All Fixed-Wing news – Page 1353
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Germany may bid for more EF2000s
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH GERMAN DEFENCE minister Volker R_he has gone public with a face-saving strategy opening the door for Germany to increase the number of Eurofighter EF2000s it buys. R_he has said that, while the air force's Eurofighter requirement up to the year 2012 - as far ahead as German budget ...
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Defence
Douglas Barrie/Defence Editor EUROPE'S CLUTCH OF NEW-generation fighter-aircraft programmes had less than a vintage year in 1995. Dassault's Rafale and the Eurofighter EF2000 have struggled with both technical and political concerns, while only the Saab Gripen, it seems, had a better year. Dassault starts 1996 ...
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General aviation
Graham Warwick/US Editor BASED ON THE YEAR JUST ended, 1996 looks promising for the general-aviation (GA) industry. US General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) figures suggest that aircraft shipments have already passed the low point and are now increasing, albeit slowly. The reasons are well documented: ...
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Thai is dealt double blow
Thai Airways International has suffered a double blow by the government's decision to end the carrier's monopoly on international services, and the breakthrough of the Abacus CRS into the domestic market that Thai wanted to monopolise through its venture with rival Amadeus. Wracked by slipping profitability and internal ...
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French victory
Thomson-CSF has won a Fr700 million ($140.3 million) contract to upgrade the Spanish air force's 55 Dassault Mirage F1s, to extend their service life until 2015. On 55 aircraft, is intended to extend the aircraft's service life until around 2015. Source: Flight International
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Price drop
Northrop Grumman has signed a $2.4 billion agreement with McDonnell Douglas, guaranteeing a 35% reduction in the cost of components produced by its Vought operation for the next 80 C-17 military air transports. The company produces the engine nacelles, tail sections and aerial-refueling panels. Source: Flight ...
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Czechs choose IAI for MiG-21
THE CZECH air force has selected Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) to upgrade 30 of its MIG-21MFs. The $100 million contract could be signed in 1996 if the Czechs decide to go ahead. The upgrade plan faces stiff opposition from various quarters - not least the Czech parliament - ...
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USAF considers radar upgrades
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES A MAJOR UPGRADE OF front-line fighter radar with active-radar arrays is being evaluated by the US Air Force. A prototype system could be ready for tests by 1998. Initial contracts have been issued to Hughes and Westinghouse under the radar-system aperture-technology effort ...
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S Africa examines Korean trainer venture options
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE SOUTH AFRICA HAS entered discussions, with South Korea and Spain, on the possible joint development of a new advanced trainer and light-strike aircraft. The South African Air Force is looking for a replacement for its aging Atlas-built Aermacchi MB.326K/M Impala I/II. Interest until ...
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Single incident claims three Russian air force Su-27s in Vietnam
THREE RUSSIAN Air Force Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers of the Russian Knights aerobatic team crashed near Kamran air base, Vietnam, on 12 December, after apparently hitting high ground. The four pilots - one of the aircraft was a two-seat Su-27B - are missing, presumed dead. The accident happened as ...
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BAe/Dassault joint research foreshadows wider defence link
Kevin O'Toole/LONDON BRITISH AEROSPACE AND Dassault Aviation are setting up a joint research centre, in a venture, which foreshadows the creation of a single European military-aircraft company to rival the US giants. The initial aim is to establish a "centre of excellence" to develop technologies ...
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USA nears helicopter decision
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC THE FUTURE OF near-term US military-helicopter procurement hangs in the balance, with decisions involving the purchase of additional Sikorsky UH-60 helicopters and the modernisation of Bell AH-1W and UH-1N rotorcraft becoming intertwined. Paul Kaminski, the Pentagon's acquisition chief, is to decide in the ...
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Transport training
Evans & Sutherland have received a $10 million contract from Reflectone UK to supply visual systems for two Lockheed Martin C-130J full-mission simulators for the Royal Air Force. Each will consist of a five-channel ESIG-3000 image-generator and SEOS Panorama wide-angle display. Source: Flight International
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Combative markets
The combat aircraft market is estimated to be worth some $88 billion over the next decade. Douglas Barrie/LONDON WHILE MANUFACTURERS in the traditional combat-aircraft producing nations have been forced to take serious stock of the changed world in which they operate, their home countries have ...
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Australia's Singapore deal annoys indigenous firms
AUSTRALIA'S AEROSPACE industry has been angered by its Government's endorsement of a joint venture set up to maintain Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) Agusta S.211 trainers at their base near Perth, Western Australia. The six-year contract is worth about A$18 million ($13.3 million) annually. Following negotiations with ...
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IAI to convert 707 for refuelling
ISRAEL AIRCRAFT Industries (IAI) is to convert a Chilean air force Boeing 707 into a refueling aircraft. The $11 million contract includes options for the conversion of two Lockheed Martin C-130s. The 707-300B will also be fitted with new navigation systems, including the global-positioning system. All the aircraft ...
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Falcon to begin C-130 re-engine programme
Alan Staats/PHOENIX FALCON AEROTECH of the USA is to fly a prototype aircraft in 1996 as part of a development programme to re-engine Lockheed C-130E-Hs and L-100-30s with new Allison AE-2100Fs. The Hamilton Aviation subsidiary claims that it already has a "tentative order" from an unnamed ...
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Loral submarine deal
Loral has received a $60 million contract from the UK Ministry of Defence to outfit Trafalgar- and Swiftsure-class submarines with long-range cruise-missile capabilities. The US firm says that the Royal Navy Tomahawk full-development and production contract puts Loral in position for future combat-systems integration work on Trafalgar-class submarines and for ...
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IPTN/Ericsson look at CN-235 variant
INDUSTRI Pesawat Terbang Nusantara (IPTN) and Ericsson are studying development of a maritime-surveillance version of the CN-235 turboprop for the Indonesian air force. Ericsson has proposed fitting the Indonesian-built version of the CN-235 with a dorsal-mounted Erieye electronically scanned phased-array radar. The aircraft would be able to accommodate ...
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Collins wins USAF C/KC-135 upgrade deal
ROCKWELL'S COLLINS Avionics & Communications division has won prime contractorship for the $35 million initial phase of the US Air Force's compass, radar and global-positioning-system (CRAG) upgrade programme for Boeing C/KC-135s. Rockwell claims that the work could eventually be worth up to $250 million and include more than 600 aircraft. ...