All news – Page 6787
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Airbus cost-cutting stalled by SCE crawl
Andrew Doyle/TOULOUSEAirbus Industrie's efforts to drive down production costs are being hampered by the failure of the partner companies to agree on restructuring the business into a single corporate entity (SCE). Though the consortium made record sales of $13.3 billion last year, huge amounts of cash are being tied up ...
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Star lines up recruits as Singapore delays entry into alliance
Chris Jasper/SYDNEYAir China, Mexicana, British Midland and Emirates are all being lined up for possible membership of the Star Alliance, while Singapore Airlines (SIA) has delayed signing up to the global grouping until at least October. Thai Airways International president Thamnoon Wanglee, speaking exclusively to Flight International, detailed Star's recruitment ...
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Armed reconnaissance role for Harriers
The UK's Royal Air Force has deployed a specialist reconnaissance interpretation centre (RIC) to Gioia del Colle AB in Italy, its base for Operation Allied Force. Activation of the RIC allows the 12 RAF British Aerospace Harrier GR7s based at Gioia del Colle to fly armed reconnaissance patrols over Kosovo ...
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Hungarian bases
Eight NATO tankers have deployed to Ferihegy near Budapest, Hungary, after the opening of the new alliance member's airfields to aircraft participating in Operation Allied Force. A request has been made to base NATO fighters in Hungary, and 24 Boeing F/A-18s are expected to arrive at Taszár air base within ...
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Kosovo highlights
NATO intensifies its air campaign, flying 600-plus sorties a day. Some aircraft have started to operate at lower levels. Serb air defences evident with numerous SAM launches and AAA activity. Short helicopter flights observed. NATO accused of killing civilians in mistakenly destroying two civilian buses. The alliance admits ...
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US Eximbank moves to repossess PAL 747s
Andrzej Jeziorski/SINGAPORE The US Eximbank, a major creditor of Philippine Airlines (PAL), has initiated moves to repossess the airline's four Boeing 747-400s on which it holds liens. The move puts PAL in danger of collapse unless the government backs down on its earlier promises of non-intervention and bails ...
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FAA appointment
Carl Burleson, the US Federal Aviation Administration representative at the US Embassy in London, has been selected by FAA administrator Jane Garvey as the regulator's next chief of staff, reports Flight International sister on-line service Air Transport Intelligence. Source: Flight International
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Hyper-X test on track for July
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The first hypersonic X-43A test vehicle, designed to demonstrate the use of an airframe-integrated scramjet (supersonic ramjet), is expected to be delivered to NASA in July. The 3.6m (11ft)-long X-43A forms the core of NASA's Hyper-X programme. This is aimed at proving the use of air-breathing ...
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Airlines push Airbus to speed up plans for A3XX freighter
Andrew Doyle/TOULOUSE Airbus Industrie is accelerating development of the freighter version of its proposed A3XX ultra-high capacity airliner, in response to strong demand from potential operators. The consortium has also revised the design of the cargo variant, to carry an increased payload of 150t over 10,545km (5,700nm) following ...
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Internet at work
Internet ordering has spread to aircraft parts Paul Seidenman/SAN FRANCISCOIf current industry trends hold, the Internet will become a major factor in aircraft parts sales and inventory management. That is the consensus of parts suppliers and re-sellers, many of which have web sites on line or in the planning stage. ...
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Manufacturers' perspective
Production, reliability and certification issues have dominated the 737's debut Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES Between them, Boeing and CFM International faced the fastest ramp-up in production and delivery of any commercial airliner with the 737NG. Since delivery of the first aircraft to Southwest Airlines in December 1997, some 250 examples ...
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Chandra delay
Space Shuttle STS93 Columbia, planned for 9 July to deploy the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, has been delayed. NASA wants to postpone until the cause is known of the Boeing Inertial Upper Stage failure on the Titan launch of a DSP satellite. Source: Flight International
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Second Delta III launch fails to orbit Orion 3
The second flight of Boeing's Delta III from Cape Canaveral on 5 May failed to place its Orion 3 satellite into the correct transfer orbit, after a second-stage malfunction. The planned 2min 40s second burn of the single Pratt and Whitney RL-10B-2 Centaur-type cryogenic engine did not take place, ...
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HOPE-X test flights delayed by redesign and budget factors
Andrzej Jeziorski/TOKYO Test Flights of the H-II Orbiting Plane-Experimental (HOPE-X) reusable space vehicle have been postponed from February 2001 until February 2004 because of a redesign and budget restrictions. The HOPE team, led by Japan's National Space Development Agency and National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), is carrying out a ...
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Lockheed Martin reviews operations
Tim Furniss/LONDON Lockheed Martin has formed an independent panel of experts to conduct a comprehensive review of programme management, engineering, manufacturing processes and quality control procedures at its space divisions following a series of recent launch failures. In addition, the US Air Force is conducting a broad area review ...
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NASA sets date for X-34 captive-carry flight tests
NASA and Orbital Sciences plan to begin captive-carry flight tests of the X-34 reusable launch vehicle (RLV) technology demonstrator on 18 June, marking the start of an ambitious programme aimed at achieving the first of 27 powered test flights in January next year. The captive-carry flights, using the Virginia-based ...
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Australian UAV
Bombardier has signed a contract with the Australian Department of Defence worth nearly A$2 million ($1.3 million) for the lease of two CL-327 Guardian rotary wing UAVs and one ground-control station. The two-month lease will support risk mitigation studies, supporting the Australian Army's Joint Project 129 requirement for an airborne ...
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Antarctic conversion
The US Air Force has awarded Raytheon an $18 million contract to convert two US Navy Lockheed Martin ski-equipped LC-130Rs to USAF LC-130H configuration, to support Antarctic research projects. The Raytheon Systems unit, in Waco, Texas, will upgrade the cockpits to include new avionics, navigation and communications equipment and displays. ...
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One for the LADS
SkyHook Technologies has sold its first SkyHook Light Aerial Delivery System (LADS), to the Kansas National Guard. The company says the LADS reduces re-supply flight times by up to 50%. US Combined Army Support Command will test the system in exercises this month; the LADS is being evaluated by the ...
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German CH-53 tanks
Derlan has shipped the first external fuel tanks to Eurocopter Deutschland for Germany's Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter range-extension programme. Delivery of 21 shipsets, each of two filament-wound composite tanks, will be completed by year-end. Source: Flight International