All news – Page 6667
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EC approves Alliance engine plan
The European Commission (EC) has formally approved plans by the General Electric-Pratt & Whitney Engine Alliance to offer a powerplant for the Airbus Industrie A3XX, following a review of the tie-up's likely impact on competition. The decision had been anticipated after the Commission indicated last November that it was ...
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Step by step
A year after ICAO's global CVS/ATM gathering, progress towards the ultimate goal of global implementation is slowly being made Emma Kelly/LONDON In May last year, more than 800 International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) states and aviation decision makers met in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to discuss communications, navigation and surveillance/air ...
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Wishful thinking
DVD, e-mail and Internet access are among the next big things for in-flight services Emma Kelly/LONDONThe in-flight entertainment (IFE) industry's wish list just keeps on growing. No sooner have airlines and IFE system and service suppliers implemented a new capability to entertain, than they are eyeing up the next service ...
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Shuttle schedule switched
NASA has switched the launches of the STS100 Endeavour Shuttle Radar Topography and the STS103 Discovery Hubble servicing missions while inspection and repair work continues on the orbiter's electrical wiring (Flight International, 8-14 September). The tentative launch date for STS103 is 28 October, while STS101 is targeted for a ...
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Kaiser win
Japan's Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries has awarded a contract to Kaiser Marquardt to supply the manoeuvring and attitude control thrusters for the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), an unmanned logistics vessel to support the International Space Station. Kaiser will provide eight R-4D bipropellant engines for manoeuvring, and 28 R-1Es for attitude control. ...
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Contraves to build Atlasfairings
Tim Furniss/LONDON Lockheed Martin has selected Swiss company Contraves to supply the payload fairing for the new Atlas V booster. Atlas Vs will form one of two fleets of Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles for the US Air Force. The second will consist of Boeing Delta IVs. The Atlas V ...
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Australia looks at C-130J alternatives
Peter La Franchi/CANBERRA An Australian Air Force follow-on purchase of Lockheed Martin C-130J Hercules airlifters is in doubt after a decision by Australian Defence Force capability planners to consider alternative solutions. These include the Boeing C-17 and the Airbus A400M future large aircraft. Australia has options on 27 additional ...
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French air force takes first Cougar CSAR
Eurocopter has delivered the first Cougar Mk2 combat search and rescue helicopter to the French air force. Service entry is planned in around 18 months. The air force requires up to 14 machines, but the latest defence budget provides funding for only four. The remaining three have yet to ...
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Bombardier drops UAV bid on eve of sea trials
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC Bombardier Services has withdrawn from the race to win a US Navy contest to supply a vertical take-off and landing unmanned air vehicle (VTOL UAV). The Canadian company was considered a leading contender for the multi-million dollar programme. The decision to drop out of the ...
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Elbit deal
Elbit Systems will supply mission computers, display helmets, displays and weapon management systems for the 50 Lockheed Martin F-16Is ordered recently by the Israeli air force. The deal is worth $140 million over the next five years and is part of Lockheed Martin's $800 million industrial offset commitment. Source: Flight ...
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Next Generation 737 cleared for 180min ETOPS
The US Federal Aviation Administration has cleared the Next Generation Boeing 737 for 180min extended range twin operations (ETOPS) and is thought to be close to approving a 207min extension for the 777. The extension from 120min to 180min is expected to benefit at least four operators by the ...
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Marketplace
Air Maldives is to acquire three secondhand Airbus A310-300s on three-year leases from Airbus. The first aircraft, an ex-Air Jamaica, Pratt & Whitney PW4000-powered example, will be delivered on 15 October, with others due for delivery at one-month intervals. Schreiner Airways has taken delivery of two ATR 72s on lease ...
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Airbus' A3XX economics target 'unachievable', says Boeing
Max Kingsley-Jones/LONDON Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC Boeing has dismissed Airbus Industrie's 15-20% cost saving target for the A3XX over the 747-400 as unachievable. The European consortium claims to be ahead of the targets, as its US rival focuses on cheaper 747-based growth derivatives rather than an all-new design to meet its ...
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Team spirit
Improved co-operation, communication and openness are the chosen military flight safety tools of the future David Learmount/LONDON Julian Moxon/PARIS Paul Phelan/CAIRNS In 1998, the Australian Defence Force, (ADF), which has about 450 aircraft, had a flying accident-free year throughout its services for the first time. That, however, according to ...
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Four bid for USAF C-130 avionics upgrade work
The US Air Force has formally launched the $4.2 billion avionics modernisation programme (AMP) to upgrade 510 Lockheed Martin C-130E/H transport and special operations aircraft, with the release of a draft request for proposals (RFP). Four system integrators have emerged to bid for the upgrade. They are soliciting teaming partners ...
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Seekers eyed for cruise interceptor
The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has narrowed to three the competing terminal-guidance seekers for the miniature air-launched cruise missile interceptor (MALI) being developed under a 30-month technology demonstration. Two seekers - a radio frequency device and an infrared (IR) sensor - are under DARPA development. The ...
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S Africa approves plans for armed forces modernisation
Andrew Doyle/MUNICH Jonathan Rosenthal/JOHANNESBURG The South African cabinet has approved plans for a sweeping modernisation of the country's armed forces but slashed the initial cost by nearly one-third to R21.3 billion ($3.5 billion). The bulk of the savings has been achieved by trimming early purchases of Saab/British Aerospace ...
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Six bidders contend for RAF strategic tanker requirement
Stewart Penney/LONDON Six companies have been selected by the UK Ministry of Defence to submit outline proposals for the Royal Air Force's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft requirement. The deal is potentially worth £9 billion ($14.6million) over 20 years and will be funded via a Private Finance Initiative. British ...
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Taiwan compensation
Taiwan is to pursue compensation from US engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney, after declaring that the 18 August crash of an air force Lockheed Martin F-16A was caused exclusively by engine failure. The Taiwanese aircraft are powered by the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220. Source: Flight International
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Su-27KUB begins naval operations tests
The Sukhoi Su-27KUB (Su-33UB) twin-seat naval fighter/trainer prototype has begun arrested landing and ski-jump take-off flight tests at Nitka in the Crimea. Facilities at Nitka include a representation of the deck of the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, including a ski jump and a four-wire arresting gear. Tests are being flown ...