Fixed-wing – Page 1334
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Malaysia shops for military equipment
MALAYSIA IS planning further major purchases of military equipment in its next five-year plan starting in 1996, says the country's defence minister, Najib Tun Razak. A list of proposed new programmes is being finalised by the Malaysian defence ministry and Joint Service Planning Committee for submission to the ...
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Secret Black Hawk goes on display
THE US ARMY stunned visitors to the Army Aviation Association of America (AAAA) convention in Atlanta, Georgia, on 30-31 March, by displaying a previously secret attack-version of the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk tactical-transport helicopter developed by its special-operations forces. The MH-60L is a heavily modified, and armed, variant ...
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Boeing to test upgraded Chinook
BOEING HELICOPTER will flight-test later this year a CH-47 Chinook with a dynamically tuned fuselage, to reduce vibration, in the first step towards a possible US Army upgrade programme later this decade. The company will complete the present US Army Chinook modernisation programme by the end of 1995, ...
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Racal acquires Thorn sensors
UK ELECTRONICS company Thorn EMI has bowed out of the defence sector, with its sensors division being acquired by competitor Racal in a deal worth £17.5 million. Thorn had previously sold parts of the defence business to GEC and Thomson-CSF. The business includes the design and maintenance of ...
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Entertaining engineers
Rarely can the airline industry's love affair with a new technology have soured as quickly as in the case of interactive in-flight entertainment (IFE). Seized upon by marketeers, as the ultimate weapon in their armouries, its costs have proved greater and its benefits more elusive than perhaps anyone expected. Its ...
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Cash Transfer
The US National Guard Bureau has transferred $17 million to the US Army to pay for development of the UH-60Q medevac version of the Sikorsky Black Hawk tactical-transport helicopter. Two UH-60As will be modified to qualify the Q configuration. Source: Flight International
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Long-range Trigat on target
The first full guided-firing trial of the Euromissile long-range Trigat anti-armour missile has been successfully completed. It was launched against a target over 3.5km (1.9nm) away. Test firing is being carried out at the Royal Artillery range at Larkhill in the UK. The long-range Trigat imaging infrared missile, is the ...
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German Missile Purchase
The Pentagon is to sell Germany 320 AIM-120B advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles, worth about $170 million. Germany will use the missiles, made by Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon, to arm McDonnell Douglas F-4F fighters and, possibly, the European Fighter Aircraft, the Pentagon says. Turkey will receive 16 McDonnell Douglas Harpoon anti-ship ...
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Canada bids to counter cuts by marketing training capacity
CANADA'S DEPARTMENT of National Defence (DND) is marketing its pilot-training capability in a bid to offset excess capacity caused by budget cuts. Six student pilots from the German air force and navy have begun training at the Bombardier-operated Canadian Aviation Training Centre (CATC) at Southport, Manitoba. DND studies ...
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Lockheed makes F-16 line 'green'
LOCKHEED FORT WORTH (LFWC) has eliminated the use of ozone-depleting compounds (ODCs) from the F-16 production line. The F-16 factory at US Air Force Plant 4 was formerly the largest user of ODCs among US Government-owned, contractor-operated plants, using 227,000kg of these compounds in 1989. LFWC introduced a ...
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Short take-off, low funding
When General Dynamics rolled-out its F-111A Tactical Fighter (TFX) prototype in 1964, the-then-US defence secretary Robert McNamara proclaimed it as "...the greatest single step forward in combat aircraft to occur in several decades". In the event, the "Aardvark", as it was nicknamed, turned out to be a "turkey" in most ...
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Privatisation path
In February, El Al at last emerged from 12 years of receivership. Now, for the first time since the early 1980s, Israel's national airline is under the control of its own board of directors. Their primary objective is to speed the airline towards privatisation, while at the same ...
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FAA turns down waiver for ageing 707 fleet operator group
THE US FEDERAL Aviation Administration is rejecting attempts by Boeing 707 operators to extend the imminent deadline for completion of the type's aging-aircraft programme. The work has to be done by 29 April, or at 20,000 cycles, and, although no more than 25 aircraft fall under the FAA's ...
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UAE close to strike decision
THE UNITED ARAB Emirates (UAE) will decide on an aircraft to fulfil its strategic-strike requirement by the end of this year, say industry sources close to the competition. The UAE air force is interested in procuring up to 80 aircraft to provide a long-range-strike and an air-defence ...
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Malaysia will buy AA-12
MALAYSIA IS TO become the first export customer for the Vympel RVV-AE (AA-12) medium-range air-to-air missile (AAM), say senior Russian industry officials at the show. The Malaysian air force has ordered 18 Mikoyan MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter aircraft and the supply of the RVV-AE is believed to be ...
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UK clears Hakim for sale to UAE
THE UK HAS CLEARED the design of a GEC-Marconi long-range air-to-surface missile to take part in a competition for a United Arab Emirates (UAE) requirement, after having initially blocked such an offer. The UK Government objected to the initial GEC design because the missile's range was close to ...
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Australian Caribou competition hots up
COMPETITION TO replace Australia's fleet of de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou light-transport aircraft has intensified, with IPTN of Indonesia and Alenia of Italy announcing teaming agreements with Australian companies. CASA is expected to follow. The size of the RAAF order has not yet been determined, but could ...
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Lockheed signs C-130J agreement
LOCKHEED Aeronautical Systems has signed agreements with three Australian companies to supply components for the C-130J as part of its proposed sale of 12 aircraft to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The three local manufacturers selected to join the Lockheed Martin Industrial Team, as C-130J suppliers are, ...
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Bidders team up for RAAF trainer competition
MANUFACTURERS competing for a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) order for a new lead-in fighter trainer are playing down the significance of local assembly, and instead placing greater emphasis on costs and after-sales support. The RAAF has a requirement for 35-45 aircraft as replacements for its aging ...
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RAF pictures help Turks bomb Iraq PKK bases
PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN from UK and French combat aircraft of the Kurdish safe haven in northern Iraq have been made available to the Turkish military. Its forces launched the largest-ever incursion into northern Iraq on 20 March in pursuit of Kurdish PKK guerrilla fighters. The Royal Air Force and ...