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November 13, 2007

Better, lighter targeting sought for air strikes against Taliban

By Chris Pocock

A senior air force officer serving with NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan has challenged the defense industry to produce lighter and more capable equipment for troops calling in air strikes on Taleban positions. Speaking at the Closec Air Support Conference organized by Defence IQ in London recently, Air Cdre Mike Jenkins, RAF, director of the ISAF Air Coordinati more

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Rebuilt Beirut airport finds recovery elusive

By Gregory Polek

Enthusiasm over a near 50-percent year-over-year jump in passenger traffic had reached a climax early in the summer of 2006 at Beirut Rafik Hariri International Airport when, in an instant, on July 13 Israeli bombs shattered and set ablaze all the good feelings along with vast chunks of runway and the airport’s main fuel tanks.

Although the physical damage paled in comparison to the tol more

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Putin visit ignites demand for Russian helos in Mideast

By Nikolai Novichkov

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent Middle East tour triggered the signing of a $25 million contract to supply six Kamov Ka-226 light helicopters to Jordan over the next two years. The deal is a breakthrough for Russian helicopter manufacturers as Jordan previously bought only Western-built rotorcraft.

The agreement calls for partial assembly in that country of supplied component more

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French-powered Dhruv opens Indian helo market

By Jeff Apter

Safran’s business in India has taken a step forward following the recent maiden flight of Hindustan Aeronautics’ Dhruv helicopter powered by the Ardiden 1H Shakti turboshaft engine produced by the French group’s Turbomeca division. The move bolsters Safran’s long-term expansion plans in India, not only in the defense market but also in the booming civil sector.

Two years ago, Safran set more

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Thailand selects Gripen system

By Donald David

After a long-running procurement saga, the Royal Thai Air Force has selected the Saab Gripen to replace its elderly Northrop F-5 fighter fleet. The deal also covers the supply of airborne early warning aircraft to bolster the nation’s air defenses. The Thai government revealed the selection in Bangkok on October 16, announcing that the Cabinet had approved a total budget of 34.4 billion baht ($1.1 more

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Peres presidency could kick-start joint Arab-Israeli airport plan

By Ian Goold

This year’s election of Shimon Peres as Israel’s president could revitalize dormant plans for developing Jordan’s King Hussein International Airport at Aqaba as a regional hub to serve both countries. The airport sits at the north end of the Red Sea, across the Gulf of Aqaba from the Israeli resort city of Eilat.

A possible Arab-Israeli joint venture at the location, which is at the sou more

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David takes on Goliath in LSA battle

By Brian Walters

A pair of Remos G-3/600 light sports aircraft (LSA) arrived Friday to tackle a market far from their base in Germany.  Introduced in 1998, the G-3 claims superiority over Cessna’s similarly sized but more recent SkyCatcher, an airplane with which Remos CEO Michael Meirer declares he is in head-to-head competition.

Meirer ascribes the superiority of the G-3 to the fact that the Ger more

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Military transports will adopt helicopter TopOwl-H HUDS

A series of flight tests held in France this past summer has successfully shown that the Thales TopOwl helmet-mounted display system originally designed for helicopter pilots works just as well for those flying military transport aircraft. The tests made use of the TopOwl-H head up display (HUD) system now in full-scale production. Thales has made more than 400 to date.

Selected by som more

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U.S. Navy Seahawk gets enhanced sensor systems

By Brian Walters

Lockheed Martin is demonstrating the versatility of the U.S. Navy’s Seahawk helicopter, for which the company installs and integrates the avionics equipment, as well as the sensor systems. On delivery of the airframe from Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin undertakes the extensive equipment installation that over the years has been progressively updated.

Indeed, responding to a U.S. Navy helico more

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U.S. aerospace in record good health, says Douglass

John Douglass hands over the presidency of the U.S. Aerospace Industries Association next week to former Federal Aviation Administration administrator Marion Blakey after a nine-and-a-half-year tenure.

Douglass, who is attending the Dubai Airshow, talked to AIN about a U.S. aerospace industry that finds itself in good health as it prepares for a presidential election in more

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