Fixed-wing – Page 1347
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French companies to refurbish Lebanese aircraft
FRENCH DEFENCE companies are to refurbish fighters and helicopters belonging to the Lebanese air force, say Middle East sources. Agreement for the upgrade, was reached during a visit by French defence minister, Charles Millon to Beirut, in late February. Under the terms of the agreement, French companies - ...
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Singapore studies tanker options
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE SINGAPORE IS considering an offer from the US Air Force to sell it up to four surplus Boeing KC-135s, as a more cost-effective solution to its requirement for a boom-equipped aerial-refueling tanker. A Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) team is understood recently ...
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Bell to lead AH-1W and UH-1 upgrades
Graham Warwick/Atlanta THE US MARINE CORPS is to award Bell Helicopter Textron a single prime contract to upgrade its AH-1W SuperCobra and UH-1N Huey dynamic systems and AH-1W cockpit in November 1997. Bell will then conduct a competition on behalf of the USMC to select equipment for ...
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Rolls-Royce joins GE-Allison JAST team
Guy Norris/Los Angeles ROLLS-ROYCE HAS formally signed an agreement giving it full participation in the joint General Electric/Allison development of a cruise engine and lift engine for the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) aircraft programme. GE says, that the long expected agreement with R-R, makes ...
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USA and Italy hold talks on stealthy stand-off missile
Andrea Spinelli/GENOA THE USA AND ITALY are discussing development of a stealthy next-generation standoff missile, dubbed the Ulisee, drawing on technology from the Italian navy's Teseo 3 anti-ship-missile project. A decision on the venture is expected by the third quarter of this year. US and ...
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Chinese missile tests force Taiwan diversions
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE LARGE-SCALE CHINESE military exercises have forced Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to re-route international air traffic flying from South-East Asia and Hong Kong to the USA, Japan and South Korea. China closed off a 17,000km2 area in the Straits of Taiwan for navy ...
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Brazil considers fighter to replace its Mirages
BRAZIL IS STUDYING concepts for a new fighter, dubbed the FX, initially to replace Dassault Mirages now operated by its air force. Procurement is planned to begin around the year 2000, with deliveries beginning around 2005, and Brazil wants an off-the-shelf aircraft, which it can adapt to meet its requirements. ...
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Gripen takes aim at Latin America
BRITISH AEROSPACE and Saab unveiled a full-scale mock-up of the Gripen lightweight fighter at the show and say that they will be able to offer the aircraft, which has substantial US content, in any Latin American country cleared to receive the Lockheed Martin F-16 and McDonnell Douglas F-18. ...
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Pampa production could roll again
PRODUCTION OF THE IA.63 Pampa jet trainer could be restarted to meet Argentine air force and navy requirements for 48-50 aircraft, if additional customers can be found to make the production run economical. The Pampa was built by FMA, now operated by Lockheed Martin as Lockheed Aircraft Argentina (LAASA), and ...
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USA thinks again on combat-aircraft sales
US POLICY BARRING THE sale of combat aircraft to Latin America is "under review" by the Departments of Defense and State. That is all the US Government would say at the show, despite fielding a major military presence led by defence secretary William Perry, after boycotting the show in 1994. ...
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Rafale set back by French decision
FRENCH INDUSTRY hopes of scoring an early export success for the Dassault Rafale have been dealt a heavy blow by the French Government's rejection of pleas that it order at least one squadron for the air force for entry into service by around 2000. Dassault has been pressurising ...
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The military metamorphosis
Sir - Derek Colborne demands that military pilots be exempt from the demanding tests and licensing examinations which must be passed by all UK airline pilots (Flight International, 21-27 February, P42). The former Soviet Union and China are parts of the world with a much higher accident rate ...
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Northern exposure
Annual exercises inside the Arctic Circle prepare UK commandos for cold-weather operation. Patrick Allen/BARDUFOSS, NORWAY THERE IS NO secret art to operating successfully in Arctic conditions - it is a matter of careful training. As a result, every winter since 1969, UK Royal Navy Commando aircrew and ...
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Danish simulation
Hughes Training is to supply two Lockheed Martin F-16A Mid-Life Update unit-level trainers to the Royal Danish Air Force in 1997. The trainers include a Silicon Graphics Onyx Infinite Reality image-generator with 120°-wide display, and head-up display and infra-red sensor simulations. Source: Flight International
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Ground work
Tests being carried out in the USA are proving the worth of ground-proximity warning systems for helicopters. Paul Seidenman/SAN FRANCISCO THE US NAVY AND a civil-helicopter operator have begun evaluation of the world's first ground-proximity warning system (GPWS) to be tested successfully in a helicopter ...
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IL abandons D-18A engine
Andrzej Jeziorski/WARSAW THE WARSAW-BASED Aviation Institute (IL) has shelved development of its D-18A twin-shaft turbofan engine because of lack of funds and doubts over its applications. The 18kN (4,000lb)-thrust engine, which had its first bench test on 16 April 1992, was intended to power future ...
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USAF keeps weather eye on radar coverage
THE US AIR FORCE IS USING COMPUTER MODELS to gain a better understanding of how weather and terrain affect radar transmissions. The image was produced by, the variable-terrain radio parabolic equation (VTRPE) model, and shows a weather "inversion" deflecting radar signals. The image is a "mathematical" cross-section of radar energy ...
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Germany to test Elisra electronic-warfare system
THE GERMAN AIR force is to fit an Israeli Elisra self-protection electronic-warfare (EW) system on a Sikorsky CH-53 helicopter for evaluation purposes. If the trial is successful, a procurement order will follow. The air force is believed to have examined several self-protection systems for use on the CH-53s, ...
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Midwest admiration for K-MAX increases
CANADA'S MIDWEST Helicopters is about to take delivery of its second Kaman K-MAX external-lift helicopter, and the company has begun negotiations to buy a third aircraft. Midwest president Wayne Macauley says that the company will be interested in a fourth helicopter, if plans to expand operations into Mexico ...
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Lack of credits balks Indonesian F-16 plans
INDONESIA'S PLANNED purchase of nine embargoed Pakistani Lockheed Martin F-16A/Bs from the USA has stalled over Jakarta's demand for export credit. According to defence sources, the issue of financing is the only remaining hurdle still to be cleared for the deal to go ahead. Agreement has already ...