All aerospace news – Page 1784
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European ministers move on Galileo studies
European Union (EU) transport ministers have called on the European Commission (EC) to accelerate studies on co-operation issues and cost-benefit analysis for the Galileo satellite navigation system. The Galileo, Europe's second-generation global navigation satellite system to follow the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System, will be independent of the US ...
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Upgrade will extend lives of 747 Classics
KLM and Canadian Marconi are finalising details of a turnkey cockpit upgrade package to offer operators of Boeing 747 Classics. The move follows the experience gained by the partners on the programme to upgrade KLM's own fleet of 747 Classics. The Dutch airline became the first to commit to ...
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Lufthansa Technik nears Manila goal
Lufthansa Technik (LHT)has taken a step closer to its goal of establishing a maintenance joint venture in Manila following the signing of letters of intent with Philippine Airlines (PAL)and logistics company MacroAsia. Formal approval of the plan by the boards of all three companies is expected "within a couple ...
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Regional wars
Access to the US market is critical if Embraer, Bombardier and Fairchild are to see any payback Paul Lewis/PARIS The fight for the 70/100-seat regional jet market early in the 21st century has already begun with an opening exchange of fire between Fairchild Aerospace and Embraer. Also manoeuvring into ...
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Europa hunts for partners to back new aircraft programme
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Europa is seeking partners to support its new two-seat, single-engined production aircraft, under development at its site in Kirkbymoorside, Yorkshire, UK. An established kitplane supplier, Europa has secured over half of the finance for the project via private investment and government funding, but needs partners to provide ...
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The big numbers
Airbus and Boeing continue to dispute the sales prospects for large airliners Max Kingsley-Jones/PARIS Airbus Industrie and Boeing renewed their long-term debate over the size and timing of demand for very large capacity aircraft at the Paris air show by releasing their market forecasts for the next 20 years. ...
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VulcanAir 'moves forward' with Partenavia line
VulcanAir has begun revamping the former Partenavia aircraft line, which it acquired last year, in an effort to drive up sales and stamp its identity on the twin-engined models. "This is a natural evolution of the product. Partenavia had done nothing with the aircraft for some time and then ...
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SAirGroup wins fight for stake in SAA
SAirGroup has won the battle for a 20% equity stake in state-owned South African Airways (SAA)after Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines (SIA),pulled out of the bidding. The Swiss company's $230 million offer was favoured over bids from American Airlines and David Bonderman's Texas Pacific Group. The move has prompted ...
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Air France and Delta link to take on oneworld and Star
Julian Moxon/PARIS Air France and Delta Air Lines have agreed the terms of a long-anticipated alliance. They have pledged to sign up further partners by the end of the year to form a global grouping that will be bigger than the emerging KLM/Northwest Airlines-led Wings alliance and "intended to ...
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India agrees to fund Saras 14-seat turboprop
The Indian Government has cleared Rs1.3 billion ($30 million) for the manufacture of the Saras twin turboprop, India's first indigenous venture into civil aircraft production. Following cabinet approval in June, the government-owned National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and its partners will begin work on two prototypes of the 14-seat light ...
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Brazilians buy Twin Pandas for Amazon
Canadian Aerospace Group International (CASG) has received a $58 million firm order for 15 Twin Panda 19-seat twin turboprops from a Brazilian transport consortium. The aircraft - including seven float-equipped models - will be used to transport passengers and freight throughout the Amazon basin. The Canadian company has firm ...
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Workshop
Aloha Airlines has selected Pratt & Whitney's Columbus Engine Center in the USA to repair and overhaul the Hawaii-based airline's JT8D engines. Motores Rolls-Royce is to build a new International Aero Engines V2500 repair and test cell at Guarulhos Airport in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The company is spending $20 million ...
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Delta/Air France alliance makes an impact
Chris Jasper/LONDON Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The new Delta Air Lines/Air France alliance, announced amid much fanfare last week, has had a significant impact on other major airlines and could ultimately dictate the future strategic direction to be followed by carriers including Swissair and Continental Airlines. ...
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Airbus sets targets for A3XX definition and line location
Max Kingsley-Jones/PARIS Airbus Industrie aims to complete the baseline definition of the A3XX programme by the end of this year and to finalise the selection of the assembly location and production method. This will ensure that the consortium is ready to begin taking commitments early next year in preparation for ...
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Lockheed Martin seeks commercial GPS role
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Lockheed Martin has taken the first step towards fielding a commercially owned and operated satellite network for worldwide augmentation of the global positioning system (GPS), enabling it "to serve as the backbone for future air navigation". The company, which signalled its intent last year to ...
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Brazil sets date for second VLS launch attempt
The Brazilian Space Agency will attempt to launch its second Veiculo Lancador de Satelites (VLS) indigenous launch vehicle in September. The first flight failed in 1997, shortly after lift-off, when a solid rocket strap-on motor malfunctioned, putting the vehicle off course. The VLS will launch the SACI 2 satellite ...
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Hermes knowhow lives again
Dassault Aviation is talking to NASA on conducting further aerodynamics design work on the International Space Station (ISS) Crew Research Vehicle (CRV) and the X-38 reuseable spaceplane, using technology from its ditched Hermes programme. NASA chief Daniel Goldin says the work carried out so far by the French company ...
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Mechanical faults delay Japan's moon probe launch
The launch of Japan's Lunar-A space probe will be delayed for at least another three years, following mechanical faults. The launch was originally planned for mid-1997 and postponed on two occasions by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, because of mechanical problems. During tests, two "penetrators" - which ...
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Rotary Rocket woos investors with low-risk Roton engine
Rotary Rocket will use a low-risk conventional engine for its Roton flight demonstrator, rather than the original RocketJet engine, "so that the development programme can be concluded more rapidly and with less technical risk". The move is believed to be in response to investor concern about the use of new ...
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Proton launch
ILS International Launch Services conducted another launch on 18 June from Baikonur. A Proton K carried the Hughes-built Astra 1H into geostationary transfer orbit for Société Européenne des Satellites (SES). It is the first SES satellite to offer Ka-band services for interactive multimedia applications. Source: Flight International