Helicopters – Page 427
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Bids in for RAAF stand-off weapons needs
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA Israeli Military Industries (IMI), teamed with BAE Systems Australia, has offered the Delilah II missile and the Modular Stand-Off Vehicle (MSOV) gliding dispenser weapon as a solution to the Royal Australian Air Force's (RAAF) Project Air 5418 Follow On Stand Off Weapon. The MSOV, competing as ...
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China converts Y-8 for AEW role
China's navy has completed the conversion of a Shaanxi Y-8 transport for airborne early warning (AEW), with radar supplied by the UK's Racal. It also carried out initial naval exercises with the aircraft. The conversion, a major upgrade in the navy's capabilities, is the culmination of more than four years ...
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Changing priorities
Growing regional threats meant Japan's defence procurement plans were relatively unaffected by economic downturn Andrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO The need to control defence spending in Japan has been offset by the evident anxiety caused by North Korea's recent testing of Taepo Dong ballistic missiles, one of which overflew Japan in what ...
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Air-launched booster under study by USA
Boeing is studying the feasibility of developing an air-launched booster capable of launching military and commercial payloads on demand. The AirLaunch booster is being designed by Boeing and Thiokol Propulsion as a possible launch system for the USAir Force's planned Space Manoeuvre Vehicle (SMV), a reusable, unmanned spaceplane. ...
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Canadian military to get more
Canada's armed forces are to get an extra C$1.9 billion ($1.3 billion) over the next three years as part of the budget for this year unveiled on 28 February. The extra money will enable the Canadians to start a long-awaited competition to acquire 28 maritime helicopters to replace ageing ...
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Government change adds to Chilean fighter delays
Paul Lewis/SANTIAGO Chile's protracted competition for a new multirole fighter faces possible further delay. The final decision is being passed to an incoming government that faces growing pressure to overhaul the country's military-procurement system. "We've already finished the technical evaluation-the final report has gone to the government," says ...
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Joint STARS set for lift with leased powerplant refit
Ramon Lopez/MELBOURNE, FLORIDA Northrop Grumman and the US Air Force plan to replace the ageing powerplants of the E-8C Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft with modern leased engines from 2002. USAF deputy system programme director Ron Mason says Congress has designated Joint STARS "a pilot ...
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US Air Force begs for Airborne Laser funds
At the request of US lawmakers, the USAir Force has listed weapons programmes that could benefit from extra funding in the fiscal year 2001 US military budget request. Principal among the projects is the Airborne Laser - a directed energy weapon mounted in a converted Boeing 747 - which ...
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USAF revamps GPS deployment plans
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Anew US Air Force acquisition strategy for global positioning system (GPS) navigation satellites will accelerate the deployment of improved anti-jamming for military use and increased integrity for civil use. As a result, the USAF will cut back Boeing's contract to produce GPSIIF follow-on satellites and ...
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USAF weapons to get GPS jamming update
The first production units of a system designed to improve the jamming resistance of global positioning system (GPS)-guided weapons will be available for incorporation in the Lockheed Martin Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) early next year, say industry officials. GPS-guided weapons, such as JASSM and the Boeing Joint Direct ...
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Turkey expands AEW&C requirement
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Turkey has expanded its airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) requirement to seven aircraft. It is expected make a final selection shortly after the recent submissions of best-and-final offers by competing teams Boeing/Northrop Grumman and Raytheon/Elta. Ankara is to decide by the end of March between ...
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Taiwan speeds up military transport aircraft plans
Taiwan is accelerating plans to procure a light military transport aircraft. The programme suffered the latest of several delays last year as funding difficulties pushed the start of the procurement back to at least 2002. Among the contenders, Lockheed Martin, with partner Alenia, is offering the C-27J upgrade of the ...
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Teal predicts market for 3,000 fighters over the next 10 years
Almost 3,000 fighters worth $136.1 billion at today's prices will be procured over the next 10 years, according to the latest world military aircraft forecast from US consultancy the Teal Group. Teal's study, released at the show, reviews the market for Western- and Russian-built fighters with a maximum take-off weight ...
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Megitt displays a new milestone achievement
Meggitt (Stand A436 in the UK Pavilion) is celebrating the production of its 1,000th market-leading Secondary Flight Display System (SFDS). The first production unit was sold in March 1996 and the SFDS has been specified on 22 aircraft programmes worldwide. It is now flying on all types of ...
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Tiltrotor lines up against helicopters for foreign sales
Paul Derby The Bell Boeing V-22 military tiltrotor will officially be in the running for foreign sales by year-end when the programme reaches another key milestone, executives said at the show. 'Milestone 3' will rubber stamp the long-held vision of the technology being offered to selected overseas customers ...
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Embraer sees AEW & C market potential
Alan Dron One of the most challenging problems facing the Embraer team developing the EMB-145 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW&C) aircraft is trying to determine the true size of the potential market available to it. This, says Anastcio Katsanos, Embraer's defence market strategy senior manager, is because ...
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New technologies aim to keep Apache battle-ready
Paul Derby Boeing has revealed a series of technological advances and research programmes designed to keep the AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopter effective on the battlefield over the next decade and beyond. The manufacturer says the enhancements could be integrated either individually or as a package and they ...
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CASA promotes C-295 as Hercules complement
Mike Martin Money saved by not operating "expensive to run" Lockheed Martin C-130s could be invested in the CASA C-295 military transport for use in some operations, Juan de Ariarte, vice-president sales and marketing for CASA, said at the show. The aircraft is here - for the first ...
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Quick decisions crucial in UK procurement contests
Tim Ripley As British government ministers make their final assessment of the bids in the United Kingdom's beyond visual range air-to-air missile and future strategic airlift contest, the senior RAF officer attending Asian Aerospace has stressed that a quick decision is "crucial". Air Vice Marshal Jock Stirrup, assistant ...
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Agusta hopes to boost bid with new Australia office
Italian manufacturer Agusta has boosted its bid to supply Australia with a next-generation armed reconnaissance helicopter by setting up new headquarters in the country. Agusta will use its Canberra base to press the claims of the A129 Scorpion in competition for a 26-aircraft contract through Australia's Air 87 programme. ...