Fixed-wing – Page 1312
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News
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 ...
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B-2 clearance
The Northrop Grumman B-2 stealth bomber has been cleared for use in the conventional-bomber role. The clearance follows completion of bombing tests in which the aircraft successfully destroyed targets using the global-positioning-system (GPS)-aided targeting system and GPS-Aided Munitions (GAM). Source: Flight International
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Thin end of the wedge
It is a feature of helicopter operations in the Middle East that, when Israel decides to react to any kind of provocation in south Lebanon - and the Tel Aviv Government does so often - the United Nations peacekeeping force in the area is grounded. UN operations in the region ...
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IAI discusses Astra with Indian defence ministry
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and the Indian defence ministry are negotiating the sale of up to nine Astra business jets to be configured for maritime-reconnaissance and target-towing roles. The talks come on the back of the visit of a high-level Israeli defence/aerospace delegation to India at the end ...
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Lockheed Martin chases Phalcon
LOCKHEED MARTIN is evaluating offering the Israeli Elta Phalcon phased-array radar on the airborne-early-warning (AEW) derivative of its C-130J Hercules 2 transport. The US company has applied for an export licence allowing it to discuss the AEWC-130J with Elta and hopes to begin talks within the next three to four ...
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Hunter test
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and TRW have successfully carried out a 16h flight test of the E-Hunter long-endurance variant of the basic IAI Hunter. The E-Hunter will be demonstrated to the US Army early this year. The E-Hunter differs from the basic Hunter in having an extended wing span and ...
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Phillipine F-18 tests
Phillipine air force pilots have completed a four-day evaluation of the McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet at the US Navy Naval Air Warfare Center-China Lake. The Phillipine air force is considering the F-18 as a candidate for its future fighter requirement alongside several other aircraft, including the Lockheed Martin F-16 and ...
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Too big, Mac?
The danger for the Europeans and the rest of the world's industry in Boeing's absorption of McDonnell Douglas (MDC) lies in believing that Boeing has trumped them for good. Yes, Boeing has - at a stroke - made itself the most powerful aircraft manufacturer in the world. That is not ...
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Embraer will offer an early-warning variant of EMB-145
Embraer plans to offer an airborne early-warning (AEW) variant of the EMB-145 regional jet following the Brazilian Government's decision to use the twinjet instead of the EMB-120 turboprop as the platform for the Ericsson Erieye phased-array radar under the SIVAM Amazon surveillance contract. The Brazilian manufacturer is negotiating ...
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UK funds Tornado replacement study
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to launch the feasibility study for the replacement of its Panavia Tornado GR4s. The French defence ministry is also funding elements of the project in a clear indication that it has an embryonic requirement for a strike aircraft to complement the Dassault Rafale. ...
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Poland's upgraded Iryda I-22 jet trainer prototype is 'ready to fly'
Polish aircraft manufacturer PZL-Mielec says that it is ready to test-fly an upgraded prototype of the I-22 jet trainer. Iryda chief designer Marek Potapowicz says that an aircraft incorporating the first stage of a range of proposed airframe and avionics improvements is ready for flight-testing. The ...
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Two more Ilyushin Il-76MFs will be tested
A further two Ilyushin Il-76MFs (upgrades of the basic Il-76 Candid military transport) are expected to join the flight-test programme in the first quarter of this year, with the manufacturer hopeful that the Russian air force will place an early order for at least another ten aircraft. The ...
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South Korea seeks funding for Black Hawk production
SOUTH Korea's armed forces are seeking funding in fiscal year 1998 to further extend licence-manufacturing of the Sikorsky UH-60P Black Hawk helicopter at Korean Air's Aerospace division. The Army is understood to be discussing ordering a third batch of between 60 and 80 UH-60 utility machines from Korean ...
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SAAF C-130 upgrade
Denel and Marshall Aero-space of the UK are teaming to upgrade South African Air Force (SAAF) Lockheed C-130 Hercules airlifters, including five aircraft being provided to the SAAF by the US Department of Defense. The first two US aircraft are ex-US Navy C-130Fs; the other three are ex-USAF C-130Bs. The ...
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Chinese Flankers
Pictured above are People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter aircraft stationed at Wuhu, Anhui, in central China. The aircraft have been supplied with Vympel R-73 (AA-11 Archer) infra-red dogfight air-to-air missiles (AAMs) and the Vympel R-27R (AA10 Alamo ) semi-active-radar-guided beyond-visual-range AAMs. Also visible is a ...
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Defence
Some things never seem to change in European defence. Another 12 months have passed, and still the production investment (PI) go-ahead for the Eurofighter EF2000 has to be approved by the four nations participating in the programme. Germany once again is at the heart of the delay. Problems ...