All news – Page 6713
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ESA looks ahead to replace Ariane 5
Tim Furniss/LONDON The European Space Agency (ESA) plans to start development of a new reusable or partly reusable launcher in 2007, with service entry planned for 2015. The vehicle will replace the Ariane 5, which is to make its first commercial launch this summer. The development work will ...
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Shuttle could fly until 2030
NASA predicts that its Space Shuttle could still be flying up to 2030 unless the US Government helps to fund new reusable launch vehicle projects. The Space Shuttle programme's four orbiters are a quarter of the way through their lifetimes, says Richard Stephens, vice-president and general manager ...
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Spain joins Argentina for Cesar project
Spain and Argentina are working together on the Cesar satellite, planned for launch in 2003. Cesar, which will be developed by Spain's Instituto Nacional de Tecnica Aeroespacial (INTA) and Argentina's space agency CONAE, will transmit 5m (16ft)-resolution images of the earth. A launcher for the 400kg (880lb) spacecraft has ...
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Boeing tackles winglet erosion in MD-11 modification package
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Boeing plans to complete work by the end of the year on improvements to tackle long-standing operational problems on the MD-11. They include new coatings to prevent excessive erosion to the winglets, modifications to stop skin cracks and changes to system fittings and valves to prevent ...
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Imaging system promises to break through the cloud
Thomson-Thorn Missile Electronics (TTME)is developing an imaging system that uses reflected millimetre wave (MMW)energy to form a picture in conditions such as smoke and dust that would obscure infrared systems. Using technology developed with the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) at Malvern, the system is passive, relying ...
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BASE tests Terprom on a helicopter
Stewart Penney/PLYMOUTH British Aerospace Systems and Equipment (BASE) is preparing for flight trials of a helicopter version of its Terprom digital terrain avoidance and navigation system. Terprom - which recently added US Air Force Boeing C-17 airlifters to its list of applications - will be evaluated on a ...
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Italian Venture
Finmeccanica and UK partner Rolls-Royce have opened a joint turbine blade manufacturing company at Morra de Sanctis in Italy. Europea Microfusioni Aerospaziali is 66.6% owned by Finmeccanica with R-R holding the remainder. Source: Flight International
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High endurance rotorcraft set to fly
The Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and Frontier Systems this year plan to flight-test a revolutionary unmanned helicopter that can remain airborne for up to 48h and achieve an unrefuelled range of 5,550km (3,000nm). Neither DARPA nor Abraham Karem, Frontier president, will disclose details of the research ...
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Litening strikes for USMC Harriers
The US Marine Corps is to test the Israeli-built Rafael Litening targeting and navigation pod on its Boeing AV-8B Harriers. Test flights are scheduled to begin before the end of this month. Rafael and US partner Northrop Grumman will also offer the Litening in a US Air Force competition ...
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Vagabond four-seater aims for home with private operators
Kate Sarsfield/LONDON A four-seat general aviation aircraft aimed at private operators is being developed by Italian design and engineering company Etruria Technology. The Vagabond piston single is in the design phase, says Etruria. "We are about two years away from the maiden flight of the first [of three] ...
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Eurotilt consortium drives for tiltrotor funding from EC
A consortium of European companies led by Eurocopter has requested funding from the European Commission (EC) for a new 19-seat tiltrotor ground test programme. The consortium comprises 33 companies from nine countries, including Spain's CASA and Fiat Avio of Italy. The European rotorcraft technology integration for a long-range transport ...
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Korean Air pins hopes on more UH-60P orders
Korean Air's (KAL) aerospace division is pushing for more licence production of Sikorsky UH-60P Black Hawk helicopters to follow the current production batch of 138 aircraft, due for completion this year. "My goal is another batch of UH-60 assembly," says aerospace division managing vice-president Suh Sang-Mook. According to Suh, ...
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Brazil offered more industrial assistance on F-5 upgrades
A Team from Marconi Electronic Systems/Lockheed Martin is planning to offer Brazil improved industrial co-operation and technology transfer concessions. The move comes as efforts are stepped up to overturn protracted negotiations with Elbit and Embraer to upgrade the air force's Northrop F-5E/F fighters. The two companies, in consultation ...
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General Electric pushes on with JSF powerplant development
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES General Electric's Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) JSF-F120 engine team has signed a $440 million contract with the JSF programme office covering Phase III of the alternative engine development effort. The contract, consisting of $115 million covering the firm requirement for Phase III and an option ...
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Indian trainer programme gets go-ahead
India has given the go-ahead to the Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) HJT-36. The aircraft will replace ageing HJT-16 Kiran basic trainers in service with the Indian air force. HAL chairman Krishnadas Nair says the company has been given the green light and already received Rs1.8 billion ($42 million) for the production ...
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Thailand finds aircraft bargains in Germany
Thailand is buying 50 Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jets advanced trainers/light strike aircraft from the German air force for the knock-down price of 1 million baht ($27,000) each. Although the aircraft are cheap, another 60 million baht will have to be spent on each one to make it airworthy. The first ...
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Contracts
Israeli electronic warfare specialist Elisra has won a $6 million order, with a potential $9 million follow-on, to supply its SPS-65(V2) self-protection system to the Canadian Forces, which will retrofit the system to Bell CH-146 Griffon utility helicopters. Lockheed Martin Information Systems has won a $267 million, 10-year contract to ...
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US Navy to upgrade Tomahawk stocks
Paul Lewis/WASHINGTON DC The US Navy is resisting moves to re-open production of the Raytheon AGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile . Instead it will top up its inventory by converting 200 stored Tomahawk anti-ship missiles and upgrading another 424 Block II Tomahawk land attack missiles (TLAMs). Moves are afoot ...
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Kaman wins USMC remote helicopter work
The US Marine Corps has awarded Kaman Aerospace a $4.2 million contract to modify and demonstrate a remotely piloted version of the K-MAX helicopter to further validate its Broad Area Unmanned Responsive Resupply Operations (BURRO) concept. Flight testing of the unmanned helicopter is to begin around August next year at ...
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Starstreak tracker
Shorts Missile Systems is to integrate British Aerospace Systems and Equipment's Automatic Target Tracker with a second-generation forward looking infrared sensor as it pushes for export sales of its vehicle-mounted Starstreak very-short-range air defence system. Starstreak is in service with British Army air defence units mounted on Alvis Stormer tracked ...