Fixed-wing – Page 1315
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French industry steels itself for budget cuts
FRENCH AEROSPACE contractors are bracing themselves for major procurement cuts following a defence budget which promises to reduce 1996 spending on weapons by more than Fr8 billion ($1.5 billion). The defence-spending plans were part of a wider state budget unveiled on 21 September by President Jacques Chirac's new ...
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Portugal considers F-16 options
PORTUGAL IS considering procuring an additional 20-40 Lockheed Martin F-16s, along with taking on board the mid-life-upgrade (MLU) put together for other European F-16 operators. A team from the company is due to visit Portugal on 28/29 September, to discuss the upgrade. The aircraft on offer are secondhand ...
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Core avionics
The Collins Proline 4 flight tests are in final completion. This system has evolved, too, and is installed in various forms on business jets such as the Beech 400, Learjet 60 and Dassault 2000; it is specified too for the Israel Aircraft Industries Galaxy. The system is much ...
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Flying firefighters
The London fire service has been conducting an extensive trial in the use of helicopter air support. Brian Walters/LONDON EVERY WORKING DAY, about 2.5 million motor vehicles enter London, resulting in acute traffic jams at peak hours. In those conditions, it is hard for emergency services to ...
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Rotary ambitions
The European helicopter forum in St Petersburg highlighted the Mil and Kamov design bureaux. Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW HIGH-RANKING representatives of major helicopter manufacturers from Europe and the USA attended the European helicopter forum in St Petersburg, Russia, from 2 August-2 September intent on exploring market opportunities ...
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Justice Department will umpire MDC/Pentagon costs squabble
THE US DEPARTMENT of Justice has taken over a "whistleblower" lawsuit, which alleges that McDonnell Douglas (MDC) routinely mischarged labour costs on US Department of Defense aircraft contracts. MDC says that the charges "...are totally without merit". The suit was filed in 1993 by a sacked MDC employee. ...
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Westinghouse attacks IAI 'unfair competition'
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA WESTINGHOUSE Norden Systems has accused Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) of unfair competition, after the Israeli company switched radar suppliers for the Turkish McDonnell Douglas F-4 upgrade programme, from Norden to its own subsidiary, Elta. Westinghouse alleges that IAI misled the Turkish air force as ...
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Elbit poised to provide Huzar avionics
ISRAELI AVIONICS specialist Elbit is negotiating with Polish helicopter manufacturer PZL-Swidnik to provide avionics for the W-3W Huzar combat-support helicopter. The Huzar is viewed as the favourite to meet a yet-to-be-released Polish army tender for a light-transport/combat-support helicopter. No contract has been signed between Elbit ...
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Chirac lobbies for Eurocopter in Spain
FRENCH PRESIDENT Jacques Chirac has intervened in the competition between Eurocopter and Sikorsky to meet a Spanish army transport-helicopter requirement by writing to his Spanish counterpart, prime minister Felipe Gonzalez, urging him to opt for the Eurocopter AS.532 UL Cougar, rather than the rival Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. ...
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RTAF favours F-18 for fighter need
Paul Lewis/BANGKOK THE McDONNELL Douglas F-18 Hornet is emerging as the Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) favourite to meet its next fighter-aircraft requirement, in preference to the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Thailand is considering purchasing an initial, eight fighters for delivery by early 1999. A follow-on ...
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Five C-130Hs bound for Malaysia
THE MALAYSIAN air force has purchased five of Lockheed Martin's nine remaining unsold C-130H Hercules transport aircraft, say local sources. Lockheed Martin reveals that it has only four military transports, together with two civil L-100s, left to place, after recently selling five stretched C-130-30Hs. The aircraft are the ...
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Saab signs Hungarian Gripen MoU
SAAB AIRCRAFT HAS signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hungary, covering the "evaluation and possible procurement" of the JAS39 Gripen multi-role lightweight fighter. The Swedish sales effort is being couched as part of a wide-ranging industrial co-operation agreement with Hungary. Hungary is due to decide by the ...
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Denel makes its mark
Denel has progressed rapidly in a short time. Kevin O'Toole/LONDON DENEL HAS COME a long way in a short time, says its chief executive Johan Alberts. It is hard to disagree. The group was formed a little over three years ago, as South ...
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AN-32 crashes into sea
A Sri Lankan air force Antonov An-32 twin-turboprop utility aircraft, carrying 76 servicemen and five crew, crashed some 40km (22nm) north of Colombo, killing all on board, says a Sri Lankan military statement. The aircraft had taken off in bad weather from Colombo Ratmalana airport bound for Palaly in the ...
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B-2 ESM upgrade
Loral Federal Systems has received a $14.6 million Northrop Grumman contract to produce 13 receiver sets to enhance the performance of the B-2 bomber aircraft's Loral-developed APR-50 electronic support-measures system. Source: Flight International
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Rafale Rolls
The French defence ministry has signed a contract with Dassault for an initial production batch of eight Rafale multi-role fighter aircraft. Source: Flight International
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Maintenance rates hit SASCO
SINGAPORE Technologies Aerospace (STAe), is urgently looking at ways of reviving its subsidiary maintenance company, Singapore Aviation Services (SASCO), after suffering a large loss in the first six months of the year. STAe made a net loss of S$49 million ($34 million) compared with a small S$12 million ...
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Swidnik wins Sokol successes
POLISH HELICOPTER manufacturer PZL Swidnik has won new orders for two versions of its W-3 Sokol helicopter. South Korea's Citiair has turned its preliminary agreement on the purchase of three transport helicopters into a firm contract, while Polish oil company Petrobaltic has ordered a maritime version. Citiair has ordered the ...
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Royal Navy opts for Racal GPS units
THE ROYAL NAVY IS to fit all of its front-line helicopters with Racal Avionics' secure global-positioning-system (GPS) equipment. The £25 million ($39 million) upgrade programme, due for completion in 1999, will cover over 150 aircraft. An integrated logistic-support package, which lasts until 2003, is also included. Racal, as ...
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LongRanger achieves high-altitude record
BELL HELICOPTER Textron has set a new company record for high-altitude operations after a Model 206L-4 LongRanger climbed to 19,300ft (5,880m) to rescue the crew of a Pakistan army Aerospatiale SA.315 Lama which had crashed in the Himalayas. The LongRanger was in Pakistan being demonstrated to the army ...