Aircraft
News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.
Aircraft
First A320 Prestige Joins Private Asian Fleet
A private Asian customer has placed a firm order for an Airbus A320 Prestige, becoming the first in the region to order the type.
Aircraft
Su-35 bridges gap between current and next-gen fighters
Sukhoi believes it is within two years of making first deliveries of its new Su-35 fighter as it prepares to add a third prototype to the flight-test progr
Aircraft
Russian aerospace firms look to Western markets
Russia’s defense industry is looking both to compete and cooperate with its western European counterparts as it bids to expand its international customer b
Aircraft
EADS finds wider use for T/R modules
The strategic importance of active array airborne radar technology in Europe cannot be understated, according to EADS Defence Electronics (Hall 2 Stand A15
Aircraft
Armed agplane ready for ISR duty
Making its debut at Paris this year is the Air Truck AT-802U, an armed utility version of the popular Air Tractor AT-802.
Aircraft
First Operational EJ200 Passes 1,000 Hours
The Eurojet EJ200 that powers the Eurofighter achieved a milestone earlier this month when the first engine to be completed to the full operational clearan
Aircraft
Sukhoi’s 5th-gen fighter takes shape, nears flight
Sukhoi’s long-anticipated fifth-generation multirole fighter is nearing the start of flight trials as work continues on the prototype aircraft, the famed R
Aircraft
R-R nets 44-engine order from Gulf Air for A330s
Gulf Air has selected the Rolls-Royce Trent 700EP turbofan to power 20 previously ordered Airbus A330 aircraft, along with a TotalCare long-term service ag
Aircraft
Embraer bounces back with new orders
Embraer yesterday announced the conversion of options and purchase rights for several E-Jets into firm orders.
Aircraft
ATR targets 50 deliveries and 72-600 maiden flight in 2009
Regional turboprop manufacturer Avions de Transport Regional intends to deliver 50 aircraft this year, a number that is only slightly below that produced i
Aircraft
Qatar boosts Airbus with A320 orders
Qatar Airways signed a firm contract yesterday for 24 Airbus A320-family aircraft in a deal that included the conversion of an option the operator placed d
Aircraft
New 777 wing is Boeing move against A350
Boeing Commercial Airplanes has begun to study the possibility of redesigning the wing on the 777 in an effort to more effectively compete against the Airb
Aircraft
Vietnam ATR Deal Keeps Asian Growth Alive
ATR landed a firm order yesterday for a pair of new ATR 72-500s from Vietnam Airlines, bringing to 16 the number of the 68-seat turboprops the Asian custom
Aircraft
Dassault rethinks SMS; questions engine choice
Dassault Aviation CEO Charles Edelstenne on Friday made it clear that all design choices for its next Falcon business jet, a super-midsize aircraft codenam
Aircraft
Air Nostrum boosts Bombardier with new deal for CRJ1000s
Bombardier Aerospace yesterday announced a new firm order for 15 CRJ1000s from Spanish regional carrier Air Nostrum.
Aircraft
Pilot optional for L-3’s new Mobius aerial vehicle
Long-established as a major supplier of systems for a wide range of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs, L-3 Communications is moving up a step to offer
Aircraft
Superjet 100 soars onto international stage
Sukhoi’s new Superjet 100 airliner is making a triumphant international debut here at the Paris Air Show.
Aircraft
Crunch time next week for A400M lifter
Defense ministers from the seven A400M partner nations are heading for Seville next week for a crucial meeting with the EADS and Airbus leadership.
Aircraft
LM ready to supplant A400M with C-130J
Lockheed Martin can deliver C-130J military transports to the nations affected by the A400M debacle within 36 months, on a sale or lease basis.
Aircraft
Piaggio Notches Three Orders for Avanti II
Piaggio has received three firm orders for the P.180 Avanti II twin turboprop–two from the United Arab Emirates military and another from Susi Air in Indon
Aircraft
Saft Li-ion batteries for Chinese, Russian RJs
Saft has been selected to supply batteries for both China’s AVIC ARJ21 regional jet and its Russian competitor, the Sukhoi Superjet.
Aircraft
Finmeccanica shifts priorities but avoids making cutbacks
The world financial crisis is hitting military budgets as well as commercial aviation, forcing Finmeccanica, Italy’s leading defense and aerospace group, t
Aircraft
Bental’s branches into civil market and shows off MicroBat payload
Having carved out a reputation in the military field for high-performance actuators, auxiliary power units and other power/motion systems, Bental Industrie
Aircraft
An-148 enters service; stretch version in works
Ukrainian airline AeroSvit launched passenger service with an Antonov An-148-100 regional jet prototype on a June 2 flight between the capital Kiev and Kha
Aircraft
How Europe’s A400M airlifter failed to take off
Six years ago, the team from Airbus Military promoting the A400M came to the Paris Air Show full of confidence and good intentions.
Aircraft
ATRr’s 600 Series is close to first flight
Royal Air Maroc is one of the most recent customers to sign up for the new 600 Series of ATR-42s and ATR-72s being developed by Avions de Transport Regiona
Aircraft
Flurry of recent export orders bolsters Israel Aerospace sales
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) hopes that new export orders, such as a $50 million deal to supply unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, will bolste
Aircraft
Cirrus Jet Resumes Flying, Some Deposits Returned
As Cirrus Aircraft’s prototype Vision jet single resumes flight testing with a new Garmin G1000 avionics suite, some buyers seeking refunds of deposits for
Aircraft
Raven radar equipped Gripen to fly by year-end
In late March Saab announced a teaming agreement with Selex Galileo to develop the ES-05 Raven active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar for the Gri
Aircraft
Block III will ensure Apache ‘production’ through 2040
They’ve done it with the Chinook, now they’re doing it with the Apache.
