Fixed-wing – Page 1335
-
News
Turkey to launch hunt for MPA
TURKEY IS ABOUT to release a request for proposals for a maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA), with Fokker, CASA and Dornier among the likely bidders. The requirement looked likely at one point to be satisfied by an ex-US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion, but this deal appears to have fallen through. ...
-
News
Chile software demands halt Phalcon deliveries
THE CHILEAN air force has refused to accept its Phalcon airborne early-warning aircraft from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), demanding that the mission software be completely debugged before delivery. Phalcon test flights were completed earlier this month, but Chilean observers claimed that various problems, mainly software related, had not ...
-
News
UAE decides to buy Eurocopter Panthers
THE UNITED ARAB Emirates is to purchase seven Eurocopter AS.565 Panthers and upgrade seven Eurocopter Super Pumas to meet its anti-submarine-warfare (ASW)/anti-surface-vessel requirement. The $235 million deal, agreed on the last day of the IDEX show, appears to bring to an end a long-running saga, during which a ...
-
News
Starstreak-Avenger test is cancelled
A US ARMY demonstration of the Shorts Starstreak missile on the Boeing Avenger air-defence system has been cancelled, but the weapon may be evaluated on the Army's McDonnell Douglas Helicopter AH-64 Apache attack helicopter. Plans had called for live firings of the Starstreak hypervelocity air-defence weapon from the ...
-
News
Rolls-Royce completes its acquisition of Allison
ROLLS-ROYCE HAS completed its acquisition of Allison, after clearing the final US regulatory hurdles. Under a deal worked out with the US Government, R-R will be denied access to Allison's work on classified defence programmes. R-R is focusing on the commercial benefits of taking on Allison's existing ...
-
News
History of ASTOVL
The ASTOVL programme originally emerged from a US Navy STOVL fighter strike study and continuing research under the US-UK ASTOVL co-operative research agreement. The ARPA programme was examining STOVL as a way of reducing the cost of performing a strike mission. As this is one of the main drivers of ...
-
News
India turns down offer of Su-30
THE INDIAN Government has rejected a Russian offer of Sukhoi Su-30 fighters. Russian delegations have recently visited New Delhi for discussions about a plan to sell 35 Su-30s. Indian defence officials say that they are still facing supply problems on spares for various Mikoyan aircraft and ...
-
News
John Lawson
John Lawson, new president of Bombardier's Business Aircraft division, credits the Canadian company's refined succession planning for the rapidity with which he was appointed to replace Bryan Moss when he left for rival Gulfstream Aerospace. Lawson, and new executive vice-president Keith Gardner, were in place within three days of Moss' ...
-
News
21st Century tiger
The Northrop F-5 fighter is gaining a new lease of life. Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES In late April, sharp-eyed passengers at Los Angeles International Airport may see the unusual sight of a Northrop F-5E fighter lining up for take-off among the airliners. It will be no ...
-
News
Bell to test obstacle- detector laser radar
BELL HELICOPTER Textron is preparing to flight-test an obstacle detecting laser radar developed by Orlando, Florida-based Schwartz Electro-Optics (SEO). The Scanning Helicopter Interference Envelope Laser Detector (SHIELD) provides lower-hemisphere protection at low speed and while hovering in confined or hazardous areas, SEO says. The radar can detect wires ...
-
News
Erickson praises K-MAX, but returns aircraft
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA KAMAN AEROSPACE'S lead customer for the K-MAX external-lift helicopter, Erickson Air-Crane, has returned its leased aircraft to the manufacturer, citing a change in company philosophy. Kaman says that Erickson never voiced any dissatisfaction with the aircraft, on which it had accumulated 225h. Oregon-based Erickson ...
-
News
Eurocopter launches effort to expand civil-design limits
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH EUROCOPTER Deutschland, the Daimler-Benz Aerospace part of the bi-national helicopter group, which includes Aerospatiale of France, is pulling together a four-year research programme aimed at achieving significant operational, environ- mental and safety improvements. The DM120 million ($80 million) civil-helicopter research-and-development programme will ...
-
News
France pushes for early Tiger go-ahead
Julian Moxon/PARIS FRENCH DEFENCE minister Francois Leotard is pushing his Government for a decision to bring forward the delivery date of the first Eurocopter Tiger battlefield helicopters by two years. In a letter to a Government deputy on 14 March, Leotard says that he wants ...
-
News
IAI offers Sukhoi Su-22 upgrade
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT Industries (IAI) is offering an upgrade package for the Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter variable-geometry ground-attack fighter. Negotiations are under way with two unnamed air forces, which operate the aircraft. IAI's Lahav military-aircraft division has so far concentrated on upgrading the Mikoyan MiG-21 Fishbed. The design of an ...
-
News
Russian missile's nuclear near-miss
A KH-25ML (AS-10 KAREN) laser-guided air-to-surface missile, fired from a Russian air force Sukhoi Su-25 attack aircraft in February, deviated from its aiming point at Pogonovo firing range in Southern Russia and narrowly missed Novovoronezh nuclear-power station. The missiles live explosive-fragmentation 90kg warhead detonated on impact, causing extensive ...
-
News
Lockheed chooses CF6-80C2 for C-5D
LOCKHEED HAS selected General Electric's CF6-80C2 turbofan to power the C-5D, an improved version of the Galaxy which will be offered for the US Air Force's non-developmental airlift aircraft (NDAA) requirement. The NDAA is an alternative to the McDonnell Douglas C-17 and will only be purchased if the ...
-
News
Talon teams shape up
TEAMS ARE FORMING to bid for a US Air Force programme to upgrade the avionics in 425 Northrop T-38 Talon advanced-jet trainers. McDonnell Douglas (MDC) has teamed with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Northrop Grumman is expected to announce its team this month. Newly formed Lockheed Martin has ...
-
News
Chinese aspire to Su-27 production manufacture
Alexander Velovich/MOSCOW CHINA IS HOLDING discussions with Russia over the licence manufacture of the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker air-superiority aircraft. Chinese officials have recently held talks on the licence with representatives of the Russian Komsomolsk manufacturing plant, which produces the single-seat Su-27. The Komsomolsk factory built ...
-
News
UK/UAE close to agreement on defence co-operation
THE UK AND THE United Arab Emirates (UAE) are close to finalising a defence co-operative agreement, along with the lease of 12 ex-Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR1 strike aircraft and support crew. The negotiations were confirmed, by UK Defence Procurement Minister, Roger Freeman, who was in the ...