All aerospace news – Page 1969
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Airbus and Boeing vie to modernise Indian Airlines
State-owned Indian Airlines has take the first step towards a massive overhaul of its fleet by informing manufacturers in late November that it is to replace its ageing fleet of Boeing 737-200 and A300B2/B4s. The 15 737s are operated by the recently created Indian Airlines subsidiary, Alliance ...
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Aerospace trade shows
The US Regional Airlines Association Annual Convention is now due to be held on 12-14 May, at Reno, Nevada, rather than on 6-8 May, as listed in the Flight International Aerospace Trade Show Calendar (27 November-3 December). The details for Aerospace India 96 were inadvertently published as being ...
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USAF invites industry spaceplane ideas
Industry has been invited to brief the USAir Force on concepts for a military "spaceplane" capable of being operated in the upper atmosphere and in low-Earth orbit. An integrated concept team (ICT) formed by the USAF to evaluate spaceplane concepts invited interested companies to present their ideas on ...
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JDAM success
Two successful test launches were made of the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) at Eglin AFB, Florida, on 25-26 November from two Lockheed Martin F-16s. The first was a fully guided flight, using the global-positioning system to navigate the boom to a hit on target. The second ...
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Derlan gears up
Sino Swearingen Aircraft has selected a Californian-based unit of Canada's Derlan Industries group to manufacture landing-gear systems for the SJ30-2 business jet. The contract is estimated to be worth around C$16 million ($12 million) over the life of the aircraft programme. Meanwhile, Derlan Aerospace Canada has received a letter of ...
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UK NATS trials raise fears over GPS reliability
Data from global-positioning-system (GPS) receivers are too unreliable to be used for sole-means navigation by aircraft, according to a study undertaken by the UK Civil Aviation Authority's National Air Traffic Services (NATS). NATS made the claim after its own trials revealed problems with GPS "outages", availability and integrity, ...
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ATP offers electronic logbook
Aircraft Technical Publishers (ATP) has introduced an electronic logbook system that will enable repair stations to schedule, track and record aircraft maintenance activities. The ATP Maintenance Director is designed to run on networked personal computers, replaces paperwork with single-entry updates and supports proposed electronic record-keeping requirements. "The ATP ...
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Sextant Avionique pins hopes on its ATM business
Julian Moxon/Paris Sextant Avionique expects its fast-growing air-traffic-management (ATM)-systems business to net more than a one-third share of the market and add nearly Fr500 million ($100 million) in sales by the end of the century. Sextant and its parent, Thomson-CSF, launched a major initiative at ...
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Virgin Express plans 25-aircraft order
Virgin Express has opened talks with manufacturers over its fleet-renewal plans, which could see the European low-fares airline take up to 25 new aircraft over the next five years. The Brussels-based airline is looking at options to acquire Boeing 737-700s, Airbus A319/ 320s or McDonnell Douglas MD-80/95s, says ...
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Near enough?
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has investigated the reliability of the global- positioning system (GPS), and found it wanting. GPS, it says, is not reliable enough, in its current form, to be used as a sole means of navigation. In this, the CAA is at odds with the single most ...
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757 prepared for F-22 testbed
Boeing has flown its flight-test 757 to Wichita, Kansas, for modification into an avionics development testbed for the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 air-superiority fighter. The 757 will be fitted with an F-22 forward fuselage, under construction at Lockheed Martin's Marietta site in Georgia. The aft section of the same fuselage will ...
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Change of mission
The Dassault Mirage IVP's role has moved from that of strategic strike to one of strategic reconnaissance. Gert Kromhout/MONT DE MARSAN After more than 30 years, the Dassault-Breguet Mirage IVP of the French air force has lost its nuclear mission, with the disbandment of one of two squadrons ...
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Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems
L-100 Hercules The L-100-30 is the civil version of the C-130 Hercules military transport. It is certificated under US Federal Aviation Rules Part 25 to carry 97 passengers when appropriately modified or manufactured. The passenger version has structural re-inforcement, windows, additional doors and cabin amenities, plus ...
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McDonnell DouglasDouglas Aircraft Company
DC-8 Over 250 DC-8s remain in commercial service, of which 110 have been re-engined with CFMI CFM56 turbofans. Most DC-8s are being operated as freighters. The DC-8 programme was launched in 1955, and the type had its maiden flight in May 1958. Service entry occurred in September 1959. ...
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Shanghai Aviation Industrial (SAIC)
SAIC is the prime Chinese contractor for the TrunkLiner co-production programme with McDonnell Douglas, under which it is assembling 20 MD-90-30s for the Chinese market at its plant in Shanghai. Chinese industrial participation in the SAIC MD-90 programme involves three Chinese companies producing sub-assemblies - Xian Aircraft: wing ...
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Tupolev
Tu-154M The Tu-154M is the current production version of the 160- to 180-seat Tu-154 TriJet, which was first flown in October 1968. Initial versions (the Tu-154, -154A and -154B-2) were equipped with Kuznetsov NK-8 engines. The Tu-154M was announced in 1983, powered by Aviadvigatel D-30KU turbofans and featuring ...
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Aero International (Regional) (AI(R))
Avro RJ70/85/100/115 Avro International Aerospace's family of regional jets is marketed under the umbrella of Aero International (Regional), which combines the regional-aircraft activities of British Aerospace, Aerospatiale and Alenia. The RJ70, RJ85 and RJ100 were introduced to supersede the BAe 146-100, -200 and -300 respectively. ...
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Airbus Industrie
A300 Launched in May 1969, the 250-seat A300 was Airbus Industrie's first product, and the first example was flown from Toulouse, France, in October 1972. The first production A300 variant, the -B2, entered service in May 1974. The -B4 growth-weight version followed, while several F4 and C4 versions ...
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Boeing Commercial Airplane Group
First next-generation 737, a -700, is in final assembly at Renton, Washington British Airways has taken new Boeing 747s, 767s and 777s this year Boeing built 45 of the short-fuselage 747SP The 747 family is set to grow with two new variants, the 462-seat ...
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Fokker Aircraft
F28 Fokker Aviation is studying a possible re-engineing programme for ageing F28s, replacing the type's existing Rolls-Royce Speys with General Electric CF34s or with R-R Tays. More than 200 F28s are still flying and at least one operator, Scandinavia's SAS, has already invested in Fokker 70-style cabin upgrades ...