All Helicopters articles – Page 430
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News
Triple indemnity
Sextant plans to boost military sales by building on established technologies Stewart Penney/BORDEAUX French avionics specialist Sextant intends to increase its military sales by implementing a three-pronged strategy. It wants to increase its presence in pan-European aircraft programmes, expand its mid-life update and retrofit market penetration and acquire a ...
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Germany wants shared transports
Germany is urging its European partners to enter into discussions over pooling their transport aircraft fleet requirements. This is to cut costs as seven countries gear up for a decision on the possible joint procurement of up to 288 Airbus Military Company A400Ms. The idea was put forward by German ...
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US rotorcraft plans emerge
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DCThe US military and industry have begun to grapple with the definition of the future Joint Transport Rotorcraft (JTR) as they try to reconcile requirements for heavier lift capability with the promise of new technology and available funding. The US Army recently hosted its first JTR integrated concept ...
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Recorders may solve EgyptAir crash riddle
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hopes the impending recovery of EgyptAir flight 990's cockpit and data recorders will shed light on the Boeing 767-300ER's rollercoaster plunge into the sea on 31 October. NTSB investigators were waiting for a break in stormy weather last week ...
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Programme focus is key to BAe merger plan
British Aerospace and Marconi Electronic Systems (MES)have unveiled a radical programmes-led management restructuring as they prepare to merge by the end of this month. The overhaul will see BAe's Aerostructures and Military Aircraft divisions replaced by 11 programme-specific units, each with its own managing director. The aim is ...
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Australia looks at splitting defence purchases
A draft paper being circulated within the Australian Department of Defence is proposing a shift to "block buys" for new major equipment orders. This is expected to directly affect the Project Air 6000 replacement for the Royal Australian Air Force's Boeing F/A-18 Hornets. A separate issues-paper dealing with the ...
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Bell challenges Australian Army's helicopter shortlist
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA The Australian Army's Air 87 armed reconnaissance helicopter project is being reviewed by the Australian Defence Inspector General following a Bell Helicopter Textron challenge to the shortlist process. The 88-point challenge, lodged with Australian defence minister John Moore at the beginning of October, alleges that the ...
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UK nears decision on airlift programmes
Stewart Penney/LONDON A UK Ministry of Defence Equipment Approval Committee (EAC) meeting scheduled for 6 December is to consider options to meet the Royal Air Force's Short Term Strategic Airlift (STSA) requirement, the Future Transport Aircraft (FTA) competition and the beyond visual range air-to-air missile contest. The STSA and ...
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Italian Air Force is looking for a new airlift plan after pressures build
Andy Nativi/GENOA Political and industrial pressures in Italy are throwing the proposed Italian air force purchase of Airbus Military Company A400Ms into confusion. They are also causing a rethink of its long-term airlifter plans. Due to the manoeuvring, the air force is instead considering a further acquisition of Lockheed ...
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British Aerospace reins in Nimrod work
British Aerospace is concentrating structural work on the troubled Nimrod MRA4 maritime patrol aircraft at its Woodford factory. The move follows an announcement in March that the aircraft's in-service date has slipped from April 2003 until 2005. As a result Cobham subsidiary FR Aviation (FRA) will lose a contract ...
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USAF selects upgrade team for Stratotankers
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Air Force has selected a Rockwell Collins/Raytheon Systems team to upgrade more than 500 Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers to meet global air traffic management (GATM) requirements. At the same time, the USAF has slowed down the $4.2 billion avionics modernisation programme (AMP) for 510 Lockheed ...
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Mergers
United Technologies is to acquire composite components overhaul specialist Cade Industries for $129 million and engine parts supplier Dallas Aerospace for $57 million. Both companies will become part of UTC's Pratt & Whitney Engine Services unit. Dallas Aerospace is owned by the parent company of Fairchild Fasteners. Derlan Industries is ...
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IAI warns Raytheon on Phalcon pricing
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI)has told Raytheon, its airborne early warning (AEW) programmes partner, that a high price on its proposal for Turkey could mean an end to their teaming agreement. An IAI/Raytheon team was one of the losers in the Australian Wedgetail AEW competition, won by Boeing offering 737-700s ...
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Hard to digest
Whether it is clever politics, a knee-jerk reaction or just well-meant advice, the "closed" sign has gone up in the window of the transatlantic merger diner at which Europe has been trying to book a table since merger-mania gripped the industry earlier this year. Clever politics, perhaps, because Washington ...
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Contracts
United Industrial subsidiary ACL Technologies is to build a Lockheed Martin F-16 component overhaul depot near Cairo, Egypt. The $28 million centre will handle electrical, fuel, hydraulics, pneumatics, oxygen and landing gear systems. Raytheon has received a $16 million US foreign military sales contract to provide AGM-65 Mavericks trainers and ...
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Italian air force upgrades approved
The Italian Parliament has approved upgrades for the air force's Aermacchi MB339 advanced trainers, Alenia/Aermacchi/Embraer AMX fighter-bombers and Boeing 707 tankers. A mid-life update of the MB339 fleet will start by year-end and will last for five years. The L110 billion ($62 million) update will allow the Italian air force ...
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Greece to buy PGMs and more Chinooks
The Greek armed forces have concluded a deal to buy more Boeing CH-47D Chinooks and are close to finalising a deal for US-supplied AGM-142 Have Nap stand-off missiles. According to industry sources, the Clinton Administration will shortly notify the US Congress of its intention to sell an undisclosed number ...
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Boeing joins Meteor missile group
Stewart Penney/LONDONBoeing is joining Team Meteor, the European consortium competing in the UK's Beyond Visual Range Air-to-Air Missile (BVRAAM) competition to select a weapon to arm the Eurofighter. A decision is expected by early next year. Boeing joins a European grouping that includes the Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD), Alenia Marconi ...
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USAF gets funding to begin work on Galaxy re-engining
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US Air Force has secured $18 million in long lead funding to begin work on re-engining the Lockheed Martin C-5A/B Galaxy, as the Air Mobility Command (AMC) prepares to conclude a critical study of its future heavylift transport options. Congress has approved initial funding in ...
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Austria ready to modernise
Keen to show its neutrality, Austria has long kept its air force to a minimum. This strategy could soon change René van Woezik/VIENNA Austria spends less than most European countries on defence, as a proportion of its GDP that is, and stretches the lives of its aircraft to their ...