All news – Page 8005
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Space spectacular
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is providing a daily bonanza of images and data for astronomers Tim Furniss/LONDON NASA has scheduled another Space Shuttle servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) for 1997. The STS82/Discovery mission, scheduled for launch in February 1997, is the ...
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Staying power
Bombardier's Canadair CL-227 unmanned air-vehicle is finally being prepared for production. Graham Warwick/MONTREAL Unmanned air-vehicles (UAVs) come and go, but the Canadair CL-227 just keeps on going - or so it seems. Although similar externally, the production CL-227 now taking shape at Bombardier's Canadair ...
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UK investigates ITT jammer for Army attack helicopter
THE UK MINISTRY of Defence has begun a preliminary investigation into the suitability of the ITT Advanced Threat Radar Jammer (ATRJ) for the British Army Air Corps' next-generation battlefield attack helicopter. The radar jammer is now under development for use on US Army McDonnell Douglas AH-64 Apache attack ...
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BA World Cargo switches freight plans
BRITISH AIRWAYS has ditched earlier plans for the phased development of a new London Heathrow cargo hub, instead unveiling plans to spend £150 million on developing a new highly automated hub. The centre is due to open in 1998 with a capacity to handle around 800,000t of cargo ...
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FedEx takes American's MD-11 fleet
AMERICAN AIRLINES IS to sell the bulk of its McDonnell Douglas MD-11 fleet to FedEx for conversion into freighters. Confirming details of the long-rumoured sale, American says that 12 MD-11s will be delivered to FedEx between January 1996 and October 1999. FedEx also has the option to buy ...
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SIA and Tata to defy critics inside India
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE SINGAPORE AIRLINES (SIA) and Tata Industries are confident that their proposed joint venture to set up an Indian domestic carrier will go ahead, despite local political and airline opposition. The planned SIA-Tata partnership has been attacked by Pramod Mahajan, general secretary of India's main ...
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USAF pushes for hypersonic effort
Graham Warwick/ATLANTA THE US AIR FORCE is seeking approval for a scaled-down hypersonic-technology research programme which will focus on hydrocarbon-fuelled supersonic-combustion ramjets (scramjets) for Mach 4-8 missiles. The HyTECH programme would be an effort to continue US hypersonic research after the cancellation of the X-30 National ...
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Apache outruns the Tiger
What is behind the Netherlands decision to buy the AH-64 Apache instead of Eurocopter's Tiger? Douglas Barrie/LONDON Julian Moxon/PARIS After prolonged indecision, the Netherlands Government has finally made a choice for its "armoured-helicopter" requirement following a campaign between Eurocopter and McDonnell Douglas (MDC) which at times ...
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An entirely new scene
The simulator business remains a cut-throat one for the survivors Graham Warwick/ATLANTA The commercial flight-simulator market has changed beyond recognition in the past five years. Full-flight simulator (FFS) sales have fallen from a record high of 55 in 1989 to a recent low of ...
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JetCo looks again at fleet proposal
Kieran Daly/LONDON EUROPEAN fractional-jet-ownership company JetCo has dropped Raytheon Aircraft's Beechjet and KingAir from its fleet plan and is negotiating with other manufacturers. The company may still use Raytheon Hawker 800XPs, but that aircraft is in competition with the Cessna Citation VII. UK-based JetCo, ...
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Gulfstream opens London City option
GULFSTREAM Aerospace has won approval to operate the Gulfstream IV-SP into London City Airport (LCY). The certification allows the business-jet to serve the airport which is the closest to London's financial district. Aircraft require special approval to use LCY because of its steep glide-slope. The GIV-SP ...
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Schweizer hands on Ag-Cat
SCHWEIZER AIRCRAFT is selling its successful Ag-Cat agricultural-aircraft programme after concluding that its changing product line had left it unable to produce the type economically. The new owner is Ag-Cat overhaul and modification specialist Jim Krepps of Malden, Missouri, owner of Malden Ag-Craft. The manufacturing company will be ...
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Ring Sights aims to improve helicopter gunners' accuracy
Patrick Allen/LONDON UK GUN-SIGHT manufacturer Ring Sights has developed a helicopter gun sight for use in the air-to-ground role which, the company claims, increases significantly a gunner's chance of a first-burst hit, day or night. The LC-40-100-NVG consists of a solid-glass optic with a reflex collimator ...
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USA clears the way for Singapore tanker sale
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE THE US GOVERNMENT is giving the go-ahead for US companies to enter into formal discussions with Singapore over the supply of aerial-refuelling-tanker aircraft to support its fleet of Lockheed F-16s. Manufactures have already held initial talks with Singapore, but were awaiting clearance from the ...
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India tempted by Israeli Harpy
INDIA IS BEING OFFERED defence equipment by Israel, including airborne early-warning technology based on the Phalcon. The two countries have also sealed a $50 million deal for the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Harpy anti-radiation drone. The Harpy, as supplied to India, will consist of a mobile launcher carrying ...
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Lear Locker
RAISBECK Engineering has delivered the first of its Lear Lockers for the Learjet 35/36 series to dealer Jet America. The Seattle-based modifier says that the 2.4m unit can carry 135kg of baggage, including items such as skis and hunting or golfing equipment which are difficult to fit in the Learjet. ...
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First American Mobile satellite is launched
Tim Furniss/LONDON A LOCKHEED MARTIN Atlas 2A booster was launched from Cape Canaveral on 7 April, carrying American Mobile Satellite's (AMSC) first satellite, the MSAT. Designated the MSAT 2, this 2,720kg Hughes HS-601 spacecraft, together with the MSAT 1 (to be launched by an Ariane 4) ...
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Ariane launch date set for ESA's second remote-sensing satellite
THE EUROPEAN SPACE Agency's second remote- sensing satellite, the ERS 2, will be launched aboard Ariane flight V72 on 20 April. The Ariane 40 vehicle, with no thrust-augmentation strap-on boosters, will place the spacecraft into a circular, 780km, Sun-synchronous orbit (Flight International, 22-28 March). The launch will open ...
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ESA members bicker over Alpha space-station funds
Julian Moxon/PARIS THE ROW OVER European funding for the proposed Alpha international space station has led to a bout of accusations between individual members of the European Space Agency (ESA). The French space agency, CNES, has lashed out at other European countries which are accusing France ...