All Helicopters articles – Page 434
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House vote puts first nail in F-22's coffin
Congressional moves to cut funds for production of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor took a set closer to reality on 23 July, when the House of Representatives voted to withhold $1.8 billion for the first six aircraft. US Air Force (USAF) and industry hopes to restore funding now rest ...
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Boeing selected in $1.3 billion Australian AEW&C contest
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRAAustralia has become the launch customer for Boeing's mid-sized airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system under a A$2 billion-plus ($1.3 billion) selection announced on 21 July.Boeing will deliver the first of seven B737-700 aircraft, carrying Northrop Grumman's Multirole Electronically Scanned Array (MESA) radar, by 2004-2005.The award is ...
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Boeing plans reduced supplier base in bid to improve finances
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Boeing plans to cut its supplier base from over 31,000 companies to just 18,000 as part of a "managing for value" programme to improve the company's financial performance. The supplier base size is a key measurement in a "value scorecard" Boeing will use to track its progress. ...
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US Air Force fights for F-22 funding after Congress shock
The US Air Force has acted to justify its need for a stealthy air superiority fighter in the light of its Kosovo experience after being surprised by a Congressional move to delay the Lockheed Martin/ Boeing F-22 Raptor. A key Congressional subcommittee proposed that funds for the first six production ...
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New identity
Airbus is awaiting a decision on its bid to build Europe's Future Large Aircraft Julian Moxon/PARIS When the response to the formal request for proposals for the Future Large Aircraft (FLA) military transport was delivered to Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Turkey and the UK on 29 January, there was ...
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Turmoil strikes Australian AEW&C and airlifter projects
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA Australia's airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) and new light tactical airlifter projects have been thrown into turmoil following the appearance of a A$2.4 billion ($1.6 billion) hole in forward defence expenditure plans. A top-level upheaval inside the Defence Acquisition Organisation (DAO) has excaberted the situation. ...
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Winglets boost 707 cruise performance for BAC II
Burbank Aeronautical (BAC II) says the cruise performance of its Boeing 707-320B demonstrator is "dramatically" improved thanks to winglets installed before a transatlantic flight to Paris, where the modified aircraft was on static display at June's Paris air show. Although the company is evaluating precise performance figures, the winglets ...
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Battle expected for USAF C-130X award
At least four US aerospace firms are expected to compete in the US Air Force's $4 billion C-130X avionics modernisation programme (AMP). Incumbent Lockheed Martin will be trying to keep the work away from Raytheon Systems, Boeing and the Austin, Texas-based unit of Marconi Electronic Systems (formerly Tracor). The ...
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Long sight for the UK
The UK's lengthy search for an airborne stand-off radar has resulted in a unique surveillance system Stewart Penney/LONDON Simultaneous announcements in London and Paris of the winner of the UK Airborne Stand-Off Radar (ASTOR) competition ended a battle which has raged for the best part of this decade and concludes ...
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Kosovo Apaches come under US Army fire
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC US Army Boeing AH-64A Apache attack helicopter pilots were undertrained and ill-equipped to engage Serb forces in Kosovo, according to a report written by Brig Gen Richard Cody, who led Task Force Hawk in Albania. The internal memorandum that was sent to Gen Eric Shinseki, the US ...
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European split on competitor to V-22 tiltrotor
GKN Westland and Agusta are finalising a bid to the European Commission to fund a compound helicopter technology demonstrator. This signals the final break-up of the Eurofar consortium, which was created to develop a rival to Bell-Boeing's V-22 tiltrotor. The UK company is also in discussions with the Ministry ...
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Military rotorcraft market review
Major contracts are in the offing for an industry that is making slow progress towards consolidation Stewart Penney/LONDON The past year brought some consolidation to the rotorcraft industry and conclusions to notable competitions. Meanwhile, significant procurement battles loom over the next 12 months, particularly in Europe. Finmeccanica and ...
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The future is smart
First came precision guidance: now all-weather missiles are set to join the US arsenal Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC NATO's dependence on precision guided munitions (PGMs) is expected to grow in the coming years, when current-generation laser-guided bombs will be complemented by all-weather weapons using global positioning/inertial navigation system (GPS/INS) guiding and ...
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A new way forward?
European consolidation took a lively turn on the eve of Le Bourget Chris Jasper/PARIS When French president Jacques Chirac opened the Paris air show on 12 June, it was on a wave of growing European optimism. The day before, the Spanish state holding company SEPI had announced its ...
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Contracts
CASA has won a five year, Ptas18,000 million ($113 million) contract to upgrade the tactical mission system of the Spanish air force's five Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft. Northrop Grumman has won a $15.8 million contract to supply 16 ALQ-131 Block II electronic countermeasures pods to the Norwegian ...
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Boeing tests transport model
Boeing's Phantom Works is planning flight tests of large scale models of its Blended Wing Body (BWB)transport aircraft and Super Frog tilt-wing, tail-less, short take-off tactical transport in 2001. Meanwhile, Boeing has conducted tethered flight trials of a smaller Super Frog model before free-flight tests scheduled for August. The 2.4m ...
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Turkey waits for Australia on AEW&C aircraft order
Turkey is holding off on the final selection of a new airborne early warning & control (AEW&C) aircraft until after Australia's decision on a similar requirement. A verdict is expected to be made by Australia before the end of July. Australia and Turkey have been engaged in parallel evaluations ...
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Greece to fly Saab 340 in Erieye deal
Greece is to operate a Swedish air force Saab 340-based Argus equipped with Ericsson Erieye airborne early warning radar as part of a deal to buy four Erieye systems mounted on an Embraer regional jet. Ericsson won a SKr4.5 billion ($525 million) deal for four Erieye systems in December last ...
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Chile heads queue for export F/A-18E/F
Paul Lewis and Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Chile is expected to be the first country to request price and availability data on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, initiating moves to release the upgraded fighter for export. Boeing hopes to secure export release for the F/A-18E/F by year end, after ...
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Paris unity
Paris 99 might be remembered for the last-ditch efforts by Europe's aerospace and defence industry to find a clear path towards industrial consolidation in the face of ever-burgeoning US super-companies, but the last Paris air show of the century should also be a reminder of Europe's technological prowess. The four-nation ...