Helicopters – Page 493
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Rotary rumble
Military machines may dominate at Le Bourget, with the imminent UK attack-helicopter decision occupying the thoughts of many Kieran Daly and Douglas Barrie/london The battle for the Netherlands is over - the battle for England is about to begin. Well, not quite - the battle for the ...
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USAF renews GPS approach tests
THE US AIR FORCE IS to conduct precision-approach tests using the global-positioning system (GPS). A Lockheed C-130 will be used to conduct 75 GPS-guided approaches at Hurlburt Field AFB, Florida, in June. For the trials, the C-130 has been equipped with a GPS landing-system supplied by Interstate Electronics ...
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Russia plans space milestone
THE RUSSIAN SPACE Agency (RSA) has been refused the use of two Molniya boosters by the country's military space forces. The launch vehicles are required to allow the RSA to launch the Prognoz satellites as part of the 14-nation Interball project to study the Earth's magnetosphere. The ...
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Sikorsky combines with MHI to launch S-92 launch
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE SIKORSKY IS TO join with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) of Japan to launch the long awaited S-92 medium-lift helicopter. A formal announcement is expected at the Paris air show. The S-92 is based on the smaller Sikorsky S-70. It will feature a redesigned ...
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Japan rekindles Harrier interest
Paul Lewis/SINGAPORE JAPAN'S MILITARY is signalling renewed interest in the British Aerospace/McDonnell Douglas Harrier, and hopes to secure funding in the next five-year defence plan for an initial batch of the vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) aircraft. The purchase of between three and five aircraft is ...
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Comanche continues reversal of fortune
Ramon Lopez/STRATFORD THE FIRST RAH-66 Comanche helicopter was rolled out on 25 May, marking a significant milestone for the US Army's next-generation armed reconnaissance helicopter. After facing cancellation only months ago, project officials now believe that support is building for the programme to sustain it through ...
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Bedek faces probe after 747 work is questioned
A US FEDERAL Aviation Administration inspection team is to visit Israel Aircraft Industries' (IAI) Bedek overhaul division later this month, following concerns over the company's Boeing 747 maintenance work. Bedek, one of the world's primary 747 over-hauls, has meanwhile consented, to stepped-up FAA surveillance of its work on ...
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British Army Air Corps chases Mi-8s in Bosnian war zone
Tim Ripley/GORNJI VAKUF THE UK'S ARMY AIR Corps (AAC) Westland Lynx helicopter crews are being used by the United Nations to chase and identify helicopters breaching the No-Fly Zone over Bosnia-Herzegovina amid growing concern over the dangers of a "friendly-shootdown" incident. Evidence of NATO's inability, or unwillingness, to enforce the ...
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Future thrust
The next two months will see the debut of key military engine technologies on both sides of the Atlantic. Eurojet's EJ200 should be flown for the first time, while Pratt & Whitney was due to begin testing its latest combat core, the XTC-66. Europe's latest collaborative military engine ...
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Dassault launches Falcon 50EX
DASSAULT AVIATION has launched an extended-performance variant of the Falcon 50 business jet. The aircraft, which is to be known as the Falcon 50EX, is scheduled to have its first flight in the first quarter of 1996. The French aircraft builder is replacing the three AlliedSignal TFE731-3 turbofans ...
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Oil factor
Since the conflict between the UK and Argentina over ownership of the Falklands ended in 1982, the South Atlantic archipelago has largely been forgotten. The UK Government continued to pay attention to the islands for a short time after the war and set in motion construction of an international airport ...
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General in command
The day-to-day commander of NATO's Operation Deny Flight in Bosnia, Maj. Gen. Hal Hornburg of the US Air Force, describes as "crucial" the roles of the 150 NATO combat aircraft under his control in covering any United Nations retreat from war-torn former Yugoslavia. The director of the ...
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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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Lockheed Martin promises to reduce price of F-16s
LOCKHEED MARTIN is guaranteeing a cost saving of 15% on the F-16 if the US Government allows the manufacturer to switch from military-procurement practices to commercial standards. Commercialisation of production would reduce the price of an F-16 fighter sold to, or through the US Government to below the ...
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Raytheon to acquire E-Systems
RAYTHEON HAS signaled its intention to maintain a leading position in the consolidating US defence sector with an agreement to acquire defence-communications and intelligence specialist E-Systems for $2.3 billion. Raytheon's defence interests fell to 35% of overall turnover in 1994. The acquisition of E-Systems, announced on 3 April, ...
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Malaysia shops for military equipment
MALAYSIA IS planning further major purchases of military equipment in its next five-year plan starting in 1996, says the country's defence minister, Najib Tun Razak. A list of proposed new programmes is being finalised by the Malaysian defence ministry and Joint Service Planning Committee for submission to the ...
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USA gives green light for Army Comanche plan
THE US DEPARTMENT of Defense (DoD) has approved a US Army plan for the Boeing Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche scout/attack helicopter which calls for two prototypes, six "early operational capability" (EOC) aircraft, and entry into service in 2007. The restructured programme is the Army's response to the DoD's ...
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Turkey to launch hunt for MPA
TURKEY IS ABOUT to release a request for proposals for a maritime-patrol aircraft (MPA), with Fokker, CASA and Dornier among the likely bidders. The requirement looked likely at one point to be satisfied by an ex-US Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion, but this deal appears to have fallen through. ...
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Chile software demands halt Phalcon deliveries
THE CHILEAN air force has refused to accept its Phalcon airborne early-warning aircraft from Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), demanding that the mission software be completely debugged before delivery. Phalcon test flights were completed earlier this month, but Chilean observers claimed that various problems, mainly software related, had not ...
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Rolls-Royce completes its acquisition of Allison
ROLLS-ROYCE HAS completed its acquisition of Allison, after clearing the final US regulatory hurdles. Under a deal worked out with the US Government, R-R will be denied access to Allison's work on classified defence programmes. R-R is focusing on the commercial benefits of taking on Allison's existing ...