suspension and release equipment", the USAF says. The technology is aimed at "...future multi-mission aircraft...that will carry a variety of current and advanced ...
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'Tailless' F-15 will feed Joint Strike Fighter programme
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES PLANS ARE being drawn up to develop a "tailless" McDonnell Douglas F-15 supersonic research aircraft fitted with a thrust-vectoring system to provide data to the US/UK Joint Strike Fighter effort, other future combat-aircraft programmes and, possibly, the high-speed civil transport. Plans for ...
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Russian air force SLAR revealed
Douglas Barrie/LONDON THE RUSSIAN AIR FORCE, is believed to be testing a large side-looking airborne radar (SLAR), at its Ahktubinsk operational research centre in southern Russia. A heavily modified Antonov An-72 Coaler is being flown from the centre, with at least the rear-fuselage section reconfigured ...
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Eurocopter is sued over Oryx commission claims
Alan George/LONDON LAWYERS FOR Eurocopter are seeking a new date for a court hearing, originally scheduled for 2 May, in which the company is being sued by a Portuguese agent over non-payment of commission on alleged defence deals with the apartheid regime in South Africa. ...
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News
Elbit/Kaiser tie-up
Elbit and Kaiser have formed a joint company, Vision Systems International, to market helmet-mounted displays for fixed-wing aircraft. The team is expected to compete for the US Air Force/Navy joint helmet-mounted cuing system (JHMCS) programme in a joint bid with Honeywell and GEC-Marconi Avionics, which teamed in 1995. The JHMCS ...
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News
The enemy within
David Learmount/LONDON Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Julian Moxon/PARIS Paul Phelan/CAIRNS DESPITE BEING ABLE to report a particularly safe 1995, director of US Army aviation safety Brig Gen Thomas Konitzer sees a need for caution. "The force reduction has increased the workload for Army aviators. Not only have missions ...
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News
No substitute for the final check
Sir - I read your comment "Just bad luck?" (Flight International, 13-19 March), which referred to a Royal Air Force British Aerospace Hawk accident. In my judgement (except for operational reasons), no amount of cost cutting destroys the case for a final check by a suitably trained individual ...
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C-130J: towards certification
Certification flight-testing of Lockheed Martin's private-venture C-130J is finally under way. Graham Warwick/ATLANTA A "FLAWLESS" FIRST flight, after frustrating delays, has boosted Lockheed Martin's confidence in its upgraded C-130J Hercules II. In fact, after the months following the October 1995 roll out spent on integrating hardware and ...
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Military pilots gain attitude
A COCKPIT-BASED indicator system which could help fighter pilots maintain the desired attitudes while flying in low-visibility conditions is being developed by the UK's Defence Research Agency (DRA). The ambient attitude indicator (AAI) consists of a canopy-arch-mounted strip of lights, which provides pilots with peripheral visual information ...
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UK MoD considers Sea King upgrade bids
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD), is completing the technical evaluation of bids from GEC-Marconi Avionics (GMAv) Racal Electronics and Lockheed Martin, for the £100 million ($150 million) upgrade, of the Royal Navy's fleet of Westland Sea King airborne-early-warning AEW2 helicopters ahead of a final decision, which is expected in ...
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News
Daewoo tweaks KTX-1 design
DAEWOO HEAVY Industries (DHI) of South Korea is making further changes to the design of its KTX-1 turboprop basic trainer, to improve manoeuvrability and stability. A fourth prototype, scheduled to have its maiden flight in May, will incorporate structural and aerodynamic modifications. The aircraft is the final flying ...
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News
Snecma powers up with links to GE90/P&WC
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Gilbert Sedbon/PARIS SNECMA HAS REPAIRED its ailing relationship with GE Aircraft Engines on the GE90 by agreeing to maintain a 25% stake in the development of a 445kN (100,000lb)-thrust variant of the engine. At the same time, the French engine builder has moved into ...
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France drops out of MEADS
Graham Warwick/ATLANTAGilbert Sedbon/PARIS GERMANY, ITALY AND the USA are expected to proceed with the Medium Extended Air-Defence-System (MEADS) programme without France, which is provisionally suspending participation in the project. The three countries are expected to sign an statement of intent (SoI) to develop the MEADS, ...
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US Navy starts search for P-3 Orion replacement
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA LOCKHEED MARTIN IS hoping that a US Navy large land-based aircraft (LLBA) study, due to begin in late 1997, will lead to an order for its upgraded P-3 Orion 2000, with deliveries starting in 2002-3. The study will re-examine plans to extend the service life ...
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Polish air force revives troubled Iryda
The grounded PZL-Mielec Iryda programme has been given a new, two-year lease of life with a fresh Polish air force order, and an upgrade programme for aircraft already delivered. As part of the programme, PZL-Mielec is to sign a contract with Sextant Avionique of France, to provide ...