All news – Page 7031
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Kaman may join fray for South African maritime helicopter
Douglas Barrie/LONDON Julian Moxon/PARIS A South African technical evaluation team has visited US helicopter manufacturer Kaman to be briefed on the SH-2G Super Seasprite maritime helicopter, despite only Eurocopter and GKN Westland having been shortlisted to meet its naval helicopter requirement. The visit in early May was carried ...
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UK details RAF project delays
Douglas Barrie/LONDON Lockheed Martin has paid the first instalment in a £23.5 million ($38 million) penalty charge to the UK Ministry of Defence for delays in delivery of the Royal Air Force's C-130J Hercules 2 tactical military transport. Details of the "liquidated damages" are revealed in the National ...
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X-35 takes shape
Lockheed Martin has begun assembling its first X-35 Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator aircraft at the Skunk Works in Palmdale, California. Boeing plans to assemble its competing X-32s across the runway at Palmdale. Both are scheduled to fly early in 2000. Source: Flight International
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US Navy nears decision on tactical UAV requirement
Ramon Lopez/YUMA The US Navy will decide in June or early July whether to persevere with the Alliant Techsystems Outrider unmanned air vehicle (UAV) or switch to a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft for its tactical UAV requirement. The USN's plans to buy the fixed wing Outrider UAV, along ...
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RMAF receives first upgraded Fulcrums
MIG MAPO's joint venture Aerospace Technology Systems (ATSC) service company has completed a Phase III and IV avionics and weapons upgrade of the Royal Malaysian Air Force's (RMAF) first two MAPO MiG-29N Fulcrum fighters. The improvements are focused on upgrading the fighters' weapons control systems, allowing for the integration ...
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Russia's naval fighters take to air
Russia's naval fighter air regiment resumed flying in May after a five-month break imposed by a lack of funding. Sukhoi Su-27K Flankers (pictured) and Su-25UTG Frogfoots were flown from the naval air base at Severomorsk in northern Russia. Carrier operations from the Admiral Kuznetsov are planned for early June. Source: ...
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THAAD missile test proves another dud with missed interception
The $8 billion Lockheed Martin Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile flopped again on 12 May, when it failed to intercept a target ballistic missile for the fifth time. Achieving a successful intercept was considered vital to the project as the US Department of Defense seeks $822 million for ...
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German parliament clears way for Tiger procurement
Andrzej Jeziorski/MUNICH The German parliamentary budget committee has approved the purchase of the first batch of Eurocopter Tiger combat helicopters, shortly before the expected signature of a procurement contract. Germany has simultaneously restated its continued commitment to the long-range version of the Trigat anti-tank missile, despite France's withdrawal ...
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Fast and furious
Dave Higdon/KANSAS CITY Breaking out into the sunshine and levelling off the new Mooney Bravo high-performance piston single just above the cloud at 6,000ft (1,830m) brought home graphically the speed we were making. Billowing cloud tops blurred past the windows at more than 200kt (110km/h) as we raced south ...
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Beal means business
Tim Furniss/LONDON THE world's First privately developed expandable medium-lift launch vehicle is to be offered by Beal Aerospace Technologies, of Dallas, Texas. Beal will sell launches to low Earth orbit (LEO) of multiple payloads weighing about 7,710kg - "double the capacity" of the Boeing Delta II - "at a ...
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Autonomous attacker
Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC Four US manufacturers have embarked on a programme to determine. by 2005, whether unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) have the potential to complement, and ultimately compete against, manned strike aircraft. If successful, UCAVs could become operational as early as 2015, in time to help offset the expected ...
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Be-103 makes first water take-off
Beriev has test flown the Be-103 from water for the first time. The flight, which took place on the 19 April, lasted 16min. The second prototype of the Western-powered multipurpose amphibian has now made six flights, lasting a total of 9h 12min. The first prototype of the six-seat aircraft crashed ...
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The Eaglet has landed (and taken off)
EuroENAER's Eaglet single-engined, all-composite trainer made its maiden flight in Europe on 8 May. The joint venture company, which was set up in January by Chile's ENAER and Dutch Piper dealer Jan Van Toorn to market the aircraft for European civil and military markets, is scheduled to receive European ...
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Pathfinder heads for Kaui
Guy Norris/LOS ANGELES The newly upgraded Pathfinder Plus solar-powered remotely piloted aircraft was shipped from mainland USA to the Hawaiian island of Kaui on 6 May, where it will be tested on at least five missions over the next three months, some of which will include attempts to reach ...
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Heathrow allocation faces court hearing
The Heathrow Executive Jet Operators Association (HEJOA) has been granted leave by a UK court to challenge the slot allocation process introduced at London's Heathrow Airport on 6 May to control ad hoc charters. A three-day judicial review is due at the end of June between HEJOA and Airport ...
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Jetair relocates
JetAir and sister company European Centres has relocated to Crawley, in the UK, near London Gatwick Airport. The building will house aircraft brokerage, management, sales and leasing and training operations. Source: Flight International
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Hansa-3 trainer flies for the first time
Taneja Aerospace and Aviation's (TAAL) Rotax 914-F3-powered Hansa-3 ab initio trainer made its maiden test flight on 11 May. The programme was conceived in 1989 as a joint venture between India's TAAL and Government-owned National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL). TAAL will market and manufacture the aircraft from its Hosur, Bangalore, ...
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Vantage takes voice control
VisionAire has revealed new details of its teaming arrangement with Iowa State University to develop a voice control system for its Vantage single-engined composite business jet. The work is aimed at developing a voice recognition and synthesis system for cockpit control of secondary switching functions such as navigation and ...
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Star Alliance adds Australasian net
Air New Zealand (ANZ) and Ansett Australia are to join the Star Alliance in March 1999, adding a comprehensive Australasian presence to its rapidly growing network. ANZ already has various agreements with Star members. It has an alliance with United Airlines, a "strategic partnership" with Air Canada and frequent ...
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Corsair A330 order
Corsair is poised to become a new Airbus customer, with an order for two A330-200s to boost its long haul charter fleet. The French carrier operates an all-Boeing fleet of 737s and 747s on short and long haul charters for its parent company, tour operator Nouvelles Frontiers. The airline has ...