Flight International articles from December 2003

Flight International archives from December 2003

air transport.(DHL cargo aircraft damaged by missile strike over Baghdad, Iraq)
December 2, 2003... safety David Learmount / London DHL A300F survives missile strike Cargo operator suspends operations to Baghdad as investigators study video footage and physical evidence of attack DHL's European arm has suspended its cargo...

DEVELOPMENT; Athens airport to open dedicated business terminal for Olympics.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... The new international airport for Athens, Greece is to get a dedicated business aviation terminal in time for the Olympic Games next year, and is calling for help in estimating the likely number of users. The relatively new Eleftherios...

in brief.(Thales Avionics expects certification of cabin management system)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... business aviation Thales Avionics is expecting certification of its TopSeries Executive business jet cabin management system by mid-2004. The company has submitted proposals to at least two aircraft manufacturers, which together could...

business.(Alliant Techsystems acquires GASL, Micro Craft)
December 2, 2003... Acquisition Guy Norris / Los Angeles ATK joins X-43 project with GASL, Micro Craft purchase Acquisition seen as important strategic move despite further delay to second test launch Alliant Techsystems (ATK) has made a surprise...

people.(appointments, various companies)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... n Leo Mullin, Delta Air Lines' chairman and chief executive, is to retire. Gerald Grinstein will take over as chief executive on 1 January and John Smith will succeed Mullin as non-executive chairman on 23 April at the annual shareholders'...

in brief.(includes multiple articles)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Sea king problem Canadian investigators have not yet determined why two Sikorsky CH-124A Sea King helicopters recently lost power in flight. The helicopters were grounded for 72h, along with the other 26 Sea Kings operated by the...

contracts.(briefs)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... n Raytheon is to produce 414 AIM-9M-2 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles for Egypt and 182 for Taiwan under a $54.7 million contract. TCOM is to produce one low-altitude surveillance system for Kuwait, consisting of a tethered aerostat balloon...

defence.(USA to boost helicopter defences)
December 2, 2003... iraq Stephen Trimble / Washington DC USA to boost helicopter defences Manufacturers join army to study possible technologies following the shooting down of two aircraft in November The US Army is looking at ways of equipping its...

Unmanned air vehicles.(Global Hawk UAV tested in Germany)
December 2, 2003... global vision BYLINE: A Global Hawk UAV flew successfully in European civil airspace this year, proving its credentials to fill Germany's SIGINT role Andrew Doyle / Nordholz airbase, Germany It seemed a far-off goal as...

New airlines.(Etihad Airways, Air Arabia)
December 2, 2003... New airlines BYLINE: Two new carriers have begun operations in the Gulf and more are set to follow. But is there room in the region to accommodate them all? alexander campbell / london While most airlines are in the teeth of...

growth charter.(Middle East business aviation)
December 2, 2003... The Gulf is keen to promote industries such as tourism and IT to dilute its reliance on oil, but terrorism and unlicensed charter operators threaten to undermine confidence Kate Sarsfield / London These are interesting times for...

Headlines.(investigation of 2001 Binter Canarias crash)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Headlines BYLINE: air transport Pilot 'shut down good engine by mistake' The report into the 29 August 2001 fatal crash of a Binter Canarias EADS Casa CN235-200 twin turboprop says the crew made an error in operating the engine...

Business; Production halts at Shorts as staff strike over redundancies.(Bombardier)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... A strike over redundancies and pay agreements has shut down production at Bombardier's Shorts site in Belfast, UK. The Transport & General Workers Union (TGWU), one of the two unions that have taken 4,000 workers - 80% of the total workforce -...

Air Transport Michael Phelan / London; Airbus studies large A320 winglets.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Airbus is stepping up studies of a mid-life update for its A320 family, as details emerge of a proposal to equip the narrowbody with large winglets. The winglet concept is being tested on the manufacturer's A340-300 development aircraft. ...

Defence Peter La Franchi / canberra; Air 9000 project tender inquiry begins in Australia; Investigation follows allegations of undue interference in modelling of contender proposals.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... The Australian defence inspector general has launched an investigation into the tender evaluation process for the Australian Defence Force's Project Air 9000 helicopter rationalisation project. The move follows allegations from within the...

Defence Stephen Trimble / Washington DC; EC selects Galileo signal architecture; Structure will avoid overlaying US military m-code.(European Commission)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... The European Commission has selected a signal architecture for the Galileo global navigation satellite system that avoids overlaying the US military m-code, yet may introduce a new signal interference problem with the US global positioning...

Briefing.(Lufthansa receives A340-600)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Lufthansa receives A340-600 Air transport Lufthansa has received its first Airbus A340-600 and will begin operating the aircraft on Frankfurt-Buenos Aires services on 15 December. The first of 10 Rolls-Royce Trent 556-powered A340-600s on...

Letters.
December 2, 2003... Flight International welcomes letters on any aspect of the aerospace industry. Please write to: The Editor, Flight International, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5AS, UK. Or email flight.international@rbi.co.uk The...

in brief.(includes multiple articles)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... russian deals Alenia Spazio is to supply payloads, including antennas, for two Express MD next-generation light communications satellites for Russian operator RSCC, with an option for two more. The Italian company has also agreed a wider...

space shuttle Tim Furniss / london; Cost of safety measures continues to escalate; NASA fears that expenditure will rise further when true scope of work is revealed.
December 2, 2003... It will cost a further $280 million by the end of 2004 to carry out all the safety recommendations made by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, NASA says. But the US space agency is concerned the costs will rise significantly as the true...

spaceflight.(Scaled Composites tests suborbital vehicle)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... X-Prize Rutan fixes pitch-up snag Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites has conducted three glide flights of its SpaceShipOne suborbital vehicle, intended to test changes introduced to correct a pitch-up problem experienced on the third...

competition; Room for everyone; Max Kingsley-Jones / London.(Gulf startup airlines)
December 2, 2003... The Gulf's three established airlines - Gulf Air, Emirates and Qatar Airways - cautiously welcome new competition despite the fact that at least one of the start-ups, Etihad Airways, has potential for huge growth. With its hub in Gulf...

F-16E/F Block 60.(Lockheed Martin tests fighter, seeks customers)
December 2, 2003... FUTURE FALCON BYLINE: As Lockheed Martin prepares to fly the first F-16E/F Block 60 it is stepping up efforts to secure additional customers for the fighter, currently under commercial development for the United Arab Emirates GRAHAM...

Commercial engines.(new designs)
December 2, 2003... Power plays BYLINE: New and derivative designs are in development as manufacturers predict huge demand for engines of all classes over the next 20 years Guy Norris / Los Angeles Data tables compiled by ATI The search for...

F-16E/F Block 60.(Lockheed Martin simulator)
December 2, 2003... Externally, the most striking feature of the Lockheed Martin F-16E/F Block 60 is the two shoulder-mounted conformal fuel tanks. The removable tanks add about 1,360kg (3,000lb) of internal fuel, while increasing empty weight by 450kg, but with...

policy EMMA KELLY / PERTH; Australia must 'focus on niche space strengths'.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Australia has the potential to build on its niche strengths in the space industry and substantially boost its turnover in the sector, says a new government policy document. To boost space activity, the government has established a space forum...

spaceflight.(Orbital Recovery agreement with Dutch Space for space tug)
December 2, 2003... satellite recovery graham warwick / washington dc Space tug design picked US company aims to base life-extension system on Dutch multimission concept Orbital Recovery has signed an agreement to use a concept developed by Dutch...

powerplants; Microwaves mean longer life for ion propulsion.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... NASA has conducted the first test of a high-power ion engine that could propel the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO) planned under the Project Prometheus nuclear-powered spacecraft initiative. The high-power electric propulsion (HiPEP) ion...

Straight & Level roger.bacon@flightinternational.com.
December 2, 2003... New to aerospace? "Well, yes actually," admits Ben Bartel of Avcraft Aviation - the group attempting to return the Dornier 328JET to production. Speaking with brutal honesty about the trials and tribulations of finding a new wing...

New airlines.(Etihad, Air Arabia)
December 2, 2003... New airlines International, 1-7 April). Gulf Air admitted earlier this year that there was a conflict of interest in Abu Dhabi's dual stakeholding, but refuses to say how it might be resolved. One solution could be for Abu Dhabi to...

business.(MTU may merge with another European engine maker after sale to Kohlberg Kravis & Roberts)
December 2, 2003... Sale Alexander Campbell / London New MTU owner hopes for European marriage Fresh financial clout from US parent could allow engine maker to buy into rivals Aero engine builder MTU is likely to be merged with another European...

air transport.(Australian airspace redesign)
December 2, 2003... air traffic management Emma Kelly / Perth Redesign for Australian airspace beats protests Classification changes made despite calls for delay due to controllers' safety concerns The latest stage of Australia's airspace redesign was...

technology.(EADS develops miniature spectrometer; QR Sciences licensing agreement with L-3 Communications Security Systems)
December 2, 2003... security michael phelan / london EADS shrinks explosives detector Company hopes spectrometer will pave the way for the introduction of miniature portable real-time device EADS is developing a miniaturised ion mobility spectrometer...

defence.(NPO Saturn to test new fighter engine)
December 2, 2003... propulsion vladimir karnozov / moscow NPO Saturn submits new fighter engine for tests Fifth-generation powerplant to be put through its paces on Sukhoi Su-27M after ground runs NPO Saturn has shipped an experimental example of its...

general aviation.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... avionics FAA warns of FlightLogic system fault The US Federal Aviation Administration has warned operators of aircraft with Chelton Flight Systems' FlightLogic EFIS avionics that the equipment can provide misleading guidance under...

business aviation.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... DEVELOPMENT Kate Sarsfield / London VulcanAir modifies Mission to broaden market appeal Changes to single-engined turboprop include adding co-pilot and passenger door VulcanAir has made structural changes to its VF600 Mission...

defence.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... procurement Final bids in for Brazil's F-X BR fighter competition Final tenders for the Brazilian air force's F-X BR project have been handed in. Proposals for the $760 million fighter procurement programme will be submitted to the...

radar; Qinetiq to ward off intruders.(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Qinetiq is developing a spin-off from a radar system used for foreign-object detection (FOD) on runways to target intruders around an airport's perimeter. The UK technology organisation's Tarsier 2200 will be a "cutdown" version of its...

defence.(EADS bids for Royal Australian Air Force tanker contract)
December 2, 2003... refuelling Peter La Franchi / Ulm EADS offers RAAF early A330 slot in tanker bid Manufacturer details workshare proposals as it goes head-to-head with Boeing EADS Casa is offering early delivery of an unmodified Airbus A330-200 to...

air transport.(A380 operators raise LAX alarm)
December 2, 2003... infrastructure Max Kingsley-Jones / Toulouse & Guy Norris / Los Angeles A380 operators raise LAX alarm Airbus and customers put pressure on Los Angeles International Airport to ensure that it is ready to handle the aircraft Airbus...

headlines.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... Business Brendan Sobie / Singapore EADS's plans for KAI under threat Offer from Hyundai for Daewoo stake may scupper KAL buy-out, with knock-on effects for European company's investment EADS is poised to become an investor in Korea...

certification; CJ3s take off.(testing of Cessna Citation CJ3s)(Brief Article)
December 2, 2003... Three Cessna Citation CJ3s are now engaged in certification flight testing following the 6 November first flight of the second production aircraft, assigned to avionics development and post-certification service tests. First deliveries of the...

air transport.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... aircraft development Vladimir Karnozov & Paul Duffy / Moscow Russia considers Tu-334 tax relief Plan aimed at reducing 100-seater's price by $5 million emerges as first production aircraft begins test programme Russia is studying a...

defence.(South Korea must purchase P-3B Orions or lose them to India)
December 2, 2003... procurement Brendan Sobie / Singapore South Korea faces losing P-3B slot, warns USA Washington says aircraft could go out to India if deal is not complete by year-end South Korea has been told to complete its proposed purchase of...

air transport.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... navigation David Learmount / London Eurocontrol launches its aeronautical data service Meanwhile, much of Europe's airspace was simplified last week in first of three phases Eurocontrol formally launched the world's largest...

F-16E/F Block 60.(Lockheed Martin)
December 2, 2003... F-16E/F Block 60 Franks. "And with the aircraft about to enter flight test it will become more attractive." Several customers are showing interest, he says. At $50-55 million, the Block 60 costs $10-15 million more than the Block 50 Plus....

headlines.(briefs)
December 2, 2003... Business Airbus buys Russian aluminium Airbus plans to begin taking raw aluminum from the Russian Aluminum company in 2005 in a deal potentially worth $20 million a year, writes Vladimir Karnozov. Currently, Russian metals company...

development max kingsley-jones / toulouse; Airbus reveals long-term plan for new 'regional people-mover'.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Airbus remains convinced that it can compete effectively with the Boeing 7E7 in the medium-to-long range market with its A330-200, but admits that it has a long-term plan to develop a new "regional people-mover" for the high-capacity short-haul...

cockpit systems Max Kingsley-Jones / Toulouse; Pilots give thumbs up to A380 flightdeck design; Major changes include addition of keyboard cursor control unit, with a QWERTY keypad.(typewriter keypad)
December 9, 2003... Customer pilots have responded positively to the new features of the Airbus A380 flightdeck, after recent human-machine interface (HMI) trials on the development simulator in Toulouse. The manufacturer is gearing up for full trials of the A380...

The uphill struggle to lessen the load.(Airbus A380)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... In early 2001 the A380's manufacturer's weight empty (MWE) was "several tonnes above target", says executive vice-president A380 programme Charles Champion, as Airbus accommodated changes to the specification to meet customer range, payload and...

dispute ; Avianca pilots revolt over redundancies.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Troubled Colombian flag carrier Avianca has suffered another blow, with its pilots instigating a work to rule in a dispute over redundancies, writes Jackson Flores. The airline has been reorganising under US Chapter 11 bankruptcy...

safety; Incidents prompt changes to 747-400 checklist.(National Transportation Safety Board's safety rules)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last week recommended that Boeing 747-400 operators adopt new non-normal checklist procedures in the event of failure of the cockpit's integrated display systems. 747-400s operated by...

dubai first news guy norris / seattle; Boeing boosts 777-300ER weight; Longer range model set to be unveiled at the Dubai air show has greater MTOW than first production batch.
December 9, 2003... Boeing plans to offer a higher-gross-weight, longer-range variant of the 777-300ER from late 2004, based on additional margins discovered during the latter stages of the flight-test programme. The latest variant, details of which are being...

structure Michael Phelan / London; Boeing details materials and systems for 7E7; Metallic wing ribs among the features as board prepares for crucial launch decision.
December 9, 2003... Boeing has settled on metallic wing ribs for the 7E7, as it prepares to ask its board of directors for permission to offer the aircraft this month. Boeing has also confirmed that it will follow the Airbus A380's lead and use a variable...

avionics; CMC upgrades Classic cockpit.(CMC Electronics contract with Qantas)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... CMCElectronics has upgraded a Qantas Boeing 747-300 with its CMA-900 flight management system (FMS), triple inertial reference systems and Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator, the first of six -300s to be upgraded for the Australian...

Expansion; Hainan looks for more to follow A319s.(Hainan Airlines)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... China's Hainan Airlines is preparing a deal for its first Airbus A319s, and the rapidly expanding airline is also looking to add Boeing 737-300 freighters and additional Fairchild Dornier 328JETs to its fleet. The Hainan southern island...

strategy Brendan Sobie /Singapore & Lubomir Sedlak / Prague; LZ mounts Let sales push in Asia; Affiliate's ambitious plans for region could boost Czech manufacturer, which filed for bankruptcy in October.
December 9, 2003... Letecke Zavody's Asian partner has leased two L-410s to carriers in Australia and Indonesia and plans to buy another 10 L-410/420s from the bankrupt Czech manufacturer in a drive to push sales of the 19-seat turboprop throughout South-East...

strategy Leithen Francis / Singapore; Mandarin to replace 737s with Fokker 100s.(Mandarin Airlines)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Taiwanese carrier Mandarin Airlines is to double its Fokker 100 fleet to four aircraft after discovering it was unable to make money operating larger aircraft on domestic routes. Mandarin has signed a contract with Debis AirFinance to lease...

air traffic management Emma Kelly / Perth; Melbourne incident prompts union to renew airspace fight.(Civil Air)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Australian air traffic control union Civil Air has renewed calls for the government to suspend its airspace modernisation after an incident involving a Virgin Blue Boeing 737-400 and a Cessna 421 near Melbourne last week. The calls come as the...

maintenance Brendan Sobie / Singapore; P&W to make room for V2500 in Singapore.(Pratt and Whitney to add line at Singapore facility)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Pratt & Whitney is considering adding an IAE V2500 overhaul line at its Singapore maintenance shop as capacity at its New Zealand site is poised to fill up following Qantas' expected selection of V2500s for its new Airbus A320 fleet. The...

low-cost carriers Emma Kelly / Perth; Qantas aims for rock bottom Jetstar prices, but unions fear erosion of pay at parent company.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Qantas intends its new low-cost offshoot, Jetstar, to be the lowest cost operator in Australia, but the airline's plans are causing concern among unions that fear the move could see an erosion of pay and conditions at the parent carrier. ...

development Vladimir Karnozov / Moscow; Sukhoi-led RRJ team upbeat on forecast.(Russian Regional Jet's sales forecast)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... The Sukhoi-led Russian Regional Jet (RRJ) team has increased its market forecast from 600 to 800 sales over the next 20 years, after the group held its first airline consultancy council with potential customers last month. Airlines were...

cargo Kieran Daly / London; Volga-Dnepr firms up its scheduled freight plan; Carrier to start operations with two Boeing 747-200Fs, adding one a year to 2010.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Russian outsize freight specialist Volga-Dnepr will in April launch a scheduled operation branded Air Bridge Cargo (ABC) which, it believes, will account for 70% of revenues within a decade. The airline is acquiring two Boeing 747-200Fs and...

marketplace.(Sichuan Airlines buys four Airbus A319s)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... nChina's Sichuan Airlines has ordered four Airbus A319s to be delivered from next year. The International Aero Engines V2500-powered aircraft are part of a 30-aircraft order signed in April by China Aviation Supplies Import & Export Group....

Crisis at boeing Guy Norris / Los Angeles; Stonecipher aims to stop the rot; New chief executive means business as he returns to sort out troubles at world's biggest aerospace company.
December 9, 2003... A scurrilous email image depicting Harry Stonecipher and Phil Condit as Laurel and Hardy - entitled "another fine mess" - has been doing the rounds over the past week. Condit's eight-year reign as Boeing chief executive - during which he...

upgrade; Re-engined 208 Caravan set for 2004 approval.(Aero Twin )(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Alaska-based Aero Twin hopes to win approval for its re-engined Cessna 208 Caravan programme by the end of March 2004 following US Federal Aviation Administration certification of the reconfigured Honeywell TPE331-12JR turboprop to be used in...

strategy; London City Jet Centre to expand operations.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... London City Airport Jet Centre plans to add a second aircraft to its fledgling charter operation and says it may brand the charter business as demand continues to grow. London City Airport took delivery of a Dassault Falcon 900EX in July...

WINGLETS; API nears Hawker certification.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Aviation Partners (API) of Seattle expects supplemental type certification of its blended winglets on the Raytheon Hawker 800A/B, dubbed the 800SP, in January. A number of "false starts" delayed the process by around two months, API says....

strategy Pino Modola / Genoa; Finmeccanica closes in on Alcatel partnership.(Finmeccanica's division Alenia Spazio to form partnership with Alcatel Space)
December 9, 2003... Finmeccanica is close to finalising a strategic partnership between its satellite division, Alenia Spazio, and the French Alcatel group's Alcatel Space. Negotiations conducted this year have gone well, and the companies expect to sign a...

joint ventures; EADS sets up Moscow base.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... EADS has set up a Russian subsidiary to develop its links with local manufacturers such as Irkut and Kaskol. The company has not yet decided the responsibilities of the company, which will be headed by Vadim Vlasov, who was previously...

Expansion Kieran Daly / London; Volga-Dnepr learns a new ABC; Company president sees activity tripling over next decade, as 747s are added gradually to its new freight operation.(Air Bridge Cargo unit to begin operations in April 2004)
December 9, 2003... Almost three years after dissolving its joint venture with Heavylift, Volga-Dnepr is branching out under president Alexey Isaikin. If all goes well, Isaikin is very likely to reach retirement age as chairman of the biggest airline in Russia...

consolidation Paul Duffy / Moscow; Russia to create industry giant with private funds; Rosaviakosmos plans to breathe new life into aerospace by combining five companies.
December 9, 2003... Russia's aerospace agency Rosaviakosmos (RAKA) plans to merge five leading aircraft organisations over the next four years as it seeks to resurrect the country's ailing industry. Following a plan outlined earlier this year by deputy prime...

in brief.
December 9, 2003... Alcan buys rival Pechiney, the French aluminium producer which dominates the European aerospace market, has been bought for g4 billion ($4.8 billion) by its Canadian rival Alcan. The deal was cleared by USand European regulators in...

EXPANSION Kate Sarsfield / London; Club Airways considers buying large-cabin types; Aircraft earmarked for longer-haul routes and those with load factor of more than 65%.
December 9, 2003... Club Airways, Europe's sole members-only business airline, may introduce large-cabin aircraft types next year as it races to achieve a target of 5,000 members by the end of 2004. Hans Schwab, Club Airways founder and chief executive, says...

consortium; Czech team plans twin turboprop.(companies from the Czech Aviation Manufacturers Association to manufacture turboprops)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Seventeen companies from the Czech Aviation Manufacturers' Association (AVL) have formed a consortium to manufacture a new twin-turboprop business aircraft, writes Lubom[degrees]r Sedlak. The consortium of second-tier manufacturers, to be...

CHARTER justin wastnage / london; ProAir Cote d'Azur adds aircraft to VIP fleet as business booms.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... German cargo specialist charter broker ProAir has added two aircraft to its new VIP managed fleet division, in its third month of operation. Nice-based ProAir Cote d'Azur was founded in September on the back of an aircraft management...

No nonsense Harry.(Harry Stonecipher returns to Boeing)
December 9, 2003... Harry Stonecipher is a man used to tough decisions, and he will need to make some to put Boeing on the right road for the next decade Harry Stonecipher's return from retirement to take the controls at Boeing, following the resignation of...

in brief.(General Atomics' RQ-1 unmanned air vehicle)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Predator on guard The General Atomics RQ-1 Predator unmanned air vehicle has completed a demonstration deployment with the US Coast Guard (USCG) in Alaska. Two US Navy RQ-1s were used in the exercise, which included six flights in four...

Military plan; Belgium to cut F-16 fleet by a third in capability reduction.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Belgium is to further reduce its Lockheed Martin F-16 fleet from 90 aircraft to 60 by 2015 as part of a drastic planned reduction in defence capability, writes Herman De Wulf. The decision forms part of the Brussels government's latest...

requirement Peter La Franchi / Brussels; UKdefence ministry set to select CATSsupplier.
December 9, 2003... The UK Ministry of Defence's Combined Aerial Target Service (CATS) project office hopes to select a preferred supplier for the [pounds sterling]750 million ($1.3 billion) public/private partnership programme by January. The requirement...

lease LUBOMIR SEDLAK / PRAGUE and CHRISTINA MACKENZIE / PARIS; Czech Republic accepts offer of Swedish Gripens ; Decision to lease means country's ageing Russian MiG-21 fighters can be replaced.(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... A Czech government commission has decided unanimously that Sweden's offer to lease 14 Saab/BAESystems Gripens to the Czech air force provides the best interim solution to the country's urgent need to replace its Russian MiG-21 fighters. ...

visual systems ; Evans & Sutherland unveils EPX-5000 image generator ; System will allow rapid creation and updating of visual databases for mission rehearsal.
December 9, 2003... Evans & Sutherland (E&S) has raised the stakes in the military visual simulation market with the unveiling of its EPX-5000 high-performance image generator allowing rapid creation and updating of visual databases for mission rehearsal. The...

fighters; Japan's F-2s to get FLIR.(Technical Research and Development Institute to develop forward-looking infrared sensors for Japanese fighters)(Brief Article)
December 9, 2003... Japan plans to install from 2006 a locally developed forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor on its fleet of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) F-2 support fighters. The Japan Technical Research and Development Institute (TRDI) says...

missile defence Stephen Trimble / Washington DC & Peter La Franchi
December 9, 2003... Northrop Grumman has joined an elite tier of missile defence prime contractors after securing a $4.5 billion contract to build the boost-phase interceptor that closes the gap in the US Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) layered coverage strategy....