Latest Defence Helicopters news – Page 446
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RAF Nimrod upgrade falls behind schedule
The Royal Air Force is unlikely to receive its first upgraded Nimrod MR4 maritime patrol aircraft until 2002, as a result of delays to the £2 billion ($3.3 billion) modification programme. The programme is thought to be up to eight months behind schedule, the first aircraft having been delivered ...
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RAH-66 Comanche team sticks with Longbow radar
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Boeing Sikorsky, the prime integrator for the US Army's RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance/attack helicopter, is to retain the Lockheed Martin/ Northrop Grumman Longbow millimetre-wave radar after failing to find a viable alternative. The search for another fire control radar solution for the RAH-66 was directed ...
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F/A-18E/F: Changing Roles
What the F/A-18E/F is - and what it is not - is best understood within the context of the programme's history, as the Super Hornet is the survivor of one of the most confused periods in US naval aviation planning. A decade ago, the carrier air wing envisaged for ...
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Mercenary intentions
Alan Venter/LUSAKA The shooting down of three Angolan air force Mikoyan MiG-23s in the first week of January by Unita forces fielding hand-held surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) has introduced a new dimension to the Angolan war. The MiGs were engaged in ground support operations against Dr Jonas Savimbi's rebel army. ...
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Australia plans biological weapons buster
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA Australian concerns at the potential for proliferation of chemical and biological weapons within the Asia-Pacific region have lead to plans for the development of what is being termed a "Special Weapons" capability by 2005. Key decisions on whether to proceed with the project are to be ...
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ACE in the hole for AH-64 and UH-60
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US Army plans to procure an Advanced Common Engine (ACE) in the 2,240kW (3,000shp) class for retrofit into in-service Boeing AH-64 Apache and Sikorsky Aircraft UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters. US Army officials say the as-yet unfunded Common Engine Programme (CEP) is required for the ...
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Japan considers tanker buy
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE The Japanese Defence Agency (JDA) is considering an Y80 billion ($710 million) purchase of four Boeing 767 or similar tanker aircraft, despite a decision to speed up planned procurement spending cuts. The JDA says no firm decision has been made on buying tankers. Money is expected ...
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RAF considers SAR radar pod for Tornado and Eurofighter
Howard Gethin/LONDON The Royal Air Force is considering the possibility of giving its Eurofighter EF2000 and Panavia Tornado fleets a new all-weather day and night penetrating reconnaissance role early in the next century. The UK Defence Research Agency (DERA) has been tasked with conducting a technology demonstrator programme ...
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Boeing takes wraps off Wedgetail contender
Boeing has unveiled its Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) based contender for Australia's Project Wedgetail airborne early warning requirement. The competition is also being contested by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. The BBJ (combining the fuselage of the 737-700 and the wing of the 737-800), with a mock-up of the 7m-long Northrop ...
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Neural net controller for trial on F-15 ACTIVE
NASA and Boeing plan to begin flight tests of an advanced "neural network"-based controller on the F-15 ACTIVE (Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles) testbed by the end of next month. This is the first part of the Intelligent Flight Control System programme. The neural network-based controller is expected ...
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Next-X ?
From the highs of the X-15's flights at over six times the speed of sound to the lows of the early-1990s' cancellation of the over-ambitious X-30 single-stage-to-orbit aerospace plane, the USA's "X-" series of experimental vehicles has exemplified the country's drive for dominance in the aeronautical and space technology arenas. ...
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AV-8B tries out OSCAR commercial software upgrade
The US aerospace industry and military are studying the success of the Boeing AV-8B Open System Core Avionic Requirement (OSCAR), with a mind to the wider application of commercial computer software in other fighter aircraft programmes. The adoption of commercial software is set to expand with future enhancements to ...
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Osprey takes to the water after design review
The Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft will begin US Navy sea trials at the end of this month, as engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) nears completion and final design of the air force's CV-22 special operations version is frozen. Aircraft 10, the fourth and final EMD vehicle, will ...
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USA clears Singapore for Longbow attack radar
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is preparing to release the Northrop Grumman/Lockheed Martin Longbow millimetre-wave radar to Singapore, clearing the way for the first sale of the Boeing AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopter to a South-East Asian nation. It is understood from US defence sources that a supplementary ...
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X directory
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC X is for experimental, and the USA's famous X-planes have played a key role in advancing aerospace technology over the more than 50 years since the Bell X-1 first flew. The nature of the X-series is changing, however. There is greater emphasis on ...
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USAF to accept first C-130Js as utility tests are concluded
The US Air Force is finalising acceptance paperwork for its first Lockheed Martin C-130J transports, following the successful completion of utility flight tests. Tests included drops of heavy equipment weighing up to 19,000kg (42,000lb), parachute drops of up to 53 jumpers and operations from short and improvised airstrips. ...
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Arianespace/Globalstar secure satellite constellation deal
Tim Furniss/LONDON Arianespace has won its first contract to launch a satellite constellation after clinching a deal with Globalstar. The European launcher firm has also launched the PanAmSat 6B into geostationary transfer orbit using an Ariane 42L model from Kourou on 21 December. The Globalstar deal involves the ...
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Greek air force gives the wink to Ericsson's Erieye system
Howard Gethin/LONDON The Greek Government has selected the Ericsson Erieye system for the Greek air force's airborne warning and control system requirement in a deal worth more than $500 million for four systems integrated with the Embraer EMB-145. The sale is the first export success for the industrial ...
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Problems stack up for US aerospace despite boom
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC The US aerospace industry will post a record $7.4 billion in profits on $140 billion in sales this year, and expects to see sales grow by $4.5 billion next year to $145 billion, according to the Aerospace Industries Association. The US trade group, however, declines ...
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BAe to manufacture Boeing 777 components
British Aerospace has secured a deal from Boeing to manufacture components for the 777 twinjet as the Airbus partner company realigns its aerostructures business. The Boeing deal follows an earlier contract to produce components for the Next Generation 737 and the 747. BAe's Aerostructures division has received a 10-year ...