All news – Page 7026
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Seasprite contract
Northrop Grumman has received a $4.3 million contract from Kaman to supply AAR-54(V) missile warning systems for the Royal Australian Navy's 11 SH-2G(A) Super SeaSprite helicopters on order, to cue the ALE-47 chaff/flare dispenser. Source: Flight International
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US Air National Guard confronts F-16 shortage as fleet ages
Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC US Air Force reserve forces are facing a shortage of Lockheed Martin F-16s as early models of the fighter reach the end of their service life, according to Maj Gen Paul Weaver, director of the Air National Guard (ANG). "I am very concerned about the ...
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Hydraulic loss spoils Global Hawk UAV test
Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical (TRA) is investigating a hydraulic failure which marred the otherwise successful third flight of the Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle (UAV). The aircraft lost hydraulic pressure on approach to the runway at Edwards AFB, California, after the 5h 22min flight on 30 May. The landing gear ...
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USA opens JSF development talks with foreign partners
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC The USA is drawing up plans for international participation in development of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). A strategy is scheduled to be completed by year end, says JSF programme director Maj Gen Leslie Kenne. "Informal discussions on what they might expect" have been held ...
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South Korea selects radar for KTX-II
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE South Korea has selected the Lockheed Martin APG-67 radar for its planned Samsung KTX-II light combat aircraft/advanced trainer. The radar is also being pushed in Taiwan as an alternative to the APG-66, following the collapse of Northrop Grumman's F-5 upgrade venture with Aerospace Industrial Development (AIDC). ...
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Kaman to demonstrate Magic Lantern variant
Kaman Aerospace is to demonstrate a variant of its Magic Lantern mine detection system using a K-MAX helicopter to play the role of an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) as part of a mine countermeasures advanced concept technology demonstration. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is sponsoring the $2 million ...
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Romania begins tests of IAR330 helicopter anti-tank upgrade
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH Arie Egozi/TEL AVIV Romanian helicopter manufacturer IAR has begun flight testing the IAR330 Puma Anti-Tank Optronic Search and Combat System (SOCAT) upgrade. The helicopter made its first flight from Brasov in late May. While the prototype was displayed at the Paris air show last year, ...
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Astra SPX starts US national service
Two C-38As - the military version of the Israel Aircraft Industries Astra SPX business jet - have entered service with the US Air National Guard's 201st Airlift Squadron. The Washington DC-based unit is seeking two more C-38As and three C-32As, which are modified Boeing 757-200s. The transcontinental Astra SPX was ...
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Pentagon seeks to get THAAD back on course
The US Department of Defense (DoD) is considering a range of options designed to put the problem-plagued Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile programme on track, including development of a second source for the weapon and cost sharing for future flight tests. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) officials ...
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Four plan to bid for Japan's T-3 contract
At least four Japanese companies are expected to put in bids by mid-June for a replacement of the Japan Air Self-Defence Force's (JASDF) Fuji T-3 primary trainers. The 50 T-3s in operation are to be phased out over five years, beginning in 2000. Fuji Heavy Industries is proposing a ...
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Multi-role machine
Peter Gray/SINGAPORE Eurocopter has brought two completely new turbine helicopters to the market in the past two years: the light single-engined EC120 and the light twin-engined EC135. Before putting pen to drawing board to design a new light twin, Eurocopter asked operators what they wanted. Later, during development, ...
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Geared Turbofan Basics
A conventional turbofan is divided into high and low pressure spools, each consisting of a compressor and turbine. The low-pressure spool drives the fan and provides most of the propulsive power. The fan works best at slower speeds, while the rest of the spool - the compressors and turbines - ...
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Preparing for partnership
Kevin O'Toole/JOHANNESBURG This could finally be the year when the pieces start falling into place for South African Airways (SAA). If all goes according to plan, by the end of October the South African Government will have decided on a strategic partner to take a 20-30% stake in its ...
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A matter of priorities
Douglas Barrie/JOHANNESBURG Last month marked the deadline for contenders bidding for South Africa's R10 billion ($2.15 billion) defence procurement package, which includes combat aircraft and naval and support helicopters. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK were shortlisted to respond to the May requirement for best and ...
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Southern skirmish
Doug Birch/JOHANNESBURG Six years ago, South Africa deregulated its domestic airline network, allowing private carriers to challenge the long-standing monopoly of South African Airways (SAA) for the first time. The market is in the process of setting down after this upheaval, but it is clear that the new competition ...
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Safer skies
Kevin O'Toole/JOHANNESBURG Fears about air safety over Africa are not new, but a year ago the issue hit the headlines worldwide, following pilot complaints that air traffic control (ATC) was either inadequate or simply absent over much of the continent. An image painted by the media was one ...
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Relative progress
Tim Furniss/LONDON Lockheed Martin delivered the second major piece of NASA's $550 million Gravity Probe B (GP-B) spacecraft to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, on 27 May. The delivery marks a major milestone in the protracted development of a spacecraft which, in 2000, will attempt to verify two ...
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Boeing tests winglets for BBJ
Guy Norris/SEATTLE Flight tests of blended winglets on a 737-800 have started so that performance benefits from eventual incorporation on the Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) can be evaluated. The tests are part of Boeing's efforts to stretch the BBJ's range by around 5% beyond the current 11,100km (6,000nm) ...
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Sukhoi sets up worldwide sales network
Russia's Advanced Sukhoi Technologies (AST) has appointed two agencies to handle all sales and marketing of its sporting and aerobatic aircraft outside the CIS and the former Eastern Bloc. Customers will no longer be able to order aircraft directly from the Moscow factory. UK-based Richard Goode Aerobatic Displays, an AST ...
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UK Government investigates business aviation
Growing concerns over business aircraft access to UK airports and the emergence of proposed reliever airports to alleviate the problem, has prompted the UK Government to commission a study into the state of the business aviation industry in the south east of England. The investigation, entitled "State of the ...