A400M ENGINE REACHES MAXIMUM POWER
The Airbus Military A400M transport's Europrop International TP400-D6 powerplant has been run at "maximum power" for "a couple of minutes" during its second, 2h 20min flight aboard a Lockheed Martin C-130 testbed. The A400M is expected to make its delayed maiden flight later this year and enter service with the French air force from around 2012.
TORNADOS HARRIED BY HARD-STANDING DELAY
The UK could delay the planned 1 April replacement of its Afghanistan-based BAE Systems Harrier GR9A strike aircraft with Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4s, military sources have disclosed. Construction of new hard-standing and associated facilities for the Tornados at Kandahar airfield is understood to have fallen behind schedule. Work to equip the GR4 for Afghanistan is continuing, and new equipment such as the Raytheon Systems Paveway IV precision-guided bomb is still being integrated.
TURKISH PILOT CHARGED OVER F-16 COLLISION
A Greek court has sentenced a Turkish fighter pilot in absentia to four years in prison following a fatal May 2006 mid-air collision over the Aegean Sea between two Lockheed Martin F-16Cs engaged in a mock dogfight. First Lt Halil Ibrahim Ozdemir ejected, but Greek air force pilot Costas Iliakis died when his aircraft hit the sea. There was no extradition request from the Greek government.
SUKHOI URGES STATE FUNDING OF SUPERJET
Sukhoi Civil Aircraft has called for Rb3.6 billion ($100 million) of Russian state funding to keep its Superjet 100 programme on track, warning that 10% of staff have already been cut and development work may slow down without a capital injection. Aeroflot was to have received the first aircraft in November 2008, but the project remains in flight testing.
LUFTHANSA CARGO TO PUT WORKERS ON SHORT TIME
Lufthansa Cargo will respond to a sharply-declining cargo market by putting 2,600 employees on short time. The company's December volume plummeted by 21.4% compared with a year earlier, in line with overall market figures.
STRIKE HELPS PUSH BOEING TO QUARTER LOSS
Full-year commercial aircraft profits at Boeing dropped by two-thirds last year to $1.18 billion as revenue dropped 15% to $28.2 billion. The strike-hit fourth-quarter saw an operating loss of $968 million, against a $973 million profit last time, as revenues sank 48% to $4.6 billion.
SEE-AND-AVOID LAPSE CITED IN MID-AIR COLLISION
Pilots of two news gathering helicopters that collided in July 2007 while reporting a police chase in Phoenix, Arizona failed to use "see-and-avoid" measures required by visual flight rules, the US National Transportation Safety Board has ruled. A pilot and photographer aboard each Eurocopter AS350B2 were killed.
IAI IN JOINT VENTURE TALKS WITH BOMBARDIER
Israel Aerospace Industries is in advanced negotiations with Bombardier over the establishment of a joint venture that could offer maritime patrol aircraft based on the Canadian manufacturer's Dash 8 family of regional turboprops.
Source: Flight International
