All Fixed-Wing news – Page 1344
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Sukhoi starts work on building canard Su-30
Douglas Barrie/LONDON A PROTOTYPE fore-plane-equipped aircraft, based on a Sukhoi Su-30 airframe, is under construction at the Irkutsk production plant in southern Russia. The canard-configured Su-30 airframe may carry the designation of either the Su-301, or the Su-30I (Istribitel/fighter). Details of the programme ...
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MDC and NASA unveil X-36
Guy Norris/St Louis McDONNELL DOUGLAS (MDC) and NASA unveiled the once-classified X-36 tailless fighter-agility research aircraft at St Louis, Missouri, on 19 March, revealing a canard-configured design. The sub-scale remotely piloted X-36 is said to be the first fighter-type aircraft to be designed from the ...
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Elta wins Indian air force EW deal
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT Industries (IAI) subsidiary Elta is to supply electronic-warfare (EW) systems to the Indian air force for the Mikoyan MiG-21 upgrade being undertaken by the Russian and Indian aerospace industries. The $80 million IAI contract was signed as part of a wider agreement, finally sealed earlier ...
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Fallout from Fokker
What does Fokker's bankruptcy hold in its wake for regional-aircraft markets and airlines? Kevin O'Toole/LONDON FOKKER MAY NOT BE the first aircraft manufacturer forced to quit the market, but it is hard to recall a more abrupt and final exit. It has left airlines and ...
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DoD JAST mistake triggers Lockheed Martin protest
LOCKHEED MARTIN HAS protested to the US Department of Defense (DoD) after cost data provided to the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) programme office were inadvertently sent to rivals Boeing and McDonnell Douglas (MDC). The protest has delayed release of the request for proposals (RFP) for the JAST concept-demonstrator phase, ...
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Eritrea orders six MB-339 trainers
ERITREA HAS ordered six Aermacchi MB-339C advanced fighter lead-in trainer/light attack aircraft. Deliveries start late this year and continue through 1997. The Eritrean air force already has eight Valmet Redigo turboprop trainers and, following Aermacchi's purchase of that programme (Flight International, 7-13 February), the Italian manufacturer will be ...
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Biting into false alarms
Despite modern diagnostics, "no fault found" is frequently the mechanics' verdict after avionics fault alerts. Terence Hardeman/SINGAPORE FAULT INDICATIONS on avionics line-replaceable units (LRUs) are costing airlines millions of dollars, and engineering executives around the world have called for action by component manufacturers to combat ...
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French companies to refurbish Lebanese aircraft
FRENCH DEFENCE companies are to refurbish fighters and helicopters belonging to the Lebanese air force, say Middle East sources. Agreement for the upgrade, was reached during a visit by French defence minister, Charles Millon to Beirut, in late February. Under the terms of the agreement, French companies - ...
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Singapore studies tanker options
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE SINGAPORE IS considering an offer from the US Air Force to sell it up to four surplus Boeing KC-135s, as a more cost-effective solution to its requirement for a boom-equipped aerial-refueling tanker. A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) team is understood recently ...
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Bell to lead AH-1W and UH-1 upgrades
Graham Warwick/Atlanta THE US MARINE CORPS is to award Bell Helicopter Textron a single prime contract to upgrade its AH-1W SuperCobra and UH-1N Huey dynamic systems and AH-1W cockpit in November 1997. Bell will then conduct a competition on behalf of the USMC to select equipment for ...
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Rolls-Royce joins GE-Allison JAST team
Guy Norris/Los Angeles ROLLS-ROYCE HAS formally signed an agreement giving it full participation in the joint General Electric/Allison development of a cruise engine and lift engine for the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) aircraft programme. GE says, that the long expected agreement with R-R, makes ...
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USA and Italy hold talks on stealthy stand-off missile
Andrea Spinelli/GENOA THE USA AND ITALY are discussing development of a stealthy next-generation standoff missile, dubbed the Ulisee, drawing on technology from the Italian navy's Teseo 3 anti-ship-missile project. A decision on the venture is expected by the third quarter of this year. US and ...
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Chinese missile tests force Taiwan diversions
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE LARGE-SCALE CHINESE military exercises have forced Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to re-route international air traffic flying from South-East Asia and Hong Kong to the USA, Japan and South Korea. China closed off a 17,000km2 area in the Straits of Taiwan for navy ...
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Brazil considers fighter to replace its Mirages
BRAZIL IS STUDYING concepts for a new fighter, dubbed the FX, initially to replace Dassault Mirages now operated by its air force. Procurement is planned to begin around the year 2000, with deliveries beginning around 2005, and Brazil wants an off-the-shelf aircraft, which it can adapt to meet its requirements. ...
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Gripen takes aim at Latin America
BRITISH AEROSPACE and Saab unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the Gripen lightweight fighter at the show and say that they will be able to offer the aircraft, which has substantial US content, in any Latin American country cleared to receive the Lockheed Martin F-16 and McDonnell Douglas F-18. ...
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Pampa production could roll again
PRODUCTION OF THE IA.63 Pampa jet trainer could be restarted to meet Argentine air force and navy requirements for 48-50 aircraft, if additional customers can be found to make the production run economical. The Pampa was built by FMA, now operated by Lockheed Martin as Lockheed Aircraft Argentina (LAASA), and ...
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USA thinks again on combat-aircraft sales
US POLICY BARRING THE sale of combat aircraft to Latin America is "under review" by the Departments of Defense and State. That is all the US Government would say at the show, despite fielding a major military presence led by defence secretary William Perry, after boycotting the show in 1994. ...
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Rafale set back by French decision
FRENCH INDUSTRY hopes of scoring an early export success for the Dassault Rafale have been dealt a heavy blow by the French Government's rejection of pleas that it order at least one squadron for the air force for entry into service by around 2000. Dassault has been pressurising ...
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The military metamorphosis
Sir - Derek Colborne demands that military pilots be exempt from the demanding tests and licensing examinations which must be passed by all UK airline pilots (Flight International, 21-27 February, P42). The former Soviet Union and China are parts of the world with a much higher accident rate ...
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Northern exposure
Annual exercises inside the Arctic Circle prepare UK commandos for cold-weather operation. Patrick Allen/BARDUFOSS, NORWAY THERE IS NO secret art to operating successfully in Arctic conditions - it is a matter of careful training. As a result, every winter since 1969, UK Royal Navy Commando aircrew and ...