All Fixed-Wing news – Page 1307
-
News
Westland flies mission Merlin
GKN Westland flew the first fully mission-equipped Westland/Agusta EH101 Merlin anti-submarine-warfare helicopter, RN02, on 14 January, providing a welcome fillip to the considerably delayed project. The flight-test programme has been severely curtailed over the past six months because of an incident with prototype number seven (PP07) in August 1996. Westland ...
-
News
Hungary extends JAS39 Gripen agreement
The Hungarian Government has extended its 1995 industrial offset protocol with Saab of Sweden, confirming the JAS39 Gripen as a candidate for the Central European country's fighter requirement. The extension was signed on 22 January at the end of a visit to Sweden by a delegation from the ...
-
News
Cambodian deliveries
Cambodia has taken delivery of its first two ex-Czech air force Aero Vodochody L-39 trainers from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). An additional four jet trainers will be delivered by early April, as part of wider deal with IAI to upgrade Cambodian Mikoyan Mig-21bis fighters. Source: Flight ...
-
News
F-22 restructuring freezes cost growth
A SPECIAL US Defense Acquisition Board (DAB) meeting on 29 January will decide whether to endorse a memorandum of agreement signed by the US Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Boeing and Pratt & Whitney on restructuring the Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 programme. The agreement is based on recommendations from the ...
-
News
Moving on up
The word "rebuilding" is likely to crop up frequently in conversations at the Helicopter Association International's Heli-Expo '97 (2-4 February, Anaheim, California). Manufacturers will be talking about rebuilding business post-recession, while the HAI itself will be addressing the problem of "phoenix", or rebuilt, aircraft. According to HAI president ...
-
News
Nimrod updates: political gain?
Sir - I read that "-[Royal Air Force] British Aerospace Nimrod submarine hunters are being stripped down-[to] be transformed into Nimrod 2000s" (The Times, London, 27 December, 1996). Fuselages which are a quarter of a century old are being refurbished, allegedly to save a couple of million pounds ...
-
News
Winning number
WITH 95 AIRCRAFT delivered in the first year, production running at 10-12 a month and the orderbook full for the next year, Bell Helicopter Textron has a success on its hands, the scale of which the helicopter industry has not seen for some years. By offering a ...
-
News
Belgium provides for more F-16 upgrades
The Belgian air force has been given Government clearance to upgrade a further 24 Lockheed Martin F-16s to the mid-life update (MLU) standard in addition to the 48 fighters already earmarked for the upgrade. The Government is providing BFr 3.5 billion ($105 million) for the additional work. It ...
-
News
P&W proposes Asian F-16 engine upgrade
Pratt & Whitney is pushing its further improved F100-229 Increased Performance Engine (IPE) (Plus) to Asian air forces as an upgrade option for the Lockheed Martin F-16C/D, with Singapore and South Korea likely candidates for the upgrade. The engine, which has also been designated as the -229A, is ...
-
News
Raytheon E-Systems picks A310 for Australian AEWcompetition
Raytheon E-Systems will offer the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) four modified Airbus Industrie A310s to meet the RAAF's airborne early warning and Control (AEW&C) System requirement, "Project Wedgetail". The four A310s are being provided by Airbus Industrie, the aircraft are likely to be second hand aircraft held ...
-
News
S Koreans discuss link-up
South Korea's four main competing aerospace manufacturers are discussing the formation of a joint-venture organisation to lead and co-ordinate the development of new indigenous projects and participation in larger international collaborative efforts. The new company would bring together Daewoo Heavy Industries, Hyundai, Korean Air and Samsung Aerospace. It ...
-
News
SEP rockets into Snecma
Snecma has completed the takeover of rocket engine and advanced materials venture Société Européen de Propulsion (SEP), which now becomes a wholly owned group subsidiary. SEP, in turn, will take over Snecma's brakes subsidiary, Messier-Bugatti, to create what is claimed will be Europe's largest aviation and automobile braking company. ...
-
News
US picks states for 'free-flight' tests
A two-year "free-flight" test programme is set to begin in Alaska and Hawaii during 1999, following US Government approval of the so-called Ha-laska free-flight demonstration project. US vice-president Al Gore says that, beginning in 1999, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will conduct a two-year demonstration of "free-flight" ...
-
News
Microturbo
Saphir 4-2/4-5 The Saphir 4-2 and 4-5 models are fitted to some Dassault Falcon 20 business jets, rated at around 50kW. The variants differ mainly in that the 4-5 has additional noise insulation around the APU. Saphir 20 The Saphir 20, originally certificated in 1975, is ...
-
News
Royal Air Forcesteps up C-17 transporter studies
The Royal Air Force is stepping up studies into leasing the McDonnell Douglas (MDC) C-17 as a strategic transport, with indications that it is trying to get approval in principle for the deal before a UK general election has to be called by mid-year. The Ministry of Defence ...
-
News
Aerospatiale jumps back into profit
Aerospatiale has posted a dramatic turnaround in its financial fortunes during 1996, which president Yves Michot says will strengthen the group's hand as it prepares for major structural changes including the forthcoming merger with Dassault Aviation and the restructuring of Airbus. The manufacturer also reveals that it is involved in ...
-
News
Lockheed Martin has eyes on FATE designs
Lockheed Martin has eyes on FATE designs LOCKHEEDMARTIN plans to offer a tailless-delta design for the USAir Force's planned Fighter Aircraft Enhancement (FATE) programme to build pilotless demonstrators to flight-test new technologies. The company has been working on the tailless-fighter design since 1991, most recently under the Air Force's Innovative ...
-
News
Turkey and Eurocopter discuss Cougar licence
Eurocopter is in "advanced" negotiations with Turkey on licence-building 30 Cougar Mk 1 utility helicopters. The deal follows an order in 1993 for 20 machines - which were supplied directly from the Franco-German company. Few details of the accord are being released, but it is understood to be ...
-
News
Italy will review defence procurement
Italy is to review its defence-acquisition plans, with substantial cuts being seen as inevitable. Several projects are likely to be delayed, if not cut altogether. Beniamino Andreatta, Italy's defence minister, says that the long-term defence spending plan, the Defence Model hammered out in 1995, is no longer affordable. He says ...
-
News
Germany approves Litening procurement
The German parliamentary defence-procurement approvals committee has given the go-ahead for Germany's long-awaited purchase of laser designator pods for its Panavia Tornado fleet. The contract, believed to be worth DM144 million ($91 million), will go to Rafael of Israel. The company's Litening pod was selected early in 1996 ...