Fixed-wing – Page 1310
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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Moving on up
The word "rebuilding" is likely to crop up frequently in conversations at the Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo '97 (2-4 February, Anaheim, California). Manufacturers will be talking about rebuilding business post-recession, while the HAI itself will be addressing the problem of "phoenix", or rebuilt, aircraft. According to HAI president ...
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Nimrod updates: political gain?
Sir - I read that "-[Royal Air Force] British Aerospace Nimrod submarine hunters are being stripped down-[to] be transformed into Nimrod 2000s" (The Times, London, 27 December, 1996). Fuselages which are a quarter of a century old are being refurbished, allegedly to save a couple of million pounds ...
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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. ...
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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" ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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
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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, ...
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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. ...
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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 ...