All Fixed-Wing news – Page 1234
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News
F-22 testing stays on course to meet Congress deadline
Graham Warwick/FARNBOROUGH Flight testing of the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 is "on track" to meet a deadline set by the US Congress, which wants to be convinced that the fighter is meeting its performance goals before releasing funds for the first production-standard aircraft. Congress has demanded that 183h of ...
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Sweden looks to restructure
Proposals on restructuring the Swedish armed forces will be submitted to the Swedish Government on 12 October. The plans will reflect Sweden's shift in stance from maintaining a neutral defence posture to participating in international peacekeeping operations. Maj Gen Jan Jonsson, Swedish air force Inspector General, says the restructuring will ...
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Eurofighter prepares bid for Norwegian contest
Eurofighter is preparing to submit a Typhoon bid to Norway in the first major international fighter competition since the United Arab Emirates elected to order the rival Lockheed Martin Block 60 F-16C/D. The Norwegian decision is viewed as being of major importance, with several countries now drawing up similar ...
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Helicopter builders line up for contracts
Eurocopter, GKN Westland and Sikorsky are lining up to supply Finland and possibly neighbouring Scandinavian countries with up to 80 helicopters. Finland plans to buy an unspecified number of utility transport helicopters to replace its Mil Mi-8s, and is expected to issue a request for proposals early in 1999. ...
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France pumps more into defence budget
France has announced that it is raising its defence equipment spending by 6.1% to Fr86 billion ($14.3 billion) in 1999, marking the largest single increase in defence spending since 1990. The new budget, which has been presented to the all-party defence commission in the National Assembly and to the ...
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Japan brings forward formal start of AH-X programme
In a surprise move, the Japan Defence Agency (JDA) has advanced the formal start of its AH-X future attack helicopter programme by 18 months and issued competing European and US airframe and engine manufacturers with request for proposals (RFP). According to informed industry sources, the JDA has indicated that ...
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FAA approves C-130J
The Federal Aviation Administration approved the Lockheed Martin C-130J tactical transport on 9 September, clearing the aircraft for export to Australia and delivery to the US Air Force. The first C-130J had already been delivered to the Royal Air Force on 26 August, as the service did not require ...
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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 ...
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Rolls-Royce ties up RB211 Qantas upgrade
Rolls-Royce has secured a deal with Qantas to upgrade its fleet of RB211-524 turbofans to the new -524G/HT standard and a further $1 billion worth of Trent 500 engine orders from Emirates and International Lease Finance (ILFC). The Qantas order covers modernising airline's fleet of 18 RB211-powered Boeing 747-400 ...
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Thomson-CSF offers MiG-29 upgrade
Thomson-CSF has joined with MIG MAPO to offer new avionics and sensors for upgrading MiG-29 fighters and MiG-29UBT strike aircraft. The equipment includes the RC-400 radar system and the CLDP laser electro-optical targeting pod. The upgrade is intended for export customers which prefer a Western radar to Russian systems, such ...
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Denmark signs up for Canadian flying training package
The Royal Danish Air Force has become the launch customer for the NATO Flying Training in Canada (NFTC) programme. A memorandum of understanding was signed on 7 September, under which the first six students and six instructors will be sent into the programme by 2000. The agreement, signed by ...
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First Comanche radar bids go in
Northrop Grumman and Raytheon have placed early bids for a new fire control radar (FCR) for the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche armed reconnaissance/attack helicopter. Further bids are expected. According to Boeing, the US Army is proposing to include the radar in production Lot 1, rather than Lot 5 as ...
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Romania approves funding for Soim upgrade
The Romanian Government has given the green light for $21 million of funding to begin upgrading 24 Romanian air force Avioane IAR-99 Soim jet trainers with Israeli avionics. The upgrade, carried out by Avioane at its site in Craiova, Romania, in partnership with avionics suite supplier Elbit Systems, is ...
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Rotary revolution
Tim Furniss/LONDON Rotary Rocket Company has raised $17 million from investors and hired Barclays Capital to assist in an additional $20 million private investment in its bid to offer commercial satellite launches. The Redwood Shores, California-based company will offer transportation of payloads weighing 3,200kg to low earth orbit ...
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RAF holds back on tanker programme
The UK Ministry of Defence has delayed releasing a request for information (RFI) for the Royal Air Force's future strategic tanker aircraft programme for six months as Airbus Industrie and Boeing prepare to square off with respective proposed new military derivatives of the A310-300 and 767-300ER twinjets. Manufacturers had ...
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Marconi radar mooted for updated MiG-29
Alan Dron MAPO is looking at installing an air-to-air radar from the UK's Marconi Electronic Systems in its updated MiG-29SMT and two-seater UBT multi-role fighter aircraft, the Russian company said yesterday. General designer Mikhail Korzhuyev also revealed that the UBT, derived from the UB two-seat conversion trainer but ...
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Airbus wins the battle, but the war goes on
Karen Walker and Mike Martin Farnborough '98 turned into the show that Airbus Industrie was able to relish, but which Boeing might want to forget.. Boeing's problem was mainly one of timing, however. The company came to the show still smarting from highly public production problems and the ...
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JSF landing gear delivered
Boeing and Messier-Dowty are celebrating a milestone in the Concept Development phase of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme. The first landing gear components for the Concept Demonstrator aircraft have now been delivered as Messier-Dowty prepares to hand over the first complete set of landing gear in March next ...
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Purdy makes UK show debut
First-time exhibitor Purdy is already looking forward to appearing at the next Farnborough airshow. Sales representative Ray Bull persuaded the Anglo-American company to exhibit its range of machine components and aerospace transmissions for the first time. "I convinced them that if they want to get into Europe this is ...
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ASTOR radar rivals use show to trade punches
Tim Ripley Raytheon has lambasted its American rival in the $1.1 billion UK ASTOR contest, describing Northrop Grumman's entry as a "high risk, high cost solution" that will not be in service for some time. The US defence electronics giant directed all its fire at Northrop Grumman's Joint ...