All Fixed-Wing news – Page 1281
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The Martian chronicles
Tim Furniss/LONDON The success of the Mars Pathfinder mission and of its Sojourner rover have generated huge public interest, especially in the perennial subject of manned flights to Mars. On the back of that success Daniel Goldin, NASA's Administrator, has challenged his scientists and engineers to come up ...
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Design tests for Boeing JSF
Two major propulsion tests have been completed by the Boeing Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team. Tests were conducted on a scale model of the Rolls-Royce lift-module and spool-duct for the Pratt & Whitney SE614 engine (an F119 derivative) at Boeing Field, Seattle. This verified performance for conventional flight, short take-off ...
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Greece gets block 50s
Four Lockheed Martin Block 50 F-16 fighters were delivered to the Greek air force late in July. These are the first of 32 single-seat C-model and eight two-place D-model latest-generation aircraft ordered by the air force. The ferry flight consisted of two F-16Cs and two F-16Ds Block 50 aircraft powered ...
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Kelowna restarts on stretched 580 and wins military business
Kelowna FlightCraft has restarted its stretched Convair 580 programme, dubbed the 5800, with plans to convert an extra three aircraft. The British Colombia-based company also had news at the show of upgrade work on Lockheed T-33 jet trainers and the Kazan Mi-17 helicopter. The Convair 5800 stretch programme ...
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Canada eyes next helicopter contest after SAR selection
CANADA IS EXPECTED to release a request for proposals for 32-35 naval helicopters soon after announcing the selection of a new search-and-rescue (SAR) helicopter in September or October. The choice of machine to meet the 15-aircraft Canadian SAR Helicopter (CSH) requirement is expected to influence the Canadian Forces' ...
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Douglas airliner range comes under scrutiny
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DCGuy Norris/Los Angeles Boeing has begun to study the future of the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) airliner range following the combination of the two companies, which began as promised on 4 August. A team led by Richard Pearson, who has managed the Boeing Commercial Airplane ...
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US Army picks Northrop minefield detector for Bosnian operation
The Northrop Grumman Airborne Standoff Minefield Detection System (ASTAMIDS) is to be sent to Bosnia for three months, says John Martin, a new-business-development manager for the US firm. The ASTAMIDS, which consists of an infra-red (IR) sensor, processor and display station, is designed to survey minefields accurately from ...
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South Korea sets KTX-II deadline
South Korea has given competing engine manufacturers General Electric and Snecma until 16 August to submit their final proposals for the powerplant of the planned Samsung/Lockheed Martin KTX-II advanced trainer/light combat aircraft. The Government and KTX-II prime contractor Samsung are planning to complete the evaluation and make a ...
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Philippine air force misses deadlines in fighter search
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE The selection of a new multi-role fighter aircraft for the Philippine air force is in danger of slipping by as much as a year, following the failure of its evaluation team to meet successive deadlines in choosing a shortlist. Following the submission of tenders ...
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Taiwan starts to consider fifth-generation fighters
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE Taiwan's air force has begun planning the procurement of a fifth-generation fighter as a follow-on to the Dassault Mirage 2000-5s and Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs on order and now entering service. "We're now drafting a plan to study and evaluate the next-generation fighter," ...
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UK MoD will invite tenders for new IFF programme soon
Douglas Barrie/London The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) is likely to release an invitation to tender for its £500 million ($800 million)-plus next-generation identification-friend-or-foe (IFF) programme within the next two to three months. The Successor IFF (SIFF) project is intended to provide all three armed services ...
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Clinton faces Latin America discord
A decision by the Clinton Administration to ease a two-decades-old ban on the sale of advanced US weaponry to Latin America has been attacked by opponents within US Congress, who vow to redouble their efforts to stop such sales. The White House announced on 1 August that the ...
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Increased potency
Bell's continued investment in the Cobra and Huey programmes may save money Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC VALUEFORMONEY is an overused phrase, but it is the central tenet of the US Marine Corps' programme to upgrade its Bell AH-1WSuperCobra and UH-1N Huey helicopters for continued service through to 2020. To ...
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Civil and military helicopter directory
Compiled by Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC and John Christovassilis/LONDON Helicopter manufacturers are working, with some success, to stimulate the civil market with the introduction of new designs. Bell Helicopter Textron, the leading civil-helicopter manufacturer with around half the world market, has revamped its commercial product-line, most recently ...
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On the defensive
Brent Hannon/TAIPEI Gen Huang Hsien-yung, commander-in-chief of the Taiwan air force, has a single, very important task: defend Taiwan from China. "Our strategy is defensive, and the required mission for the air force is to intercept enemy aircraft," says Huang. China considers Taiwan a renegade province, ...
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Tiger begins to roar
Optimism is rising as the Franco-German Tiger is prepared for production Julian Moxon/MUNICH Morale has improved considerably at Eurocopter's Tiger programme office since the signature of the production-investment contract (PIC) at the Paris air show on 20 June. The event laid to rest last-minute doubts about the commitment ...
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Belgian minister bans air shows
Herman De Wulf/BELGIUM The Belgian minister of defence, Jean-Pol Poncelet, has ordered a ban on air shows at Belgian military airfields, pending a forthcoming inquiry into safety precautions and local emergency procedures. The decision, which effectively puts an end to all air shows in Belgium, follows ...
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Mooney scouts two-seater market for Predator
Graham Warwick/Oshkosh Kate Sarsfield/London MOONEY AIRCRAFT is surveying the market for the M20T Predator, a two-seat aircraft based on the company's unsuccessful entry in the US Air Force's early-1990s enhanced flight-screener competition. Based on Mooney's high-performance four-seaters, the Predator has side-by-side seating under a sliding canopy, and dual ...
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Indonesia turns to Sukhoi after failure to net additional F-16s
Douglas Barrie/LONDON Indonesia is to acquire 12 Sukhoi Su-30Ks from Russia as replacement Ìghter aircraft following its abortive attempts to procure additional Lockheed Martin F-16s from the USA. The country is also to acquire eight Mil Mi-171M Hip helicopters, according to reports from the country. Details ...
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Military helicopters
The military helicopter arena continues to be a case of too many cooks chasing a limited amount of kitchen space: the market is oversubscribed with suppliers battling for too few buyers. Just when it appeared some progress towards rationalisation was taking place - the acquisition of McDonnell Douglas ...