All aerospace news – Page 1836
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Boeing's tailless 'Super Frog' hops on to the drawing board
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Boeing has begun initial development of an advanced tailless, four-engined tiltwing short take-off and landing military transport using company funds. The company believes potential customers for the turboprop, which could be available within 10 to 12 years, include the US Air Force Special Operations Command, ...
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Regional jam ?
Paul Lewis and Graham Warwick/FARNBOROUGH The regional aircraft market has undergone a radical shake-up in recent years, during which time supply has been dramatically curtailed in the face of finite demand. The casualties have been numerous - Fokker, Jetstream and Saab to name a few. The market has shifted from ...
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Heli Fly includes all MDC civil helicopters in takeover talks
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON Belgian helicopter distributor Heli Fly has widened negotiations with Boeing to include the acquisition of the entire former McDonnell Douglas civil helicopter line-up. Heli Fly, which was originally negotiating to acquire just the MD902 Explorer line while Boeing sold the rest of the product line to Bell ...
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AA/BA unveil 'world' alliance
Andrew Chuter/LONDON American Airlines and British Airways have finalised the first stage of their global expansion plans with an alliance that pulls the two carriers together with Cathay Pacific, Qantas and Canadian Airlines International. The group, which has been put together under the working title of "World Alliance", ...
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P&W sets sights on Airbus next generation narrowbody family
Max Kingsley-Jones and Guy Norris/LONDON Pratt & Whitney is targeting launch of its PW8000 geared turbofan for a new generation Airbus Industrie narrowbody family, believed to be in the early planning stages in Toulouse. Sources at the US engine maker say the company believes that the step change ...
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EF2000 deal firms up first batch order
Eurofighter, Eurojet and the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency have signed fixed-price agreements covering production of the first batch of 148 EF2000 fighters and 363 engines. The so-called "Supplement 2" agreements have translated the maximum prices defined in the production contracts signed in January into fixed-price firm orders, ...
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American IFE
American Airlines has selected Rockwell Collins' Total Entertainment System as the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system for its new Boeing 777 fleet, with deliveries beginning in early 1999. The airline has also selected the US avionics manufacturer as the supplier of video monitor systems for 75 new Boeing 737-800s and 12 ...
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NASA looks at X-38 and VentureStar mixture
NASA and Lockheed Martin are studying the use of the X-38 International Space Station (ISS) crew return vehicle with the proposed VentureStar single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane. The work, which is at a conceptual stage, is aimed at providing an alternative to the Space Shuttle as an ISS transporter. The X-38, a ...
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Lucas in control
Lucas Aerospace has been selected by Airbus for contracts to supply the trimmable horizontal-stabiliser actuator and rudder servo control actuator for the primary flight controls and the slat system for the secondary flight controls for the Airbus A340-500/600.The company is also to supply thrust reverser actuation for the aircraft. The ...
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Fairchild Aerospace names 728JET risk share partners
Fairchild aerospace has admitted that, after months of talks with potential subassembly manufacturers on the 728Jet regional aircraft, it may end up having to build the aircraft structure itself. Despite that, the company was able to reveal several of its risk sharing partners in the programme at the show. ...
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UPS tests ADS-B in Los Angeles area
United Parcel Service says it is carrying out ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) operational flight testing in the Los Angeles area using one of its Boeing 727s. The tests are being monitored by specialists from US avionics organisation II Morrow and the FAA Technical Centre. The trials began on 4 ...
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Matsushita and Honeywell form alliance
Matsushita Avionics Systems (MASC) is to form a strategic alliance with Honeywell. The tie-up combines the Japanese company's in-flight entertainment (IFE) technology with its US partners strengths in avionics, particularly communications. The link between Matsushita, an IFE market-leader, and Honeywell is in part a response to Rockwell Collins purchase ...
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UK carries out satellite guided approaches
The UK Civil Aviation Authority's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) successfully conducted the first satellite-based augmentation approaches using the Northern European Satellite Test Bed (NESTBed), according to Flight International's sister publication Air Navigation International. NESTBed, which has been developed by NATS to demonstrate the satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) concept, ...
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WAAS is threatened as sole-means GPS falters
US airlines have tacitly accepted that global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) as a sole-means aid is not going to be approved, according to the US Air Transport Association (ATA). The trade body has appealed to the US Congress not to reduce funding for the global positioning system Wide Area ...
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Agusta and Bell team on new programmes
Agusta and Bell Helicopter Textron are putting together a wide ranging strategic joint venture covering the two companies' involvement in the Bell 609 civil tiltrotor and a new medium twin-turbine transport helicopter called the Agusta 139. The joint venture, which still requires approval by parent companies Textron and Finmeccanica, ...
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Saab winds down turboprop production as talks continue
Max Kingsley-Jones/FARNBOROUGH Saab Aircraft has completed a round of reorganisation as it winds down its turboprop production and expects to decide by the end of the year whether to sell the line to another manufacturer. The Swedish company announced late last year that it was to withdraw from ...
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UK Government boosts space funds
The UK's new space minister, Lord Sainsbury, has announced a $17 million boost for navigation and earth observation programmes, including a 25% UK stake in work towards the development of a proposed European global satellite navigation system. Initial investment amounts to £5 million ($8 million), while a total of ...
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Simulated hell
Peter Gray/FORT WORTH and WEST PALM BEACH It was a dark and stormy night. I was in the jump seat of a Sikorsky S-61N helicopter. We were in the cruise and all was well. Suddenly, all hell broke loose. One engine ran up quickly and went slightly over the ...
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Messier-Dowty plans giant drop rig
Messier-Dowty, now wholly owned by Snecma, is to build Europe's largest landing gear drop test rig. The MEGA (Machine d'Essais pour Grands Atterrisseurs) is a $3 million project to assemble the rig in Toulouse. Entry into service is scheduled for early 2000. The rig will be sited at the ...
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Parker leads in actuator race
Parker Aerospace has produced what it claims is the first viable dual channel electrohydrostatic actuator (EHA). Electric actuators are likely to eliminate hydraulics in the Joint Strike Fighter. Early non-flying examples were delivered last month to Lockheed Martin for "ground integration and safety of flight" on the Advanced Fighter ...