Fixed-wing – Page 1300
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News
Turboprop triumph
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA SELECTION OF the Raytheon Aircraft Beech Pilatus PC-9 MkII for the US Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) surprised almost everyone - except, that is, the company itself. Throughout the competition, and the protests which followed, Raytheon remained steadfastly confident in the strength of its proposal. ...
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Boeing delivers F-22 power supplies
BOEING HAS DELIVERED the first flight-worthy power supplies for the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 common integrated processors (CIPs), which form the heart of the fighter's avionics, sensors and display system. The power supply modules, convert aircraft-standard electrical power to a wattage of up to 400W, which is used to ...
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NH90 navigation
Sagem's Saphir inertial-navigation system has been selected for the NH Industries NH90 utility helicopter. The French company's embedded global-positioning/inertial-navigation system inertia device will provide navigation data and inertial references for the aircraft's quadruplex fly-by-wire control system. Source: Flight International
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SAAF considers used C-130 Hercules
The South African Air Force (SAAF), is considering acquiring secondhand Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules transports, being offered by the US Government, to boost its future transport capability. The air force is studying the costs of upgrading early-model Hercules to extend airframe life. The aircraft on offer are now ...
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Russian programmes crippled by funding shortfall
THE RUSSIAN AIR force has admitted that Mikoyan's Object 1.42 fifth-generation-fighter programme has ground to a halt because of a lack of funding. A crisis meeting held this month with senior officers and design bureaux officials in attendance paints a grim picture of the air force's operational readiness and the ...
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Through the looking glass
The Israeli air force is testing a cockpit upgrade for its Sikorsky CH-53 helicopters. Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV OPERATIONAL evaluation of Israeli air force upgraded Sikorsky CH-53s has only just begun, but the pilots are already saying that the new avionics have stretched the capability of ...
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US Air Force wants F-16 TARS reconnaissance pod
THE US AIR FORCE IS seeking funds to equip Air National Guard (ANG) Lockheed Martin F-16Cs with a reconnaissance pod under the theatre airborne-reconnaissance system (TARS) programme. It wants 20 pods and five ground stations, with initial deployment of four pods and one ground station required within a year of ...
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US Navy examines rotary resupply
THE FEASIBILITY OF using commercially operated helicopters for vertical replenishment (Vertrep) of warships is to be further evaluated during a follow-on at-sea cargo-movement demonstration scheduled by the US Navy for later this year. In January, the US Military Sealift Command (MSC) issued a request, for proposals for a ...
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German air force updates VIP transport capabilities
Andrzej Jeziorski/BONN THE GERMAN AIR FORCE is buying four more Airbus A310s to replace its ageing Boeing 707-320s in the transport/cargo role. The air force is also pushing to acquire Canadair Challenger 601s and Eurocopter AS.332 Super Pumas in the VIP role. The air force ...
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Israel and Morocco hold F-5 upgrade discussions
MOROCCO AND ISRAEL are in secret negotiations over the latter country providing an upgrade of Moroccan air force Northrop F-5. The negotiations are believed to cover the upgrade of around 20 F-5s, which the air force uses in the fighter/ground-attack role. If successfully concluded, the deal would ...
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Light and easy
The new Bell 407 proves to be more than just an upgraded 206. Peter Gray/SINGAPORE Photography by Mark Wagner BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON introduced two new helicopters at Asian Aerospace '96 at Singapore - the intermediate-sized, twin-engined 430, with its advanced four-blade main rotor, and the manufacturer's ...
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Boeing turns to UK to bolster JAST bid
Karen Walker/ORLANDORamon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC BOEING IS PURSUING potential UK subcontractors as part of its bid for the US Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) programme in an attempt to position its aircraft as a contender for the UK's Future Offensive Aircraft (FOA) to replace the Panavia Tornado GR4. ...
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Thrust-vectoring F-15 first flight is curtailed
THE FIRST functional evaluation flight of the joint NASA, US Air Force, Pratt & Whitney and McDonnell Douglas F-15 thrust-vectoring research aircraft was cut short on 14 February when the pilot received indications of a problem with the landing gear. "It didn't complete the entire functional check-out, but the aircraft ...
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Germany may increase Eurofighter order again
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH THE GERMAN AIR FORCE is considering a possible order for an additional 20 Eurofighter 2000s, within weeks of persuading the German parliament to raise the country's production offtake from 140 to 180 aircraft. The issue has not been raised publicly for fear of stirring up renewed opposition to ...
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USAF
Col Wilbert Pearson has become vice-commander of the US Air Force's Electronic Systems Center (ESC), at Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts. He is now Deputy for Rockwell B-1B programmes, Space and Strategic Systems in the office of the US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition. Brig Gen Michael Mushala becomes programme director for ...
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Hercules upgrade
The US Air Force has awarded Smiths Industries Aerospace a $5.6 million contract to upgrade self-contained navigation systems on 28 Special Forces Operations Improvement Lockheed Martin HC-130P/Ns, the search-and-rescue variant of the C-130 Hercules. The work includes installation of global-positioning systems, automatic communication systems and microwave-landing systems. Source: Flight ...
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Software snag delays EF2000 Eurofighter
Douglas Barrie/LONDON THE FIRST FLIGHT of a two-seat Eurofighter EF2000, the CASA-built development aircraft (DA) 6, has been delayed by around six months because of a hitch in the completion of the next release of flight-control software. The latest release of the 2A software was due ...
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White House studies further B-2 orders
US PRESIDENT Bill Clinton has ordered "a fresh look" at the potential requirement for more than 20 Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bombers. He has ordered the National Security Council to examine options for providing the US Air Force with more B-2s. The policy re-evaluation follows action by US ...
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Pentagon reveals seven-year C-17 acquisition plan...
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC THE US DEPARTMENT of Defense (DoD) expects to shave $896 million from its $16.6 billion McDonnell Douglas C-17 programme through multi-year procurement . The C-17 acquisition decision memorandum (ADM), released by DoD procurement chief Paul Kaminski, seeks congressional approval to purchase the remaining ...
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...but Hunter is sacrificed to cheaper UAVs
PRODUCTION OF THE Hunter Joint Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (JTUAV) has been terminated, with the US Department of Defense (DoD) deciding to cut the overall number of UAVs and seek cheaper vehicles to meet mission requirements. The Hunter, developed by TRW/Israel Aircraft Industries, failed to meet the US ...